Chapter 1 #2
Her boss nodded but...didn’t gesture for her to leave like he normally did, and so Kyara was left...struggling not to squirm. What was she supposed to do now?
Time marched on, and Kyara was starting to feel desperate.
These past three years had felt like the longest and shortest years of her life with how she couldn’t seem to control her reaction to her boss.
He still reminded her of all the men her mother had dated over the years.
The black hair. The olive skin. The chiseled good looks, and the tall, lean build that moved with such grace she could easily picture him waltzing one moment like a prince and dueling against an opponent in fancy fencing garb while saying ‘on guard’ or ‘Safeguard’ or—
“Still not smiling, I see,” Lyrius drawled.
Her eyes widened. He had never—
“Boyfriend still jealous, I take it?”
And...and that, too, he had never talked about that part of her life before, and Kyara was so caught off guard by his words that all she could say was—
“No?”
Lyrius slowly started drumming his fingers again.
Thanks to this little redhead, he had found himself drumming his fingers more times in the past three years than he ever did in his entire life, and that was because he had no choice.
If he didn’t start drumming with his fingers, he would end up strangling Kyara for always making him feel like this.
Furious...and furiously jealous, since her saying her boyfriend wasn’t jealous of him only meant one thing.
But enough was enough.
Lyrius was done waiting. Three years he had bided his time, studying her every move, her every reaction, and it had ultimately led him to ascertain two things.
First: the boy had a hold on Kyara, but it wasn’t love, and he would stake his life on it.
Second: He still had a shot, with the way she was fidgeting before him now, her green eyes unable to meet his gaze while her cheeks turned a delicate shade of pink.
How big or slim that shot was, his superior I.Q. was unfortunately able to help him determine, but either way...
It didn’t matter.
He was done waiting, and the time had come for him to make a move, once and for all.
Lyrius saw her stumble back as he rose to his feet. “Relax, Kyara.”
Kyara’s lips parted, but she simply wasn’t able to form any words. The glint in his gaze was making her feel nervous, and was it just her imagination or had her boss just, well...purred?
“You look like I’m about to eat you.”
“N-No, of c-course not.” Kyara could barely hear herself with how loud and hard her heart was beating. Like seriously, what was happening right now? Why was her boss suddenly saying all these things that...weren’t the kind of things he usually said?
“Then why do you look so nervous?”
And...and why did it suddenly feel like he was looking at her like he had always known she was nervous around him for all the wrong reasons? Her fingers tightened their grip around her pen as she watched him walk towards her.
She knew she should simply stand still if she wanted to prove him wrong. She even started chanting the usual chant to herself in hopes that it would work—
I’m loyal to Cyrus, I’m loyal to Cyrus, I’m loyal to Cyrus.
Mr. Havington was coming closer and closer...
I’m sorry, Shayla.
And she was panicking and panicking, and that was why the words just came spilling out.
“I lied,” she blurted out.
Kyara knew she shouldn’t be lying like this, but if she was lying about lying, then maybe she was telling the truth, and so this might not be one of the slippery slopes that Shayla warned her about, but—
“My boyfriend is actually very, very jealous about you—”
Okay, fine, this was a slippery slope since she now couldn’t seem to stop herself from lying.
“So, out of respect for my, um, boyfriend, please keep your distance—”
“Why is he jealous?” Lyrius hadn’t slowed.
“It’s because, um—” Kyara slowly started backing away when her boss showed no signs of halting.
“Is it really because of how I look—” He stepped closer.
I’m loyal to Cyrus, I’m loyal to Cyrus, I’m loyal to Cyrus.
“Or how you’re looking at me?”
Her back hit the wall just as she realized he was purring again, and although he had finally stopped moving—well, it no longer counted since there was less than an inch separating them now, and if he moved any closer, they might as well be one, and wait.
..what was that he was asking again? Something about. ..oh!
Kyara could feel her cheeks turning red, and this time, there was no denying the truth behind the glint in his sky-blue eyes, and...and...
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Mr. Havington.”
Shayla, I’m sorry.
And...and Lara, I’m so, so sorry, too.
I know I promised to be honest, but I just can’t.
Lyrius watched Kyara’s chest rise and fall rapidly under her blouse. She had never flirted with him. Never. But even so. Something was going on between them, and it was time to stop pretending neither of them never noticed it.
“Apologies,” Lyrius drawled. “I was clearly mistaken, and that’s a good thing, too—”
Kyara’s stomach started cramping as her boss’ tone went dangerously soft. Why did she suddenly feel like she had fallen—
“—since I’ll be needing you to accompany me to Vegas this weekend.”
—for a trap?