"Are you feeling better now?" Lucian asked in a very calm voice, deliberately. His eyebrows were raised as he spoke, all sort of playful reactions gone from his face now.
It was as if Rowan's question of who he was, had completely skipped his eardrums.
Rowan's eyes blinked in shock. He definitely wasn't expecting that as a response, especially not with that expression on the man's face.
Was that genuine concern flickering in his eyes?
Of course not... Rowan's guided heart wouldn't ever let him accept that. Besides, why would a stranger care for him when his own family hardly care?
No, nobody cared. They only feared him. His mind reminded him of what he had been living with him.
An annoyed scoff sharply left Rowan's mouth after a split second of silence.
"What do you care?" He gritted out, his jaw tightening.
Then, without waiting for a response, he added sharply, "What the hell do you think you are doing by coming to my company? Have you been stalking me?"
"What?" Lucian blinked, genuinely confused. He didn't understand why he would be asked such question which answer was so obvious.
Nevertheless, he replied nonchalantly, with that same unbothered ease he had carried since walking into the building, "I was looking for a job. I got it at your company. Simple as that."
"That's bullshit," Rowan snapped, his cold gaze becoming colder if that was possible.
He took another step forward, closing what little space remained between them, their chests almost rubbing each other. His ocean-blue eyes blazed with something volatile- anger mixed with suspicion mixed with something that looked almost like fear.
"If you think you can start working with me in order to humiliate me before my employees and everybody..."
"What are you even saying?" Lucian cut him off before Rowan could finish his sentence, his brows furrowing in confusion.
The question was so simple, Lucian looked so genuinely bewildered, that it threw Rowan off for half a second. But only half a second.
Rowan Donovan's mind was already spiraling, already constructing possibilities and building walls.
He believed two things:
Either Lucian wanted to spread how he had broken down and cried on that bus to everybody- wanted to tarnish his perfect image, destroy the reputation he had spent years building, turn the ruthless CEO into a laughingstock.
Or Lucian was sent by one of his business rivals to stalk him. To get close, find weaknesses about him and to infiltrate his company and tear it down from the inside.
Both options were equally terrifying.
"I just need a job to feed myself," Lucian said flatly, his tone so matter-of-fact it was almost boring.
"I don't really care about someone else's image. And I definitely don't have time for stalking."
Rowan's teeth gritted together as he looked at the man before him. Anger burned in his chest, hot and uncontrollable. But underneath the anger was something else. Something that whispered: 'maybe he was telling the truth.'
Lucian's face was blank. No iota of guilt was visible on his face. Like he genuinely didn't understand what Rowan was accusing him of.
But Rowan Donovan wasn't the trusting type. Trust was a luxury he couldn't afford. He was nurtured with the motion that trust got you killed in the business world.
He had grown to understand that trust made you vulnerable and he wouldn't be that.
He glared at Lucian hard for some seconds, his eyes boring into him, searching for cracks, for lies, for anything that would confirm his suspicions.
Lucian just stared back blankly, unbothered, his hand still lazily in his pocket.
The silence stretched between them, heavy and tense.
After a moment, something shifted in Rowan's mind.
What better way was there to keep an eye on his enemy other than keeping him close by?
If Lucian was here to destroy him, it would be easier to watch him from inside the company than to let him roam free. If Lucian had an agenda, Rowan believed he could control the damage by keeping him under surveillance.
Keep your enemies close. That was the rule, wasn't it?
Rowan swallowed hard. The decision tasted bitter, but it was logical.
Still holding Lucian's gaze, he reached over to his desk and grabbed the telecom. His eyes never left Lucian's face as he pressed the button.
"Riley, put the new personal assistant through everything he needs to understand. Explain whatever he needs to know so he can work efficiently." He ordered, his voice cold and controlled again.
There was a pause on the other end before Riley's voice came through, sounding confused and hesitant;
"Sir, I thought you..."
"Did I stutter?" Rowan cut her off sharply.
"No, sir. I understand what you mean, sir." She said firmly.
Lucian heard the order and a smile broke out on his face.
"Yeah, I got the job!" He said to himself inwardly, his eyes twinkling with genuine happiness.
Rowan caught the bright expression on Lucian's face but instead of seeing through the genuine happiness, he saw beyond it.
"He is jubilant because he believed he had achieved his goal of infiltrating my company, right? Okay, let's see if you will survive when I get concrete evidence and start dealing with you!" Rowan's eyes squinted coldly as he thought.
Meanwhile, Lucian was obvious to what was going on in his new boss's mind. He was just excited that he got the job.
"My eyes will be on you," Rowan said slowly, each word deliberate. "And if you know any better, you wouldn't start this job if you're actually working for my enemy or have an ulterior motive."
The threat was clear. The warning was unmistakable.
But Lucian's smile didn't fade. If anything, it brightened.
Instead of responding to the threat or acknowledging the danger, Lucian asked, with the most serious face, like his life depended on it;
"I hope working for you comes with a lot of free food?"
Rowan's eyes blinked, even the usual composed CEO was momentarily taken aback.
"Surely you have a free cafeteria that covers all kinds of dishes, right?" Lucian continued, his expression now genuinely concerned.
"After all, you produce food. It would be ridiculous if you didn't feed your employees properly."
Rowan's frown deepened. He stared at Lucian like he was trying to solve a puzzle that made no sense.
Was this some kind of act? Was Lucian playing dumb to throw him off?
"What the hell is this man's agenda?" Rowan thought to himself, his mind racing through possibilities.