Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
maddox
“This is Trang. She will be the lead designer on our team.” Veronica gestures to a petite Vietnamese girl with straight, shoulder-length black hair.
“Hey, it’s nice to meet you!” I extend my hand to her, and she shakes it with enthusiasm.
“It’s such a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Kamado!”
“Please, call me Maddox.”
“I'm such a huge fan. I’ve watched every single one of your games,” she gushes.
“When Veronica told me you wanted to start a clothing line with us, I nearly fainted. I threw up this morning because I was so nervous.” She shuffles her feet and clears her throat.
“Sorry. I, uh, tend to overshare sometimes.”
“Don’t worry about it. You’re good.” My mouth curves into a half-smile. “It’s always nice to meet one of my fans.”
Trang continues droning on about how much she loves watching basketball, but I’ve stopped paying attention.
My eyes scan the room and lock on her. Annalise Rose Monroe—the first girl to steal my heart and the first one to break it.
Waves of emotion washed over me when I saw her again.
I spent the last four years trying to erase her from my mind, distracting myself with basketball and burying myself in other women, but nothing seemed to fill the void.
She’s like a tattoo on my skin, an indelible part of me forever.
She looks more stunning than I remember.
Her mesmerizing sapphire and emerald eyes draw me in like a moth to a flame.
Silky, wavy, brown hair cascades gracefully down her shoulders, contrasting beautifully against her tan skin.
And those luscious pink lips bring back memories of the moments when I had the chance to taste their sweetness.
I’ve been with a lot of attractive women these past few years, but they all paled in comparison to her. Annalise is the whole package. Drop-dead gorgeous, intelligent, and blessed with a voluptuous figure.
Our reunion was not what I’ve envisioned. The love she once had for me has turned into hatred. Maybe if we had gone to college in the same city, we would still be together today.
“Andrea, come here. I would like to have a word with you.” Veronica’s sharp voice slices through my daze like a whip crack.
I blink, dragged back to the present. She stands in the middle of the office with arms crossed and a scowl on her face.
How in the hell she can’t remember a single name is beyond me.
“You have no idea how much you embarrassed me from that stunt you pulled earlier,” she hollers, her voice echoing through the office.
“Stunt?” Annalise furrows her brows. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh! Don’t act stupid. I know you loosened that lid on purpose so the coffee would spill on him,” Veronica snaps, eyes blazing with fury. “You said having your ex here wouldn’t be a problem, but it clearly is.”
“I swear, I—I didn’t!” Annalise’s hands fly up, palms out. “It was an accident.”
“Cut the bullshit!” Veronica snaps, losing the grip on her professionalism. “You obviously don’t know how to separate your personal life from your work life.”
Annalise’s eyes widen, her voice trembling as she speaks. “But Ms. Zhang—”
“Save it,” she shouts, cutting Annalise off. There’s venom dripping from her every word as she nonchalantly brushes a hand down her front and says, “You’re fired. Effective immediately.”
Annalise stands there frozen, her breaths coming in short, ragged gasps as she stares at her boss.
“Well? What are you waiting for? I said you’re fired,” Veronica articulates, her voice shrill. “Pack up your stuff and go.”
I’m pissed about the encounter with Annalise, sure, but I can’t stand here and watch this vile woman continue to disrespect her.
Excusing myself from Trang, I march over to Annalise’s side. “Ms. Zhang, this really isn’t necessary. It was an accident, and it’s just a shirt. Firing her over that is hardly justified.”
“Just a shirt?” She places a hand on her chest, clearly appalled by my nonchalance.
So what if it’s a five-thousand-dollar custom shirt? Annalise was right—bouncing balls for a living earns me a fuck-ton of money. I could buy one for every day of the year and still have more money than I know what to do with.
“You’re saying that as if you bought that from a thrift shop.” Her gaze shifts to Annalise and I don’t miss the way she looks her up and down like she’s scum. “I’m sure you know all about those, don’t you, dear? I can spot that cheap fabric from a mile away.”
Annalise shoots her a glare but remains silent, her lips pressed in a tight line.
“Mr. Kamado, consider this a favor. You’ll no longer have to see your ex here,” Veronica says.
“I have no problem having her here. My problem is with you,” I snap.
Veronica stumbles back, startled by the sharp edge in my tone.
Bringing myself to my full height, I stare down at her, and she shrinks beneath the weight of my gaze. “With all due respect, Ms. Zhang, you’re an extremely talented woman, but how you treat your employees is downright repulsive.”
Her mouth pops open as she stares at me, dumbfounded.
I can tell she’s about to say something else offensive about Annalise, or any of the other people that work for her, so I start instead.
“I was looking forward to working together, but I think I’ll be taking my business elsewhere.
” Pausing for a moment, I let the words hang in the air before adding, “Maybe I should call Velocity back. They offered me a much better deal.”
With that, I turn on my heel, walking toward the exit.
“Mr. Kamado, please wait!” Veronica chases after me and nearly trips in the process.
Standing there with my arms crossed, I wait to see what she has to say.
She closes her eyes, inhaling deeply before looking at Annalise. “Arya, I—”
“Annalise,” I practically growl.
Veronica clears her throat, her cheeks flushing. “Annalise, I apologize for lashing out at you. It was very out of character for me.”
“Out of character, my ass,” Annalise mumbles under her breath, and I can’t help the silent chuckle that shakes my shoulders. Everyone here knows that’s a load of crap.
“You are no longer fired. As a matter of fact, why don’t you take an early lunch break?” Veronica plasters on a smile. “It’ll be my treat. You can order whatever you like. You can even take two hours!”
“Wow, that’s so thoughtful of you. You’re sure you wouldn’t mind if I treated myself to the wagyu from Roka Akor?” Annalise asks, arching a brow.
“The t-t-two hundred dollar s-s-steak?” All the color drains from Veronica’s face. She looks like she’s on the verge of fainting.
“Yeah. Is that a problem?”
Veronica twists her pearl necklace between her fingers as she slips her mask back on. “No, of course not.”
“Perfect! I’ll leave the waiter a nice fat tip, too.” Annalise grins. “I’ll see you after lunch!” She walks to the elevator, and I follow after her.
The elevator doors shut, trapping us both inside, and I give Annalise a sidelong glance. “Fuck. Is she always like that?”
“Yeah. I usually get the brunt of it. She’s been out to get me since day one.”
My lips tilt into a knowing smile. “The Annalise I knew would’ve ripped her a new one.”
“Well, a lot has changed since then.” She turns away, avoiding eye contact.
The remainder of the ride is filled with an awkward silence. She sighs with relief when the elevator doors finally open, scurrying to the exit like she can’t get away from me fast enough.
I chase after her and grab her wrist, turning her to face me.
“So I don’t even get a thank you for saving your ass from getting fired?”
She shakes her wrist free from my grasp. “I didn’t need you to defend me. I could’ve spoken for myself.”
“Oh, really?” My brows soar upward. “Because from where I was standing, you were too busy looking like a deer in headlights.”
Rolling her eyes, she reaches for the door, but I stand in front of it, blocking her.
“Get out of my way. You’re cutting into my lunch break.” Using all of her strength, she tries to push me out of the way, but I don’t move an inch.
“Can I join you for lunch? I don’t have practice today, so maybe we can—”
“Just stop, Maddox!” she snaps.
“Stop what?”
“Oh, don’t play dumb. You’re trying to make up for what you did in the past,” she scoffs. “I appreciate what you did for me in there, but nothing you do could ever fix things between us. So do us both a favor and stop trying, okay?”
I open my mouth to reply, but the words catch in my throat.
“You may have your dream career, a nice car, and all the money in the world, but you sure as hell will never have me.”
Her words slice through me like a blade, reopening old wounds I thought had healed.
Many people would look at my life and be envious of it. I have it all: money, power, fame. But what does that matter when you don’t have anyone to share it with? Sure, I could probably have any girl in the world, but none of them would ever come close to making me feel the way Annalise does.
I haven't been the same since the day she walked out of my life. She’s the reason I can never be in another relationship. It wouldn’t be fair, because my heart will only ever belong to her.
I hate how much power she still holds over me. She makes me feel weak, and I despise that. I’m too prideful to show her how much her words affect me, even though it feels like she just ripped my heart out of my chest and tore it into a million pieces.
“Quite bold of you to assume that I’m trying to get you back.” I snicker. “I don’t waste my time chasing after someone who doesn’t want me. I’m quite offended that you think I’d be so pathetic.”
She stares down at her feet, pretending to pick lint off her shirt.
“I simply wanted to keep things cordial between us since we’re going to be seeing a lot more of each other now,” I state, tucking my hands into the pockets of my slacks. “But if you’d rather us not speak, then I’ll respect your wishes and stay out of your way.”
I push open the door and step through. “I’ll see you next week, Monroe.” I feel her gaze lingering on me as I walk away.