Page 36 of The CEO

After letting my secretary know I was going home for lunch and to expect the information from Whitmore, I headed to the elevator. My steps halted when I saw Pria with a man I knew very well. He had been my family’s physician, mostly for my sister, Murphy, and his name was… Mr. Wang. Was he Pria’s father? It made sense. They had the same last name and were both Chinese. How had I not figured it out before now?

I thought back to the little girl he would occasionally bring with him. The same little girl who played and hung out with my sister through the years until she went off to college. Had that been Pria? If so, why hadn’t she mentioned it to me?

Maybe I had it all wrong and my eyes were deceiving me.

He placed his hand on her lower back and ushered her inside the elevator with a smug smile on his face. Pria, on the other hand, looked anything but happy to be with him. I hung back and watched as the doors closed blocking them from my view.

If Pria had lied about not knowing me and my family, what else had she lied about? In an instant, I decided I was going to check out Sun Heights tonight. I’d still have Whitmore give me the information, but I didn’t want to see Pria or listen to her lies right then. If I did, I was sure to say something that I’d regret later. I needed to clear my head and the only way to do that was to be as far away from her as possible.

By the time I got home, I was fuming and sure everything Pria had ever said to me was a lie. Had her fiancé even broke up with her? Was she playing me with pretending she didn’t want anyone to find out about us or was it all part of her master plan to seduce me and then sue me for sexual harassment?

Even with Jimmy and Orvy greeting me with lots of kisses, I was still steaming. I couldn’t believe I’d thought Pria wasdifferent from all the other women who’d used me in the past when, in fact, she was worse.

I went for a run with Sarah and Orvy to try to clear my head. Maybe I was overreacting, but the second I walked inside my apartment and smelled her scent in every room I went into, I knew my decision to go out of town for the week was the right one. I needed to focus on my business and not what my dick wanted.

I had just finished packing up all the papers I’d printed out from my research and what Whitmore had sent me when I heard the dogs go crazy. That meant only one thing; Pria was here. I could have kicked her out, but I wasn’t that much of a dick. At least, not yet. If I found out she really was using me I wouldn’t hesitate to slam the door in her face.

Wheeling my suitcase behind me, I strode down the hallway typing on my phone to let my driver know I’d be down in a couple of minutes. Orvy was up on his back legs and his front paws on Pria’s shoulders pinning her to the front door as he licked her face. She giggled and hugged him back while Jimmy humped her leg furiously. Maybe he was pissed at her too.

“Down boys,” I barked out. Sarah came out of nowhere to see what was going on. Jimmy rushed over and hopped around my legs wanting to be picked up. I scooped him up and scratched behind his ears for a moment before I sat him back down. Orvy bumped my hand with his nose wanting his own scratches so I gave him a few before I patted his head.

Turning back to the liar, I scowled at the sweet smile she had on her face. She really was a talented actress because it looked as if she genuinely cared.

“Hey,” she greeted me, going in for a kiss. At the last minute, I turned my head, so she’d get my cheek.

Moving around her, I had my hand on the doorknob when she called my name. I turned to see Pria’s brows furrowed as she took in my suitcase. “Where are you going? I thought?—”

“What does it matter where I’m going, Ms. Wang? I’m not your boyfriend and I never will be. Watch the dogs while I’m gone.” With that, I slammed the door behind me.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

pria

What the hellhad just happened? I came back to King’s place thinking of all the delicious things we’d do to each other, only for him to sweep past me with a growl and words that hurt deep down in my soul. It didn’t make sense and I was determined to find out why King’s attitude had taken a complete one-eighty. Even the dogs stood staring at the door wondering why their owner had turned into a dick.

Digging my phone out of my purse, I tried to call King, but after a couple of rings, it went straight to voicemail. I knew that cocky asshole was declining my calls. Unwilling to give up, I called again and again, each time King declining my call until he eventually turned off his phone.

Anger burned deep in my gut as I stewed. Who was he to treat me that way? It was a huge overreaction to not having lunch with him. It didn’t matter what he’d said, I couldn’t put off seeing my dad another day. It was better to do it willingly than the alternative. He’d been calling and threatening to show up unannounced at work after he found out Haider and I had broken up. He wanted to know what I’d done wrong because, of course, it was my fault things hadn’t worked out between us.It was always my fault since I wasn’t married and didn’t stay at home with two kids on my hip. Once he found out about Haider, my dad hadn’t even comforted me. I knew he thought it was my fault for working. I was the black sheep of the family with my modern day thinking. I’d thought about mentioning King to him to only further piss him off, but now I’m glad I hadn’t. I would only get another lecture telling me how white men weren’t for me and I should only date nice Chinese men. After Haider, and King’s earlier attitude, I was thinking I shouldn’t date anyone. Fuck men. Me and my vibrator got along just fine.

I wanted to leave his perfect penthouse up in the sky with its perfect views, but I couldn’t do that to Jimmy or Orvy. One thing I knew was I needed to find my own place and fast. Whenever King came back, I would be leaving.

He hadn’t even mentioned how long he’d be gone. I decided to call his secretary saying I needed to make an appointment at Mr. Avery’s earliest convenience.

“Mr. Avery’s office this is Mandy speaking. How can I help you?” she answered with an annoyed huff. I wasn’t sure how she still had her job. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought King was fucking her and that was why he was keeping her around. Maybe he was and his speech was all a big lie.

“Hi, Mandy. This is Pria Wang and I need to make an appointment with Mr. Avery as soon as possible.”

“I don’t know why. You just had a meeting with him this morning,” she muttered, not intending for me to hear her. “Let me look and see when his next available time is.” She hummed as if she was checking but I wasn’t sure if she actually was or if she was just wasting my time. “I can get you in on Tuesday next week at ten if that works for you.”

“He doesn’t have anything sooner?” I knew he was busy, but that was a long time. “I only need a few minutes. If you could just let?—”

“I’m sorry but that’s the earliest I can get you in. Mr. Avery is out of the office for the rest of the week and he has meetings all day on Monday. If anyone cancels, I can contact you to see if that time will work for you.”

I wasn’t sure what to do. I didn’t need to make an appointment with him, but I also wasn’t sure if King would talk to me once he got home. Plus, I planned to be out of here the moment he stepped foot in his apartment. He said no matter what happened between us, I’d keep my job, but I wanted to remind him of that fact.

“Yes, please put me down for Tuesday and if anything opens up reschedule my appointment.”

“Sure thing, Ms. Wang,” she snipped before hanging up.

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