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under my command

Author: Becca star
last update Last Updated: 2025-04-11 23:32:12

Episode 8

Scout’s POV 

The lamp on my desk cast a dim, warm glow, but it did nothing to clear the mess in my head. Papers were spread across the polished mahogany table , waiting for my attention,contracts, reports, and things that actually mattered. But I couldn’t focus.

All I could think about was Bella.

I leaned back in my chair, running a hand over my face. The memories  of the morning replayed in my mind. The way she looked at me with anger, but something else too. The way she moved like she wanted to get away, but maybe not completely. And the way I  kissed her slightly  on the lips.

I wasn’t supposed to want her this much.

I wasn’t supposed to think about her when I had real things to deal with.

But here I was, staring at numbers on a page and seeing only the way she had pushed against me, her breath unsteady, her eyes burning with something she wouldn’t name.

“I didn’t know you were the sweet type,” I had told her, half teasing and half fascinated.

Ella had been simple. She fit into the world I had built for myself, but  Bella didn’t fit at all, and maybe that was why she was getting under my skin.

For a second, something like guilt crept in. Had I gone too far this morning? Had I pushed her past the point of no return? I wasn’t the kind of man who cared much about those things, but with Bella, I found myself second-guessing.

I exhaled hard and checked the time.

I had a meeting with Tanaka in an hour, and I needed to get my head straight.

Tanaka wasn’t someone you met unprepared. He was a businessman with a reputation for being brutal in negotiations, and he didn’t tolerate distractions. He would notice if I wasn’t completely present. He would see any hesitation as a weakness. And I didn’t show weakness.

So I forced myself to sit up, pull my focus back, and go over the details of the deal we were about to discuss. Shipping, Expansion, and Profit margins. The things that should have mattered more than a woman who had no place in my world.

But even as I convinced myself, a part of me knew I was lying.

***

By the time the office door opened, I was back in control.

Tanaka walked in like he owned the place, his expression unreadable. He wasn’t a man of many words, but everyone he spoke had weight.

“Scout,” he greeted, his voice low and firm.

“Tanaka,” I stood, shaking his hand. His grip was solid and testing. A reminder that this was a game of power, and neither of us was going to lose.

We sat across from each other, and the meeting started. It wasn’t just business—it was a chess match. He threw out numbers, I countered. He suggested risks, and I turned them into opportunities. It was tense but controlled, a balance of knowing when to push and when to hold back.

“You have quite the reputation,” he said at one point, watching me carefully. “You don’t leave things to chance.”

“I don’t,” I agreed. “That’s why I get results.”

A flicker of approval crossed his face before disappearing. “That’s what I like to hear.”

The discussion stretched for two hours, neither of us giving an inch without a fight. But in the end, we had a deal. A strong one.

“I believe we’ll work well together,” Tanaka said as he stood.

I shook his hand again. “I think so, too.”

I sank back into my chair, rubbing a hand over my face. The meeting was a success, but my mind was still tangled in Bella. I needed to know what she was up to.

I pressed the intercom. “Ben, come to my office.”

Minutes later, he stepped inside, his face neutral as always. “Sir?”

“I want you to find out what Bella has been doing today. Everything. Every detail.”

Ben didn’t blink. “Of course.”

When he returned an hour later, he was holding a folder.

“Sir,” he began, voice measured, “it appears that Mrs. Scout has been  looking for a job.”

I stared at him, a slow wave of amusement creeping in. “Job”

Ben nodded. “She visited several businesses in the city, inquiring about job openings.”

I took the folder from him, scanning the names of the places she had been. Small businesses and corporate offices—she wasn’t picky. She was determined.

“She’s trying to establish independence,” Ben added.

The word struck a nerve. Independence. Was she trying to prove something? To escape me? A flicker of anger surfaced. She was my wife, Mine. The thought of her working under someone else, taking orders, and interacting with people outside my control,it was unacceptable.

“Find out every position she applied for,” I ordered. “I want to know every detail.”

Ben nodded and left. When he returned later, he handed me another document with shock written all over his face.

“She applied for a position at Apex group,” he said.

A slow, predatory smile spread across my face. “Apex?”

“Yes, sir. She applied for the role of Personal Assistant.”

I exhaled a quiet chuckle. Bella had walked into my company, seeking a job, completely unaware that I owned it. The irony was almost too good to be true.

I pulled up her application on my screen. Her resume was thin, her experience lacking. But her determination? That was evident.

I scanned the interview notes:

“Confident, but lacking experience.”

“Determined

I laughed. She had no idea.

Leaning back, I steepled my fingers. This was an opportunity. A way to keep her close, to control her movements without her even realizing it.

I picked up the phone and called the HR.

“Hire her,” I said. “And place her in my department.”

The HR hesitated. “Sir?”

“You heard me. Make sure she starts tomorrow.”

I hung up, anticipation curling in my gut. This was going to be interesting. Bella, working in my company, under my command, completely unaware of who her new boss really was.

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