The CEO Is Obsessed With Me

“Aurelia!” With a jolt, I snapped back to reality, accidentally pricking my finger with a bobby pin. “Ouch!” I exclaimed, cursing under my breath as I raised my gaze to see Olivia towering over me, concern etched on her face.

“I’m sorry for startling you,” she apologized, her gaze lingering on my bleeding thumb. “But I’ve been calling your name for the past five minutes and you didn’t respond,” she added carefully, eyeing me with curiosity as I tended to the wound. I used a little piece of worn-out cloth to stop the bleeding.

“Are you okay, Auri?” Olivia asked worriedly, and I pondered her question.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

No, I’m not okay.

Far from it, even.

I was still reeling from the shock of what happened earlier, wondering to myself if I hadn’t just imagined it all. From Caspian’s declaration, followed by our kiss, it was all too much for me to take. But what really lingered in my mind was the CEO’s aggravation.

And that hot, feverish kiss we shared.

“You really piss me off, you know.”

The last thing I needed was to be on his bad side, but that man had a really strange way of expressing his anger. I could still feel the warmth of his lips on mine, and the intoxicating scent of his cologne danced in the air around me even when he was nowhere near.

“Earth to Aurelia,” Olivia snapped her fingers in front of my face, pulling me from my train of thoughts, and I realized that I had zoned out again.

“Jeez, where’s your head at today, woman?” That was Kendall, busy inspecting some materials at his workspace, while Mathew shifted his attention from his laptop to me. I took it as his own way of showing concern because he normally kept to himself.

“You totally missed the placements of the fabrics,” Kendall pointed out, nodding towards the mannequin I was working on. He was right; I had tried to adjust the fabrics to match the design in my sketchbook, but it was distorted in the worst way possible.

It looked like a ragged sack of potatoes in comparison to the dress I had in mind.

“Ugh, I’m sorry,” I mumbled, frustration biting at my nerve ends as I massaged my temples with my fingers.

“If you’re not feeling well, Aurelia, then you can clock out early,” Mrs. Juniper chimed in, but I dismissed her with a forced smile.

“No, I couldn’t do that, not when the gala preparations are underway,” I reasoned, but they all still held wary expressions. “Seriously, guys, I’m fine,” I insisted, letting out a light chuckle to ease the tension in the room.

The gala was an annual event held in the middle of the year; it was the company’s founding anniversary, celebrated in a grand and lavish way. But what made it special was the luxurious fashion show held during the event. Each year, each department rotated the role of organizing a fashion show to showcase a collection of fresh designs in accordance with the theme of the gala.

The individual designers were also given recognition for their work, and the overall best design was awarded a platinum award of excellence. This was a huge deal because the gala was covered by top media stations, serving as the perfect opportunity to gain exposure and popularity.

It was a night of glamor and prestige, and this year was our department’s chance to step into the limelight.

Everyone was so busy since it was just a week away. I had already missed so much during my suspension, and I didn’t want to fall behind while everyone was making progress.

My colleagues were kind enough to take on my share of work without complaint while I was away, so I can’t afford to mess up now. This event was a premium golden ticket to fit into the competitive fashion industry, and I wasn’t ready to risk that.

But it was easier said than done if only a certain someone would leave my mind so I could actually get some work done.

Caspian observed me from the sidelines, and I knew he probably had a lot of questions. He had witnessed the CEO dragging me back in such an unprofessional way, and if it were anyone else, rumors would have been circulating around the office by now.

I actively avoided him because I didn’t have the answers to whatever questions might be spinning in his mind. Hell, I was still trying to figure it out myself.

And trust that it was driving me crazy.

What I believed was a one-time experience happened again.

I wished I hated it, but I didn’t, and that was a problem.

By the end of the day, I was exhausted but grateful that my designs were finally coming together. Everyone had already clocked out, but I stayed back to finish up some things, trying to make up for lost time. I straightened up in my seat and stretched my limbs, a yawn escaping my lips as I rolled away the stiffness in my shoulders. My fingertips were dark with pencil charcoal from long hours of sketching and revising dress patterns.

Every now and then, my mind wandered to the CEO. His actions made me feel like he was toying with me. Maybe he was still angry about the list, but that didn’t explain why he would be jealous of Caspian.

Luke Graham was the head of one of the top leading fashion brands in the country, and Caspian was just his employee.

The pieces didn’t click.

During this mental struggle, I had assumed it was because he saw us kiss, but that didn’t make sense to me either.

I was no one special to him, definitely not enough to arouse such a strong emotion as jealousy.

But the CEO had kissed me like I was a long-lost lover, impatient and full of a longing I couldn’t describe.

I heaved out a tired sigh, my eyes heavy from drowsiness as I glanced at the wall clock. It was a few minutes past eight, and the company doors would close in the next hour.

I jumped in my seat when a cold sensation stung my cheeks, whipping my head up the next instant to see Caspian’s boyish grin.

He had pressed a chilled can of soda to my cheek to get my attention, and as my eyes trailed to the beverage, I saw that it was my favorite soda flavor, lemon and lime.

My heart fluttered at this. I was insanely touched by the fact that he remembered such a fleeting detail about me.

“Thought you might need something to wake up,” he stated, and I offered him a grateful smile before reaching out to take a drink.

“Thank you.”

We both sat in silence. I relished the refreshing taste of the drink while Caspian watched me with a fond smile on his face. When I caught him staring, I blushed brightly, turning away from him as his amused laughter filled the space around us.

“Remember when we first met?” Caspian started, and I internally cringed at the memory.

It was my first day as a designer; I was naive, clumsy, and excited. On my way to the studio, I bumped into him in a rush, spilling the lemon and lime soda in my hand all over his vintage shirt. Caspian didn’t care about his shirt and went on to make sure I was alright after taking a heavy fall, his consideration and warm-hearted nature made me fall for him in that moment

Fast forward to three years later, we’ve developed a strong friendship overtime. He guided me when I was merely a rookie and made me feel welcomed in the team. I would always be grateful to him for that.

“Ughh don’t remind me.” I joked, looking down at my can of soda, the condensation slipped to my fingers and wet my palms. “I get second hand embarrassment anytime I think about it.”

Caspian sighs softly as he reaches out to me, his eyes glistening with earnest affection as he gently grasps my chin. He tilts my head to face him, and my heart skipped a beat as I locked my attention on the spots of grey in his blue pupils.

“I have a confession to make.” He proclaimed, and I unconsciously held my breath.

I had expected him to ask why I avoided him, or why the CEO acted the way he did, but Caspian took a U-turn, saying something that struck me like a sharp bolt of lightning.

“I want to ruin our friendship, Auri. We should be lovers instead.”

And as if that wasn’t enough, he goes on to add….

“Will you give me the honor of completing your sex bucket list?”