CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 10

Cynthia

The next morning, I arrive early.

As I’m setting up, I hear someone enter the office. I turn around and look, surprised to see Sharon standing there, looking furious.

I stir the spoon in my coffee cup. "Yes? Can I help you, Director?"

She throws a file at my face, and I dodge it just in time. It hits me in the chest, falling to the ground. "What the hell is this?"

"I wouldn’t know until you show me," I say coolly, knowing exactly what she’s talking about. Adam copied me to the email thread late last night. He approved two of my launch plans.

"Well pick up the file and take a damn look for yourself!" Sharon snarls at me.

I step over the file and sit down at my desk, sipping my coffee. "There will be no tantrums in my office, Director. You want to throw things? Then you get to pick them up as well."

"You little bitch."

"Watch your language." My tone is severe. "I am an employee here just as you are, and I am not above involving HR in this matter."

She sneers at me, "You think HR is going to side with you? We all know why the alpha sent you here. To spread your legs for his son. You’re nothing more than a glorified slut!"

Her words are a slap in my face, but I’ve heard worse insults and survived.

"Tell you what," I sip my coffee, "why don’t you repeat your words to Mr. Moore and then tell him to fire me?"

"You’re shameless," she snarls. "Where did you even steal these plans from?"

"I came up with them." I get to my feet now. "Unlike you, I don’t have a fancy degree, Director Wheeler. What I do have is a lot of experience. I was running the marketing department at KDL Foods when it took off. I’ve carried out campaigns and product launches for years. All of you were so intent to kick me out and humiliate me that you didn’t realize I could be an asset to you."

She turns pale at my words, and after a moment, hisses, "An asset? A little whore like you? I’ve heard things about you, Cynthia. You’ve been warming Norman Moore’s bed since you were sixteen. He’s passed you around in his social circle as well." Sharon scoffs, "To think that Alpha Moore would give his older son such used goods––"

"I think that’s enough," I say, trying to control the tremor in my hands. "You have a problem with me, you talk to Adam Moore. I don’t have to listen to your garbage accusations."

"Pity," Sharon sneers. "Why would he fire you? All you have to do is spread your legs for him and he––"

"If you think him so weak-minded," I say, "then why are you working for him?"

She falls silent, her expression twisting. "I didn’t call him weak-minded."

"That’s what you implied," I retort. "You think me whoring myself out to your CEO will convince him to keep me hired on even though my character is stained, right?"

"Excuse me?" Comes a cold voice from the doorway.

I look over to see Adam standing there, looking pissed off.

"Mr. Moore!" All the blood leeches from Sharon’s face when she sees him. "We were just talking––"

"You were calling my PA a whore, Director Wheeler," Adam says. "Care to explain yourself?"

"It was…" Sharon looks like she’ll faint, "It was just a joke. Right, Miss Rose?"

"I wasn’t laughing," I respond.

Adam looks ready to rip Sharon’s throat out. "I sent her to you yesterday for this work. You insulted her and threw her out of your office."

"That’s not true!" Sharon cries out. "She’s lying to you."

"I sent you a follow-up email," I interject. That’s when I see the malicious gleam in her eyes.

"What email? I never received an email. You can check––"

"I have a screenshot of it," I reply simply. "Would you like to see it, Mr. Moore?"

"I believe you," Adam says. "And I have eyewitnesses who told me exactly what happened at each department yesterday."

Sharon stiffens. "She was rude to me and obnoxious––"

"I don’t care if she slapped you," Adam growls. "An insult to my PA is an insult to me. You’re done here, Sharon. Get out of this building. You’ll be receiving your termination letter in an hour."

"What?" Sharon gasps out, paling. "No. No, you can’t do that! I’ve been working here for five years! I just made director two months ago."

"Then you should have remembered the company policy about abuse and bullying," Adam roars.

I’m taken aback by this. I never expected him to fire her. Perhaps a slap on the wrist.

"Adam," I say warily, my voice low.

He holds up a hand, stopping me. "Get out, Sharon. If you had remembered how hard you had worked to reach this point, then you should have been more careful when it came to harassing and insulting a new employee. I don’t pay any of you to create chaos within the workplace. I pay you to do your job. I needed the launch plan yesterday. You thought you were above orders because you didn’t like the messenger? Well, I’ve made things easy for you. You can find a new place of work."

Sharon is crying now, and despite her cruel taunts, I feel a hint of pity. I look at Adam, beseechingly, but he ignores me.

"Will you go or should I call security?" he demands.

She shuffles out, sobbing, and I close my eyes, feeling sick to the stomach.

"You didn’t have to do that."

His hands are on my shoulders when I open my eyes, and he looks all kinds of mad.

"Why didn’t you rip her eyes out when she started insulting you?" Adam growls at me.

"Why’re you mad at me?"

"You just sat there, listening."

"I answered back."

"Not as much as you could have!"

"You didn’t have to throw her out of her job!" I insist. "Look, she was pissy. I get it. But––"

"If I hadn’t fired her, she would have continued with this behavior." Adam steps away from me and picks up the file from the ground. "And she made a mistake, as well. I needed the launch idea yesterday. She could have cost me millions if you hadn’t stepped in."

He walks into his office and slams the door behind him.

My wolf is sitting up, its tail wagging in happiness.

He defended me and protected me. Something new for me, but I like the feeling. I can sense how close Adam’s wolf is to the surface. I don’t know how I can tell, but I just know. I glance at the door, but something tells me I shouldn’t poke the proverbial bear while he’s still angry. Sighing, I sit down at my desk.

At least now no one will go out of their way to mess with me.

Or so I thought.

Word has gotten around the whole building by the next morning. I thought that firing would make sure the other employees would perhaps maintain a distance from me. I feel grateful when space is made for me in the elevator the morning after the incident. Everyone stands in silence, but an uneasy feeling begins growing inside me. I can hear some whispering as we reach the second floor. I can’t hear what is being said, but I do hear my name once or twice.

Before I can make anything of it, the majority of the people suddenly get off at the fourth floor, and as they do, hot, scalding coffee is tossed on my face. I cry out and stumble back, only to be shoved forward, one of the people behind me, hissing, "Watch it!"

My eyes and face are burning, and I get off on the next floor, rushing to the bathroom. Thankfully, there are only two women in the bathroom, and they snicker when they see me. I wash off the coffee stains, staring at the redness all over my face. Thankfully, the burn marks will disappear in a couple of hours. My blue shirt is badly stained, and I try to clean it but the stain doesn’t come off, and it only gets worse. I could always go home and change, but it would take me an hour to do so, and Adam has meetings starting in half an hour.

"Excuse me," I look at one of the women, "do you have a spare shirt I could borrow?"

The woman rolls her eyes. "We don’t keep extra shirts in the office. We don’t need them since we don’t spend our working hours on our backs like you do."

Saying that, both the women leave. I stare after them, my face flushing in humiliation.

I haven’t forgotten what Sharon said about me being Norman’s plaything. I never knew such a rumor existed, but if the people in this office believe it, then there’s nothing I can do to change their minds about me. I stare down at my hands, feeling drained. My face hurts, as does my neck and chest, wherever the hot coffee had splashed on me.

Under the hopelessness is anger.

I’m so sick of being treated like this.

If it’s not Jonathon and Norman, it’s someone else. Everybody seems to think they can treat me like trash and I’ll just take it. But I’m close to reaching my limit now. If they’re going to treat me like this, then I’m going to begin returning the favor. If they want to be jerks to me, I can be one right back!

I storm upstairs to my office, and Adam is entering just as I’m rifling through his wardrobe in his office. He stares at me. "What are you doing?"

"I need a shirt," I snap. "Do you have a problem with that?"

He raises a brow. "No."

Adam approaches me, and I see the way his lips tighten. "You want to tell me what happened to your face?"

"Your employees threw coffee on me." I take out a shirt of his and sniff it. "Not one, but all of them. I asked for a shirt in the bathroom, but I was informed that tramps like me deserve this treatment."

Adam grabs me by the shoulder and whirls me around. The anger in his eyes fades at the sight of the glistening tears in my eyes.

"Cynthia––"

"I’m not crying!" I push his hands away, my blood boiling, "I’m pissed. If everyone is so fucking determined to put the label of slut on me, might as well become one, right?"

"Wh––"

I grab him by the front of his shirt and pull him toward me, slamming my mouth on his. I don’t know what I’m doing, but the moment his mouth presses against mine, a vicious heat blooms inside of me. Adam doesn’t push me away, his hands settling around my waist, his grip tight enough to leave marks under my shirt. His kiss is just as rough as he takes and takes from me. Where I had initiated the kiss, he wrenches control from me, walking me back into the wall. His mouth moves against mine with a hard dominance, and his hands glide up my sides, brushing against my chest until he yanks my hands up suddenly, pinning them by the wrists above my head. His other hand glides down and rubs against the bottom seam of my pants, right where my most sensitive area is. My body arches as it remembers the sensations of our night together, and when he moves his hand roughly, his fingers pressing into delicate skin through rough material, I let out a sobbing gasp.

He doesn’t stop, and I tremble, my legs feeling weak, as the movement of his fingers pushes me into a never-ending desire. And when I fall, it’s into his arms, his lips now trailing over my neck and jaw, his hand having released my wrists.

I’m shaking and he holds me close. "Feeling better?"

"No."

He lets out a bark of laughter. "Well, I wasn’t going to take off your clothes in my office."

I feel embarrassed. "I wasn’t planning to - I was just angry. You should have pushed me away."

"My fated mate wants to kiss me, and I should push her away?" Adam gives me an incredulous look. "You must take me for a fool."

"But it just proves what––"

"No," Adam says, his voice hard. "You and I were fated for each other. You’re mine, Cynthia. You will always be mine, just as I am yours. You have every right to my body as I do yours."

His lips brush against my forehead in a sweet kiss, "I know you’re angry, and I’m so happy that you took it out on me. In fact, feel free to take out your anger on me at any time of the day. In fact, if you’re home and feeling worked up and need me, just give me a call. I guarantee we’ll have more fun––"

I cover his mouth, my face feeling hot. "Okay, you’ve said quite enough."

He grins. "I could always say more."

I push him away. "You’re not helping."

Adam grabs my hand and puts it over his heart, forcing me to look at him, "My father will use you to hurt me, Cynthia. You know that. The moment he finds out you’re my fated mate, he will stop at nothing to cripple me, even if it means your death."

I turn white as a sheet.

"You think I want to hide our bond?" he asks. "No male wolf in their right mind would try to hide a fated bond. But for your safety, I have no choice. But that doesn’t mean I can’t protect you." His fingers trace over my cheek. "Every person who called you that vile name and who hurt you today is going to pay that price. Just you see."

I stare at him, my heart beating wildly.

"You don’t believe me, do you?" Adam asks after a moment.

I could say ’no’ but that would hurt his feelings. I’m beginning to realize that I don’t like hurting Adam’s feelings. It bothers me.

"I do."

His lips twitch. "Try saying that with a little bit more enthusiasm."

"I do." I push him away again. "I need to change my shirt, and you have your meetings, so stop playing around."

He lets me go but trails after me. "How can you say I was playing around? This was an important conversation."

I take out one of his shirts and head to the bathroom.

"Do you need some help?" He grins.

"You’d like that, wouldn’t you?" I narrow my eyes.

"Very much so."

I slam the door in his face and hear him sigh.

Adam’s shirt is way bigger on me, but with the sleeves rolled back and the corners tucked in, it’s passable. His scent is faint, but it clings to me, offering me comfort.

I get through the rest of the day, making sure Adam is on time to every meeting, fielding calls, and dealing with suppliers and customers like. Some of the suppliers we had at KDL Foods have shifted to Adam’s company, and the people on the other end are pleasantly surprised to realize that I, too, have switched companies. Adam approaches me a couple of times wanting to know who harassed me, but I have no intention of snitching. I can deal with this myself.

As the day draws to an end, I finally venture out of my office to hand over a file to marketing. I tried emailing them and calling but received no answer. I simply have to drop the file over.

I quickly head over and make sure to use the stairs to avoid any other incidents.

The new marketing head, who has been promoted from within the company, welcomes me and is confused as to why I’ve not been able to get in touch with her.

"Rachel?" She presses the intercom, and when her assistant walks in, I eye her.

She’s the same woman who threw me out of Sharon’s office and who just tried to stop me from entering the new director’s office.

"Did you receive an email from Miss Rose?"

Rachel shoots me a hateful look before replying, "I can’t be sure. There’s a lot of backlog to shift through."

"And why did you hang up the phone on her three times?" Director Baden demands, her eyes flashing.

"There was a signal problem," Rachel mutters.

I silently scoff.

"I would hate for a repeat of the other day to happen, so I brought the file to you myself." I meet Director Baden’s gaze. "But it seems like I was the only one concerned. Next time, there is a communication blackout, I will simply drop an email and then it’s your department’s responsibility from there on out."

Director Baden pales. "I’m so sorry, Miss Rose."

"I’m not blaming you. Clearly, your staff is unable to handle their tasks."

I get to my feet and am about to walk out when Rachel sticks out her foot. However, Norman has pulled this trick plenty of times when we were kids. I slowly turn to face her, my voice cold. "Did you just try to trip me?"

She immediately yanks back her foot, but the Director has already seen it, and her face turns red with anger. "Rachel, what is the meaning of this?"

As Rachel stammers, trying to dig herself out of this hole, I walk out. I’m about to take the stairs when I see the notice that they’re being mopped. Groaning, I wait by the elevator.

A few minutes later, I hear the sounds of heels clacking against the floor and then Rachel rounds the corner.

"You bitch!"

"I’m sorry," my voice is hard, "are you talking to me?"

"You just don’t learn, do you?" Rachel gets in my face. "We don’t want you here! We don’t want to work with tramps like you."

"This is starting to get old." I roll my eyes, turning to face her. "That coffee incident from this morning was your idea?"

"So what if it was?" she sneers at me. "You think you can start getting rid of us one by one and we’ll just get scared of you? I’m not done with you yet."

"Is that a threat, Rachel?" I ask her seriously. "Because, unlike you, I believe in handling issues like this through the proper channels."

"What?" She laughs in my face. "You’ll tell Maureen from HR? She hates your guts too."

I study her and then take a step toward her, my voice steady. "It may be all fun and games when you bully me, but make no mistake, I won’t take this crap lying down. If you want to play dirty, I can go five steps below you. You’re not the only one who can resort to such methods."

Rachel narrows her eyes at me. "What’re you going to do? Complain to Mr. Moore about me like you did about Director Wheeler?"

"I didn’t have to say a word." I raise my brow. "She came and admitted what she did in front of him, so she was fired. But keep pulling stunts like the one you did today, and I’ll make your life equally miserable."

"Who do you think you are?" Rachel hisses. "By the time I’m done with you––"

"I don’t have time for this." I roll my eyes once again. "I think I’ll just take the stairs."

I move past her only to feel her press something against my head. I quickly whip around, my hand reaching for my hair.

She’s sneering at me. "Good looks don’t last forever, bitch."

She walks away from me, leaving me running my hands in my hair. I feel the sticky gum and my eyes widen. Rushing to the bathroom, I turn around to check the damage and realize she’s stuck the gum just around where my nape ends.

I press my lips together furiously.

Are all the women here so freaking childish?

I try to take it out, but somehow it just ends up getting worse. Finally putting my hair up to hide the pin gum, I make my way up to the office using the stairs. I don’t know the first thing about taking gum out of my hair. I’ll have to figure out a way because the mess I’ve made is beyond redemption.

The working day is over when I get back to my office, and I run into Adam who’s waiting for me.

"You went to hand over the file yourself?" Adam frowns.

"Yeah," I mutter. "Shouldn’t have gone."

"What’s wrong with your hair?"

“Accident.” I scowl.

“That doesn’t seem like an accident.” He looks unhappy. Approaching me, he sniffs my hair, and his eyes darken. “I know that scent.”

When Adam doesn’t say anything further, I glance at him and go still. His eyes are no longer human.

He’s pissed.

"Adam?" I venture cautiously.

“Tell me what happened, and don’t lie to me.”

“It’s not a big deal.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.”

Reluctantly, I tell him.

"I’ll kill her," he snarls.

I quickly jump in his warpath. "Maybe not kill. That’s a little overboard for a gum in the hair."

"She threw coffee on you. She admitted it––"

"Well, you still can’t kill her," I say tightly. "So calm down before you do something you regret."

"I won’t regret it, trust me."

"You––"

We’re standing inches from each other when the door opens, and I look over my shoulder. An older man walks in with gray hair and sharp blue eyes.

I instantly recognize him.

Watson Tremblay.

He’s one of the pack elders and an official. Watson is a powerful figure in the pack, and until now he has never supported any side. But the moment I lay eyes on him, I realize he is on Adam’s side. That is going to be a hard blow to Jonathon if he ever finds out. For years, the alpha has been trying to court Watson to support him. The multimillionaire wolf shifter has connections in all the right places.

"So, it’s true." Watson studies us. "You hired Miss Rose as your secretary."

For the first time, I see discomfort on Adam’s face.

"Mr. Tremblay," I greet him politely. "It’s nice to see you."

"Likewise." Watson nods. "Adam, I wanted to talk to you if you have some time."

"Of course."

As they head into his office, I see Watson casting another look at me.

I wet my lips.

He doesn’t trust me.

It’s quite obvious.

****

When Tony drops me home, I’m surprised to see someone waiting for me in the lobby of my building.

"Cynthia!" Maya beams at me. She’s carrying three large boxes of pizza and two bottles of soda.

"I forgot you were coming." I find myself smiling, the troubles of the day fading at the sight of her. "Come on up!"

I let her into my apartment and as she enters, she gives me an odd look. "Weird hair day?"

I go still and then sigh. "Oh, yeah. Weird doesn’t cover it."

I can’t tell Maya everything, not just because I’ve only known her for a couple of days but also because I don’t want her to know so much that she’s in danger. But I tell her about my reputation in the company and the bullying I’m facing.

The pizza is ignored as she makes me sit on the carpet while she sits behind me on the couch going through my hair, making a tutting noise, "You couldn’t leave well enough alone?"

"I was trying to take it out," I complain.

"Yeah," Maya says, scathingly. "Lovely job you did here."

"Maya!"

"Fine." She tugs at my hair lightly. "I can take it out for you, but it’s going to be a long and painful process. I will need some peanut butter or olive oil."

"What’s option B?" I glance up at her.

Her smile is slow and spells no good. "We could always cut your hair."

"Cut it?" I don’t know why I choke at those words.

"Well," she sighs, "it would be a pity to cut such long and beautiful hair. I mean you must have grown it over such a long period of––"

"I’ve never cut my hair," I say.

"Wait, never?" Maya gapes at me.

I shake my head.

I look at my hair bunched in her hand and a thought strikes me. "You know how to cut hair?"

"I put myself through college cutting and styling hair." Maya grins at me. "What do you say? Want to try something new?"

A lot of new things have been happening to me over these past few weeks. What’s one more?

"Do it."

It takes Maya half an hour to call Tony and get him to buy some professional scissors. As we wait, I ask, "So, you and Tony, huh? How did that happen?"

Maya smiles at me. "We met during the pack run three months ago. Our wolves started playing, and I just really liked how quiet he is, and so together. We went out on a few dates and he asked if he could court me."

"So, he’s your fated mate?"

Maya’s eyes widen. "Oh, no!" Laughter spills from her mouth. "Not everyone gets to find their fated mate, you know."

"Wait," I feel nervous, "so, how does it work then? This fated mate thing. And don’t kids find their fated mates if they’re around them?"

"Don’t you know?"

I shake my head. "I’ve never had anybody to talk about these things with."

"But we learn these things when we’re children." Maya blinks, confused. I must have looked uncomfortable before she gestures with her hands. "Never mind. It’s kind of like this, see. We all have fated mates out there, but we don’t always get to meet them. I mean, I could have a fated mate somewhere in Africa. Chances are I might never meet him. But if I meet someone with whom my wolf connects, then he can court me and we enter the mating courtship in which mates look after each other and get to know one another in a physical and emotional sense. My wolf will assess whether the male’s wolf can protect me, meet my emotional needs, make me feel secure, and all that stuff. And once I agree to the mating, we give each other the mating mark. The mating mark is usually given in the heat of the moment, which is, you know…"

She winks at me, and when I stare at her blankly, she mutters, "Hoo boy. During the climax, Cynthia. Some packs prefer it to be given during a mating ceremony, but that’s just for show and all."

"So," I venture slowly, "how would you know if you met your fated mate? Like what if you grew up with them? Wouldn’t you know immediately?"

Maya whistles. "I mean, both parties have to be in their puberty for the fated mate bond to kick in. That’s what I was told. I mean, if you’ve hit your puberty and your fated mate hasn’t, neither of you will recognize the other as your fated mate. But about how we know, I think being around them makes your sex drive really active. Like you want to jump their bones all the time. Females have pheromones which become active once they meet their fated mate. It draws in their mate. Other males can smell them, and it acts as a signal that says ’This girl’s with someone’. There’s supposed to be a strong emotional connection with your fated mate."

"Really?"

"Would I lie to you?" Maya scowls at me. "That’s all I know."

I lean forward. "So, what happens if you find your fated mate? Do you have to be with them at all costs, or can you choose somebody else?"

Maya gives me an odd look. "Why would you choose somebody else?"

"What if you were forced to?"

She looks thoughtful. "Well, there have been cases where some males have mated their fated mate but have married someone else. It’s kind of like having two wives, but they have to be with one. You can only have a child with a mate, so they use the fated mate to give birth to an heir and their legal wife raises the child. It’s a practice in some packs, but it’s not considered a good thing. The female counterpart in a fated mate pair is more delicate emotionally. They usually go mad in situations like this. But then, there are also instances when you find a fated mate but you don’t think they are a good socioeconomic fit for you, so some people walk away from them. It’s difficult, but once a mating mark is given to another, then the link tying you to that fated mate disappears."

I gaze down at the floor. "So it’s not set in stone then?"

"I guess not," Maya murmurs.

Fortunately, Tony shows up at that moment with the hair-cutting supplies, and the rest of the evening is lost to my hair being cut and styled, followed by us watching a movie on Maya’s phone and eating cold pizza. For a crappy week, this weekend seems to be shaping up to be a good one. But when my phone lights up in the middle of the night while Maya snores on the couch while I’m sprawled on the soft carpet, the happiness inside me fades as I read the message from Jonathon.

’Meet me Sunday afternoon at Caper’s Lot.’