Chapter 9 A taste of splendour

Chapter Nine

Xander froze immediately after the question registered in his head. He turned his head very slowly to her, and at that moment, his gaze intensified. It was a hundred times his usual dark gaze if it were to be quantified.

His eyes were bloodshot. Anna had never seen anything like that before. He looked like his eyes were burning, burning her to ashes.

It was Anna's time to freeze. She froze as she watched his blazing eyes. He looked like he was going to burn her entire body, mind and soul into ashes with his smouldering gaze.

He moved closer to her, closing the distance between them in a flash. She could feel his hot breath on her face or was it his eyes that were burning and melting her face? She thought, leaning backwards.

She silently hoped for a miracle to happen as her back hit the car door. It looked as though they were the only ones in the moving car. He finally spoke, in the most threatening and harsh voice, she'd ever heard.

"Don't. You. Say. A. Word. About. My. Mother. Ever. Again. Do. You. Understand?" He yelled, causing her heart to pound even faster. Terror was evident in her eyes as he spoke. She simply nodded, not knowing how to answer him.

"We're here." The driver said as he came to halt at the shopping mall.

Anna looked at the driver and slowly turned her head to Xander, who still had his legs and arms crossed. He turned to her with his signature expression, mouthing the words "Shall we?"

Anna sat there wondering if she imagined what had just happened. Everything seemed so real to her, yet it seemed like a dream as she observed his expression. Anna wasn't sure what to believe again. His eyes were looking perfectly normal.

Was she going crazy? She asked herself as she replayed what just happened in her mind.

"Do you want me to carry you out in my arms?" Mr Williams asked with a smirk plastered on his beautiful face as he popped his head into the car, jolting Anna back to reality.

"I - I - I can walk. Thank you." She said simply. She almost could not feel her legs as she tried to get out of the car. The moment she got out of the car, her legs became very wobbly and she almost lost her balance.

Xander quickly moved towards her and caught her in his arms, preventing her from falling. His hands firmly gripped her slender waist and he stared into her face. His intoxicating scent enveloped her as they stood in that position. His eyes searched hers and she could see the concern in his eyes. Wait! Or was she imagining things again? She thought, slapping her face softly with her palm. How could the Alexander Justin Williams be worried about her?

"Are you alright, Miss Houston?" He said looking worried. "You look pale. Are you sick?" He asked. "I think you should go to the hospital, Miss Houston."

Anna tried to steady herself, disentangling her body from him. "I'm totally fine, Mr Williams. I don't need to go to the hospital."

"Are you sure?" Xander asked, moving closer to her.

"I'm 100% sure."

Xander bent, lowering his body and leaning closer to her. Anna stared blankly at him, wondering what he wanted to do.

What he did next shocked Anna, yet again. She was unprepared for it. She could not count the number of times that he'd shocked her today.

Xander's palm tenderly touched her forehead and she felt her toes curl instantly.

One moment Mr Williams was the devil, another moment, he was being a gentleman. She refused to think that this billionaire could ever be such.

"You don't have a fever." He said, withdrawing his palm from her forehead, his face still close to hers.

"I'm sure I'll be totally fine when I rest. I just felt a little dizzy." She said, moving away from him.

He abruptly straightened with his hands in his pockets. "Let's go."

Anna's eyes widened in surprise as she followed Mr Williams into the luxurious cylindrical shopping mall. She almost couldn't believe her eyes as she stared in wonder. The mall was large - somewhat larger than life if she were to be honest. Many white long bars which looked like very big candles illuminated the mall, causing white lights to reflect on the smooth brown floor. On the opposite side of the bars was a very faint blue beautiful glass door which looked as though it houses cataracts of blue water.

At the centre of the mall was a very tall tower which was decorated with red lightning. The shopping mall looked like it was designed for only very influential people. Anna's jaw almost dropped, she had never seen such extravagance in her life. She never thought that a place like this existed in the real world.

Different people were walking in and out of the mall, leaving her wondering just how rich they must be. Mr Williams did not seem fazed a bit by the splendour of the place. He was probably used to seeing very magnificent sights like this. It seemed like an entirely different world to her.

A very beautiful young lady in stiletto heels walked ever gracefully to them. Her hair was packed in a ponytail and she wore a very beautiful smile, showing her perfect white teeth. She bowed curtly to them, leading them into a tinted glasshouse with the inscription "VVIP" at the top.

When she entered the glasshouse, she gaped, unable to control how she felt. What she'd seen earlier could not compare to what she was seeing now. There were no words to describe the place. It was more than perfect. Again, they were welcomed very comely by the attendant who asked what he would like to get.

"Office wears." He simply said before glancing at her, "for the lady. Something perfect for her." He added.

She turned her head to him, and her eyes widened in surprise. She knew that he wanted to get work clothes for her, but she'd thought that he came here to get a few things for himself. She didn't think he would enter the VVIP room to get her clothes. That was too ridiculous to her.

Unable to hold it in any longer, she said, shock evident in her eyes. "You brought me here to get wears for me? I can't accept it. This is too much!" She said, raising her eyebrows in astonishment.

"All these mean nothing to me. It's just me taking care of one out of my employees." He said, not looking at her once.

"This is ridiculous. You don't have to throw money away all in the name of 'taking care of one of your employees.' I refuse to accept this."

"You don't have a choice, Miss Houston. I hold my reputation in high esteem. I can't have my assistant devoid of elegance in her appearance. This is a piece of cake for me. Stop making a fuss out of this!" He said, his voice a little louder.

There he went again, talking about money like it was something that fell from the sky daily. If there was anything that she hated most about him, it was the fact that he either consciously or unconsciously rubs his wealth on her face.

The attendant came in much later with about six other attendants, who were holding different shopping bags in their hands. Mr Williams paid with his credit card and motioned for the attendants to follow him.

He headed back to his car and his driver took the bags from their hands, placing them in the car boot which was wide enough to accommodate all the bags.

On the way back to the office, she spoke first, after a long silence.

"I think you love throwing money away like it's a piece of candy." She said biting her lips hard and shooting him a glance.

He tightened his jaw, not giving her a response at all. Anna was already getting irritated. She never liked being dependent on anyone for anything. She wondered why everything about him had to scream the word - expensive.

"You can call it a day today. Cancel all the meetings I would be having today. Reschedule the meeting with the client, and fix it for tomorrow." He said grimly in an authoritative manner, not looking at her.

She wore a puzzled expression, wondering why he would suddenly cancel all his meetings.

"Are-"

"Drop Miss Houston off at her place," Xander ordered, not letting her talk.

"I can-"

"Find my way to my house. That wouldn't be necessary." He said, completing her statement.

"And how do you intend to take all these bags all by yourself?" He asked. "Have you considered that?" He said, narrowing his gaze at her this time.

She simply swallowed hard, not knowing how to answer him.