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Chapter 41
~Zara’s POV~
"Mr. Blake," Snow greeted coldly. "I wasn’t aware we had a eting scheduled." He shot a glare.
Blake didn’t flinch, rather, he straightened his back, smirking slightly. "I thought I’d drop by to get a feel for things firsthand. And Zara here was just filling in on the details."
I could feel the tension thickening in the room. Snow’s posture was rigid, his jaw clenched tight as his gaze briefly flicked over to before returning to Blake.
"Well," Snow drawled in an icily polite tone. "I handle the majority of business decisions for Aurora Conglorate. Perhaps we can reschedule for a more formal eting?"
From the way Blake’s eyes lazily moved between us, I could tell he already guessed there was a lot of tension between Snow and .
He stood up, smoothing his jacket down. "Of course. I’ll let you two... discuss. Zara, it was a pleasure. I’ll be in touch." He gave a nod before walking out, leaving with an uneasy and enraged boss.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Snow turned to , his eyes blazing. "Care to explain?"
Here we were? I stood, crossed my arms, feeling defensive. "I was securing an alternative option. Marcus is dragging his feet, and Blake is more than capable."
Snow took a step closer, his eyes never leaving mine. "Is that all?" I lifted my eyes, expecting a sensible explanation when he sprouted out insults. "Or are you eagerly flaunting your beauty and chasing n? Tell , Zara, are you so insatiable?"
’The Actual Fuck!’
My fingers balled at my side, anger swirling into little fists, controlling the urge to smack him across the cheek.
"What? You suddenly beco too small or innocent for those kinds of words or..." The sound echoed loudly to cause an uproar from Snow. I did it. I slapped Snow before I could control myself.
His eyes seed to have seen stars as they glared daggers in my direction.
To my surprise, Snow didn’t do or say anything and the tension seed to have spiked, but I didn’t care anymore.
I may be working for him, but that didn’t give him the right to speak to in such a manner.
"Zara," he said after so ti. I could see his fist clench and unclench. Good, he felt it.
"Snow." My breathing ragged as I waited for him to spew more nonsense, probably words like, you’re fired, but he didn’t.
My palm still stung from the impact, but it was nothing compared to the fury blazing in Snow’s eyes. He stared at , stunned, his expression unreadable at first, and then a slow, dangerous smile crept onto his lips.
"You’ll be punished," he said, his voice calm yet seething with restrained anger. He waited for to say sothing, but I didn’t.
Just as he was about to leave, I responded, glaring at him, my breathing ragged. "I’m counting on it," I shot back, but the tremor in my voice betrayed the adrenaline racing through .
Snow halted in his steps, his eyes narrowing on as if to ask what the hell was wrong with this woman—like I were a puzzle he couldn’t quite solve.
His breathing ca in asured, and he finally spoke. "You don’t make deals without consulting first, Zara. That’s not how this works."
"I was trying to help. Sothing you’d have noticed if you weren’t so..." I snapped, my frustration bubbling over. "I’m not so pawn you can push around, Snow. I can make decisions too."
He stared at , his eyes darkening with sothing I couldn’t quite place—anger, jealousy, possession.
"You’re mine, Zara," he whispered through gritted teeth. "Stop pushing ."
My breath hitched at his words, the intensity in his gaze making my heart race. But I wasn’t about to back down. Not after everything.
"And you don’t get to control . I am not your toy, Snow," I shot back, my voice trembling slightly as the weight of his stare bore down on .
The tension between us was thick. Snow leaned in closer. "You’re playing with fire, Zara. And you’re going to get burned."
I swallowed hard, trying to keep my composure. But the truth was, every word he said sent shivers down my spine, and for a brief mont, I wondered if I’d really be burnt.
Before I could respond, Snow stord out of the office without another word, slamming the door shut behind him.
As soon as he was gone, the weight of what had just happened hit . My knees buckled, and I sank into the chair behind my desk, my chest heaving with anger, regret, and confusion.
What the hell had I done?
I stared at my shaking hands. I had slapped Snow. The CEO of Aurora. My... husband.
The realization settled in like a cold, sinking stone in the pit of my stomach. Sure, he deserved it after the way he’d spoken to —insinuating I was so sort of attention-seeking flirt. But now, in the silence of the aftermath, I couldn’t help but feel... guilty.
My breath hitched as I tried to justify my actions to myself. He had pushed too far, insulted , questioned my loyalty—questioned , my work, and my motives.
But...
I felt Astrid’s disapproving stare in my mind.
And then I rembered the look in Storm’s eyes before he stord out. There was more there than anger. He felt betrayed.
I stood up, pacing the length of my office, replaying the events of last night in my mind. Ivan. Of course, this was about him. Snow was still angry that I’d even entertained a conversation with Ivan. He had seen it as so sort of betrayal, and I hadn’t bothered to explain. That must have driven him to act out today.
I paused, leaning against the cool surface of the window as I stared out at the city. But why hadn’t I explained myself to Snow? Was it pride? Fear? Maybe both.
"Damn it," I muttered under my breath, rubbing my temples. I had handled this all wrong, and now I was tangled up in a ss of my own making.
But what now? Snow had left, and I knew he wouldn’t let this go. And as much as I hated to admit it, I had crossed a line. He wasn’t going to forgive so easily.
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