5. "You're used to women staying quiet when you insult them, aren't you?"
The conference room was buzzing with voices. Reports. Projections. Numbers. My kind of noise. The kind I could drown in and forget everything else.
But today... nothing drowned her out.
I sat at the head of the table, nodding along to the quarterly forecasts being presented by one of the senior VPs. My jaw was tight. My fingers curled around my pen like I wanted to snap it in half.
Because every five goddamn minutes, my mind would flash back to her.
Aurelia Sinclair. In a tiny pair of shorts. Acting like she owned the place.
She had the audacity to stand in my kitchen—my kitchen—talking back, looking smug, smirking like she knew exactly how many of my nerves she was poking.
And worst of all? She was right.
I couldn't stop looking at every exposed inch of her smooth skin.
I did find her attractive. And that was the most infuriating part.
How could a mere girl have such influence over me?
I never wasted my precious time on random women.
I had seen and continued to be uninterested in multiple gorgeous women for the most part of my life.
So why now? And why her?
I'd looked, and now her image was burned into my skull like some damn tattoo I didn't ask for.
I clenched my jaw tighter and focused on the spreadsheet being projected on the screen. Figures. Charts. Bottom lines. Work. Something predictable. Logical.
Not curves and soft skin and the glint in a girl's eyes when she knew she was getting under your skin.
"Sir?" Someone said. I looked up. It was my CFO. "Did you want to approve the updated strategy on the acquisitions, or should we revisit it in Thursday's meeting?"
I blinked. What the hell was he talking about?
The room fell silent. Every executive at the table turned to me, waiting.
"Push it to Thursday," I said curtly, flipping the folder shut. "We'll circle back once I've had time to review the projections myself."
He gave a tight nod, and the meeting rolled on.
But I wasn't listening anymore.
I was back in that kitchen, hearing her say she didn't dress for men. Hearing her say men would fall to their knees even if she were fully covered. That confidence, that attitude had come out of nowhere.
She used to be shy. Quiet. Always blushing and fumbling.
Now she had claws and a sharp tongue that didn't give up.
I hated it.
I hated how sharp she was.
How different she was.
How good she looked walking out of the kitchen like she'd won something.
For God's sake, how did she go from that silly, little girl to this?
I opened my email and began typing furiously, needing something—anything—to pull me back into control.
But even as the screen filled with numbers and bullet points...
All I could see were her legs.
All I could hear was that infuriating voice.
"Have a good day at work, Zayden."
I cursed under my breath.
It was going to be a long day.
———
I got home later than usual.
Meetings, back-to-back calls, a late dinner with a client—everything that usually calmed my mind, distracted me. Aurelia Sinclair had crawled under my skin like a splinter I couldn't pull out.
I parked the car and stepped into the house, tension still coiled in my shoulders, my tie loosened.
And then I heard it.
Laughter.
Female.
Hers.
For fuck's sake.
Curious and irritated, I followed the sound toward the living room.
Then I froze.
Aurelia was there, barefoot on the couch, curled up with a massive bowl of popcorn in her lap and my mother beside her, the two of them watching a movie like it was an everyday routine.
It wasn't the movie that caught me off guard.
It was what she was wearing.
A fitted white tank top, her big breasts straining against it, her sleep shorts barely visible under the popcorn bowl. Her hair was piled in a messy bun, a few strands trailing down her neck, and her face was lit up with unfiltered joy.
That same face that had smirked at me like the devil this morning... now looked so soft. So innocent.
My mother was laughing like Aurelia was her daughter.
God forbid.
"Aurelia," my mother said between giggles, "I swear, you're so funny. This is why I love having you around. We really missed out during your childhood when you barely used to speak."
Aurelia grinned. "I was probably too scared to talk around Zayden before. He always looked like he was allergic to fun."
I cleared my throat.
Both of them turned toward me.
My mother smiled warmly. "Zayden, you're home! Come join us. Aurelia's telling me about the disaster blind date she escaped from last month. Apparently, the guy brought his mother to the restaurant!"
For some reason, hearing about her having gone on a date gripped at my heart.
Aurelia looked at me, all wide-eyed innocence. "She ordered for him. Chicken nuggets."
"I've had a long day," I said coldly. "Some of us work for a living."
"Oh, lighten up," my mother chided. "You could use a little fun. It's a good thing Aurelia is here. She's such a darling and an absolute joy to have around."
Right.
Aurelia smiled excitedly. "Don't worry, I'll loosen him up eventually."
My mother laughed again, completely missing the heat behind those words.
But I didn't.
I knew exactly what she was doing.
She wasn't just playing sweet for the family anymore, she was baiting me. Inching her way into every corner of this house. My space. My life.
And the worst part?
She was good at it.
Damn good.
———
The movie had ended, Zayden's mother had kissed me goodnight, and I was heading up the stairs, still smiling from the chaos of all the funny stories I had told. Zayden Ashford clearly wasn't very impressed though.
Then again, was he ever? I could almost imagine him telling me it was indecent to laugh.
I was almost at the top when I heard his voice, low and sharp.
"Aurelia."
I paused mid-step.
Of course. I bet he's going to tell me off again.
Slowly, I turned, finding him at the bottom of the stairs, suit jacket discarded, sleeves rolled up, his tie hanging loose around his neck. The scowl on his face made it clear he hadn't come to wish me sweet dreams.
"Yes?" I asked sweetly, leaning a hand on the banister.
He moved up two steps, gaze cutting straight through me. "Don't think I don't see what you're doing."
"Doing what?"
"Playing the sweet guest. Cozying up to my mother. Acting like you belong here."
"I do belong here," I replied with a calm assertiveness. "Your parents invited me. I didn't sneak in through the window."
"That's not what I meant, and you know it." His voice dipped lower, laced with warning. "This isn't a game, Aurelia."
"What exactly are you so worked up about? I was watching a movie with your mother. I didn't even get in your way." I retorted.
"I don't like hearing your laughter. It's annoying." He deadpanned.
I rolled my eyes, snorting. "I won't ask for your permission to laugh."
His jaw flexed, and then his eyes dropped for a second—just a second—to the neckline of my tank top. The faintest flicker of something darker passed through his expression before he caught himself and looked into my eyes again.
"You might as well just walk around naked." He said bitterly.
I smirked, folding my arms across my chest. "You'd love that, wouldn't you?"
His eyes darkened. "You're used to boys falling at your feet, aren't you?" He said, voice cold and mocking. "Laughing at every joke, tripping over themselves just to touch you."
I tilted my head. "And you're used to women staying quiet when you insult them, aren't you?"
His eyes filled up with more fury.
I didn't blink.
The air between us tightened, filled with heat and something neither of us would name.
"Sleep well, Zayden." I whispered, brushing past him, my shoulder grazing his as I walked up the stairs.
But before I reached the top, I heard him behind me.
Low, warning and gruff.
"You're playing with fire, Aurelia."
I didn't turn around.
But I smiled all the way to my room.