My CEO Boss Is A Masked Internet Sensation
Chapter 72: Emptiness Within Him

Chapter 72: Emptiness Within Him

(Karsten)

I was very well aware that I was speaking with Arata’s mother, Skyla Zyair. Since Arata wished to keep this all a secret, I went along with the pretence that I was oblivious to the situation. But I wanted to see how she would handle it.

Arata could be a pro at poker, she had great control over her facial expressions.

Surprise, nervousness and unease, she masked it all and masterfully spoke to her mother, pretending not to know her.

She surprised me for I was counting on making her sweat a little. But this Phoenix surpassed my expectations.

Taking her cell phone, I noticed she had even deleted her mother’s number from her contacts before dialling her.

Smart, I liked that, and my lips twitched to smile at her witty thinking, but I pressed it down.

"You can call me Mrs. A," her mom poisedly answered. There was this elegance in the way the lady spoke.

"Thank you, Mrs A, for the timely shipment. We ran a quick check and the quality of the cotton was more than satisfactory. How much do I owe you?"

I intended to pay more than whatever price she would demand, knowing it would be slightly higher than the market rate because of how quickly she had shipped it to us. The plane cotton had arrived, and the crew that handled the shipment refused to give us any name. The packaging had been purposely kept blank so as not to reveal who the sender was.

Arata was slowly nipping on her lower lip now but her eyes held this sharpness directed at me. I guessed she was observing and judging how I spoke to her mother without revealing to me that she was doing it.

"You don’t owe me anything, Mr Chevalier. Let’s take it as a helping hand from someone who cares deeply about your company’s reputation. Maybe in the future, we can work together." She surprised me and also hinted towards a collaboration.

Straightening up, I walked away from the table I was leaning against, shoving my free hand into my pocket.

"I would like to shake hands with a reliable company, but for now I don’t know anything about you or it. As for the payment, I don’t like accepting something free of cost, that’s not how I do business, so if there is any way I can repay this, that would be appreciated."

Silence, I met on the other side before she finally spoke.

"If you believe in charity, then there is an organisation you can donate to, whatever is feasible. I will tell the details to your secretary so consider the payment done. Have a good day, Mr Chevalier."

The line got cut after that. I observed how she had used my last name, but I preferred to be called by my first name, and everyone knew that in the company.

Turning around, I handed the cell phone back to Arata. She was smiling.

"She will share the name of an organisation with you. Transfer 5 million dollars to the organisation, you don’t have to share the details of the organisation." I paused, observing if Arata was following through. Her intelligent eyes revealed she was. "This will remain between the two of us."

She gave a hearty nod, her index finger pushed her glasses up. Reverence descended in her eyes. I guessed she approved of how I spoke to her mother.

"I understand, Sir."

"Go home, Arata and rest. Remember, I am just a phone call away if you need me." I had already assigned her a bodyguard. He was also to provide her pick and drop since she was stubborn and insisted on using her car. Caysir was Olphi’s best friend and a very reliable man. His easy-going nature was vastly different from Olphi and me. I knew it matched Arata’s. She would have an easier time with him and would gladly let him do his job.

"I know, thank you for last night. I appreciate what you did."

I shot my left brow at her. She had no clue I had kept her shorts.

"By making me wear your strawberry shorts."

Pink hue was quick to descend on her chubby cheeks and she pressed her lips together.

"You are never going to let that go?"

Subtly I moved my head, left and right.

"You looked stylish though." She naughtily shrugged her shoulders, reminding me she kept that secret.

"And you look more beautiful in your natural hair." My eyes slowly slid up to her wig and remained fixed there. How I wished she would just remove it and let me see her in that rich shade of red, such a lustrous colour she had been blessed with.

The blush on her cheeks deepened and she quickly cleared her throat, readying herself to escape before the conversation took a more awkward turn for her. But her eyes refused to shift from mine. Both of us remained fixated in our steps and just stared for a moment that seemed to last for an eternity in my mind.

’Don’t worry, Phoenix, you will come to me this week, and I will bury my nose in those soft, velvety strands of yours while my hardness will be deep inside you. All you would think and feel would be me.’ I couldn’t help but fantasise about her, my eyes refusing to shift from her beautiful face.

"I will see you tomorrow, Sir. Good evening." She finally snatched her gaze away and retreated. A sense of loneliness descended on me once the door closed behind her. This was not an emotion I liked to entertain, I always kept myself busy so I wouldn’t have to deal with it.

But, today I wanted for her to stay some more and bicker with me. I enjoyed her bratty mouth and her quips. She had so many colours, be it her clothes, personality, words or her whole demeanour.

Shaking my head, I reminded myself that I couldn’t entertain such ideas for her. We were in a symbiotic relationship and nothing more. I couldn’t let myself get too attracted to her. Relationships only brought pain, the example of my mother and stepmother was right in front of me.

’Keep it physical, keep it short. Maintain distance.’ I reminded myself and slumped down on the seat but that emptiness within me just intensified today.