Sweet Hatred
Chapter 167: Back to work pt 2

Chapter 167: Back to work pt 2

...

Now, back in the taxi, I sighed and turned toward the window.

"I don’t know," I murmured. "Sometimes I think maybe he does. Sometimes I think it’s just... power games to him."

"But you care about him."

It wasn’t even a question. I didn’t deny it. I couldn’t. Because the truth had sunk in over the weeks like water soaking through paper. I loved him. And now that I knew it, I couldn’t un-know it.

I was aware of it in the way my chest ached when I heard his name. In the way my body reacted when I remembered his touch. In the way I still checked my phone, hoping to see his name light up even though I told myself I didn’t care.

I was aware of it now more than ever. And I knew—I knew—that if I didn’t get it under control, it would ruin me. I needed to kill it before it killed me. Because Kael Roman didn’t belong to anyone. And I couldn’t afford to be the girl who forgot that. Not again.

The elevator ride felt longer than usual.

Maybe it was the nerves. Maybe it was the way Sarah kept sneaking little glances at me like she was holding back a smirk.

"What," I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"Nothing."

"Sarah."

She grinned. "Okay, fine. I was just wondering how long it’ll take before you start fantasizing about your boss again."

My mouth dropped open. "I do not—"

"You literally just sighed into your coffee while whispering his name under your breath."

"I did not."

"You did. I swear on my eyebrows, Aria. Don’t make me reenact it."

I covered my face with my hand, heat rushing to my cheeks. "God, I hate you."

She giggled. "No, you don’t. You love me. And you really want that man. Don’t even lie."

I didn’t say anything.

She didn’t need confirmation. It was written all over me. It always had been.

The elevator chimed and opened.

Game face on.

We stepped out and made our way through the glass halls of XE Tower. Some heads turned, either out of sympathy or surprise, but no one said anything. I nodded politely, adjusted my heels, and kept walking.

When we reached my floor, I waved Sarah off and headed toward my office.

That’s when I saw Rose.

"Morning," she greeted, standing from her desk like she’d been preparing for this moment all morning. "Welcome back, Ms. Throne. There are a few things on your plate—Mr. Roman’s been out of the country for a large-scale acquisition negotiation. So, you’ve got several pending project revisions, two high-priority client proposals, and at least one partnership renewal that’s waiting for your feedback."

I blinked. "Damn. I’m not even through the door yet."

She gave me a sympathetic smile. "Glad to have you back."

I opened my office door and stepped inside and then paused.

Sitting on my desk was a deep navy-blue box with a ribbon so black it shimmered.

My name was handwritten on a cream envelope tucked beneath it.

I frowned, walking over and picking up the card.

"Welcome back. I know you don’t fancy flowers. So I got you something you’d actually enjoy. —K"

I pulled open the box and immediately exhaled a breathy "holy shit."

Inside was a rare bottle of Château Lafite Rothschild 1982. Pristine. Untouched. Easily worth more than my rent for a year. Maybe more.

I couldn’t even remember telling him I liked this vintage, hell, I couldn’t even remember ever saying it out loud. I must’ve mentioned it once. Offhand. In passing.

And yet.

He remembered.

The blush that rushed to my cheeks was immediate and stupid. What if he just saw how much of an alcoholic I was back in Rome? That too could be plausible.

I looked around, half-convinced someone was watching me fall apart over an inanimate object. But the room was empty. It was just me, the wine, and the damn echo of his signature.

How did he even get this here if he’s not back yet?

I set the bottle down carefully and sat, my chest tight in that annoying way it always got when he did something that made me feel seen.

The sky outside was unusually bright for a Monday morning. There was warmth in the air even though it had been raining a lot more lately. A breeze that drifted through the barely cracked windows and brushed against my skin like it was telling me, It’s okay to feel good today.

I closed my eyes for a moment and let it wash over me.

Then, of course, my brain decided to betray me.

I imagined him, Kael, standing behind me. His hand slipping around my throat, thumb brushing the pulse just beneath my jaw. That slow, taunting way he’d tilt my chin back while he drove himself inside me, dragging it out just to hear me beg.

God. Forgive me mother. Your daughter is thinking about getting pounded not even up to three months after your death.

I squeezed my thighs together and leaned back in my chair, biting my lip.

A knock shattered the thought like glass.

"Ms. Thorne?" Rose’s voice drifted through the door. "Do you want me to start forwarding the project briefs now?"

I cleared my throat and adjusted my blouse like I hadn’t just been mentally railing myself with my boss.

"Y-Yeah. Go ahead," I called out, voice a little higher than it should’ve been.

She left.

And I sank further into my seat with a groan, dragging my hands down my face.

This is gonna be a long ass day.

.....

I was barely halfway through the one hundredth and something document when my phone buzzed across the desk again.

I rubbed my eyes, my neck sore from leaning over paperwork all day. I hadn’t taken a proper break since morning. Rose had dumped a stack of new project briefs, vendor contracts, and minor HR approvals on my desk, and I’d stubbornly decided to clear every single one of them today. Even Sarah had poked her head in two hours ago, expecting us to leave together like we always did but I waved her off, claiming I needed to catch up.

Truth was, I needed the noise.

Work was easier than going home to the noise of my own head. Easier than facing the ache under my ribs and pretending I was fine when I wasn’t. My mother’s death, my father’s sudden appearance, everything still clung to me like static—quiet, invisible, but impossible to shake off. So I worked. And worked.

Until, of course...

Kael.