Lilac’s POV
By the end of my second day of work and entering the feedbacks into the computer, I knew I made a mistake — I should have completed at least one stack of sheets the day before, even if it would’ve meant staying at Silvercrest late into the night.
I came into work that morning, already having forgotten the task I left incomplete but was promptly reminded and horrified at the sight of white sheets waiting for me on my desk.
And so the torture went on.
This time, when evening came around, I didn’t make the same mistake again. I worked and worked till I literally could not hold my head up and eventually, against my gut feeling, took the papers home with me to continue them.
Tonight was one of the few times Benjamin made dinner down for me because I wasn’t home to do it for him. He was already asleep so I couldn’t thank him. But gratefully, I scarfed down the porridge and went to work on the old, nearly outdated computer in the living room that I had to clean because it had become dusty overtime from a lack of use.
I was a morning person, always asleep by at least nine PM because I loved being up to see the sunrise every day, but not tonight. It was three AM and I was still hunched over the last remaining half pile of papers, entering them diligently. Five AM. Six…
Once seven AM came around, I cracked my fingers and my neck. I was finally done.
I didn’t dare to sleep. I was required to be at work by seven thirty AM sharp before Ryke clocked in and so I really could not risk even the tiniest nap to ward off the fatigue that made my bones feel like lead.
Shoving all the documents back into my work bag, I rushed to take a shower, brushed my teeth and sped out of the house, barely managing a ‘Good morning!’ to my brother.
“Good morning, Mr. Kolynsky,” I greeted when I walked into his office late, just a few minutes past eight o’ clock and he nodded at me from where he stood by his window. I dropped one of the stacks of paper I’d picked up on my way in on his desk, feeling accomplished and hoping it would take his mind off my lateness.
“Morning, Miss. Evans…” He trailed off just looking weirdly at me. Did I have something on my face? I mean, I had some coffee and a small piece of donut I got before coming in. Surely there weren’t any crumbs on my face, right…?
“Are you okay?” Ryke asked in a murmur that broke me out of my thoughts. I hadn’t noticed how close he’d come and I gasped at the sudden proximity, the sandalwood and spice smell of his perfume clouding my senses and making my heart do a weird flip.
“S-sir?” I whispered.
His green eyes seemed to search mine and a hand came up to my face, nearly touching my cheeks when it halted mid-air, almost as if he didn’t even know when he made the action and had caught himself just in time.
“You look really tired. Did you not rest well?”
Huh? I frowned. Since when did he care about my health? He didn’t have the right to ask me that when he was the one who gave me such an evil, impossible task.
Gritting my teeth so I wouldn’t say my thoughts, I smiled tightly and responded, “I did, sir. There’s nothing to worry about.” Ryke didn’t look like he believed me, but he couldn’t press me further.
“Alright.” Sighing, he dropped his hand that had still been hanging. As he did so, I felt something brush my hip and upon looking down, it was his fingers. It was obviously by accident and I would have thought I imagined it, but I looked down just in time to see it happen with my own eyes.
I couldn’t suppress the shiver that ran down my spine after those soft fingers accidentally trailed down my hip bone, soft but still firm enough that I felt it through the fabric of my skirt.
Something hot and deep shifted in my gut causing me to swallow in an attempt to muffle the sound that nearly left my lips. And Ryke, as if what I was feeling was infectious, breathed harshly through his nose.
The attraction of that night weeks ago clearly still lingered, but I couldn’t be sure I wasn’t the only one feeling it. Besides, now that he knew I wasn’t in his class regarding wealth or social status, I would be a fool to think he still wanted anything to do with me.
Him looking affected by me right now was just my eyes playing tricks on me. That had to be it.
“S-sir…?”
Ryke cleared his throat, stepping back hastily and avoiding my eyes. A pang of disappointment went through me at the moment dissipating into thin air. But how could I mourn it?
“There’s a meeting this morning. Remind me a few minutes before.”
I didn’t respond for a few seconds, straightening an invisible rumple in my old shirt and trying to collect myself. Eventually, I breathed out a tiny breath and responded. “Yes, Mr. Kolynsky.”
The meeting started well. I was doing my job of taking important notes and marking things down, focusing as hard as I could.
And then, I wasn’t anymore, because I started dozing off.
My sleepless night was catching up to me, the coffee I had already worn off too soon. For God’s sake, it wasn’t even afternoon yet. The quality of caffeine in this country was getting ridiculous. This was the silly thing that was my last thought as I promptly fell asleep..
I don’t know how long I was out, but the sound of someone raising their voice angrily startled me out of my sleep, nearly making me jump.
Beside me, Ryke’s eyes narrowed into slits, directing a heated glare at the woman who dared raise her voice at him. “Who do you think you’re speaking to like that?”
“S-sorry. I didn’t mean to raise my voice at you. But that request is absolutely impossible, sir. The entire department worked their asses off under my…” I didn’t hear the rest of that woman’s sentence because once again, I’d dozed off, head leaning softly against the back of my chair.
The position was comfortable till it was not and I started to feel my neck cramping up even in my dream.
“Lilac,” My mother called. She was making orange juice for me and my baby brother who’d only just learned how to talk. Everything was perfect.
“Miss. Evans?” She said again and I hummed in response. Was it me she was referring to? She was Miss. Evans, not me, and even then, it was Mrs., not Miss.
“Miss. Evans!” I jolted from my sleep at my mother’s suddenly masculine voice calling me forcefully from somewhere beyond closed eyelids.
Wait. Closed eyelids? Fuck.
I pried my eyes open, unable to widen them in the glare of the light that filled the room. Sure enough, Ryke was staring at me from where he sat, face devoid of emotions and eyes filled with fury in a way that had my pulse pounding in fear.
Shit, I thought.
“Answer me, Miss. Evans.”
I furrowed my brows. “I… Uh… I’m sorry, I-” I shook my head, “I didn’t catch the question.”
“I didn’t realize I was paying you to catch up on sleep during important meetings. Perhaps you’d like to explain why my time—and the entire team’s—is so unimportant to you?”
My eyes widened at his lash out, not expecting it. “If you can’t stay awake and do your job, maybe we should revisit your responsibilities. I expect full attention next time—or I’ll find someone who can manage it. Am I clear?”
“Yes, Mr. Kolynsky. I’m sorry,” I whispered out, cheeks burning in shame.
It’s safe to say I didn’t fall asleep again after that, too terrified of Ryke to even blink. I’d gotten too used to him, too familiar, forgetting the strict boss he was known to be. It was a side he’d never shown to me for some reason, and I’d begun to take it for granted.
The rest of the meeting went by in a blur and once we were done, I bolted from my seat, not wanting to stay in the conference room that was beginning to feel choked up any longer. I needed a fucking break. I needed to sleep, my head was pounding like crazy. But these things were out of the question. I was just going to have to suck it up till it was time to go home.
Fuck, it was only my third day here and everything already sucked.
Ryke walked into the private elevator with me, a tense silence filling the space as we rode up together. I could tell he wanted to say something, but I didn’t want another scolding from him. I just wanted space between us as soon as possible.
As soon as the elevator dinged and slid open, I hurried out of it, gripping my notepad tightly in my hand.
“Miss. Evans, wait.”
The urge to keep walking like I hadn’t heard him was strong. Too strong, really. But I didn’t want to piss him off again. So I slowed down till he was walking beside me.
“You stayed up all night, didn’t you?”
Ah. So that’s what he wanted to talk about. Well, I couldn’t deny it anymore, I guess. I nodded my head, not trusting myself to speak.
“Was it the data entry?”
Now, I know I said I didn’t want to piss him off, but I couldn’t stop the deadpan, borderline annoyed stare I swung his way at that question. Really? He was going to pretend like he didn’t give me that task with that stupid deadline, knowing I was going to damn near exhaust myself to meet it?
“Yes, sir. I took the sheets home.”
“Was it really necessary? I gave you two whole days, you couldn’t complete it without pulling an all-nighter? Miss. Evans, I must have given you the impression that I’m a sloppy boss. Just because I didn’t say anything about your unpunctuality this morning doesn’t mean you can slack off.”
I frowned, controlling my rising anger. “I’m sorry sir, but two days would have been an impossible deadline to meet without doing what I did.”
Ryke’s eyes darkened, “Seriously, why did you even apply to be a personal assistant if you don’t know how to do the damn job?”
My eyes widened at his condescending tone. That was an insult. I felt tears well in my eyes. If it had been anyone else speaking to me like this, perhaps I could have taken it. But this was Ryke. Ryke who I thought… Frankly, I don’t know what I’d thought.
He’d treated me in a way I’d admittedly thought was special. I really thought those rumors about him were untrue. I’d believed him to be something he was not. And now I was getting hit with the reality.
Ryke continued, “I do not expect incompetence from my employees.” In a much softer tone, he added, “Keep up, so I don’t have to fire you.”
As we walked, I thanked whatever God was listening silently in my heart that he moved forward, because then he couldn’t see the tears finally fall down my cheeks.
