Wrong From The Start

In a room of its own world, filled with clinking of glasses and clicking against the marble floor, Tyler's laughter was swallowed by the pulsing music and noise.

" Man, she's still going to be hanging around, isn't she?" Conrad asked, smiling as he shook his head.

" Of course," Tyler said, leaning back like he owned the room. " She will always be."

" Your confidence.. man."

He shrugged. " It doesn't matter what I do, she's there. Waiting. Like always. I don't even have to ask."

Conrad laughed, amused. " Lucky bastard. That's an insane amount of loyalty, you know? Most guys would kill for that."

He smirked, tilting his head. " Loyalty? Nah. I call it convenience. Tessa is predictable. Always there when I want her, ready to help and do everything I want, and that's all I care about."

" Damn..." Conrad leaned back. " She must really like you."

" Doesn't matter if she does." He replied, voice calm, almost amused. " She's mine anyway... in the ways that matter. Everything else? Irrelevant."

He smirked, grabbed his whiskey, and downed the contents in a gulp before moving his body to the vibration of the bass. Laughter and chatter mingled with the stench of sweat and alcohol. But beyond the buzz is a trembling lady in the restroom.

Tessa Monroe.

Her breath quivered as she grabbed the edge of the sink, her knuckles whitening. She could feel her heart hammering in her chest, sharp and relentless.

Out there, laughter and music spilled, but in this room, all that echoed was her own despair.

Her lashes fluttered, remembering how it had always been.

He would drag her out, she would follow, but once they arrived, she'd cease to exist in his world. Left in a corner to watch him laughing and flirting with other ladies.

Tyler Beaumont. Her best friend. The one she had loved for twelve years.

She had followed him willingly to the club, into the night, believing, as she always did, that maybe this time would be different.

But he wasn't looking at her, his eyes had lit up for someone else. Another girl. Smiling, leaning close, laughing at something only he could make funny.

Tessa swallowed, forcing her trembling lips into a smile, but the ache in her chest wouldn't stop. She pressed her palms against her face, inhaling deeply and exhaling.

She straightened, brushing imaginary dust from her black short dress before stepping out

" Oh." She jumped the moment she stepped out, not expecting to see him waiting for her outside.

" Tyler." She called, her voice lower than intended. " What are you doing here?"

" Are you alright? You were taking so long. I was beginning to get worried." He stepped closer, his face full of worry.

She gulped and nodded. " Y- yes, just some..." she shrugged.

He frowned and stepped even closer, close enough for her to inhale his cologne that immediately soothed her nerves.

But they shot up the instant he placed his palm against her forehead to check her temperature. Her heart skipped so hard, she glanced up to see him looking back at her with his hand still on her forehead.

" Are you really okay?" He asked, worriedly, calmly, his voice so deep and hoarse it nearly weakened her knees.

Her cheeks turned pink.

' He's touching me. Tyler is touching me.' she fought back the smile that threatened to show on her face.

She managed to nod her head.

He pulled back, tucked the strands of her black hair behind her ear, and smiled.

" Always looking messy, you enjoy me taking care of you, don't you?" He teased, tilting his face closer to her.

Her heart jumped. She could feel his breath against her face.

Her cheeks reddened, her eyes blinked, her fingers curled at her side as she tried to find her voice.

" You're one to talk. I'm the one always taking care of you." She managed to smile, to seem unaffected but he sees through it all.

He grinned and leaned back. " Not going to deny that. Conrad is here, come say hi." He grabbed her wrist and began pulling her back into the dancing crowd.

" Conrad? I thought he was out of state."

" He got back weeks ago." He shouted back, but when they got to their seat, it wasn't only Conrad sitting, there were two other ladies.

" Conrad!" She beamed the moment she sighted him.

" Tessy." He grinned, standing up and engulfing her in a warm big hug.

" I can't believe you're back." She grinned, exchanging pleasantries with him before taking her seat at the private section of the clubhouse.

As she sat down, her eyes followed Tyler who took his seat beside a lady and placed his arm around her shoulder.

She inhaled sharply, quickly averting her gaze.

This was a different lady from the one he was flirting with before she left for the restroom.

" I must say, you look so damn beautiful." Conrad complimented, eyes dragging over her body. She looked so beautiful with her fair, smooth skin that looked so delicate.

Tessa forced a smile. " Thank you." She replied with a grin that didn't come from the heart. If only the compliment was from Tyler, if only he would look at her the way Conrad was currently.

" Hey, Tessa." Her heart skipped the fifth time in the night as Tyler called her.

She turned to see him giving her that dangerous smile that always made her chest race.

" Tessa, meet Evelyn, my crush." He introduced, eyes locked on her.

' Another girl? This is the sixth girl this month that's your crush.' she fumed in her mind, knowing Evelyn is just another weekly girl of his that he definitely just met this night.

To some extent, she felt this was intentional. She gave no response, sat there for the rest of the night like a shadow in his world, biting back the sharp sting that burned in her chest

She watched him the whole night, the way he made everyone laugh, the way his attention could shift like a spotlight, leaving her in the dim corner of the table, until he stood up with Conrad, holding Evelyn in his arms.

" We're leaving, Tessy, you can get yourself home, right?" He asked, grinning.

Her throat tightened as she nodded.

" Good. We're going off to have some fun." He said, turned to Evelyn with a grin on his face.

Tessa's fingers dig into the leather seat.' Isn't this supposed to be over already? Does he really not know how this made me feel?'

Her eyes burned along with her nose, at the verge of tears, she lowered her head, unable to watch them leave together.

But just as he was about to walk past her, he stopped, leaned down, and whispered to her ear.

" Just because I'm leaving with Evelyn doesn't mean you're no longer mine."

He smirked, straightened, and left.

' Yours? Y.. yours?'

The words didn't register at first. Then they did.

Her breath trembled, her lashes fluttered, unable to know what to think or feel about that.

' I can.. endure this.' she told herself, a mantra as much as a promise. ' At least for three more days. Three more days until... our wedding.'

Three more days. Three more humiliations. Three more nights of pretending she wasn't breaking.

After that, she would be his wife. Legally. Publicly. Irrevocably. And then he wouldn't be able to walk away anymore.

Right?

" You're going to be late, Tessa!" Her mother yelled from downstairs while she hurriedly put on her corporate heels, panting as she tried smoothing her hair at the same time.

" I don't even know what she's doing, isn't she supposed to have taken a leave already?" She could hear her mummy grumbling.

Truly, she was supposed to have taken a leave from work for her wedding preparations which is two days away now, but she couldn't risk it, this was a three-month internship program, and top-performing interns would be offered a permanent position upon completion.

Tessa had applied for this program to gain more knowledge and a job to help her parent who are currently facing financial issues due to their company going bankrupt.

She had to support the family, even though her father had protested. Then one evening they sat her down in the sitting room and told her about the marriage that was not just an arranged marriage but also a business collaboration.

She remembered how her heart had sunk, her tremble, and the tears that filled her eyes, but the moment they told her the family she was marrying, Tessa accepted with no second thought, instantly overwhelmed with joy.

She grinned as she stood before the mirror, formally dressed in a black skirt and orange shirt. Her hair was neatly packed in a ponytail.

" I bet Tyler would be impressed." She said, staring back at herself. This is the professional version of her, one he hadn't seen and would definitely give him another impression of her.

Deep down, Tessa knew, that she had not only applied to King's corporation because of the company's excellent reputation or for knowledge alone, but because Tyler had told her he owns the company and she'd get to see him enough to impress him with different versions of her.

" Tessa!!" Her mother shouted again.

" Shit. I'm coming mum!" She quickly grabbed her bag, hurried out but ran back inside again to quickly spray some perfume before running back outside.

" I still don't get why you have to go to work today, you're meeting with your in-laws for dinner today, remember?" Mr. Colton, her father said the moment she got to the dining room.

" I remember, Dad, I'll be back before that." She assured, panting.

" Come quick and have something, you're late already." Mrs. Laura beckoned, dishing out her meal.

As much as the aroma was delicious, she couldn't. " Sorry mum, I have to go." She said and bolted out, not waiting for a response.

This is the second day at work and it was said yesterday that the boss would be coming to work today. She doesn't want to be late, that wouldn't do so well with the impression she wants to give him.

She ran to the bus station but the longer she waited for a bus, the more anxious she got. She kept tapping her finger against her bag, chest rising and falling fast, eyes watching and waiting eagerly for the bus that took nearly forever to arrive.

If not for her dad who was eating earlier, she would have pleaded with him to drop her off at work, which would definitely saved her more time.

Soon, a bus arrived, but time seemed to fly by with the bus that seemed to be moving too slow, too slow even though it was at the normal speed.

The moment the bus arrived at the company, Tessa was the first to get out of the bus. She walked hurriedly towards the entrance when her feet tripped and a snap sound echoed in her ear.

Her bewildered eyes moved to her legs. One of the heel shoes had snapped.

" Seriously?!" She screamed, her eyes filled with frustration.

She quickly grabbed the second shoe and began hitting the heel against the floor to snap the heel off. The longer she did that, the more frustrated she got and the moment it came off, she didn't wait calmly to finish wearing the shoe as she hurried inside.

She was twenty-five minutes late now.

" The boss is here. You're late." One of the workers said to her the moment she arrived.

Her heart sank. She wanted to arrive before him..

' How could he arrive so early when he was so drunk last night?' she cried in her mind.

" You should go get the coffee now, before he comes back for the interns' introduction."

" Oh." Tessa's eyes lit up. She smiled and quickly dropped her bag on the seat before bolting out again.

The interns' introduction has not been done yet.

" There's still a chance. There's still a chance." She recited to herself, not minding anyone glancing her way as she hurried off to get the department workers their morning coffee as instructed to be one of her duties the previous day.

Her shoulder slumped upon arriving at the coffee spot to see a long queue.

" Why are people suddenly interested in coffee this morning?" She groaned bitterly. She looked at the queue one more time and knew there was no way she'd wait for more than ten people before it got to her turn.

She bit her lower lip hard, thinking of what to do when an idea struck. She sneaked to stand beside a man at the front line.

" Please." She pouted, whispering. " Please help me."

Looking so cute and beautiful, Tessa knew her idea to plead with the stranger would work. She grinned as she headed back, not minding the annoyed voice of the people standing when they realized she had beat them to it even though she just arrived.

She hurriedly headed back to the department, excitement bubbling through her. Her toes tapped against the floor, waiting impatiently for the elevator to arrive on her floor.

The moment it dinged, and opened, she didn't wait a second before storming out.

" Ah."

A yelp slipped out of her lips as she bumped hard into someone. Her eyes flew open, her head shook as she watched in horror as two cups flew right to her chest.

And just like that, two cups of coffee splashed on her while some splashed on the floor.

In a slow, unbelievable motion, her widened eyes trailed to her ruined dress and back to the spilled coffee.

" Are you blind?!" She yelled furiously, glaring up to see the man standing before her.

Some amount of coffee had also spilled on him, but she doesn't care.

She glared with intense anger. " Can you not watch.." Her voice cracked, her anger filtered as the man glared so dangerously at her, it sent a chill right to her bones.

Standing tall before her, exuding an aura so powerful and intimidating that it instantly made her wonder if he was someone powerful.

But when she looked at her shirt again, anger flared in her once again.

" You ruined my shirt, my effort!"

She watched his lips curve in disgust.

He didn't react immediately, his eyes didn't widen, didn't flash, nor blink, they simply lowered to her, slowly, measuring, and assessing. Dark, not loud, the kind of gaze that didn't need to shout to dominate a room.

They dragged over her stained shirt, the coffee dripping down her fingers... and then returned to her face.

Cold.

Not offended.

Not embarrassed.

Just... unimpressed. And then he said indifferently like she was just a minor inconvenience in an otherwise structured morning." Step aside."

His voice, so deep and rigid made her shoulders tense, but his statement made her fume even more.

" Step.. step aside? You disgusting, arrogant maggot, you spilled my coffee and you can't even say sorry? This company teaches manners but guess you left yours at home."

The man's lip parted, his eyes darkened with anger she doesn't care about. He opened his mouth to speak but just then, his phone vibrated and without giving her a second glance, he picked up the call and walked away.

" Hey! Hey you can't just walk away, you have to compensate for my shirt!" She yelled after him but he was gone.

Her shoulder slumped the moment she was left alone, and tears immediately filled her eyes.

All her efforts, everything was gone.

" I heard the boss is really here, oh God, he's so hot." She heard one of the ladies that just stepped out of the elevator blush.

" Tyler?" She quickly straightened, blinked her eyes, and wiped her cheeks.

" I should go get the coffee." She said and turned back but the elevator had shut back before she could reach the button.

" Oh spare me." She cried out and quickly made use of the stairs, racing down no matter how tired and weak her legs felt.

Just as she was almost to the last step, her foot missed the last step.

For a split second, her body floated, weightless, suspended between balance and disaster.

Then pain exploded.

Her ankle twisted violently beneath her, a sickening pull snapping up her leg as she crashed against the cold stair edge. The sound that left her throat wasn't graceful or dignified, it was broken.

White-hot agony spread upward, sharp and blinding, forcing tears into her eyes before she could stop them.

She stayed there for a second too long, palm pressed against the floor, breath uneven, humiliation settling heavier than the pain.

Of course.

Of course, she would fall.

Of course, today wouldn't stop at ruining her shirt.

Her fingers curled around her ankle as it throbbed mercilessly, and, almost crying, she whispered. " Can this day get any worse?"

" Holy shit! You look like a mess, Tess." Another intern, Miles said the moment he saw her. " What on earth happened to you?"

He asked worriedly, quickly taking the coffee from her. Everyone's eyes were now fixed on her, some with concern while some with mockery as they giggled over her ruined shirt and the way she was limping.

" Long story, Miles. Believe me, this day is a bad luck day." She whispered, her cheeks reddened in embarrassment.

She cracked a tiny smile of gratitude at Miles as he helped her hand over the coffees to each person.

" But seriously, you need to change that shirt, it's a mess."

" I know, but I don't have any other one here." She murmured, her shoulders slumping as she hung her head low.

How is she supposed to face Tyler with her looking like this? If he sees her like this, he'd definitely laugh and say ' she's messy like always'.

Tears filled her eyes. She was supposed to impress him, not make him laugh at her.

' This must be it, the reason why he never looked my way, the reason why he doesn't love me and that's because.. I just can't seem to do anything right.'

She sniffled and quickly wiped her eyes before anyone would notice or catch sight of her crying.

Just then, someone announced. " Everybody, the boss is here!"

Her heart jumped.

Her head snapped up.

It wasn't only her head that instantly went into chaos, but also the office. Everyone immediately began arranging themselves and their desks, making sure they looked at their absolute best.

" Oh no! I should get away! He can't see me like this." Tessa immediately stood up, with her chest racing, she turned to quickly get out of the office but just then, someone walked in along with two other executives.

She didn't wait to see their faces before she turned instantly.

' Tyler.' she whispered in her mind.

Her body stood frozen along with the office that suddenly became a graveyard.

Miles saw her shaking slightly on the spot and tried to cover her by standing in front of her.

" Good morning, sir." The greetings echoed.

Tessa closed her eyes in self-disappointment. How she wished to see him standing there, so respected and feared by everyone.

Even his presence feels different. The room was instantly swallowed by his aura the moment he stepped in making her feel even more nervous.

" Hey, you!"

Tessa heard a slightly familiar deep, rigid voice filled with disdain. For some reason, it made her chest leap as it seemed to be directed at her.

" Orange shirt, black skirt." The voice called.

Trembling slightly, Tessa took another look at herself, then her head which suddenly felt heavy around her neck lifted up slowly to see all eyes on her.

" The boss is calling you," Miles whispered to her.

' The..the boss? That doesn't sound like Tyler.' Her brow furrowed, but her palms became sweaty, afraid Tyler would eventually see her like this.

She swallowed bitterly and slowly, she turned. Her eyes remained fixed to the ground, her eyes blinking countless times.

" I knew it was you." The voice said, forcing Tessa to look up and she instantly wished she hadn't.

Her jaw dropped to the ground.

Her shoulders lost their lives in an instant.

' He's.. he's the boss?' Her brow knitted deeply in shock.

[ " Are you blind?! / You disgusting, arrogant maggot, you spilled my coffee and you can't even say sorry? This company teaches manners but guess you left yours at home." ]

Memories of her own words flooded in without permission, widening her eyes in horror. ' I'm screwed.' she paled instantly.

He stepped closer to her, not hurriedly, not aggressively, just one step that made the air thin and caused her to instinctively drop her gaze.

Even though she wasn't looking at him, she could feel his piercing glare. She inhaled shakily, inhaling his manly cologne that was both mesmerizing and intimidating.

She could feel her legs wobble as he said in an exasperated tone.

" Arrogant maggot."

The word that now sounds like a mistake made her tremble.

He stopped right in front of her. Close enough that she could see the sharp line of his jaw when she finally forced herself to look up. His expression did not explode in anger. It didn't twist in outrage.

It hardened.

His eyes were dark, not wild, not offended, just coldly assessing, as though recalculating her value.

"Interesting," he said quietly.

Her throat tightened." I. I.." words failed her the moment she most needed them. "Please don't fire me," she found herself blurting out, pride cracking under fear.

A faint curve touched his lips, not warm, not amused. Calculating. "Of course not."

Her brows lifted in surprise as she did not expect him to agree not to fire her. Though confusion still tangled low in her chest as to why he's the boss, and not Tyler.

" I won't fire you." He continued smoothly, " but don't misunderstand," his gaze sharpened. " I'll make sure you beg to be fired."

The words weren't loud.

They didn't need to be.

They crawled under her skin and stayed there.

He then leaned slightly closer, just enough to invade her space without touching her.

"Tessa Monroe," he said, her name rolling off his tongue with unsettling familiarity. "Nice meeting you again."

Her breath hitched.' Wh-what?! How did he know my name?' Confusion tangled violently with fear in her chest as she stared at him.

Then he leaned back. "Let me teach you the manners that were forgotten at home."

He turned without another word and walked out.

And only then did the room seem to breathe again.

Tessa stood still, shaken and pale, lost at what to do.

"Tessa," Miles whispered urgently behind her. "You're supposed to follow him."

Her stomach dropped.

Right.

The executives were still standing there. Waiting.

With her chest racing and her leg still aching from the fall, she forced herself to move. Each step felt heavier than the last as she limped out of the office.

Whispers immediately erupted behind her.

" She's new here and already in trouble?"

" What did she do? The boss seems really pissed."

" I don't know," Miles replied to the people asking him.

" Well, she's screwed for sure." Another worker added.

Tessa kept limping till she turned the corner and saw him. He was standing by a door at the end of the hallway, hands tucked neatly into his pockets. His posture was relaxed, almost lazy yet there was nothing casual about him.

He wasn't looking at her, he was staring at the floor as if deep in thought.

If she wasn't terrified out of her mind, she would've admitted it, that he looked unreal. Tall. Composed. Untouchable.

His hair was perfectly combed, dark and sleek, his suit - different from the one she had stained earlier fit him like it was tailored by the gods themselves.

Greek lord.

That was the only comparison her mind could make, and that realization made her even angrier.

'Why is he acting like I committed a crime? I'm the one whose coffee he spilled, ruining my outfit. I'm still the one who got humiliated.' Her thoughts tangled as she limped closer. 'Tyler is the boss... he told me this company belongs to him, so.. Maybe this man is just an executive trying to scare me. He doesn't have the same power as Tyler so..'

He looked up just then. The movement was slow, intentional, halting her thoughts instantly with his glare.

"You can't even walk properly?" he said flatly, his gaze dropping briefly to her injured leg before returning to her face.

The irritation in his voice made her stomach clench.

'He sounds horrible,' she cursed inwardly. 'Unlike how he looks.'

She stopped a few steps away from him, unsure whether to stand straight or lower her head. He didn't wait for her to decide, without saying anything, he pushed the door open.

The hinges creaked.

The room beyond was dark and stale, thick with dust, old filing cabinets lined the walls, papers stacked carelessly in corners as though the place had been forgotten for years.

He stepped aside.

"Tidy up this place."

Her head snapped toward him. "What?!" Her eyes widened. "Alone?"

He blinked once, slowly as if her question bored him.

Her chest rose and fell faster. ' No way! How on earth am I supposed to clean this up by myself!' she quickly turned to him."This is impossible," she protested, shaking her head. "I can't do this by myself."

He said nothing.

" I.. I can't." She shook her head, " I am sorry for earlier." She continued, desperation creeping into her tone. " So sorry, I didn't know.. I was frustrated and.." she looked up just then to see him shooting her that cold, unmoved gaze.

' No matter what I say, or apologize, he'll still make me do this, right?' she thought inwardly and swallowed.

"If anything, I'll speak to the boss. Mr. Beaumont."

There it was.

The mistake.

His expression didn't change immediately but his jaw tightened. His eyes darkened not with anger but with something colder, something scarier.

"Too bad," he said quietly.

Her heart skipped.

"I am Grayson Beaumont."

The name landed like a hammer.

" The CEO of King's corporation."

Her body froze, her eyes went wide.' That's not possible, he can't be the CEO, what about Tyler, how is he a Beaumont when Tyler doesn't even have a brother?'

Her lungs for some seconds forgot how to work as he stepped closer, leaned forward, and added as his voice dropped an octave. " And I am your boss. Your worst nightmare."