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20. Threatened
Last Updated:
2023-01-04 22:52:02Related chapters
The CEO'S Favorite 21. Nostalgia
"Aria Jennings, do you have anything prepared for us?"At first, I don't register the fact that my name is being called because we only started the meeting and I'm usually called on by the end, but a tap from Belle beside me has me looking up. I look around the table, at the eight people that make our small crew, then my eyes meet with Nessa's and she nods, encouraging me to go on.I clear my throat. "I don't have a pitch for this, but I have an idea for a pitch. Is that okay?" I ask unsurely, still taken aback by the fact that Nessa called on me so early in the meeting."Go ahead."The reason I haven't prepared a pitch for the recent ad we were given to work on isn't that Nessa never lets the others hear it — that has never deterred me — but because my mind has been caught up with my dinner with Patrick Hernsburg and what he said to me.I try to forget everything about him and go on with telling everybody about my idea for the social app. In a way, I was nervous because apart from th
Last Updated : 2023-01-06The CEO'S Favorite 22. Fucking bastard
"Why would you let Lucas wander off alone?" That is the first thing I ask when we enter the office and see Gabriel standing by the transparent wall that gives him a magnificent view of the city. Immediately, Lucas leaves me and runs for Gabriel's side, taking a hold of his hand. I resist scoffing. "I offered to come to get you," Lucas admits. "So you lied?""Sorry, mommy." Just like Gabriel, he's no longer looking at me. He's staring outside the transparent glass. I stare at their backs for a while. It's starting to get addictive seeing both of them together. Is this because I admitted to liking him some days back? Is that why I don't fancy being in his presence much? Because I don't like the way my body reacts to him.I don't know what, but something compels me to bring out my phone and take a picture of them, and I do. Gabriel turns around immediately, catching me with my phone up in my hand. He cocks his head in amusement. "Did you just take a picture of us?"My face turns red in
Last Updated : 2023-01-07The CEO'S Favorite 23. Mr. Hernsburg
The next time I see Gabriel after that is the next Monday. He didn't come to work on Friday, despite the fact that his penthouse was right above his office. Since I didn't know he would be a no-show, I brought Lucas with me again that Friday, so he had to stay with me in my cubicle while I worked.He was surprisingly quiet and kept to reading the new book Gabriel got for him. The only times he spoke were to ask me if Gabriel was okay and when he needed to use the restroom. During lunch, he came along with me to the canteen. We received some weird looks but didn't pay any mind to them. They were probably wondering what a seven-year-old was doing in a company like that.Right now, I'm happy his suspension is finally over and he can go back to school as he has missed a lot. He isn't happy about it though. This morning, he asked me if he could just be homeschooled instead, but I had to ask him how he would be able to see Ally if he started homeschooling. That had him getting out of bed f
Last Updated : 2023-01-07The CEO'S Favorite 24. Dinner with the parents
Between Lucas and I, I don't know who is more nervous. When I broke the news that we were going to visit his grandparents, he was beyond shocked. He had asked me about them at one point, of course, and I almost lied that they were dead, but I couldn't do that to him. I couldn't do that to them.That had put me in a tight spot and I had to come up with a different lie instead. I'd told him that they lived on a different continent and we wouldn't be able to see them. He soon understood that we couldn't afford to fly to a completely different country and stopped asking to see them.It made me feel bad, but I was also relieved. I was afraid that I'd call them and they'd say they weren't interested in being part of Lucas' life.Lucas and I stand in front of the door of the home address my father had sent to me. It isn't the house I grew up in. It is much smaller but seems classier. My mother always had an eye for fancy things, so I'm not surprised. "I thought you said they lived on a dif
Last Updated : 2023-01-08The CEO'S Favorite 25. Come with me
I decided I'd given Gabriel enough time.It's been exactly a week since we last spoke. I didn't go to him sooner because I assumed he'd come to me. It's Gabriel. He always does. But it seems like this time is different.I'm worried out of my mind because he got worse each day. He's snapping at everyone, not just me and it looks like he's always in a bad mood.Some of my colleagues say it's nothing new and that he used to be like this when he first took over from his father, so they minimized their interactions with him, not wanting to get fired over the smallest mistakes.However, this was new to me, and it caught me off guard whenever he snapped at someone. An intern lost her job last week because she spilled coffee on him. I feel bad for her, but there's nothing I can do about it.I know something is very wrong and if not taken care of, he may spiral out of control. I recall that he told me it's none of my business, but I can't help the fact that I care about him on a personal level
Last Updated : 2023-01-08The CEO'S Favorite 26. Darling
I continue staring at him, unmoving. A few minutes ago, he literally embarrassed me in front of everyone on the floor, and now, he's telling me to come with him?"I said come with me." He repeats, his voice hard like he's still mad at me. "Don't test me, darling."A collective gasp is heard around the floor and the place is no longer silent. I clench my fists in annoyance. He doesn't feel the least bothered about what he just said, which shows that he did it on purpose. He raises an eyebrow at me as if challenging me to disobey him, and then turns around to leave, not waiting to see if I'll follow him or not.I close my eyes and take a deep breath. When I open them, Marcus, Belle, and Nessa all have their mouths hung open and it aggravates me. It's exactly the reaction he wanted and he got it.I smile tightly at them and stand up to follow Gabriel. "They're definitely fucking." I hear Belle breathe out in surprise, and I don't bother to correct her as I leave. If this is the kind of r
Last Updated : 2023-01-09The CEO'S Favorite 27. A date
Gabriel never answered my question. According to him, he was not yet ready to answer my question, but he would soon. In addition to that, he promised he would never be rude to me again. I didn't know whether to put faith in that since he had once told me he wouldn't snap at me.His excuse was that he'd been hungover, which had me questioning why he'd been drinking. That was another thing he had said he wasn't ready to talk about, but I had a feeling it had to do with the person he lost years ago.After that day, Gabriel reduced the rate at which he snapped at people. Well, more like, he reduced his interactions with his employees, having the manager interact with us instead.My colleagues thought it was my doing and they became friendlier to me, which is probably why, "Hey, Aria, we're all going out for a drink. You should come."One of my colleagues whose name I haven't bothered to learn says. I'm about to decline when Nessa jumps in. "Yeah, we don't always need work to be the excuse
Last Updated : 2023-01-10The CEO'S Favorite 28. Lay down
I didn't believe it at first. Gabriel, my boss, the CEO of Double H Tech is actually kissing me. He places his hand on the small of my back and pushes me into him, and I finally throw out all my inhibitions and kiss him back.He pulls back a little, but his lips are still touching mine as he speaks. "Been wanting to do that since the day I saw you."I nod my head and kiss him again, not having the time to chat. If I'm to be honest, me too. The kiss is fast and urgent, and it seems like he can't get enough. I let my hand get tangled up in his hair while his hands roam across my body, wanting to touch me everywhere in such little time."Why don't we take this inside?" I ask breathlessly. I'm not thinking straight at the moment. I'm not worried about the repercussions of our actions. I just know that I want Gabriel and I'm going to have him."Good idea."Probably not.As I turn around to unlock the door, Gabriel plants kisses on my neck, distracting me. When I fail to open the door, he c
Last Updated : 2023-01-11
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The CEO'S Favorite 38. For life
Lucas had said he didn't have many friends, but the number of children running around Gabriel's house right now rivaled that statement. I don't know if it's the cake making all of them hyper, but they all suddenly decided it was time to play.Most of the children are playing hide and seek and since Gabriel doesn't mind, I don't mind as well.Apparently, Gabriel's sister came to visit her family, so he invited her to Lucas' party. She is fun to be around and the children love her as well. They love her a little too much which is why she is currently playing hide and seek with them. At least, there's an adult with them to make sure things don't get out of hand.Lucas has been acting mischievous all day, so it's a good thing she's with them.My parents are also present, along with Gabriel's two friends. Since they're very busy people and won't have time in the near future, he invited them so I'd meet them.It's Lucas' party, but there are a lot of adults present. All my friends are prese
The CEO'S Favorite 37. Getting fucked
He kisses me immediately after, and when he doesn't make any move to go further, I break the kiss hovering above him.He's still in the white shirt he wore to work and I undo the buttons deftly, running my hands down his torso, feeling him take a sharp breath. I don't stop though and he lets me take the reins as I place a kiss on his right nipple, circling my tongue around it, and teasing it with my teeth."What are you doing?" Gabriel asks, his voice quite shaky."Pleasuring you." I grin up at him. "I thought guys liked that stuff?"He blinks as though he wasn't expecting that. "Well, yeah. I mean, I guess I see why they do now."That's all the encouragement I need as I continue kissing my way down his chest and his glorious abs. When does he have the time to work out? Does he even work out?I reach his v-line and I work on removing his slacks. His hand meets mine and I gaze up at him questioningly. His eyes are dark with lust, but somehow he still asks, "what are you doing Aria?"I
The CEO'S Favorite 36. Fuck me already
My breathing is quite heavy as he pulls me with him up the stairs. I know something changed after I told him I loved him. The air seems lighter and it feels like he's ready to let me in.Since we started dating, I tried not to focus on how private Gabriel is. He literally never talks about himself, but somehow, he's always talking. He knows almost everything about me, down to the high school I attended and who my middle school crush was. But I don't even know the college he attended. I know strangers probably knew more about him than I did as a quick Google search would tell me all I needed to know because of how popular he was in the city, but I didn't do that. I wanted to know about him from him. The only thing I knew was his personality. I didn't know his background or past.He first makes a stop at Lucas' room to check if he's still sleeping before continuing to our room. It warms my heart to see how much he cares about my son and I momentarily forget I'm supposed to be annoyed w
The CEO'S Favorite 35. Kiss
As I exit my car, I stare at Gabriel's car that's parked in the driveway. I roll my eyes and walk the short path to the door. I'm not surprised when I open the door and see Gabriel sitting down on the couch in the living room.Even though I'm mad at him, I can't deny how attractive he looks in casual clothes.I pretend I don't see him and attempt to walk past him up the stairs. "Ally's mom dropped Lucas off. He's knocked out." I didn't have to pick Lucas up from school today because he had another playdate with Ally and went to her house straight from school."Okay," I respond and try to go up the stairs, but Gabriel's voice stops me."You took a detour after work." He mentions. Because of my sour mood, I'd taken my own car to work today, letting Gabriel go alone in his when on a regular day, we shared a ride."Yes, I did," I say, not turning around to look at him. I know he's behind me though because his voice sounds closer than before."Where'd you go?"I turn around immediately. "I
The CEO'S Favorite 34. A fight
"I have a confession." "About?""Shawn."I stop in my tracks and turn around to look at Gabriel, eyebrows arched.He raised his hands in surrender. "It's not anything bad, I promise." Then, he pauses. "Well, I don't think it is. I don't know what you'd think though."Shawn was locked up behind bars and as Gabriel had said, I never had to worry about him again. I didn't feel the least remorse when I heard the news of him being arrested because he was beginning to get out of hand and I had a son to keep safe.Well, what about Shawn?" I ask as I continue to the dining, carrying the last plate needed. I'd told Heather about the break-in and that I was living with Gabriel for the time being, and she demanded we all have dinner. At first, I didn't agree with it, but when she told our other friends and they all became persistent, I asked Gabriel what he thought of it and he said he didn't mind.Lucas, who has bonded so much with my father and always communicates with him through my phone, i
The CEO'S Favorite 33. Lucky to be loved
Lucas rides with Gabriel in his car while I follow in mine after packing some things for Lucas and I.The house is quite far from mine, taking about forty minutes to reach. It's in an estate and in the estate, all the houses look like one another. As Gabriel pulls over, I pull over next to his car and before I can undo my seatbelt, Gabriel is already opening my car door for me and offering me his hand.I smile and take it and he retrieves the bags from the backseat before I lock my car.The house is a two-story building and looks simple from the outside. There are flowers planted around the front of the house except for the pathway that leads to the door. Lucas' eyes are glued to the door, making Gabriel laugh. He takes out the key from his pocket and hands it to Lucas. He doesn't waste any time dashing to the door. "No running!"He ignores my warning, face filled with excitement as he inserts the key in the lock, opens the door, and runs in. I'm sure he's more excited about the fact
The CEO'S Favorite 32. Officers
After I spoke to 911, Lucas took the liberty of calling Gabriel as well. Apparently, he was scared, but I had a feeling he called him just because I won't.That's how Gabriel ends up in my apartment, along with the police."You're sure you locked your door this morning?" "Yes, I did. And even if I did not, it doesn't change the fact that someone trashed my house." I snap, irritated at the nature of the questions he's asking me. The blonde, blue-eyed policeman stares at me then tugs at the back of his hair, sighing. "Do you have any idea who may have done it? The person didn't come with the intent of stealing so maybe it's someone you know. Did you have any problems with anyone recently?"I don't think twice before answering. "My ex-boss," I say, looking around the house again. It hasn't been arranged. Hell, I don't know how I want to even start with that. I don't care that he'll be going to jail for this because that's exactly where he belongs."He left a note." I pass it to the man
The CEO'S Favorite 31. 911
Dating Gabriel was very interesting, to say the least.When he asked me out on a first date, he included Lucas because apparently, 'Lucas and I were a package deal and he couldn't just take one out without the other'. Lucas was very excited about that and fell in love with Gabriel even more.However, on the second date, Lucas didn't come with and he used the opportunity to spend the night at my parents' place. It was quite surprising that they were willing to have him, but I didn't question it.It has been almost a month since Gabriel and I started dating and I have never regretted dating him. As expected, Gabriel was a bit touchy in public. He tried to keep it to a minimum when we were at work though, but he wasn't very successful.Everyone at DH Tech knew Gabriel and I were dating. On our first date, a picture of us was taken and was used in an article concerning Gabriel's dating life which everyone read. Of course, they were people that didn't approve of it but as Gabriel said, we
The CEO'S Favorite 30. Cool car
Lucas narrows his eyes suspiciously, looking between Gabriel and I. "That's not an answer." He concludes. "Are you guys dating or are you not?"Gabriel chuckles, pressing his lips together when I glare at him. I arch an eyebrow and he gives me a look that says it's my decision to make. While it wasn't a very hard decision to make, it was a complicated one. I shook my head. I'd just have to deal with the consequences later. "Yes, we are. Are you okay with that?" I try to keep my eyes on Lucas because I don't want to see Gabriel's reaction to my words.Even if he just admitted that he loves me, I can't help the flicker of doubt that it might not be real. "Yes!"Lucas' excitement has me cocking my head in surprise. "And why are you so happy? You're not the one dating him." I laugh."Yeah, but he told me he likes you and isn't sure you like him back. I guess you do after all." He says nonchalantly, walking around the aisle to go meet his new favorite person.I turn to Gabriel and he loo
