Chapter 6 The Ruthless New CEO

Zenab grabbed a cab and headed straight to her company. Thirty minutes later, she arrived. Crystal's had managed to recover after her departure, and they had even opened another branch on the island where she had sought refuge.

Just as she was about to enter the building, two guards stopped her.

"What the hell are you doing?" she snapped through gritted teeth, feeling the remnants of her bad mood from encountering Dave and Miles.

"What does it look like we're doing?" one of them retorted.

What kind of people had Jaymie hired while she was away?

"Do you know who the hell I am?"

"The president? Wait, maybe you're the first lady," the other one mocked.

Zenab could feel her temper flaring, and Red was growling in frustration. They were humans, so they couldn't be harmed, but that didn't lessen her anger.

"I'm the CEO of this company," she snarled, her nails digging into her palms as rage simmered within her.

She wanted to lash out, to teach them a lesson.

"Not looking like that," the black-haired guard scoffed.

Admittedly, she wasn't at her best. She wore faded jeans, a wrinkled blouse, and sunglasses. After a direct flight with no stops, she wasn't exactly put together.

"I bet you're a hoe. You probably slept with one of the higher-ups, and now they want nothing to do with you, so you're here to cause drama," the other guard sneered in disgust.

Zenab stared at them in disbelief, taken aback by their audacity.

They had started to draw attention, and not wanting to deal with the idiots, Zenab tried to move past them. However, the tall one gripped her painfully and began dragging her away. That was when she lost her temper.

"Get your filthy hands off me!" she shouted, then, using her free hand, she slapped him hard. The crack of her palm echoed through the room. His eyes narrowed menacingly, and he looked ready to lunge at her when a voice intervened.

"What the hell is going on here?" Mica, their general manager, shouted.

"This bitch here is causing problems," one of the guards replied.

Mica turned to Zenab and gasped.

"Is this the caliber of fools you hire now, Mica? Idiots who are disrespectful to women and think they can manhandle them?" Her voice was cold and restrained.

"Oh god, I'm really sorry, Zenab. I sincerely apologize on their behalf; it won't happen again," he stammered nervously.

Zenab could see the color drain from the guards' faces as recognition dawned on them.

"Oh, it definitely won't happen again because they're fired. Get them out of my company," she declared, walking past them as they begged for another chance. She ignored their pleas.

"What are you all waiting around for? Get back to work or suffer the same fate!" she shouted, causing everyone to scramble back to their stations.

She was done being nice, done being the good one. In fact, she was ready to embrace her darker side. She would become the villain they had accused her of being.

Hell has no fury like a woman scorned. Dave and Miles would pay dearly. She planned to unleash chaos upon all those who had wronged her and revel in the destruction she would bring upon them.

........

Zenab's new secretary entered her office, carrying a stack of papers that included a newspaper and a magazine. After placing her coffee on the desk, she quietly left the room.

Having only worked with her for a few days, Zenab found her to be exceptional—efficient, punctual, and devoid of gossip, which suited Zenab just fine.

In need of a distraction from her workload, she picked up the magazine. After being cooped up in the office, the only times she left were to shower, change clothes, or visit Jayson.

To her surprise, the front page featured her. Uncertainty washed over her—should she be angry or grateful? Grateful, perhaps, that the message was getting out: she was no longer a doormat.

"Zenab Moore is back and colder than Winter." the headline declared.

Beneath the text was a photo of her slapping the guard from earlier. The article detailed the events of that day, suggesting that someone had leaked the story and the image. Whoever it was would be fired; she intended to find out who they were.

"They have no idea just how cold our hearts have become," Red remarked.

Zenab chuckled at that; it was undeniably true. Her heart had frozen over so completely that anyone who dared to approach would likely be chilled.

But wasn't that the reality when you were shattered? You could either stay broken or rise anew. Zenab refused to remain broken; she wouldn't let herself slowly die from the pain and heartbreak. She disliked the woman she had become.

So she froze her heart, burying the pain and hurt deep within, where she wouldn't have to feel it anymore.

Pain changes a person, and it had certainly changed her. She had been a naïve fool, wearing her heart on her sleeve for those who didn't deserve it and giving her all.

In the end, Zenab had been used and then discarded. The very same people who had turned on her shattered her spirit, and she vowed never to let that happen again. To ensure her protection, she needed to bury the old version of herself.

"I need to run," Red sighed, her longing evident in her tone.

"I know. I'll find something soon," Zenab replied.

Being a lone wolf without a pack made it difficult for her to run freely. Most lands were claimed as territories, and those that weren't were owned by humans—humans who enjoyed hunting.

Zenab was considering buying a house with a large, secluded backyard where she could run without worrying about neighbors spotting a wolf on the property.

Suddenly, there was a knock on her door. "Come in," she called, immediately regretting it as soon as the door opened.

"What do you want?" she asked, annoyance creeping into her voice.

Dave stood in her office, looking uncertain.

He answered calmly, "I came to see how you're doing."

Zenab stared at him in astonishment. What made him and Miles think they were best friends?

"And why the hell would you want to do that?" she asked.

"We may have separated, but I still care for you. I would have liked for us to remain friends," he said.

This elicited a full, hearty laugh from Zenab, while Red snickered in her mind.

Dave looked genuinely confused, as if he couldn't comprehend why she found the situation amusing.

"Were you my friend when you called me a cunt?" she growled.

He opened his mouth to respond, but she cut him off, her voice icy. "Did you care for me when you kicked me out of my daughter's party? Or when you had your claws digging into my neck? Or when you cheated on me?"

He fell silent, staring at her as if searching for the right words, struggling to understand where the woman he once knew had gone.

A fleeting emotion crossed his face, too quick for her to interpret, but it didn't matter.

"Just leave," she said after a moment, her patience finally wearing thin.