Page 7 of The CEO

Rolling my suitcase down the hall, I glared at the woman who was standing in my kitchen with Haider’s button-up on and nothing else. “The reason we weren’t working is because you’ve been sticking your dick into some red-headed hussy named Kiki.”

“Really, Pria, there’s no need for name calling.” His voice was full of disappointment and I didn’t give one single shit about it. Did he really think I was going to take the news that he’d been cheating on me for the last six months well?

“No,” I whirled around on him, taking him off guard enough for him to take a step back, “you should have said something the first time you fucked her. You should have moved out. You should have?—”

“It’s my house, Pria. My name is on the deed. You only pay minimal expenses,” he huffed. He had no right to be angry with me.

Putting my hands on my hips, I glared at him for a moment before training my eyes on his mistress. Was it a mistress if we weren’t married? I didn’t care because it sure as hell felt like it. “He wouldn’t hear of me paying for more and once we got married I was supposed to stop paying altogether. I’m sure he’s made me out to be some horrible woman who wanted him to pay her way, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I wanted to pay more, but every time I mentioned it we got into a fight. You better watch your back with him.” I jutted my thumb at my now ex-fiancé. “It would be wise to read up on traditional Chinese families. I can tell you one thing for sure. They willneveraccept you. You’re beautiful and all, but you’re not Chinese and they won’t accept anything but a purebred.”

I saw a light click on in her head before a wall came down and she blocked me out. Whatever. I didn’t care. Let her get fucked over by Haider just as I had.

Making my way to the door, I shot back, “Enjoy his tiny dick.”

CHAPTER FIVE

kingston

Hanging up with my mother,I sighed heavily. I hated to disappoint her, again, but there was no way in hell I was going to let her set me up with another one of her vapid friends’ daughters. In the last year, she had decided it was time for me to settle down, find the perfect woman, get engaged (probably so she could plan our engagement party and our wedding), get married, and give her lots of blond grandchildren. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t ready nor did I find any of the women she set me up with remotely intriguing. My mother’s grandmother biological clock was ticking, and she needed me to remedy it.

Throwing all the files I’d need into my briefcase, I closed it up, grabbed my cell phone, and slipped on my suit coat before I left my office. It didn’t matter how big and grand my office was; being in it for sixteen hours a day was suffocating.

Seeing the doors of the elevator about to close, I jogged before I missed it and had to wait another five to ten minutes. I didn’t own the building, but Avery Capital Holdings did take up the entire top floor. Since there was only one elevator in the building, I’d have to wait close to another ten minutes if I missed the current ride down. On most days it wouldn’t be a bigdeal, but tonight I was tired, and I just wanted to pick up some takeout on my way home, eat, and then crash. It had been a long day and an even longer week as I got ready for an out-of-town business trip. Hell, it had been a long month if I was being honest with myself.

“Hold the door,” I shouted when I saw I’d have to sprint to make it. I didn’t have the energy to run. I barely had the energy to shout.

I saw a delicate hand hit the button for the doors to open, and I sighed in relief. Stepping onto the elevator, I turned to thank whoever had saved me from waiting. I wanted to be gracious and then go to my corner and wait until we hit the ground floor. All that changed when I spotted the new director of HR huddled on the other side of the elevator trying to pretend she wasn’t there. Or at least that’s what it looked like. Her long hair was down, hanging around her shoulders and acting as a curtain. After a moment, I noticed those slim shoulders of hers were shaking.

Maybe she saw me running for the door and was laughing at me.

Sniff.

Or maybe not.

My body turned to her fully now to see Ms. Wang standing there curling into herself. One hand held onto the railing that went around the entire elevator while the other hastily wiped at her face.

Taking a step toward her, I kept my voice low. “Is everything okay, Ms. Wang?”

Her only response was to turn toward the side wall and stare down at her feet. Okay, she didn’t want to talk. I could understand that. I didn’t particularly want to have a conversation either, but she seemed to be in distress.

I could handle just about every situation in or out of the boardroom no matter how stressful. The one exception was awoman crying. Growing up, my sister had been extremely sick. Almost everything they tried she was allergic to, so she was miserable, and in turn, so was my mother. Both would cry together for hours on end and I would have done anything to make them stop. Now, I had white knight syndrome, or that’s what I’d been told it was called.

Sniff.

I turned my head to the sound.

Sniff.

Was she crying?

Placing my hand on her trembling shoulder, I quietly spoke her name. “Pria.” What I didn’t expect was for Pria to turn around, bury her face in my chest, and start to sob. Gut-wrenching sobs that caused an ache in my chest. The only other people to ever cause that twinge deep in my soul was my sister, Murphy, and my mother.

Hesitantly, I wrapped my arms around her quaking frame. One hand rested along her lower back and the other held her head to me. Leaning down, I rested my cheek on the top of her head. “Is this about work? Do you hate it here?”

“No,” she squeaked out. Her dainty arms wrapped around my waist as she snuggled in closer and continued to cry into my chest.

My hand slid down her silky black hair that went almost down to the middle of her back and up again. I continued to try to soothe her the best I could without knowing what was wrong. The only thing I knew was that she was the most beautiful, feisty, and unpredictable woman I’d ever met. I felt as if I knew her even though we were ever only ever together for a few minutes at a time, if that. Something about her spoke to me and I wanted to investigate it further even though I knew nothing could ever happen between us. There was a no fraternization policy at Avery Capital Holdings and as the owner and head of HR,anything we did would be a big no-no. We couldn’t do anything, but I could dream.

Once every last shudder ran out of her body, Pria tried to step back, but I held her to me afraid she might start crying again. Placing her hands on my chest, she looked up at me with a tear-streaked face. Her mascara was smeared under her eyes and her nose was red. Even a sad mess, Pria Wang was beautiful.

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