My Boss Is Secretly A Softie - Chapter 53

Chapter 53: Anniversary
In the deep blackness of the night, the huge building of Neva shone brightly like a beacon of light, tainting the endless darkness yet deepening the beauty of its depths with its willful infringement.

As one would expect of a sore existence, apart from the sleeping earth; within its constraints, unlike the silence of the night, were filled with the shuffling of feet, murmurs of men, and excitement that hung tight in the air.

The perpetrators of this defilement were none other than the Neva workers, and they all stood in the large space, swept across with light and a charming infrastructure that promised a brilliant night to be had.

“Is it already time?” A belated lady expressed the grumbling question that lodged into the mind of most Neva employees, the ones that had really come to transgress the night.

The grumblings gradually arose in unison, with the mood of the workers falling, and just as most had already defaulted to the 21st-century default idle state— clicking and tapping away on their gadgets, a loud boom reawakened their revolution.

“Hello~, all beautiful and non-beautiful fellas out there. Apologies for the delay, but we had to start a few things. Having said that, I welcome you all to this lively event, where we celebrate the anniversary of our most beloved Neva!”

“This same day, years ago, our perfect CEO laid his blessed fingers on the falling Neva and turned it into the giant we know today!”

The voice rose along with the crowd’s cheer.

“And not only did it wake from its slumber, but rose to the greatest, not just one of the greatest— but the greatest media industry of this age! Therefore, this night is special. The most special person is indeed our gorgeous CEO. However, the real MVP will always be the amazing Neva workers who helped to revive this giant to its feet once more!”

“And to this, I say we…”

A sharp breath strung along with the workers’ prep, and all in unison with the speaker roared, “Party! Feast! And indulge!”

Clapping and cheering spread through the room, and even the dull ones became infected with the virus, turning the venue into a chaotic space barely containing the tremor of the people.

Apart from all that stood a bright-eyed lady with a pink flowing dress that fell loosely to her feet and draped about her waist like heavy silk, spinning a red glass of wine with a fragile gaze.

She felt a vibration in her ear, and tapping lightly, a smooth voice drifted to her ear.

“Where are you?” It was the voice of a man, magnetic and filled with a charming masculinity that mellowed into a soothing rhythm.

The lady smiled fondly, and then her crimson lips parted. “In a few minutes, if I vanish this early, I risk having my department twist over in worry.”

Despite the silence, the other end seemed to hold a minor dissatisfaction but eventually agreed. The lady chuckled as the call ended. She’d have to hurry up to avoid entering the offending list twice.

***

A light knock shattered the lulling feeling of the night, splitting through the murmured echoes of the crazy party underneath the lady’s hot pink heels. She stopped after the first knock, unwilling to follow through with another, but decided anyway.

And just as she was about to compromise, the door parted silently, and a fair hand pulled her dainty figure into the room.

Silence.

A glaring contrast to the outside, where, despite its suppression, it couldn’t fully get rid of the party echoes that slipped through.

“30 minutes,” the male’s calm voice stated, “Is a few minutes to you?”

There was displeasure, and Elara understood. Her eyes met the dizzying man who watched her with a fallen countenance. Indeed, she had been willful despite currently being punished.

So, without further ado, she leaped onto him with a pounce. Her head spun, and she nearly fainted.

He smelled good, he looked good, he felt good. Gosh, his beauty was messing with her head.

Others looked great in suits and slicked-back hair. But he… he… he was oppressive. He was like a drug, more potent than the highest dose of anesthesia. Yet, with the alternating sharpness of caffeine, that had her teetering on the edge of consciousness.

Someone like him wouldn’t even need pills to send someone to his bed. His presence was hypnotizing enough.

“Mmph, let me get used to you for a while.”

She etched her face into his chest and didn’t move even till he wrapped his arms around her. They remained like that for a few minutes, and then she broke free with a deep gasp.

At least her face did, for the man wouldn’t let her go no matter what.

“Angel, I’m here now, so…”

He remained stubborn, until… Elara gave up and maneuvered her way out of his arms. Their eyes clashed, and the grievance in his eyes spoke clearly to her. She sighed. This night would be very long.

***

They finally settled down after a minor tug of war with Elara playing cute to appease the male and Terrence throwing a tantrum.

She felt relief— thankfully, everyone else was downstairs; the last thing she wanted was for them to see her angel like this. And this was coming from a place of care despite its possessive undertones.

After they sat down on the wide red couch, he asked her about John.

“He’s staying with his therapist. They seem to be quite close.”

Terrence patted the kinky curls of the lady within his arms, who glued onto him like a child to its mother’s skirt.

She hummed, enjoying the soothing feeling that came from having her head patted. This was one of the joys of childhood that one could never get back—until they met their angel as she had met hers.

“How has it been going, then?” His voice was as smooth as silk, heavy as lead, and with an integrity that rivaled white gold, and she was drowning in its goodness.

“Just great. He’s gotten quite close to my friends, and his therapist is really helpful. I suspect they have something going on between them, but the best news is that I’ll finally be leaving next week. I will miss his presence, but nothing beats you, Angel.”

She slurred like a drunkard, then yawned. Everything was luring her to sleep, especially the fairy cuddling her.

“Should we live together after everything?” he tentatively probed.

“Yeah, I missed you so much.”

There was silence for a while, with both of them simply enjoying the moment. It was a far cry from the partying and drinking and feasting going on downstairs. It was just two people seated in complete quietness in each other’s arms under a pretty set of dim lights.

Elara yawned again and just as her consciousness was about to escape to a land filled with infinite possibilities, Terrence’s question jerked her back

“Have you made up your mind?”

Her eyes snapped open and she stared at him with a puzzled look.

What stared back were orbs as clear as the sky during the brightest of days, and despite his composure, she was sharp enough to capture the barely noticeable differences that showed his anxiety.

His mildly clenched jaws, the light layer of pink that overlaid his cheeks, and an almost invisible pout he did whenever he was nervous… Her angel was nervous. How f***ing adorable.

She felt her heart palpitate leaving her smiling, “You’re still asking? I—! I… I…”

But then her words faltered to a stop. The sureness in her eyes vanished, and suddenly she began second-guessing.

She had been allowing her angel to distort the lines of friendship that bound them, as a test to know if she truly could survive this relationship. This yielded positive results that gave her all the confidence she needed to try, but now… Where could this hesitation stem from?

Elara had finally been successfully buried. She was far from repulsed by her angel’s advances and was sure that their relationship would be different from her previous ones.

This didn’t stop her doubts, though.

What if Elara awakened, and her phantom scared off her angel?— the most disturbing of worries. What if he gets bored?— the second most disturbing of worries. What if he finds her too possessive?— the least disturbing of worries, as she was sure to hide such tendencies.

After all, no one would be okay knowing someone, even if it was their partner was everywhere they went digitally. But all she had to do was to not get found out, unlike the others she had little control over.

The more she speculated, the more she spiraled into a web of worries, endlessly weaving her into a treacherous path of reluctance, which suppressed her again and again… until he kissed her.

He trapped her in his grasp, captured her tongue, and played tyrant with her lips.

And when they pulled back, gasping for breath, her senses were all over the place until their eyes caught themselves.

Something in the male’s gaze told her it had already been answered for her. All that was left was her acknowledgment of it.

She laughed, “All right, I’ll be yours.”

It didn’t matter whatever issue spawned. She just had to make it work by all means—fortunately, something she was quite good at was moving mountains.

This was more difficult, yes, but for her angel, she would do anything.