Ace's POV.
I managed to make my way to my office without tripping over my wobbly legs. I had just set my eyes on the object of my fantasy for the past few weeks, looked her straight in the eyes, yet I'd been unable to take her in my arms and claim her as mine like my soul screamed at me to do.
Her plush lips and pinkish cheeks ignited a fire in me, holding my heart in a chokehold.
I gave myself a mental pat on the back for holding myself together for this long.
After believing I had spotted her in my own building last week, I caved under the pressure of her tempting power, finally deciding to call Jason for a comprehensive file of everything he could find about her.
By that evening he'd forwarded a flash drive with everything I needed to know.
I could barely get any work done that day. I paced about in my office till it arrived and when it did I read through it over and over again, till I could recite it by heart.
The most intriguing thing in the file was the speculated rumors about her being disowned by her parents.
This rumor was only a few weeks old but going by the rest of the document, Jason must've confirmed it to be a fact.
He'd attached the address of her best friend, Layla Jung, who she was currently living with.
A gnawing and illegal thought tugged at the recesses of my mind. I mean, having men sneak in when no one was home and plant a camera around the house so I could watch her at any time didn't sound like such a bad idea at first, but after some much critical thinking, I decided against it.
I had only been with her for a night but I seemed to lose my senses when she was involved.
I was one of the most successful men on the planet, yet after meeting her I could barely bring myself to hold eye contact.
Scarlett was quickly becoming my Achilles heel and it both excited and scared me; how much control she wielded over me.
She was the puppeteer and I was the puppet.
What I would give to place tender kisses down her neck once again. To hear her soft moans and thrilled giggles.
"Damn it!" I hissed through my teeth, banging on my glass table as the memory of last Friday filled my thoughts.
Mrs. Everett, my secretary had been absent from work. Usually, a file of every new employee was submitted to her just for the sake of protocol. If she had come to work I probably wouldn't have seen it, but fortunately, she'd called in sick and I got the opportunity to get a warning of Scarlett's arrival.
I entered her office to get some paperwork only to see a file with a passport at the top.
I froze as that unmistakable shade of red stared back at me, a mocking smile in place.
I scrambled at the file, almost tearing it in the process. I stared at it for a few seconds, mouth agape.
"So it was really her." I muttered under my breath, barely able to hold back my disbelief.
With shaky hands I went through the file, getting a sense of deja vu since I'd been doing that with the printed copy of Jason's investigation I had tucked at my bedside drawer at home.
A dry laugh slipped through my lips. Who would've thought the universe had a sense of humor?
I took a picture of each page and carefully set it back on her table.
Since then my heartbeat had been abnormal, its new steady pace a rhythm above what normal humans were used to. This kept going up till the point I finally laid eyes on her.
I didn't know how to feel about the fact that she didn't recognize me.
Relieved?
Hurt?
I couldn't help but imagine what would've happened if she had recognized me. Would she have followed me to my office begging for more of that night? Would she have been too flustered to speak?
My pants tightened at the thought of her flushed cheeks. The nights we'd spent together coming alive behind my eyes for the umpteenth time.
My breathing was growing exhaustively heavy again.
Just then, a firm knock sounded on my privacy-coated glass door. I turned to see it was Joshua Jung, one of my top advisors.
"Come in!" I commanded firmly, trying to steady my heart rate. I reached for my laptop, pretending I'd been busy with work before he came in.
The door swung open as he stepped in.
"Good morning, CEO." He greeted warmly, his signature briefcase in hand.
"Morning, Joshua. To what do I owe the pleasure?" I replied, gesturing for him to take a seat.
He settled in, pushing the seat closer to the middle so he could face me directly.
"You flatter me." He laughed, taking out his laptop. His eyebrows quirked up, signalling his business mode.
"So, about the marketing campaign. I believe we decided the branch in Spain would be the best spot."
"That's right." I nodded, listening intently.
"We have that established already and I agree with the reasoning but the other countries shouldn't be left behind. I believe something, no matter how small, should be done everywhere."
"Our main focus is Europe, since our sales went down there." I added, inputting my password for my computer to search for the customer base data.
"Yes. But I believe making this a global campaign will not only improve the customer base in Europe but in the world at large. Humans love trends. If the whole world is on board, no one will want to be left out. I understand it'll cost more, but I wanted to put the idea out there for you to consider. I made a comprehensive and reader-friendly file on everything you'll need to take into account. I just sent it to your email."
"Alright. I'll go through it and get back to you as soon as I've made a decision." I replied, clicking on the email he sent just as another email from him came through.
"What's this?" I asked as I clicked on it, seeing a colourful image of confetti and a rented apartment.
A dimpled smile lit up his face.
"I know it's not exactly work related but it's going to be my sister's birthday soon. I thought I'd invite you to let loose a little. You work too hard."
My lips lifted up a fraction.
"Look who's talking." I jabbed and he giggled, raising his hand up in mock surrender.
"Fine. WE work too hard. It's a good chance to loosen up. You're the first person I'm inviting. I hope to see you there."
"The chances are slim." I replied with a smirk.
"Better than nothing. I hope Mrs. Everett gets better soon. In the meantime, if you need some assistance you know where to find me."
"Sure thing. Thanks." He nodded as he made his way out of my office, a small smile still playing on my lips.
At first I was skeptical about hiring the designated COO of another company, but Joshua came with grit I'd never seen before. Now he's one of my trusted advisors. We were cool on occasional jokes but I wouldn't call him a friend, that was stretching too far. His appearance had certainly eased some of the tension rolling off my shoulders though.
I decided to get some work done, tapping away at my computer till the zing of my wall clock signalled that it was lunchtime.
"That wasn't so hard, was it?" I breathed, mentally appraising myself for the hours I'd gone without obsessing over my red-headed temptress.
Just the thought of her alone sent a shock wave through me.
I tapped at my phone, my fingers mindlessly working to the secret app I'd installed on my phone.
After finding out Scarlett was starting as the marketing director's assistant today, I personally installed tiny security cameras around her office. My aforementioned plan simply couldn't go to waste.
I'd gotten the cameras from Jason who almost talked my ear off about how I was becoming dangerously obsessed but I couldn't care less.
As Scarlett's beautiful smile came on my phone screen, my heart skipped a beat. I could see her from different angles, each as breathtaking as could be.
I smiled, a genuine satisfied smile.
I breathed in a sigh, relaxing on my chair. Just then, I saw the familiar dimpled smile of Joshua Jung, settling on the chair opposite her small office desk.
My shoulders bunched up.
'Why is that desk so small?' I wondered, trying to analyze how close their knees would be under the desk.
He said something and she threw her head back, laughing at whatever he said.
My blood ran hot and cold, rushing past my ears till I was temporarily deaf.
Joshua Jung was a good and valuable employee but at that moment I felt the strong urge to drive my fist into his perfectly smooth face.
I mean, what man his age had no facial hair?
The more they talked, the worse my mood got. I had to hold myself on a tight leash to keep my butt firmly planted on my seat. Because if I got up for any reason, I couldn't tell what I'd do.
I watched with a hooded gaze as they arose together. He reached out his elbow for her playfully and she played along with a curtsey before interlinking elbows with him. And they skipped out like cartoon characters.
Before I could stop myself I'd slapped a small glass-carved deer off my table and it shattered to pieces at the edge of the wall.
Joshua Jung was treading on dangerous waters, and he didn't even know it.