Sweet Hatred
Chapter 96: Visitor...

Chapter 96: Visitor...

I choked on air. "Moooom," I groaned, feeling the heat crawl up my neck.

"It’s not like that."

She didn’t even say anything. She just raised one eyebrow like she knew everything.

"Then why," she asked sweetly, "are you beet red?"

"I’m—" I stumbled, feeling the lie crash against the back of my teeth. "I’m just... hot! There’s so many people in here and it’s... you know. Warm."

Mom chuckled, clearly not buying a single word of it.

I mumbled something about helping Olivia again and bolted, weaving through the room until I made it to the hallway.

Once I slammed my bedroom door shut behind me, I pressed my forehead against it and groaned.

Get a grip, Aria. It’s not like that.

Kael wouldn’t want... whatever that was. He was my boss. He was complicated. Dangerous. Half the time, I wasn’t even sure if he liked me, let alone thought of me that way.

Besides...

Besides, people like him didn’t end up with people like me. They didn’t stay.

I pulled myself away from the door, pacing the tiny space like a caged animal.

Maybe I just needed to forget tonight ever happened. Drown it out. Smother it with cheap wine and bad decisions.

Yeah. That sounded about right.

I dug my phone out of my back pocket, the screen lighting up in my hand.

Sarah. She was supposed to come for Kaleb’s birthday. She’d promised she’d show up.

I shot her a quick text:

"You still coming or what? I need you."

And then I tossed the phone onto my bed and flopped down after it, staring up at the ceiling like it might have answers.

My phone buzzed against the bedspread, the screen lighting up with Sarah’s name.

I scrambled for it, flipping it open with way more desperation than I cared to admit.

Sarah:

"I’m so sorry, babe. Got pulled out of town for a last-minute meetup. I’ll make it up to you, I swear. And Kaleb too. (⁠〒⁠﹏⁠〒⁠)"

I sighed, rolling over onto my side and letting the phone drop onto the mattress. Of course she couldn’t make it. It wasn’t her fault, but still... the disappointment sat heavy in my chest anyway.

I didn’t bother replying. Not yet.

Instead, I squeezed my eyes shut and let the noise of Kaleb’s birthday party drift in through the crack under my door, muffled and far away.

Maybe it was better this way. Maybe I needed a night alone with my own damn thoughts.

Even if they were all tangled up in one very irritating, very confusing man.

****

I yawned as I slid into the taxi, blinking against the bright morning sun.

The weekend had crawled by like a bad hangover, and somehow, I still hadn’t heard a word from Kael. Not a text. Not a call. Not even a stupid email.

Not that I cared. Really, I didn’t. I was fine. Yep. Totally fine.

I gripped the edge of my hand bag tighter. It wasn’t like I was expecting anything. He wasn’t obligated to explain himself to me. We weren’t... anything. He could vanish into thin air for all I cared.

Except apparently my traitorous thumbs were just itching to text him anyway. I had to physically shove my purse farther down the passenger seat and sit on my hands throughout the journey just to stop myself.

By the time I reached into the HQ building entrance, my stomach was in knots. Maybe I’d see him. Maybe he’d be there, sitting at his desk like always, acting like nothing had happened.

Except...

When I stepped into the lobby and swiped my badge at the security gate, entered the elevator, said hi to Rose, Kael was nowhere in sight.

Good. Great. Perfect. No, really. It was perfect. Perfect that I didn’t have to start my day with the bastard anyway.

I squared my shoulders and told myself to focus. There was work to do, deadlines to meet, reports to file. I didn’t have time to sit around wondering why the hell my boss was haunting my every waking thought.

...

The cursor blinked at me like it knew I was lying to myself.

I hunched over my desk, hair slipping out of my bun, fingers flying over the keyboard so fast I was pretty sure I was gonna set the damn thing on fire. The office was dead silent except for the angry clack-clack of my typing and the occasional grumble whenever an email subject line pissed me off.

Another meeting reschedule.

Another passive-aggressive "gentle reminder" from some VP who thought I was Kael’s personal secretary.

Another report I had to polish until it gleamed because Kael didn’t believe in reviewing things before stamping his name on them.

It was fine. I was fine.

I only had about seventeen tabs open and a to-do list longer than my grocery receipt when I was stress-eating chocolate ice cream at 2AM and wondering if loneliness could actually kill you.

Executive Assistant, he said. Vital to operations, he said. He didn’t say it meant cleaning up after a grown man who treated time like it bowed at his damn feet.

I yanked my planner off the desk and scribbled notes furiously, color-coding meetings Kael would ignore, phone calls he’d forget, flights he’d pretend he didn’t have booked if I wasn’t physically shoving the itinerary in his hand.

My phone buzzed. My heart leapt.

Kael? Nope. Spam email offering me a free cruise to nowhere.

I groaned, slumping back in my chair, pressing my fingers into the headache pulsing at the base of my skull. God, I needed to get a grip. The man wasn’t some fairytale hero about to barge in and— what? Sweep me off my feet? Apologize for staring at me like he wanted to devour me and then disappearing the second I let myself believe it meant something?

Pathetic. I was so freaking pathetic. And I didn’t have time for pathetic.

I shoved the thoughts down, buried myself deeper into work, answering emails that technically weren’t my job but would probably lead to the corporation combusting if I didn’t.

At least if I drowned in work, I didn’t have time to drown in other things. Like the memory of Kael’s smirk. Or the ghost of his cologne hanging in the hallways.

Nope. No sir. Not today.

Another email popped up. Another phone call rang through. Another spreadsheet stared me down.

I barely heard the knock at first. Sharp, almost hesitant. I jumped like I’d been shot, heart slamming into my ribs.

Kael.

It had to be Kael. Only Kael could make my whole body light up like someone flipped a switch inside me.

But— Wait.

Kael didn’t knock. Kael barged in like he owned the building. Hell, like he owned the air.

I swallowed down the hope burning up my throat, yanked my expression into something calm, detached. Professional.

Probably just Rose. Sweet, dependable Rose, maybe bringing me another coffee so I didn’t pass out.

"Come in!" I called, forcing my voice steady.

The door swung open. It wasn’t Rose.

I sat up so fast I nearly sent my coffee flying, heart thundering in my ears, mouth going dry.

Standing in the doorway, larger than life, was him.

The Chairman. The Chairman of XE, Mr. Roman himself. Kael’s father.

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