𝐓𝐨𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐓𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰

3 - Undesirables.

He’s the only one who can get Elgon shaking in his shoes. Shocker.

“What a dandy thing,” Heine probed over the posh golden ring with a monocle before bouncing it in the air with a gloved palm, slyly grinning as he mused, “Eighteen carat? Interesting, twenty four? You really shouldn’t have.”

How did he even–

Elgon hid his dumbfounded expression. “Fast with your hands, aren’t you?”

“Oh ho, I mean my words loud and clear, Davis,” Elgon luckily caught the tossed gem and fumbled to put it back in the tiny box, “Your poorly executed proposal last time is no different to what you’re about to do.”

“Nosy much?”

“I’m also the most trusted representative of Arendelle Co, Davis. Of course I would be informed about your shabby tricks,” Heine laughs. Oh, oh how Elgon hates it when he makes that noise. Elgon swore if he just had the power to hook at the sly, cocky jerk–

“See you around.”

And as the deliberate footsteps of the roguish director began to grow distant, Heine couldn’t help but stop for a minute and lean over his shoulder with a devious glint in his eye.

“Oh, and by the way,” He smiled.

Elgon looked irritated, “Hm?”

“Snakes are not allowed in this building.”

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Like any normal human being, Elsa despised Mondays with a passion. Her email would be clogged and reloaded with another good three hundred and plus, there would be no Claire to keep her sane with the energetic four-year-old attending preschool.

The platinum blonde couldn’t resist but thread her fingers into her soft tresses in vain. The thought of shoving her laptop is very tempting, though that would be most reckless. Every essential file and document of hers is stored in it.

So when the door opened to reveal another damn pest, that was the last straw for the perturbed CEO slash Chairwoman.

Elsa endeavored to make up a welcoming smile. “Davis, how... Utterly lovely to see you today.”

“As to you,” Elgon beamed maybe a little too widely.

“Erm.. How can I help you that you happened to drop by?” Elsa inwardly grumbled.

Elgon is clearly oblivious to the woman sitting in discomfort. He scooted terribly closer, nearer, the engrossed amber color of his irises darkening when he snuck a hand to linger on top of hers, and Elsa almost cannot resist the urge to kick his ass out of the office.

“Why don’t you... Think of my proposal?”

While his warm, liquor-bathed breaths didn’t do anything but caress the shell of her ear, it could only cause Elsa to grow more petrified upon what was to come according to her current situation. She managed to keep herself upright, yet she was already struggling to keep herself that way with the hefty shadow of the unpleasant fellow looming over her frozen figure.

The inevitable wave of nausea made her stomach clench and her chest tighten. She wanted to shove him away, wanted to horrendously tell him a lengthy speech why she wouldn’t, and would NEVER become one of his trophy lovers. Or anyone’s. Maybe her courteous days are coming to an unfortunate end.

Or, perhaps miraculously not.

What the hell was she thinking?

Like an immaculate Archangel sent down from heaven, Aiden apathetically walked in—carrying a load of bulging files, struggling to trudge to his desk with his vision blocked by the paper tower as a pen is tucked behind his ear, free without its cap.

Warmth soon enveloped his wrists, and his lips.

AND HIS LIPS?!

The feathery ‘fwomp’ emitting from the fallen papers failed to awaken the secretary’s numbed senses when lipstick clung on to the corners of his lips, the tingling sensation fluttering within him making his mind go blank.

For a few priceless seconds, Elgon’s mind was in the same state.

“O-oh, darling,” Elsa coerced the sweetest voice she could muster, as her cheeks heated throughout the act, “You’re working too hard. How about that date we were talking about?”

Aiden couldn’t respond. He was too shocked, too overwhelmed and his brain is still trying to process what just happened. Trembling fingers poked the smudged patch of his skin, and cherry pigment embraced his fingertips like a tattoo.

“Well I best be going n-now,” Elgon’s eye twitched, “I still have a meeting with my officers and... Have a lovely day, Elsa.”

“Oh, you too,” Elsa fakely laughs off.

Good riddance.

•••

Once the door slammed shut, Aiden found himself subconsciously longing for more of the platinum blonde’s faux affections when his boss tore herself away from him.

But wait—why did she even...

“I’m... I-i’m so sorry.”

The absence of formality in her voice made Aiden’s heart swell. For the first time, he finally heard what a beautiful echo her voice really sounds like. However, his disbelief shadowed over the thought. “W-what was that?”

“... My selfishness...” She managed to hoarsely whisper. Boldly taking his shivering hand, a gasp escaped from Aiden’s mouth. Traumatized blue eyes made contact with his, and Elsa begged to be allowed to breathe again when she saw his captivating emerald orbs staring right back with worry.

“Listen... I just needed to make him go a-away,” Elsa tearfully murmured, “He’s forcing me into some loveless contract I don’t want, and-a–and-”

“Shh.”

His body might have just acted on its own, but it certainly didn’t. Maybe it was out of pure intent. Aiden offered his comfort, fully and generously; engulfing her into his toned arms and oh, he’s so satisfyingly warm, and soft.

To his surprise and shock, the CEO didn’t move a single inch to reject his act of consolation. She buried her head into his thumping chest, not caring if her mussed hair would get more disheveled with such closeness.

“It’s–it’s okay.”

“No, n-no it’s not,” His heart may have broke when she pushed him away, not to mention for the second time, but he knew it was only caused by her denial.

For one, he didn’t like seeing her cry. He wanted to see those lips curve into a happy smile, to see those tears dissipate into ones of euphoria.

“I dragged you into this mess I should’ve cleaned up by myself,” And I’m afraid you will have to stay in it for a little bit longer, She sobbed, “Oh Aiden, I’m so sorry... Wha-what have I done?”

“Protected yourself,” Aiden slyly smiled, pulling out a handkerchief and dragging a clean edge to wipe a stray tear, “Nothing less, nothing more.”

For a moment, as he spoke these words, her mind screamed—that of course he would be okay—thrilled, to have been kissed by her, and some of her secondary thoughts literally told her that he must be wanting more than what just happened. But there were also her instincts, which are telling her that no, he isn’t like that. He was simply justifying that what she did was only for desperate times. And desperate times do call for desperate measures.

Something that would have to ensue for much, much longer.

To be continued
on the next chapter...