REX
If I were told that I would one day bicker back and forth with a vampire, I would have laughed at whoever told me that, to scorn. But it was really happening, and I couldn't even deny how almost normal it felt. I could even get used to this.
While he drove, I stole a look at him. Suppose I had met Nyx before Kevin. If he had been a human instead of a vampire, would we have clicked? Would I have been comfortable enough in his presence, or would I be as stuck up as Kevin always claimed I was?
He turned to look at me and smiled. I didn't know if he'd heard my thoughts, but I hoped he hadn't.
A girl needs her privacy.
When we got to his company, I did a freaking double-take.
"Is this yours?" Paint me freaking shocked with a tint of surprise. What were the chances that his company was the best in the entire country? I wasn't freaking shitting.
Valios Enterprises had held the power in the business industry for 50 freaking years. They started as nobodies, and before anyone knew it, they got past all their competitors to the world's best, and had kept that position for years, even before I was born.
Unlike other businesses that have always faced crises, theirs has had none. They were almost invisible despite having enemies worldwide.
This was the company I was about to sign a contract with, after four years of trying to get them to notice me, only for everything to go downhill.
"Is there anything wrong with it?" Nyx frowned as he looked at the building. "You don't like it?"
I shook my head. "That's not it. I just… Why didn't you tell me you owned the top company in the entire country, with branches all over the damned world?"
He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck. "We're that popular?"
I blinked at the question. "You … You don't know?"
He shook his head. "I don't. Jax had been overseeing everything for 50 years now." He removed his seatbelt and reached for mine. Our eyes locked, and my heart skipped a beat.
What the freaking hell was even wrong with me?
He smiled. "I guess it's to your liking, then?" He asked, leaning back in his chair.
"Are you kidding me? It's more to my liking!" The contract I was about to sign with them was just for a one-year partnership in their startup company. I never dreamt that I would one day work under them, or even meet their CEO, a man not even the tabloids had ever heard of.
"So —"
"Is the chairman your grandfather?" I asked before he could complete his words.
He furrowed his brows. "Which chairman?"
"Mr Yaximon Valois."
The confusion on his face gave way to a smile. "Oh, that? There's no chairperson. It was just a character Jax made up to keep up front. Don't you think the humans would find it odd if I were the Chairman? I don't look that old by human standards. You said I looked 30, right?"
"Yeah."
"Wouldn't it look odd if I claimed to be the founder of a 50-year-old business?"
That made a freaking lot of sense. I see now why they had to make up a grandfather who didn't exist.
He exited the car and walked around to my side to open the door for me. I stepped out and accepted the hand he reached out for me. He held my gaze and leaned down to place a kiss on the back of my palm.
My heart, which was already in a frenzy, started beating out of proportion.
He smiled, and I almost fainted. God, what the hell did Nyx do to me? This was so unlike me.
"Let's go." He didn't let go of my hand as he led me to the entrance, where a man was waiting. Well, not a man. His suspiciously golden eyes gave him away. I'd never seen a human with golden eyes.
Before Nyx, I would have thought those were contacts, but after knowing him, I knew this was real, and he looked like a vampire.
"He is, mein Schatz," Nyx responded, and I shot him a warning look. "I didn't mean to read your mind, mea lux. I just thought you needed a response to your thoughts."
"I didn't," I gritted under my teeth. Even though I had actually wanted a response, I didn't like how easily he read my mind.
The man in question bowed the moment we got to him. "Sir," he said to Nyx before he turned to me. "Welcome to the company, ma." He bowed to me, and my cheeks turned a darker shade of red.
"You don't need to do that."
The man smiled, only to freeze. He cleared his throat and averted his gaze. "If you'll please, follow me."
The man led the way, and we followed. Nyx hadn't let go of my hand since we left the car, and I was secretly happy about it, even though you would have to kill me before I confess to that.
His hand felt warm to the touch, and I wanted nothing more than to lean in and kiss him senselessly. I had to shake off these wild thoughts because it made me sound freaking horny when I was far from that.
We followed the man into a lift, and he kept his distance from us. I noticed something, even though their interaction had been minimal. The man kept so much distance from Nyx as if he were avoiding him. He seemed to lean more towards my side than Nyx's.
I would have asked why, if it wouldn't come out as odd. I mean, it was understandable, since Nyx is his boss. Not everyone's close to their employer. The distance must be an act of respect, right?
"Sir, do you want to go straight into the boardroom or your office?" The man asked immediately after we stepped out of the lift.
"Let's get the meeting out of the way first," Nyx said in response.