Chapter Twelve – After Work.
Taking one angry sip of her orange juice, Stephanie slammed her laptop closed. It was two already and she had to leave before four.
She didn’t meet Ashley at her desk. Her face turned beet red, the bitch had gone early? No wonder all the workers came to ask for one thing or the other, delaying her time.
Ashley was basically the boss for today and she scurried back home! So much for werewolves having better endurance than humans, she couldn’t even tolerate being the head for a day.
Still fuming and cursing, Stephanie took a cab to the Dream Care Hospital, the taxi driver gave her careful looks at intervals as she spoke to herself.
“I am so fed up with these werewolves. Curse them! Curse them! I am their employee not a slave!” she sighed, paying the man then storming into the hospital.
The taxi man nodded understandably, he too had werewolf bosses and those species weren’t the easiest people to work with. They suspected any werewolf that wasn’t from their pack and felt humans weren’t competent enough. It was a never-ending saga.
Stephanie sneaked past the nurse in front and slipped into the ward section. She already knew where her father’s ward was. And she wasn’t seeing that boss of hers today.
Like the universe knew her mind, her mother called, “Met with your boss, already?” her voice seemed excited.
“No, mom” Stephanie sighed, “I don’t know his ward! He’s a rich CEO so has bodyguards, they won’t let me in” she tried bringing up excuses.
“Stephanie. Is it bad to build a relationship with your boss?” her mother scolded.
“No, and what relationship do you have in mind for me? Mom, I know you want me dating my boss but no!!!” she wanted to yell all that but she swallowed it down.
“No, I’d go look for him now” she said instead and hung up.
Making a U-turn away from her fathers’ ward, she went back to the nurse in front to ask for Nathan’s ward. Her expression was bitter so the nurse hurriedly told her where to go.
“He had been expecting you” the nurse added when Stephanie was almost leaving.
Stephanie brushed it off and stomped to room hundred and one. It was obviously for VVIPS.
“Sure, I understand, Sir”.
Stephanie reduced her pace as she heard voices inside the ward. That was the voice of her family doctor, was he her boss’s doctor as well?
“G’day, gentlemen!” she stormed into the room, folding her hands. Why did she do it for? She wasn’t sure. They both looked at her stunned.
Nathan rolled his eyes, his unicorn head was here and late, “I tell you every time to knock before coming in, now you’ve interrupted…”.
“I didn’t interrupted nothing. Doctor James has been my doctor since I was a kid. And how are you doing?” she whipped out her phone, “Someone has been asking!”.
Nathan gulped down saliva. It seemed she was in a heavy bad mood, he should watch his mouth or she might take him back to convulsing.
“Oh Stephanie. How’s your mom doing? I’ve been expecting you to visit since I heard you got a job. You know, to tell me about it” the doctor scribbled a note and dropped it besides Nathan.
“Well, nothing huge. It’s a babysitter job, I make clothes and cook if they want” she glared at Nathan, whose eyes widened on hearing her.
The oblivious doctor shrugged, “Better than nothing, you always wanted a job so accept it. And do it well” he patted the girl, “Oh, and your dad, he’d be fine now”.
Stephanie nodded, halfheartedly. That has been the doctor’s line for five years now. Her sisters’ life were being spent away from their dad.
The doctor left after that and she lazily collapsed on the chair besides Nathan.
“Tired day? Or you just missed me?” Nathan bragged. She sent him a glare and he nodded making a mental note not to flirt with her. He had a whole three months so he’d take his time.
“I am not reporting Ashley but she running away from work before close time is so against work ethics!” she raved, breathing heavily.
Nathan left her to calm down. That was a typical Ashley actually. She never really stayed till close time. She was a warrior wolf and only worked in an office to blend with humans, she preferred being in the woods, hunting.
“So who’s been asking of me? And what’s in the cute flask?” Nathan let his curiosity speak out. He had earlier planned to keep shut till she chilled. Stephanie stretched out the flask to him.
“Food?” Nathan raised an eyebrow, “Did you make it for me?” he was a bit offended but if she did, that would be sweet, and very unexpected.
Stephanie noticed his expression. She saw the streaks of anger and embarrassment. She’d be embarrassed if it were her.
“It’s from my mom, weirdo. Why would I make food for you?” she tsked.
His shoulders slumped, “Oh, that’s sweet of her” his eyes flickered to the package besides him. He took it and threw on her.
“Give that to your mom since she thought to make this for me”.
Stephanie looked into the bag. It was designer bag and hoodie. For her mom? Her mother never used these things. She looked up at Nathan and back at the gift. Was it initially for her?
Nathan chuckled as he saw she looked at it longingly. Her eyes were doe sized.
“Anyway, did you hear about the bid? Please tell me Ashley filled you in on it?” he enquired. Stephanie hurriedly brought out a file having her three hours of research.
“It’s a big time company. My favorite cake come from them” She smiled. He waved in dismissal and swept through the file.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.
The company was a huge one. With an impressive net worth but not a huge brand reputation like his. And it was a food company, what did they need a clothing brand for?
“It’s funny how a good company need a clothing brand” he shook his head. He saw Stephanie smiled, and he smiled involuntarily.
Glancing through the name of the CEO, Nathan’s eyes darkened. CEO Johnson Clementine of the Sparks Moon Company.
He closed the file and handed it back to Stephanie. This CEO would be desperate. His recent food release failed. This bid was to be an extension, possibly be headed by his own model Garcia. There were many things to the bid. It was surely a personal fight.
It wasn’t much of an accident that they’re both chasing this bid. The CEO once wanted Garcia as his model, but Garcia turned him down as, in her own words, she couldn’t “let a whole meal, advertise a wholemeal”.
It caused a tension between the two companies as it got on news that Garcia rejected his offer. He was also a different pack’s Alpha and that was also why Garcia rejected his offer, to work for her own pack’s Alpha. But he didn’t see it that way, Garcia had also turned to be his mate.
“You look like you’re internally fighting. He’s the only challenging rival in the list. You can’t beat him, right?” Stephanie snapped him from thinking.
He smiled. Was that worry in her tone? He had expected it to be laced with mockery. Was she worried for him or the company?
“Don’t worry” he patted her head, “if you have me as rival, you can’t win!”.