Chapter Three

ISABELLE’S POV

I woke up with the mindset of trying to talk things with Raphael but when I met the empty coldness of the bed, my heart broke.

I climbed out of the bed, attempting to find him in the showers or something but after a few minutes, I realized that Raphael was no where around the house.

There was no note, there was no notification, he was just gone.

“ Ma’am , Mr drake stepped out for work, he said he had an important meeting he had to attend” one of the maids said to me as I stood in the middle of the living room, looking lost.

I couldn’t stop myself from frowning when the words left her mouth.

He couldn’t wake me up to tell me he was leaving for work?

At the same time that I was offended, I was worried. 

Did I do something so unforgivable that he couldn’t and wouldn’t sit with me to talk to me? Because if it wasn’t like that then how was it that I was feeling that he was purposely ignoring my presence and it hurt me deeply, to an extent that it placed me in the foulest mood ever.

I got dressed and went to work with my mind constantly bringing up reasons why Raphael would be avoiding his own wife and suddenly have a change of heart after our wedding night.

Or was I that terrible at sex?

I shook my head, remembering that I was now at work and that I needed to focus.

“ …isabelle?” 

“ Yes?” I asked irritated, immediately realizing that I had spoken to my superior rudely.

“ I am so sorr--”

“The boss will like to see you in her office” he said and walked away.

My mood soured even more than before.

 What could my head of department possibly want? 

I sighed and left my desk and headed into hers and from the glass, I could see that she was already frowning.

“ isabelle, sit down” she said and I obeyed.

“ I will go straight to the point, in an office we have a hierarchy and yours happen to be at the bottom of the food chain and when there is an attack, the lowest bottom feeder always takes the bite” she started and my heart quickened.

“ I don’t understand” I said, a bit confused.

“ you will understand better when you meet with the CEO and remember, you are the bottom feeder” she said and walked out of the office, I was heartbroken and shocked at what she was insinuating and yet, I followed her to the managerial office.

We were ushered in by a secretary and immediately, we got pulled into the office, I could feel the wealth that came from the furniture alone.

I had never seen the CEO of this company and to be standing in his office with not a clue other than I was expected to take the fall for something I didn’t know or understand, made me afraid.

“ I have checked all of the papers and the problem still persists. Do you care to explain?” he asked with his face buried in papers. 

“ I brought her here sir, she can explain better” my head of department said, throwing me under the bus.

The CEO finally dropped the papers and our eyes connected. 

My body responded to him, in a way that I couldn’t have prepared for, it was almost like I recognized him and my pussy hummed in delight.

I shook my head to focus, I was married after all.

He took one look at me and I started to tremble. 

“ what is your name?” he asked me and my eyes widened in surprise.

“ Isabella, sir” I answered.

“ Do you know what these papers mean?” he asked me and I shook my head.

He looked at my head of department and then took a look at me.

“ what happened?” he folded his arms across his chest and my heart flew out of my chest.

“ Wha -- what she said was correct sir, I…I am responsible for the losses inquired sir. I am so sorry sir” I stuttered and he took a look at me and then back at the work.

“ you really think lying suits you?” he asked and fear overcame me.

I opened my mouth to speak but words were failing me.

“ you are fired” he said

“ see yourself out, the security is already clearing your desk as we speak, go home directly and you are banned from the company” he said and I felt my knees wobble.

Tears started to threaten to fall from my eyes.

“ As for you, isabelle, congratulations on your new role as head of department on financial policies, we would be working closely.” he said and I gasped in shock.

I looked at my head of department and she had anger in her eyes 

“ What are you waiting for?” he asked her and she didn’t wait to be told as she left the room in a hurry while I tried to find something to hold to balance the shock coursing through me.

“you are an excellent team player, Isabelle. We should announce this” he said and the next thing I knew, I was seating close to him in a staff meeting where he introduced me to everyone with my new position.

When everyone began to walk out, the meeting been finished with, I sighed in relief and when I wanted to leave the board room, I heard a chair scrape backward in response, making me turn my head in the direction to see that he was still there.

“ Congrats again, Isabelle. Good job” he said and praised me, a blush settled on my cheeks and I held them in response.

“ Thank you sir” I said as the embarrassment from the compliments engulfed me.

“ Call me, Dominic” he said but there was no way I was going to address my new boss with his first name, not after saving me from the clutches of my former boss, I merely nodded my head but I wasn’t about to do that.

He stood up and moved towards the table and stayed behind my chair and in one moment, he bent down touched my arm with his.

A reaction that caused me to jump in my seat and my breathing to change as his touch ignited a feeling I had been keeping and hoped that Raphael would help quench but instead all he had been able to do was to stomp on the fire by refusing to meet my needs, 

“ And thanks for that night and I would love

a round two” he said and the hairs at the back of my neck stood as he had a small smirk on his face.