The Stone Cold CEO

EMBER

Fired?

Did she even hear it right?

What was going on?

Selene smirked a little as she snatched back her purse from Ember's and started walking away. The man's ocean blue eyes lingered on hers with a slight frown before he started walking away as well. She stood there, dumbstruck.

He had to be the CEO. No one else would have that authority. He was.. none other than.. Zaire Langston Hughes, the CEO and founder of Sarte group of companies. From what Ember had researched about him, she knew he belonged to a rich and well known family but he has built the company Sarte with his own hardwork and money.

His family had no contribution to his success, he was a known one man army, one of the youngest billionaires and business tycoon. But she never saw his face before. There was too little about his appearance on the internet, he seemed like the type to love his privacy.

But she snapped back from her thoughts and she bolted towards him. She couldn't let her dream be shattered before it even started.

"Sir.. I'm new here so I had no idea of how things work here. I'm sorry to say no. I'll gladly do it, please don't fire me," she said, speaking rapidly till she gets his attention. Selene had walked away already but there was nothing that was making Zaire look up at Ember. "Sir.. listen to me please!"

The elevator door closed but she didn't dare step inside with him. So she hurried to the stairs, running and gasping for air. She climbed and climbed at her full speed, checking each floor to spot him until she found him on the 10th floor. She ran again.

"Sir.. Mr Langston, please I'm begging you," she said after she blocked her way, finally making him notice her. "I don't know how things work around here, I really didn't know."

"Some things never change, it seems," He was a little taken aback to see her but it lasted 2 seconds. He had a cynical look on his face. "It's so disappointing to see I hired a total pushover."

"That's not me, sir. I just know how to apologise for my mistakes," she said, firmly, but that only made him scoff.

"You consider it as your mistake when I was being unfair. You just held up your naive personality to me in just two sentences. That's all I had to know," He said with a demeaning look moments before he turned and entered one of the rooms.

Ember realised it was a conference room. Her back rested against the wall, her mind going blank. There was no way she lost her job that quick. She was just about to peek inside when-

"You.. oh! You must be the new hire, right? Why are you outside? Come!" A tall guy with curly hair and an oversized suit, stood in front of Ember with a friendly grin.

"Wait, I'm not fired?" Ember asked.

"Don't be silly," He casually slung his arm over her shoulder and dragged her inside the room even if she was confused.

"Listen up everyone!" He made the announcement as everyone turned to look at them. Except one.

Ember stared straight ahead but her eyes slipped to him, he sat at one of the seats of the conference table, focused eyes set on the binder in front of him.

"Not now," the CEO said, authority filling the air.

"It'll take two minutes!" The man said, but when Zaire looked up at him, he went quiet.

"You're interrupting, Jameson," his voice was more stern, his eyes cold. Jameson backed off immediately, scooting back to Ember with a defeated look.

"We'll do the introduction later," he whispered to her, a little embarrassed. "Sorry about that, he's always in a mood. No one has ever seen him smile, you can probably tell."

Zaire looked up and immediately met her eyes. Even for that split second, she felt sparks shooting up her spine. But he looked away again, unamused. He must've bluffed about actually firing her.

She sat down as directed with the other employees.

"Let's discuss the extensive details then," someone at the conference table said. They all were just about to start when-

"No," Zaire said even if the meeting just started. Everyone obeyed. "We'll wrap up."

"Alright then. Charles, bring those PCR files to me by noon," Jameson said. From what she heard, he was the president of the company.

When she looked back up, Zaire was staring right at her with a blank expression. She froze. Then he stood up, and everyone did too after him.

"Results by 2, in my cabin. If you're late, you're fired," he ordered, looking at no one in particular. Everyone stayed quiet and obeyed. But then his eyes trailed back to Ember, the same unpredictable gaze. "And you, follow me."

Ember's heart flipped at his words. Would he finally fire her? What was he thinking?

~

Ember was following behind, watching him strut down the hallway so elegant yet casually.

His head was held high, his shoulders broader and his suit not even able to hide his defined muscles. His jet-black hair was slicked back to perfection. Something in the way he tucked his hands into his pockets made her breath hitch. For some reason, he looked so different yet so familiar.

She pushed open the door. He was already seated, still not looking at her. She entered and stood right before his desk, almost pulsating.

"G-good morning, sir. I am Ember Ca-"

"I know. I hired you," he said, not looking up. She sealed her mouth shut.

"Yes," she muttered, taking his ignorance into consideration while she pulled on the chair of his desk and sat down.

"Remind me, Ms Campbell," Zaire took a deep breath and leaned in a little, cynical eyes focused on her.

"What sir?"

"Remind me when exactly did I ask you to sit," he said, and immediately, Ember hurried out of the chair and stood straight.

"Sorry," she murmured.

"Louder," he said.

"Sorry, sir!" She said, like she had run out of breath already.

"You'll be in your trial period for two weeks. Collect your ID from the HR," he spoke quickly, leaving no space for anything unnecessary. Like he was least interested. Ember was taken aback because she thought he'd say something about what happened before. "Leave."

"Huh?" She choked out. He raised an eyebrow at her. "I mean.. that's it?"

He nodded, looking back down.

"You have nothing else to say..?" Ember took another chance. She just wanted to make sure he wasn't mad at her.

He looked up at her for a brief moment as he took in her features, then he looked away quickly.

"No. Leave." He said coldly. He was a hardened shell.

The seed of doubt spread in her mind, what if she was misunderstanding? Why did he seem so familiar?

~

After she went home that day, she cracked open a beer to celebrate in her empty apartment. The day she chose to be rebellious and go her own way, her parents made sure they had nothing to do with her. So she left, she chose her own way.

But when her eyes closed hazily, all she could think about was that night, 6 years ago. And the way that stranger stripped her off of all she was ever afraid of. She didn't know why she suddenly felt upset.

On the other hand, her eyes were always alerted for her CEO. She didn't know why, she found herself looking for him.

Ember rarely saw Zaire around the office. And whenever he was around, he wouldn't even spare her a moment of attention. He would be aloof and stern, in his zone.

But that man was a nightmare. People shivered to the core when he was around but the woman in the office would die for just that one look.

Ember knew all that stories of him being straight up cruel to people who made mistakes. He could make people cry with just the coldness in his eyes.

"He's devilish but his actions speak louder. His talent and work ethics are the reason we've climbed up this far," Charles, the managing director, had said with a smile. It sounded like he had really given his all.

Ember stepped into the lift, her head caught up with thoughts. It was only her fourth day and her workload was less but from the looks of it, it wasn't going to stay that way. The lift door was just about to close when she spotted someone just outside, so she pressed the button. The door opened again, making regret wash over Ember's face. Zaire Langston Hughes.

He entered the lift, totally unfazed by her presence, unlike Ember. She had already started breathing hard, hitched. Poised like he was, he stood at the opposite side, his eyes straight ahead.

"G-good morning," she said, rather reluctant but she was expected to do that. He just ignored, making her feel guilty for even opening her mouth. He was too guarded, too uptight that even normal human emotions felt alien if he showed it. Ember could bet on a thousand bucks, no one in the building has even seen him smile.

Both of them were headed to a meeting on the 12th floor. Ember was hoping the painful silence would end but the lift door never opened. Her eyes snapped up and fell on the blank screen of the lift. It wasn't even showing numbers. She pressed the open button, but nothing happened. She looked to her side with plain horror on her face.

There was no way that the lift broke down and now, she was stuck with him. The man who still didn't bat an eye even after Ember successfully freaked out silently while pressing the buttons rapidly.

"Do.. do something! It's not moving! We're stuck!" Ember almost yelled, rattling the door and calling out for security. It wasn't because she thought they'd never get out, it was because she could feel the air tightening around her throat.

She was claustrophobic. She started pacing around, her breath growing shallow every second. She felt all alone, whispering and muttering to herself. She was just about to stumble on her feet when she felt a firm grip on her wrist. With that, she was pulled into him. Zaire stood in front of her, his eyes looking down at her.

He placed a hand behind her head and slowly made it rest on his chest, slightly pressing her to himself. His arm wrapped around her back, his hold strong against her increasing heart rate.

No explanations. No words. He started gently stroking her head, her face buried against his chest. She was shivering, her body reacting differently than just the claustrophobia. Like her mind had already started to forget what situation she was in.

"Calm down," he whispered against her ears, with the same voice she had heard that night years ago. Her heart sped up, but the reason was completely different this time.

It was because of the man whose arms she was tangled in.