Chapter 16: Chapter 15 You Can’t Quit Me
When I arrived at the office on Monday morning, Laziel’s desk was empty.
It was weird. The man was always early, usually sitting there like a brooding gargoyle before the sun even came up. I tried to shake off the unease, placing my purse down. Why the fuck am I even thinking about him? This is my last day here. I’m getting my check and I’m out.
I sat down at my desk, pulling out my resignation letter. Suddenly, a cold shiver ran straight down my spine, the hairs on my arms standing on end.
"You’re late, Mireya."
I gasped, my heart leaping into my throat as I scrambled up from my chair.
He was right there. He hadn’t walked through the front doors—he had been standing in the dark corner of the office the entire time, watching me. But the real shock that made my blood run cold was his words. He had never used my first name before. It was always Miss Brenner. Hearing my actual name roll off his tongue felt dangerous.
"I... Mr. Monroe," I stammered, trying to steady my racing pulse. "I need to discuss something important with you. I’m resigning. Today is my last day."
He didn’t yell.
Instead, he laughed.
It was completely humourless. There was absolutely nothing funny about my resignation, but he looked at me like I was an entertaining joke.
Before I could even take a breath to defend myself, he closed the distance between us so fast I couldn’t blink. His hands clamped around my waist, lifting me slightly and slamming my lower back against the edge of the desk.
I couldn’t breathe. His chest was pressed hard against my breasts.
Hell no. Why the fuck was I suddenly wet?
"You must be out of your goddamn mind to think you can just quit," Laziel rumbled, "You humiliated me at the gala. You shoved me. How dare you leave my side? How dare you?"
I wanted to throw a stapler at him.
He leaned down, burying his face into the crook of my neck, inhaling sharply. A small, pathetic moan escaped my throat as his lips brushed against my skin, sending a sickening wave of heat through my body.
"Do you really think I’d just let you vanish?" he whispered against my neck. He brought his face back up, his thumb roughly brushing a stray tear from my cheek before his tongue trailed over my trembling bottom lip. "Let me make something completely clear to you, Mireya. If you try to run, if you try to escape this office, I will hunt you down and make your life a living nightmare. I will ensure you never get a job in this country again. Not as a secretary, not as a nanny, not as a fucking slave."
My eyes dilated in horror.
"You want to see your daughter suffer?" he taunted, "Because if you walk out that door, you won’t have a single Euro to feed her. You wouldn’t want that to happen to little Anastelle, would you?"
Tears spilled freely from my eyes. He was a monster. A certified, toxic sociopath. Giulia had warned me not to take this job, and now I was trapped in hell.
"Why are you doing this to me?" I sobbed, the anger finally bursting through my terror. "You have a wife! Why the fuck are you after my life? What did I ever do to you?!"
The second the word wife left my mouth, disgust crossed Laziel’s face. His hands instantly dropped from my waist, and he stepped back, completely releasing me.
In my mind, the puzzle pieces were screaming. He’s just like Helix. He has a wife, yet he’s playing with me, trying to ruin me while cheating on his own family.
"Whatever exists regarding my marriage has nothing to do with you," he said coldly. "You left the gala without my permission. You will work your ass off this week to pay for that disrespect. And starting tonight, you are coming home with me every single evening."
"No!" I gasped. "I can’t—I have a daughter!"
"You don’t have a say," Laziel countered flatly, walking behind his desk without looking at me. "And don’t bother using your daughter as an excuse. Giulia gets home at six o’clock every Monday to Friday. She can watch Anastelle."
I froze. The room went entirely silent.
How the fuck did he know her exact daily work schedule?
This man had completely dismantled my life from the shadows. And as I stood, only one terrifying question remained: Does he already know who Anastelle’s real father is?
