Zenith paused in her steps. Her back remained towards him, and she didn’t turn to look back at him imdiately. Instead, she waited to register his words. Her brows furrowed, and when she finally heard the soft screech of his chair pushing back, she turned to face him.
"What do you an, Sir?" Her tone was again carrying the sa politeness that Ryan had started to hate. "Did I do sothing wrong in the report? You can tell , and I will make the necessary rectification right away."
"I am not talking about that," Ryan spoke through the grit of his teeth. "I am talking about the stupid date you are persistently planning on going. You don’t have to force yourself into such stupid things. You can —"
"Sorry, sir," Zenith interrupted him. "But it’s not sothing stupid. It’s just our way of finding the partner we would love to spend our lives with. After all, people like us do think of having a family with whom we can grow old with. And I think you misinterpreted sothing. I am not getting forced into it."
"You are not?" Ryan’s tone held a challenge which Zenith matched evenly. Her gaze remained levelled as she replied, nodding firmly.
"I am not. My parents aren’t the kind who would force to do things like this. If I am going on blind dates, then it ans that I am getting serious about the next phase of my life."
Ryan couldn’t hold himself from grimly scoffing. "The next phase of your life. Is that what you think it is?"
Zenith frowned, not liking his attitude. It was giving her all the wrong hints that she didn’t want to consider. "Yes, sir. The next phase of my life. I am already approaching my late twenties. It’s ti for . I —"
Before she could finish, Ryan charged in her direction, almost scaring her off every reason.
Grabbing her by the arms, he forced her to the door, pressing her hard against it, but at the sa ti careful enough not to hurt her. "Zenith. Zane!" His nostrils flared, and for the first ti, Zenith saw his gaze darkening up so close. It almost made her stiffen in his grip. "Do you really think you will be able to find your partner for life like this? Going on dates with so random n about whom you don’t know anything and you can’t even be sure?"’
She felt scared under his glare. And his tone only weakened her further. But there was sothing that emboldened her at that mont. Sothing that gave her the courage to stand in front of him and stare right into his eyes.
Maybe it was his touch. Firm, yet gentle. That gave her the courage to stand against him, even if she knew that it could be dangerous.
"I don’t know whether I will be able to find soone reliable or not, sir. Nor do I care. But I don’t find it wrong because it’s not sothing I am doing alone. Almost half of the country relies on arranged blind dates to find their partners. And they even do. So, it’s not about random n, it’s about my choice. And you, out of all, have no authority to speak into my personal choices like this."
Ryan’s fingers tightened around her arm. His voice dropped low and dangerous. "Say that again."
Zenith winced under his hold, but her gaze didn’t falter. Staring at him, she said, "You are my employer, sir, and I truly respect you. But we share a boundary, and it would be better if neither of us tries to cross it."
And with that, she tried to step away. It was difficult since he had been holding her, but looking into his eyes, she slowly reached and uncurled the fingers that were holding her.
Ryan resisted at first, but he allowed her to pull away when he saw the confidence in her gaze. That gaze undid sothing within him. He couldn’t stop himself from staring at her, unblinking.
But at the sa ti, her words rang in his ears. The ntion of a boundary that he couldn’t cross. He didn’t want to admit but it hurts undoubtedly.
"You don’t want to cross that boundary with you, but how did you forget that just a few nights before you were begging to cross the boundaries that would have been far intense than this. How did you not rember then that I was your employer and you were rely an employee? How did you —"
Slap!
Before he could say more, the sharp sound made him pause. He would say that it stung, it woke sothing up inside him. And he realized, how easily he had crossed the line that he didn’t an to.
He turned to her to apologize, but when he saw her gaze glazed with tears, his jaw tightened and fury unfurled inside his gut. He couldn’t help but clench his fingers.
"I-I never thought you would bring that night like this, sir," Zenith said, shaking her head in disappointnt. "I k-know I crossed a line that day, but I thought you would understand that it was never my intention. If I had been in control, I wouldn’t have done that. I was —"
"Zenith, I am sorry. I —" Ryan leaned forward to hold her and explain. However, she avoided his touch as though she was repulsed by it.
"It’s fine, Sir," she said, her voice suddenly grounded as though she had accepted sothing within. "I understood how you saw that night. I haven’t apologized for it then, but today, I —" taking a step back, she bowed her head, "am apologizing for it. I am sorry. Even in that vulnerable state, I shouldn’t have forgotten my boundary. I shouldn’t have leaned on you for help. After all, that safety, that help, wasn’t sothing you owed ."
Ryan knew what he had said was wrong, and he truly didn’t an it. But right now, her words pierced him the worst. He couldn’t help but grit his teeth. Her repetitive ntion of boundaries only further fueled his anger.
Nodding, he finally said, "I accept what you said. We are employer and employee and we shouldn’t cross any boundary between us that we shouldn’t."
Zenith straightened her posture but didn’t look at him. Avoiding his gaze, she nodded back and said, "If there is no rectification needed in the project report, I will take leave first, Sir."
"Sure. Go ahead and leave."
Zenith didn’t linger there any longer. She at once exited the room and closed the door behind her.
Once she was gone, Ryan could no longer hold his calm. The fury enveloped his composure completely, and he turned and smashed away the first thing that ca into his hand.
"Arhhh!!!"
His emotions were befuddling him. He doesn’t know why, but Zenith’s indifference was getting on his nerves like nothing other. And he was just not able to hold himself together.
Not able to control himself, he reached for another vase and hurled it against the floor, shattering it into pieces that could never be put together again.
And just when he was about to reach for another, his phone rang on the desk. He wanted to ignore it, but the persistent ringing only made him take it. When he checked the screen, it was Daniel’s na flashing.
He accepted the call but didn’t speak through the line.
"Ryan, are you there?" Daniel’s voice ca through the line.
Ryan simply humd. And that imdiately made Daniel guess.
"Wait, what’s wrong? Why are you so upset?"
"I am not," Ryan said, and Daniel pursed on the other end.
"And horns have grown on my head."
"What?" Ryan frowned.
Denied simply tsked and said, "Co and let’s et tonight. You clearly have so sh*t going on that you would want to talk about."
"I am not coming, Daniel," Ryan refused, pinching the space between his brows. "I —"
"Fine, stay in your office," Daniel agreed, only to add. "I will co there with the stock." And with that, he hung up the call, not letting Ryan refuse anymore.
—————
anwhile, on the side, after getting Arwen discharged, Aiden was bringing her back.
But halfway through the route, Arwen suddenly said, "Aiden, I don’t want to go ho."
Aiden paused and turned to look her way. Arwen did the sa. "Can you take to see her now?"
His brows drew in a frown. "You have just gotten discharged from the hospital, Moon. At this ti, you need to rest. I will take you later."
She shook her head. Not in stubbornness but with so depth in her gaze. "I want to see her now. I don’t want to stretch it for later. Please."
Aiden didn’t want to. He wasn’t sure if Arwen was ready to take the condition, he put her mother to rot in. he was scared that she might not like the way he had dealt with her. That she might end up hating him.
"Moon, —"
"Aiden, please!"
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