Ruling the CEO

The sound of children’s laughter was my favorite. It was a comforting reminder that even in a world that often felt dark and gloomy, there was still joy to be found. I was lucky enough to hear this sound often, thanks to my job.

“What’s got you grinning?” Ellis, my best friend, asked.

“See that little girl over there? The one with the pigtails?” I pointed out a blonde girl who couldn’t have been more than five.

“Yeah, what about her?” Ellis sounded like she thought I’d lost my marbles.

“Isn’t she just the cutest thing? Look at how she’s eyeing that doll.” I couldn’t help but smile as I watched the girl study the toy.

“You think every kid is the cutest thing in the world. You need to find a boyfriend, Jen,” Ellis said. I didn’t need to look at her to know she was rolling her eyes.

“I don’t have the time or the energy for guys, Ellis. You know that,” I replied, watching as the girl started to approach the counter with a woman who looked like an older version of her, probably her mom.

The little girl tried to put the doll on the counter, but her small arms couldn’t quite reach. Her mom helped her out. I smiled at the girl as I rang up the toy.

“Do you like my dolly?” the girl asked me.

I smiled back at her. “Your dolly is very pretty, just like you.”

“Mommy, did you hear that? The lady said I’m pretty.” The girl beamed at her mom, who was handing me the money for the doll.

“Yes, honey, I heard her. And she’s absolutely right,” her mom replied. I gave her the change and put the toy in a bag, then handed it to her.

“Have a nice day,” I said as they left the store.

“You’re so good with kids. Forget about a boyfriend, just get married already,” Ellis said as soon as the door closed behind them. She’d been standing next to me while the woman and her daughter were buying the doll.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Marriage isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. It just complicates things,” I told her, looking around the store.

“Why don’t you go straighten up the shelf where they got the doll,” I suggested.

“I don’t want to.” Ellis pouted, her blonde bangs fluttering on her forehead.

“Why not?” I asked.

“Because it’s boring. I always have to straighten the shelves. Let me handle the counter today. You go fix the shelf,” she said, her blue eyes sparkling.

“You’re so lazy.” I sighed, stepping out from behind the counter. “Fine, I’ll go fix the shelf.”

I shook my head and walked over to the shelf that was now missing a doll. Ellis could be thoughtless sometimes, or maybe she just forgot who she was talking to.

I preferred to think it was the latter. She had a knack for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.

I bent down to rearrange the shelf, trying not to let Ellis’s words get to me. But it was hard, especially when I knew there was some truth to them.

I liked my life to be orderly; being organized meant safety—predictability was safety. I knew what I was going to do every hour of the day, and that kept me safe and sane.

Once the shelf was back in order, I returned to the counter. In a few hours, I’d have my lunch break. I always had two pieces of bread and a cup of tea for breakfast, but today I felt hungrier than usual.

“You’re back!” Ellis exclaimed, grinning at me.

“I went to fix a shelf, not bake a cake,” I replied.

“I know, I know. Anyway, I have a date with Ivan tonight. So you have to help me pick out a dress. He’s taking me to a fancy restaurant,” she told me.

“Wow, do you have any ideas?” I asked.

“Not really. I have five dresses, so I’ll just pick one. But you have to help me decide,” she said.

I laughed. “Okay. What time is he picking you up?”

“At seven.” Ellis paused. “Are you sure you’ll be okay by yourself?”

“Ellis, this isn’t the first time I’ve been alone, and it won’t be the last. You need to stop worrying about me. I can take care of myself,” I said.

Truthfully, I hated being alone in my apartment. The constant fear of being found made it hard for me not to check the locks every five minutes.

But I couldn’t let Ellis know that. Ivan was the best thing that had happened to her in a long time, and I wanted her to be happy. Seeing Ellis happy made me happy.

“Are you sure? I can ask Ivan to have dinner at our place instead. We don’t have to go out,” she offered.

“Ellis, stop. I’m not going to let you ruin your date because of me. I’ll be fine, don’t worry. You just focus on picking out a dress for your date tonight,” I said.

“Okay, if you say so.” She paused for a moment. “So I was thinking about wearing my green dress…” Her voice trailed off as the door opened and a man walked in.

Ellis’s eyes went wide and her jaw dropped as she openly stared at the man from head to toe. I gave her a questioning look, then glanced at the man who’d just walked in. I could see why Ellis was so taken aback.

The man looked like he’d just stepped off the cover of a fashion magazine. His curly brown hair was styled perfectly, and his warm brown eyes sparkled with kindness.

He was a good six feet tall, maybe even more, and it was clear he spent a lot of time at the gym. His muscles were visible even under his shirt, and any other girl would probably be drooling over him.

But I wasn’t just any girl, and daydreaming about attractive men was a luxury I couldn’t afford.

Next to me, Ellis seemed to have regained her composure. “Hello, welcome. How can I assist you?”

“Well, it’s my nephew’s birthday, and I’m looking for the perfect gift,” the man answered, his voice deep and intriguing, stirring up desires I usually kept buried.

“Of course, now is your nephew a boy or a girl?” Ellis asked.

I mentally face-palmed. So much for regaining her composure. She was clearly flustered.

The man seemed to find it amusing, his eyes twinkling with laughter. He was obviously trying not to laugh out loud.

After a moment, Ellis realized her mistake. “I-I mean…what I meant to say was, what kind of toy are you looking for?”

“Of course. Well, I’m interested in your new toy collection. My nephew mentioned something about a Hot Wheels car collection,” the man explained.

“Oh yes, their new collection just arrived.” Ellis nudged me. “Why don’t you show our customer the new collection?”

“Sure.” I shot her a glare. She knew how uncomfortable I was around strange men, yet she was pushing me towards him.

“Follow me,” I said quietly, leading the way to the aisle dedicated to cars.

“Here’s the new collection. Feel free to pick out the ones you like.” I gestured towards the boxes of cars before stepping aside to let the man browse.

“Thank you,” he said. He was surprisingly polite.

I immediately squashed that thought. Marriage wasn’t in my future. He was a stranger. People were dangerous. No matter how kind they seemed, they could turn into monsters.

“If you need any help, I’ll be over there.” I started to walk away, but his voice stopped me.

“Actually, I could use your help deciding. There are five types of cars here; I need to pick two,” he said.

“Uh, well, you could take this one.” I pointed at a set of five cars, not really caring about the color or style. “Or you could choose this one.” I pointed at a second set.

“You could decide between these two.” I pointed at the third and fourth sets. “Or you could take this.” I pointed at the fifth set.

The man chuckled. “You’re not very good at making suggestions, are you?”

I could feel my cheeks heating up with embarrassment. I just wanted to get away from this man, but he was making it incredibly difficult.

I didn’t understand why my heart was racing in his presence. It was normal for my heart to race around strange men, but this time, it wasn’t out of fear.

It was a different kind of feeling.

“I’m sorry. I can call Ellis; she’s better at making suggestions,” I said, trying to escape again, but he stopped me.

“You don’t need to call her. I’m sure you can manage without her,” he said.

“Uh, well, she’s better at making suggestions,” I repeated.

“How long have you been working here? This is the first time I’ve seen you,” he asked.

“I’ve spoiled my sister’s kids, and now I’m paying the price. So yes, I do come here often. Now it’s your turn to answer my question. How long have you been working here?” he asked.

“Last time I checked, you’re a stranger, and I’m not obligated to answer any of your questions.” I immediately regretted my words. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude.”

“No, you’re cautious, that’s a good thing. Let’s change that. I’m Kieran, Kieran Maslow,” he said.

“I don’t remember asking your name.”

“Are you always this rude to customers, or am I special?” He sounded amused, but there was a hard edge to his voice.

“You’re not special; you never will be,” I blurted out, immediately regretting my words. I was definitely going to lose my job.

Kieran didn’t say anything for a while. We stood there in the car aisle in silence.

If it wasn’t considered rude to leave a customer, I would’ve left him a long time ago, but I had to follow the rules.

“We’ll see,” Kieran finally said, grabbing two boxes of Hot Wheels cars. I was confused. What was he talking about?

“Wrap these up for me,” he said, handing me the boxes a bit roughly.

“You can choose the wrapping paper, and I’ll wrap them up,” I told him, heading over to the checkout counter and leaving Kieran to find the wrapping paper.

“Ring these up,” I told Ellis, shooting her another glare.

“What’s got your panties in a twist?” she asked, ringing up the items.

“Don’t act like you don’t know.” I was fuming.

“What? The man is hot, and you could use a hot man in your life, Jen,” Ellis replied.

“No, and you’re aware of the reason,” I snapped, quickly regaining my composure as I noticed Kieran approaching with a roll of wrapping paper.

“Here,” he said, handing me the paper without even looking at me. I accepted it silently and immediately started wrapping the boxes.

Kieran was doing his best to appear nonchalant, but I could tell he was seething underneath. If I hadn’t been so harsh with him, he wouldn’t be this upset.

But I couldn’t help it. Every time a guy tried to strike up a conversation with me, my inner ice queen made an appearance. I’d already scared off seven men, which was fine by me. I wasn’t cut out for commitment.

“All done.” I slid the wrapped boxes toward Ellis who placed them in a bag and handed it to Kieran. He took the bag without a word.

“Thanks for wrapping the boxes, Jen,” Ellis said, grinning at me.

“Is that her name?” Kieran asked Ellis.

“Her name’s Jenny, but I call her Jen. Why do you ask?” Ellis replied. Now who was being impolite? He was asking her instead of me, even though I was right there.

“No reason, I just like to know who works here,” Kieran said, shooting me a pointed look. He was really ticked off.

“Why?” Ellis asked.

“It’s good to be informed, don’t you think?” Kieran responded.

At that moment, he looked more intimidating than ever. From a laid-back guy, Kieran had transformed into someone who seemed to own the world and wield power effortlessly. And I was certain he was going to get me fired.

“Being informed is good,” Ellis agreed.

“Being informed is more than just good.” Kieran leaned in toward Ellis as if he was about to share a secret. “Information is power,” he said, shooting me another icy look before striding out of the shop.

“What did you say to him?” Ellis asked as soon as Kieran was gone.

I shrugged. “What makes you think I said anything to him?”

“He walked in all cheerful and attractive, and he left looking moody and just as attractive. You were the only one with him. Your history of driving men away speaks volumes. So, what did you do?” Ellis demanded.

I sighed. “I might’ve been a bit harsh with him…” I admitted.

“Jenny!” Ellis scolded. “One of these days, this is going to get you into serious trouble.”

“Don’t start,” I warned her.

“I’m just saying. You can’t keep doing this. And he is furious,” she pointed out.

“Whatever, he’ll get over it,” I muttered.

“No, he won’t. Didn’t you see the look he gave you before he left?” She looked at me as if I was both insane and clueless.

“Yeah, I saw. He looked like he wanted to kill me,” I replied.

“No, he left with a mission,” Ellis corrected.

“So? What’s her point?”

“So, it means he’s going to come back…”