Zara

"What’s in the shipment?" I asked, gripping the back of my chair. Miranda continued to pace.

"Swanzee Land cotton it’s very expensive and hard to get."

I knew about this cotton; it was grown on only a few islands in the world. Being the most expensive known cotton, it was used to make fabric that cost a fortune.

We purchased and used it through my dad’s company, Adam’s Corporation, since they were in the import and export business, and one of the islands where it was grown was near the pack; we had access to it.

"I know, but why is the shipment late?" I asked.

Miranda paused and replied, "There’s a storm at sea, and the ship is delayed. We probably won’t receive this shipment for at least two weeks." She sighed in disappointment.

I could imagine why Alpha Kane was in a terrible mood. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"I see, Mr. Sterling took his coffee?"

Miranda shook her head sympathetically.

"He said, and I quote: ’Where’s Zara? It’s her job now, not yours. Take it back.’"

Damn, that was terrible. But I had an idea, and I knew it might cheer him up.

"I’ll take it to him, and hopefully he comes back alive," I muttered, rolling my eyes this time.

"Good luck, you’re his girlfriend now, I’m sure he’ll be lenient."

"Yeah! Pretending to be his girlfriend, you know that." Miranda knew about the contract I’d signed with Alpha Kane.

’Why in human place do we keep a girlfriend on our side always?’. My wolf rolled her eyes.

’It’s human tradition. I went to make him some coffee; it was time to meet the ice devil.’ I replied to Nova.

’What kind of tradition?’ Nova Chuckled.

’We will discuss it later.’ I rolled my eyes.

"Come back to me safe and sound, and we’ll have lunch together," she called from behind me, and I waved the back of my hand.

"Wish me luck."

Going to the coffee machine, I expressed my deepest gratitude to Miranda, who had prepared the coffee. Checking the color, I confirmed it resembled the blackest coal in the mine.

I grabbed Alpha Kane’s cup and poured the hot liquid before heading into his office, my heart pounding. My hands trembled slightly, but I tried to keep them steady.

Clicking the company logo, I waited for his permission to enter. A hoarse voice soon came from the speaker.

Swiftly swinging the door open, I walked in to find him talking on the phone. He stood with his fingers pressed to the desk, the Bluetooth earpiece blinking. The sleeves of his gray-blue shirt were rolled up, revealing his strong arms.

"Then let me know, damn it." He spoke so loudly and harshly that I could feel his voice in my bones. Throwing the phone away from his ear, he ended the call as I approached his desk and set down my coffee.

’Alpha in anger, so keep your big mouth shut.’ Nova warned me.

He turned fully toward me, and the light from the light buns enveloped him in its radiance. There was a storm in his eyes today, and I wasn’t about to contradict them.

"You’re late, don’t you know that’s unethical? How many times have I told you I hate being late?" He seethed, but I remained calm.

"I beg your pardon, sir. I..." Alpha Kane raised his hand, palm facing me, so the rest of my words were drowned out in my mouth, and I shut my mouth tightly.

"Just because I kissed you doesn’t give you the right to be late for work. It was for pretending. Such behavior is unacceptable. Don’t think you’ll get special treatment."

’Ugh! I wanted to throw something at him. Who did he think he was?’ I cursed.

’Chris Evans? Or Henry Cavill?’ I asked Nova.

’Even they didn’t have such a sky-high ego.’ Nova replied.

"With all due respect, I’ve already apologized, and you don’t need to kiss me every time I make a mistake. I’m your secretary, not your punching bag." I clenched my hands tighter before continuing.

"Please! Don’t take your anger out on me for this delivery delay," I said flatly, my eyes burning with the same fury as Alpha’s.

Wolf stared at me, his lips pressed together in utter displeasure. I was up to something, but it was hard to talk to him when he was like that, with his personal attacks.

"Put that coffee away and don’t bother me." Alpha Kane waved me off.

Unbearable.

Moving on, I picked up a cup and left his office without even looking back.

***

Kane

It was wrong to take my frustration out on Zara. I saw the disappointment my words had caused in her eyes; it pierced my cold heart like a splinter.

I never thought someone’s disappointment could affect me so deeply. I needed to collect my thoughts and not use her as an outlet for my emotions.

I made a few more calls and spoke with Ronald. We had to get that cotton, or we would suffer enormous losses. I was completely unprepared for this, but when nature decides to turn against you, there’s little you can do.

Zara didn’t bother me after that. I thought about calling her again, but pride got the better of me. At least I should have left the coffee.

I was still lost in my thoughts when Ronald’s voice came over the speaker, asking for permission to enter.

After letting him in, I saw that he had brought food.

"I learned that you are starving. This is not...Does it solve our problem? Let’s eat and discuss our next steps," he said, placing the food on my table.

I knew I had to trust him. So I sat down on a chair and told him everything about the phone call.

He listened to every word with keen interest, nodding his head.

"Maybe, but let’s wait for the delivery first. For all I know, it could be someone trying to deceive us."

"I will keep an eye on it. Which one does this to us?" I said firmly.