Ares Simon's POV:
I sat in my car, tapping a finger on the steering wheel as I kept my eyes fixed on the entrance of the building.
Yesterday's call from Aubrey had fueled my suspicion towards Elysia's presence in my office and her true intentions for taking the job. Not to mention, it had strengthened my determination to expose her and reveal her supposed true colors to Maron so that stupid idiot would stop favoring her.
Now was the time to implement my plan and set a trap for her, but for that, I needed to witness her actions in front of me. As far as my information went, she had quite a list of bad habits, so it wouldn't be difficult to entangle her in the trap.
I waited in my car for about an hour until I caught a glimpse of her walking down the road, heading towards the building, just as the clock struck 7:00 A.M. Did she walk all the way to the office from the bus station? Why didn't she have a proper vehicle or take a taxi? It was quite early, and the empty streets posed a danger for her to be walking alone. I don't know why, but the thought of her walking alone all the way to the office bothered me quite more than I cared to admit.
What the heck am I thinking?
Who cares how she comes to the office? It isn't my concern anyway. Brushing my absurd thought away, I focused on her every move.
She seemed to be lost in her thoughts. I stared at her face for a moment; her face glowed in the gentle sunlight and her golden eyes reflected, giving her a intriguing and fascinating aura.
It was always like that; Elysia had something in her that made people curious about her. Whether it was her personality or something else, but she had a mysterious aura around her which always disturbed my thoughts. Be it in the past or present, but her thoughts bothered me and intrigued me at the same time.
How could someone who look so innocent by face, be deceitful and cunning from the inside?
As she entered the building, I got out of my car and decided to follow her. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't even notice my presence a few meters behind her.
When she entered the elevator, I abandoned my initial plan of taking the private elevator and quickly made my way to her, stopping the elevator doors from closing. As she finally noticed me standing outside, her eyes grew wide and her breathing seemed to still. She seemed like a hiding kitten caught by its owner.
Ignoring her reaction, I silently stepped into the elevator, standing beside her as the doors closed. I subconsciously raised my guard around her and my reflexes hightened automatically.
It wasn't just because I didn't trust her, but it was also an old habit of mine, whenever she was around.
Elysia Lawson, had a peculiar talent for finding trouble, even with a silliest circumstances or things around. If there was a spilled liquid; be it water, coffee, juice, etc, Elysia would be found next to it. If there was a broken chair, cupboards, or broken handles, Elysia would be holding the other broken half of it. In short, wherever there was a mess, you could bet that Elysia Lawson would undoubtedly be present on the crime scene, somehow involved.
Subconsciously, I turned my face just a little to watch her through the corner of my eyes, as she was fidgeting with her clothes; a habit I assume, whenever she was anxious. Suddenly, she turned her face slightly, attempting to discreetly look at me, I suppose, which she failed miserably as her eyes widened like saucers meeting mine, catching me watching her.
When generally, I should be the one flustered, to be caught staring at her, but of course, it's Elysia Lawson who thinks the opposite as usual. She immediately tried to walk out of the elevator as the door opened.
But as expected from her, she missed the step in a haste, stumbling and almost falling to the ground, when my reflexes kicked in and I immediately brought my hand to circle her waist to stop her from falling, but on second thought, my hand automatically moved to the back of her collar, gripping it to stop her face being planted on the ground.
Utterly shocked, she stared back at me with wide eyes. Dazed for a second, I stared at her eyes closely; she had the most rare eye color I had ever seen in my life. It was a rare combination of golden yellow and light reddish orange, probably from genetics.
Her cheeks burned crimson red in embarrassment as she took in the position she was in, making her look like an innocent child caught red-handed.
I pulled on her coat collar gently to steady her, and when I confirmed she was standing firmly on her feet, I let go of her, sliding my hand back into my pants pocket.
"Learn to walk straight," I stated emotionlessly and walked towards my office.
"In my office, Lawson. Right now!" I said over my shoulder, before entering the office.
After a few minutes, she entered and stood right in front of me, her hands behind her back, and gaze downwards, resembling an ashamed child being reprimanded.
"May I ask, as your boss, what have you been up to these days? Not being present in your office; sending Ronald to give me messages, which should I remind you, is your job," I asked, intentionally emphasizing each word.
She glanced at me for a second and immediately returned her gaze back down. Repeating her pattern a few times, she stuttered, "I– I didn't... I didn't delay my work."
"Do you think you can do anything you want in this office just because you're not delaying your work? If that were the case, rules wouldn't exist, would they, Lawson?" My voice came out more stern than intended. Instantly, I noticed her body flinch at my tone, and she subconsciously took a step back.
Her reaction caught me off guard, leaving me rooted to my spot, finding her reaction quite weird.
Was she afraid of me?
The thought didn't sit well with me, causing a slight pressure around my chest area.
"I'm sorry!" I blurted out softly this time.
Her head jerked up towards me, shock written on her face. Not just her; even I was taken aback by my own answer and the soft tone of my voice.
"Ahem, work from your office from now on. You may leave now," I cleared my throat and immediately turned my back to her after completing my statement.
"Yes, sir!" I heard her soft voice before my office door opened and closed, indicating her departure.
What the heck is wrong with me? Why did I act like that?
I need to get her out of this office as soon as possible. She is a red zone... she always was!
*************
I glanced towards the open cabin, opposite to my office, watching Elysia busy typing furiously on her laptop.
I smirked to myself; your facade is going to drop sooner or later. I locked my office, opened my laptop and tapped on the security camera screen of her office, waiting for my plan to work.
A man in uniform walked into the executive floor with a box in hand. Walking straight to Elysia's office, he knocked, catching her attention.
"This is for you, ma'am!" He handed the box to Elysia, who looked at him with a confused expression.
I fixed my gaze on her face, anticipating her excited reaction or even a little moved by the expensive designer bag I sent anonymously to her; all girls like expensive gifts, especially girls who like material things.
"I'm sorry, but I think you got the wrong person. I'm not expecting anything from anyone," she said politely, returning the box to her.
"It's for you, ma'am! Look, here, your name is written here," he pointed at the note attached to the box and her desk, on her name slate.
I observed her reaction. At first, she seemed surprised, her eyes widening with curiosity as she read the note, which I added just to make it 'real'. I could see the temptation in her gaze as she gently traced her fingers over the smooth surface of the box.
However, to my astonishment, she didn't open it right away. Instead, she hesitated, glancing at the deliveryman who urged her to open the box.
My pulse quickened with frustration. Why wasn't she taking the bait?
With trembling hands, she finally untied the ribbon and carefully opened the package. The gasp that escaped her lips was almost inaudible, but I caught it nonetheless. Her eyes widened in astonishment as she saw the expensive designer bag before her.
"I can't accept this. Please return it to the sender." she protested, her voice filled with genuine surprise and discomfort, as she handed the box to the man again.
"Ma'am, I can't do that. My job was to deliver it to you, and I have done my job. Please, keep it!" He said hurriedly and left.
She sat there, staring at the package blankly. She didn't even touch it again, figuring out what to do with it. I kept my sharp gaze at her until noon, when it was time for the lunch; I saw her packing her things and taking package with her, as she left the office.
Finally, I got you! No wonder, women like her love the materialistic things. It's just a beginning; soon, I will prove to Maron that he can't just trust woman like Elysia.
Seeing her on move, I immediately left the office and walked to my car and discreetly followed her.
When she stopped at a particular street, I watched confused as she entered the store.
I parked my car and stepped out. Carefully, I stood outside the luxury consignment store, watching Elysia through the window. The bag I gifted her, a sleek and expensive designer handbag, was clutched in her hands.
I kept my distance, ensuring she wouldn't notice me lurking in the background. My curiosity got the best of me; I couldn't resist finding out what she planned to do with the bag.
Inside the store, Elysia approached the attentive sales associate, who greeted her warmly. "Good afternoon, madam. How may I assist you today?"
"I'd like to sell this bag," Elysia said, placing the designer piece on the counter.
What?!
The sales associate examined the bag carefully, her expert eyes assessing its authenticity and condition. "This is a beautiful piece. May I ask for the price you have in mind?"
Elysia hesitated for a moment before replying, "I want to sell it for £2,000."
The sales associate nodded and proceeded to document the bag's details. "Alright, I'll prepare the paperwork. May I know your name, madam?"
"Elysia Lawson," she replied softly. After receiving the payment and paperwork, she immediately exited the store.
What in the actual heck this woman is actually doing?
I trailed her from a distance, curious to see where she was heading next. As she arrived at an orphanage, I watched from afar as she handed over the cash to the caretaker. The smile on the caretaker's face spoke volumes as she talked about something to Elysia.
Did my plan just backfire?
A rush of conflicting emotions surged through me. I had planned to expose her, but instead, I found myself dumbfounded by the way of her handling anonymous gifts.
What is actually going on?
She should have taken the gift; she should have been happy and use that thing for her advantage; she shouldn't have acted like the way she did right now.
This was not okay; this was not the reaction I was looking forward to...
Could it be that the things I heard about her, were wrong?!
But how could that be?
It's not possible, I saw her with my own eyes...
Suddenly, a figure flashed through my memory.
Or was it all a trap?
**************
Hey, my beautiful and lovely readers! Soon, the story is going to take a drastic turn. Are you ready to welcome the new characters?😉