C6 Chapter 6

CHAPTER THEME SONG:

Safari By Serena

[Iris’s POV]

My heart was in a million pieces by the time I reached my apartment. I was drenched from the heavy rain and held my broken treasure lightly in my trembling hands. Not bothering or caring to further investigate the gang that abducted me, I stumbled toward my room–exhausted and emotionally drained. I don’t know how long I cried for, maybe an hour?

“Who the hell even cares?” I thought.

I crashed on my warm bed and instantly fell into a deep sleep.

…

It didn’t feel like I had even closed my eyes for more than five when I heard my phone ringing the next morning.

“Seriously… Am I never going to get any sleep in this lifetime?” I mumbled as I rolled over.

My eyes were still swollen and felt heavy from all the crying I did yesterday. I kept them closed as fumbled out of bed and staggered toward my desk to answer the phone. However, when I answered the call, my eyes snapped open when I heard the familiar voice.

“Miss Young, you need to reach the president's Villa before 7 a.m. Remember, you must be on time today.” Mr. Scott said and then quickly disconnected.

Now, being wide awake, I looked at the clock which read 6 a.m.

“That man is amazing! Thank you Mr. Scott!” I said, grateful for the wakeup call.

I dashed to the bathroom and determined that I wasn’t going to be late today. No matter what!

I took a warm shower that successfully drove away my sleepy state and reduced the swelling of my eyes as well. Hopping out of the shower and going to the closet, I threw on a white buttoned up shirt and a grey pencil skirt that reached my knees. I didn’t bother putting on any makeup–I was in a hurry. After tying my hair up into a tight bun and applying some lip balm, I was ready to go.

I quickly walked to the kitchen and grabbed a few pieces of the loaf of bread that was on the counter. Heading toward the front door, I heard Tomato’s robotic voice trailing behind me.

“Mommy! You need a full breakfast… not just a few pieces of toast.” He nagged.

“I don’t have time today, sweetheart. You don't want me to be late again and lose my job, do you? Take care of the apartment while I’m gone, love!” I said.

I blew him a kiss, grabbed my purse and stepped out of the apartment.

…

I took a taxi and directed the driver to the location that Mr. Scott had sent it to my phone. An hour later, I arrived at Rainton Villa. I exited the taxi slowly and my eyes grew round at the sight of the president’s lavish villa. Guards lined the front entrance–all of which were wearing black uniformed suits. I walked to the nearest guard and gave a brief introduction. He nodded and, after checking inside my purse, swept the handheld metal detector over my body. Being cleared by security, I entered through the front gate.

Looking up at the two-story building, I saw that the white washed walls were decorated with beautifully designed patterns which featured hundreds of deep blue crystal tiles. To the side of the villa, I noticed a spacious garden area that had a wooden bench, a fountain and various flowers that were in bloom. Climbing the smooth stone steps, I couldn’t help but think how unexpected it was that President Gray lived in such a unique and tranquil place.

As I passed through the gigantic front door, I took note of the bodyguards that lined both sides of the entrance hallway. All of them dressed in a similar fashion as the guards outside, even down to the vacant expression on their faces. The only thing that informed me of their humanity was the sound of their steady breathing.

I entered the foyer and still didn’t see a soul.

“Hello? Is there anyone?” I called out. “Mr. President?”

Continuing further into the room, I saw an elderly woman coming towards me while wiping her hands on the apron she wore. She greeted me with a warm smile.

“Hello dear, you must be his new secretary. You can go upstairs.” She directed.

Thanking her with a polite smile, I turned and climbed the marble steps to the second floor. As I walked down the hall, I noticed a door that was halfway open. Peeking inside, I spotted a navy blue suit on the large bed. I knocked twice on the door, confident that I found President Gray’s room. When I received no response, I slid inside and gently called out to him. Again, I was met with silence. I took the opportunity to look around and I saw various paintings covering the walls. My eyes widened with immediate interest. Studying each of the award winning paintings, my heart moved in response to their beauty. I momentarily forgot where I was and focused completely on the images in front of me. I had to tiptoe to better see the details in some of the larger works of art.

“Being short is such a nuisance.” I grumbled as my feet grew tired of standing on my toes.

Unknown to me, the bathroom door opened gently but I was too engrossed in my admiration for the paintings to have heard anything.

“Miss Young, when did you come in? Shouldn't you have knocked?” A deep and magnetic tone asked from behind me.

I jumped and turned to face the man who startled me out of my dream like state, readying an apology. However, the words died in my mouth and my mind went completely blank as I saw him standing a few feet from me in only a pair of suit pants. It was clear that he had just finished his morning shower and was in the middle of getting ready for the day. His tousled jet black hair, which almost covered his mesmerizing blue eyes, was still wet. Droplets of water fell from the ends of his hair onto his well defined chest–making his skin shimmer under the morning light. My mouth went dry and I was finding it hard to break my eyes away from the man in front of me.

“Miss Young?!” He yelled, breaking me out of my trance.

I lowered my eyes down awkwardly.

“I am sorry, sir. I didn't hear any response to my calls and thought of taking a look inside.” I honestly replied.

He hummed in response before reaching to take up his suit.

“Here, let me help you.” I suggested as I started toward him.

“No need!” He said sharply.

I stopped immediately and felt the awkward tension in the room rise.

“I don't like being touched by women. Keep your distance from me.” He responded in a calmer voice.

I was a little taken back by his attitude, but I nodded and took a step backward.

Setting his suit aside, he grabbed a nearby towel and nonchalantly proceeded to wipe off his chest and dry his hair.

“How did you arrive so fast? Do you live...” He abruptly paused.

He looked at me sharply and took a step towards me. To my complete surprise, he reached his hand out and touched my face.

“Do you have a husband?” He suddenly asked.

I stared at him dumbfounded, unsure of where this discussion was going I just shook my head. In my answer, his thick eyebrows furrowed deeply.

“Turn your face to the right side.” He commanded.

The fury in his eyes didn’t leave any room for any argument.

“Why is he so angry?” I wondered to myself.

I bit down my lips and tilted my head sideways letting him observe the right side of my face. As soon as he got a good look, President Gray cursed.

“Is it a new trend for a girl to get tortured by the man who is supposed to cherish her? Hm?” He bluntly asked.

What damn idea was this man spouting now? I was utterly at a loss for words at his blatant questions.

“ W-what… do you mean...” I stuttered like an idiot.

To my surprise, he suddenly grabbed my arm and hastily pulled me towards his dresser. I was so focused on his darkened expression that I stumbled as we came to a sudden halt.

“Well? Look in the mirror. Don’t you want to see the reward you received?” He asked.

Frowning slightly, I turned away from his agitated face to see what “reward” this crazy man was talking about. However, when I looked in the mirror, I only noticed our reflection. With my back against him, I was able to notice how he towered over me. I looked like a little kid standing in front of him! For the second time that morning, I briefly started to regret how short I was. Though, that thought didn’t last long as I took in the sight of his bare chest–smooth and chiseled. The only thing that I could think about was how compromising our situation looked. My breath hitched as I heard his heart thudding against his chest. He was looking at me with a harsh expression waiting for me to react to what I saw in the mirror. Clearing my throat, and thoughts, I focused on my face.

“Shit! Shit! Shit!” My mind screamed.

Angry red imprinted lines were clearly visible on the right side of my cheek.

“That fucking old bastard…” I cursed inwardly. “I should have made the time to put on makeup this morning.”

Nevertheless, President Gray was definitely misunderstanding the situation. But, I didn’t bother to correct him. I didn’t need him involved in that damn mess on top of everything else.

“You know, Miss Young…” He started, derailing my train of thought. “If you present yourself to be weak, this world is going to take advantage of you and discard you like trash.”

I don’t know why… But his words struck a nerve and I could feel the impact of them in my heart’s core. Straightening myself, I buried my feelings and inhaled a deep breath. I turned back to face him.

“I'm sorry, Mr. President. Let me cover it. As I was in a hurry this morning, I forgot to apply makeup.” I stated, not giving him an explanation.

“There’s no need. I have something in here you can use. I just don’t think that it’s professional or appropriate to roam around showing off your personal life.” He stated in a matter of fact tone.

I was speechless. One minute he was freaking out for almost touching him and then the next touched and inspected the wound on my face, while giving me life a lesson!

“What a strange person…” I thought.

Seeing him open one of the drawers beside me, I awkwardly inched away as he had warned me earlier not to touch him. He pulled out an antibiotic ointment and a cotton ball from the drawer and then turned towards me. Giving me a sharp look, he lifted his hand up to tend to my face and my body stilled instantly. He suddenly gripped my chin and I jolted at his icy touch. Frowning hard, he scanned the read lines on my cheek.

“Let me help you with this. Apparently, you don't know how to use it.” He stated dryly.

Xavier Gray… the billionaire… the president of the nation was standing in front of me, shirtless, while putting some cream on a cotton ball to help me with my wounds. I was at a loss for words. Remaining still, I watched his skillful hands apply the medicine to my face. I winced in pain as the ointment came in contact with my right cheek. It was still sore.

“Does it hurt?” He asked in a soft tone.

Lying, I shook my head while keeping my eyes locked on his attentive expression.

“Does he always hurt you like this?” He inquired as he continued his task.

“Yes!” I answered absentmindedly as I was too caught up by his gentle touch.

“Whoops…” I thought, as he paused.

A chill ran down my spine seeing the cold glare directed at me. His close proximity was making it hard to breath and those blue eyes… those beautiful arctic blue eyes were proving to be fatal to my brain.

“Why not leave him, then?” He asked.

Wait, what was he talking about?

Quickly snapping out of my wild thoughts, I went to answer him. But, just as I was about to correct his misconception, I heard him continue.

“Miss Young, you don't have to weak in front of a man just because you’re in love with him. You should value yourself a bit more. There are plenty of men who would desire to take care of you in every way.” He said.

I opened my mouth to try and explain again, but I couldn’t form any words. How was I possibly going to explain to the president that I, his secretary, got bitched slapped by a gang leader? Not coming up with anything convincing, I bit my bottom lip and stared hard at the floor.

“Don't do that…” He snapped.

“Do what?” I returned.

I bit my bottom lip again out of habit. I couldn’t help it! Hearing him inhale sharply, I finally looked up and saw the annoyed expression on his face. He stepped towards me, closing the already small gap further until there were only a few inches of space between us.

“You have no idea how tempting you look when you bite down on your lips like that, do you?” He whispered.

My heart pounded in my chest as I looked up into his eyes and saw that they were gleaming with excitement. He moved even closer. My mind went blank and I couldn’t breathe as I stared directly into his face. Was he trying to give me a heart attack?!

He didn’t move as he held me in his gaze. I felt my face flush. This was so embarrassing! How was he, in only a short amount of time, able to move my heart like this? Even that person never had this much effect on my emotions. He leaned in slowly towards my quivering lips and I squeezed my eyes shut, unable to stand the intensity anymore. I could feel his hot breath hovering over my skin. Anticipation was building in the pit of my stomach and I could feel my hands shaking. Was he going to kiss me?!

“No… No… Don’t be stupid, Iris.” I told myself, desperately trying to drive the ridiculous assumption and other sinful thoughts from my head.

“Why am I acting like this? Why does he have this effect on me?” I wondered if my eyes were still firmly shut.