Yolanda's posture crumbled as her face registered a huge shock. She wanted to understand better what just happened. The CEO asked her basically to get lost. In a cracking voice she said, "But Sir—"

Daryn shifted his cold, hard gaze at her, making her stop mid-sentence. She swallowed her saliva and nodded. She knew that she'd better pick the file and leave to save her job. The file that was placed on the table looked like a piece of garbage to her. She tried so hard but this new girl trashed her theory so thoroughly that there was no chance of salvaging it. But why was the CEO so convinced by her? Yolanda rose from her place, bowed to Daryn and began to leave. She looked at Dawn from the corner of her eyes. There would be plenty of instances for her to take her revenge. She left as quietly as possible.

​​

Daryn turned his attention to his little neotide. "Ms. Dawn, find out where we can post all this information and send me a report."

"Yes Sir," she replied.

Sir. Daryn felt like taking her to his office and showing her what submission was. But would she submit? His skin prickled. "If you have any problem, let me know. If you feel that there is anything that you want to change in the office, you can inform Reyna about it." If you like I can go to the mountains and hunt food for you. Get a bunny.

"Sure. I will send my research to you." She paused and then added, "But getting yourself popular is a bad idea. You are already very famous. Besides, I have heard that you have several restraining orders from top models and actresses of the country. So this exercise seems pretty futile. Unless you want more restraining orders," she taunted him, ignoring his offer to upgrade to better the office environment.

Every team member froze in his or her spots. Was this girl insane? The boss was known to throw out employees who went against his wishes. Didn't she just see what happened to Yolanda? The boy sitting beside her tugged her sleeve, hinting her to stay quiet. The girl sitting opposite her made a gesture of cutting across the neck to stop speaking. Even before they started the project, this girl was hell bent on its doom.

Daryn narrowed his eyes. The way she looked at him it was as if she was studying him. Did she look at him like a giant, creepy man? Or did she find him alluring enough? Did she see through his eyes, inside his soul? Did she see the predator in him that wanted her madly? He asked with a half-smile. "So you don't like the project or you don't think that I am sexy and handsome?"

Once again Dawn's mouth fell. She didn't know how to answer that. She was thrown off-balance. She raised her eyebrows and closed her mouth. She pouted her plump lips, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. He was going non-stop with his shamelessness. And there was no way she could put him down. "I do."

Daryn cocked his head to the other side and asked, "You do?" The way she pouted her mouth, it was like foreplay. He wanted to seize it with his own.

She became nervous. "I mean— I mean I do think you— you are— sexy and handsome." She somehow completed her sentence.

"So you do agree?" he asked her. His eyes lit up and he relaxed back on his sofa.

"Y— yes!" Could she be anymore uncomfortable? And why the hell was he doing that? Bastard.

One of the girls sitting in the group chimed in, "Sir, according to me you are very attractive and this is a damn good project. Please let us start with it," she said eagerly. It was such a wonderful chance to get brownie points and go up the ladder.

Daryn shook his head. "It seems that you are not really convinced Ms. Dawn."

"I am," Dawn's voice was halting.

"I would like to give you an assignment," he said.

"What assignment?" she sat up straight.

"I will let you know after you have instructed your team on what to do next," he smiled again.

"Okay," she breathed out. Her face became red.

Daryn addressed others as if this was a routine thing to say. "Thanks everyone. Cooperate with your new Project Head. All the reports should be given to her. You know the protocol. If any of this leaks out, I will make sure that you don't get a job anywhere on this planet."

What he didn't know was that everyone in the group including Dawn were petrified. He heard collective gasps. He straightened his tie, got up from there and after giving her one last look, left. While on his way back, he instructed Reyna, "What meetings do I have?"

"I will email your schedule once again," she replied.

He felt relaxed in his office. Her coming back was like being home, like this was the rightful place she belonged to. After yesterday's incident, he thought he had lost her forever, but she was back. And now he wouldn't lose her.

As soon as Daryn disappeared behind his office door, suddenly the air became light. "Let's start!" Dawn said and rose from her place. Every cubicle had names written on them and hers was obviously right in the front. Once she reached there, she realized that hers was installed in a way that it faced Daryn's office door. She felt uneasy, so she asked another girl to change the place with her. "Wendy, could you please sit here?"

Wendy was settling in her place. She frowned, weighed her options and when she saw that the cube was right in front of the CEO's door, there was a glint in her eyes. "Sure!" she said and trotted to her.

When Daryn came out of his office for the next meeting he noticed that Dawn was sitting elsewhere immersed in her work. He didn't say anything. She could choose wherever she wanted but she was there. That's all that mattered for now.

The entire afternoon was spent in researching social platforms, which were into this kind of advertising. The team dispersed for lunch. Almost all in the group headed for the office cafeteria bur Dawn had other plans. She stopped at the tenth floor. She had to go on to do her work. There were only a few people over there in the office. She approached a lady who was eating ham-sandwiches. She was huge for her cubicle, let alone her table and the amount of food in front of her amused Dawn. It was obvious that she was a loner. With a kind face, she approached her and said, "Hi, I am Dawn Wyatt and I was looking for my brother's friend who works on a project for the gaming company. Can you tell me where they sit? I am forgetting his name. He was Jose, umm, Jose—"

Happy that someone spoke to her, Laura filled her in excitedly, "Not Jose, but Ambrose. Ambrose Hull."

Dawn tittered, "Oh right! That one."

Laura pointed to the east and said, "He is in Cube forty five."

"Thanks," Dawn replied politely.

"You are welcome," Laura smiled and went back to eating.

Dawn was halfway to the cube 45, when a ping on her phone stopped her midway. She tapped it open.

To convince yourself that I am the sexiest and the most handsome man on this planet, write that in an email to me everyday starting from now.

Her mind became blank.

---

In Café Regal:

"What do you want us to do with this girl?"

"Kill her."