Chapter 1
Kiana
I hated my boss. No, I loathed my boss. Over the last year I had worked for him, I had imagined killing him on numerous occasions. I wasn’t murderous, but something about him always made the beast inside me rise. With my hands folded in front of me, I watched Ignis Aerius munch on the steak with a side of potatoes I had made for him, a look of pure displeasure etched on his face. A face that I would admit staring at in awe on different accounts. I loathed that as well. My inability to look away from him, to control myself.
“It’s overcooked,” he announced. The deep timbre of his voice ricocheted through the dining room. The room was massive. The table incredibly large, with over 20 chairs. Ever since I started working for him, I wondered what it was all for when he seemed to have no one in his life.
The only person who visited was a scrawny old man with a temper as fiery as the man sitting in front of me. And whenever he visited, he managed to put my boss in a terrible mood. Which meant I had to tolerate his ass for the coming days.
Overcooked my ass. The words died down before I could voice them. Somehow, that made me feel protected. I didn’t know what he would do if I had said it. Fire me perhaps, or worse. You ask what could be worse than getting fired? Well, his gaze. Sometimes when I looked at my boss, I felt like he was more animal than man. It felt like his gaze alone could turn me into a pile of ash. And what’s worse, I thought I had seen his dark brown eyes change colour a few times. And it scared me.
Instead of saying what was truly on my mind? I plastered a smile on my face and said, “I made it just the way you like it.” And I did. I had followed all the instructions he had given me a few months ago. Ignis would instruct me until he felt satisfied I understood the task if I failed to perform it to his expectations.
I still didn’t know how to feel about that. Was he a control freak? Definitely.
“Are you disagreeing with what I said?” His voice dropped, filling the room with a chill I felt deep in my bones. When he talked like that. Like he was trying to keep himself at bay, I always wanted to bolt. Run so far away and never look back.
The money. I reminded myself. You’re here for the money.
With a sigh, I moved forward despite my body’s wants. It would rather turn the other way and run out of the estate rather than approach him.
“I will make it again,” I said, reaching for the plate.
“There’s no need,” he said, pushing the place out of my reach. I frowned down at him. His actions managed to make my blood boil once again. I thought I would grow used to his antics, but I was wrong. No wonder the man got through so many housekeepers in such a short time.
“But I thought…”
“You’re dismissed.” Anger turned my gaze crimson. I curled my hands into tight fists, breathing in and out to curb the anger before I could slam them onto the table or, better yet, his perfect face. I straightened and walked out of the room. Somehow, I could feel his stare escorting me out of the room. I hated it. I hated how it affected me in ways I tried not to think about all the time. I hated how it made heat rush through my body, settling into my abdomen.
One thing was certain. I hated Ignis Aerius. He was an arrogant piece of shit, and to add to that, mysterious as fuck. I knew next to nothing about him. No one did. But those things didn’t worry me the way his name did. Ignis Aerius. What kind of name was that? Were his parents insane? She had so many questions about it. None she dared to ask.
For the next few hours, I cleaned, dusted, and avoided my boss like he carried a transmissible disease. Ignoring him felt better than acknowledging his presence. It made me focus on my job, and knowing him, he would notice even the littlest speck of dust.
“How is that fine boss of yours?” Naya questioned on the line. I had finished tidying up in the kitchen, my fingers tapping absentmindedly on the kitchen island.
“Can we not talk about him? I’ve had enough of his pompous ass.”
“I like a pompous ass.”
“You’re not the one who deals with him daily, I do. And let me tell you, it’s not ideal,” I grumbled, keeping my voice low. Apart from being infuriating, he had a tendency to sneak up on me. I looked around the corners of the kitchen, drawing my braids away from my face, turning away from the door.
“Maybe I can change him.”
“People like him don’t change. He thinks he’s above everyone.”
“I don’t think. I know.” My back went rigid. Quickly, I disconnected the call, taking my time to face him. He stood on the other side of the island, wearing a perfectly pressed black shirt and matching trousers. His hair styled in a taper fade and combed to perfection. His beard was long, and neatly trimmed on the sides. And that mouth. A mouth that looked like it was sculpted by gods. My fingers itched to trace it. To feel how soft they were under my fingertips.
I swallowed hard when I realised the line my thoughts had taken.
“Were you eavesdropping on me?”
“And why would I do that?” His voice was low. Dangerous. And it incited things I shouldn’t feel. Not for my boss. Not for a man like him. He rounded the island, moving towards me. His gaze never left mine.
“Then you wouldn’t have heard me.” He couldn’t have heard me. Not with how low had been talking.
“I came in to get a bottle of water and found you gossiping about me with another miserable human being.”
Human being? Who the hell talked like that?
“Are you not human yourself?” I swallowed thickly when his eyes remained on me, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. His jaw ticking. Again, it looked like his eyes had changed colour. Turned darker than they already were.
“I don’t think so.” He got closer, stopping an inch away so that I could feel the warmth from his body. Worse, I could smell his cologne. Something woodsy and entirely him.
“What do you mean?” He didn’t answer. He passed by me, his hand brushing mine as he walked to the fridge. I shivered, heat travelling up my arm, spreading to the rest of my body. I faced him, afraid of having my back to him. He brought a bottle of water from the fridge, opened it, and gulped down the icy water in one go.
After that, he walked towards the door only to stop and turn to me. “Before I forget, I want you to move in. And don’t ask why or I will fire you.” With that announcement, he left. I stared at where he had been standing longer than necessary.
Move in? Was he out of his mind? Before I could chicken out, I followed him, tired of him dictating my life like this.
