Chapter 6

"Stav, we will be leaving in half an hour. You ready?" one of my colleagues asked as I was on my way back to the office from the storage room.

"Yeah, I'm almost done," I told him and walked forwards into my office.

It was my fourth day at work, fourth day of working under Devil. This past week had been a living hell and I was looking forward to the weekend. Tonight, I was supposed to join all the other employees at a club so that I could introduce myself to everyone properly.

Sitting back in my seat, I gave one last look to Monday's schedule so I could reach the office in time. Stretching my arms over my head, I yawned and my eyes inadvertently reached Alice sitting at her desk through the glass window.

She was busy looking at the file in her hand. There was a pencil in between her plump lips stained with dark red lipstick. Her hair was gathered on top of her head in a messy bun and there was a cute frown on her forehead.

Cute? This is the devil we are talking about.

She might be a cruel monster but there was no denying that she was beautiful. Everything about her looks screamed perfection, be it her hourglass figure or her long dark hair; her hazel eyes or the way she smelled.

No. This is the woman who leaves no stone unturned to embarrass you. Remember?

Focusing my attention back to work, I started rearranging the planner when suddenly I heard someone walk into the hallway. Leaving my seat, I rushed outside and stopped the man from entering her office.

"Where do you think you are going, Sir? Do you have an appointment?" I asked, extending my arm in front of him to stop him. The man looked like he was in his late twenties. He was tall and broad, with grey eyes that contrasted perfectly against his caramel skin.

"I am Dustin," he said in a low voice.

"Derek who?"

"Listen, she knows who I am. Now let me go," he said and tried to walk but I blocked his way.

"First tell me, do you have an appointment because I am not getting my ass kicked because of you?" I said, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

Before he could speak, the door behind me opened and Alice's voice reached my ears. "Let him in, Stav," she said.

Moving sideways, I watched both of them and the intense exchange of looks between them. Curiosity piqued inside me and I controlled the urge to ask what was going on.

"Come in," she said and he walked inside, casting an annoyed glance towards me.

I walked back to my seat and watched what was going inside her office with my peripheral vision. She probably forgot about the window between both rooms otherwise she would have closed it already.

My eyes lingered on the guy. Who was he? A friend? Brother? Boyfriend? Husband?

They were speaking in hushed tones and the look I saw on Alice's face was one that I had never seen before in my brief time here. She looked gloomy and defeated. Whoever that man was, he had a significant place in Alice's life, judging by her expression.

I tried my best not to look towards her office but soon, the voices started getting louder.

"Just tell me for how long? A year? Two years? I can wait that long," the man said to her.

"There is no time limit here, Dustin. That's who I am now. If you can't handle it, there is no point in giving me that ring," she said and handed him a red box.

Ring? Is that an engagement ring?

"Who are you? I don't recognize the girl sitting in front of me? This is not the person I fell in love with," he said and all the color left Alice's face on hearing this.

I couldn't see anything clearly other than the trail of wetness going down her cheeks at his words.

"Then leave," she said firmly, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand.

The guy stood up and rested both his arms on her desk. "Is that your final decision?" he asked.

"It's not my decision, Dustin. . . It's yours," she said. "But yes, it's the only option now."

"Fine," he said and straightened up.

The guy turned around to leave. I couldn't see his face anymore because he had walked towards the door. All I could see was the big drops of moisture in Alice's eyes as she tried to keep her composure.

Once that guy left, her face contorted and she burst into tears. She hid her face in between her palms while her body shook slightly. The sight caused my heart to clench in pity. No matter how much I hated her guts, I couldn't see her cry like this. No girl deserved to cry because a guy couldn't handle her power. It was clear that his words had hurt her a lot and I didn't know what I could do to reverse it.

I was staring at her with a clenched jaw when a blonde head peeked through the door of my office. "Hey, we are leaving. Come on," Sunny said to me.

My eyes switched between her face and Alice's and I contemplated what to do. I couldn't leave her crying like this, could I? But why was I worried about someone who didn't care about anyone else? The smartest thing would be to leave the office and join my colleagues in the club but for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to do that.

"I have some urgent work. I'll join you guys next time," I finally said.

A pout appeared on her thin lips as she frowned. "Fine. Though I was looking forward to introducing you to everyone else," she said sourly.

"Next time, I promise," I said.

"Fine." Sunny shrugged and left, closing the door behind her.

After she left, I kept looking towards Alice's room, waiting for her to stop crying but she didn't. She kept sitting there still, staring at the box that he had left behind with tears leaving her eyes. I wasn't even aware that a woman like Alice was capable of showing these emotions. She always looked like she had a stone in place of a heart.

Not wanting to stare at her crying figure any longer, I left my office and made my way towards hers. "Can I come inside?" I asked.

"Yes." Her voice came out thick from all the crying.

I entered inside where she was hiding her face behind a file. She was acting like nothing had happened, not knowing the window was uncovered and I had witnessed everything.

"Do you need anything?" I asked.

"No," she said. "You are free to leave. Go home and enjoy your weekend."

I stood there, watching as she rested the file on the table and kept her eyes lowered on it. Her cheeks were flushed red, her nose was swollen and the collar of her black shirt was slightly wet.

Bracing myself, I walked towards her desk and sat down on the chair. She lifted her head and glared at me, with her glassy eyes that were coated with a thick layer of moisture.

"For what's its worth, that guy didn't look good with you. He was too tall. You can't marry someone that tall. Right? The wedding photos would be a disaster," I said, flashing her a wide smile.

She blinked at me twice and at that moment, she looked so innocent, nothing like the woman who was ordering me around for four days.

"What are you doing? Were you listening to us?" she asked, and with that, the devil returned.

"That's not the point. I just want to say that you are the scariest woman I have ever met," I said and her frown deepened. "Um... By scariest, I... I meant strong and smart."

"I bet you did." She glared right into my eyes.

"The point is, you can't cry over a man. That's something lame girls do, which you aren't." I said.

She didn't admit it, but I could see a very faint smile on the corner of her lips. "Thanks for the advice I never asked for," she whispered under her breath. "But if I were you, I'd leave before I fire you for eavesdropping," she added, leaning her head to the side.

"On my way, boss." I said and rushed out of the office in the fastest speed possible.

•••••••••••

As soon as I stepped into my apartment, my gaze landed on the couch where a certain couple was busy sucking the soul out of each other. Ignoring the bile rising in my throat, I cleared my throat and they both finally noticed my presence.

"Really, guys? On the couch?" I asked, throwing their clothes at them that I picked up from the floor.

"We thought you would be late. Weren't you going to the club tonight?" Isaiah asked, hiding Kylie's naked body under the blanket.

"And you thought that's the perfect time to fuck your girlfriend on my couch?" I said, turning around so they could dress up.

"We couldn't keep our hands off each other." Kylie said and I heard another kissing sound.

"Get a room, you guys!" I screamed in annoyance and walked towards my room. "I am going to take a bath. If I come back and you both are still kissing, I am going to double the rent."

I shared my apartment with my college friend, Isaiah, and his girlfriend, Kylie. Well, Kylie wasn't my official roommate but she came free with Isaiah. Despite their excessive lovemaking, they were one of the cutest couples I knew. Isaiah was a tall and broad blond and Kylie was practically a minion. She was a short and petite brunette with hair that reached her neck. Their personalities were just as different as their looks but they loved each other to the core.

By the time I returned, they both had shifted to the dining table, waiting for me. I sat down and served some of the pasta on my plate. While I took the first bite, I felt their eyes on me, assessing me quietly.

"What?" I asked.

"How was the devil today?" Isaiah asked.

"She—Alice was okay." I said and took another bite.

"Who is Alice?" Kendal asked.

"My boss." I said.

"Oh. I thought we called her the devil." Kylie said.

I gulped, remembering everything that happened today. For some reason, she felt more like a human to me, one who had ups and down just like the rest of us. That still didn't justify her behaviour, but it made me look at her in a different way.

"She wasn't that bad today," I said, stabbing the fork in the pasta.

"Well, there is always a tomorrow." Isaiah chuckled and then silence prevailed on the dining table as we all quietly finished our dinner