A Stolen Kiss From THE CEO!

Chapter 1: Anger And Something Else

It was 9:30 AM on a cold Monday morning. Everyone in the fashion creative department was already seated in the oval-shaped business meeting room. The majority of them appeared excited as they awaited patiently for Mr. Kyle’s big reveal of the company’s latest creative director. This was a position most of them speculated would be handed over to Ariella.

Ariella Porter was the most zealous, hard-working, and energetic creative designer amongst them.

After obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree in fashion design from Albina University in Demmer, Ariella had been over the moon when she was hired by one of the most prominent fashion companies in the country. She had given them her best for the past five years, working relentlessly for F & K fashion home. She practically had a non-existent social life due to her workaholic lifestyle.

Creating masterpiece designs had always been her childhood ambition and she had fought hard against all odds to actualize this dream. Now all she needed was for her name to be mentioned. She couldn’t wait to move into her new office, the office of her dreams.

When Mr. Kyle finally announced the name of the new creative director, the room went silent. A pin dropped from afar could be heard. It was as though everyone was stunned. After a brief moment of silence, someone stood up and started clapping and cheering. Within seconds, others joined in the euphoria, aside from Ariella.

The name Silvia Kane kept reverberating in Ariella’s head. It was as though she was trapped in a precipitating ravine. Her body trembled slightly as she observed everyone cheering. Her brain was blank as she could not make sense of what was going on in the room.

All week she had been receiving accolades from her colleagues. Even her boss, Mr. Frost, had been full of praises for her after the last business proposal presentation.

“I admire your work ethics, organization, creativity, and how you manage stress so well.” Mr. Frost was full of compliments for her. “You are one of our unrivaled designers and this company is so lucky to have you. With your current pace, you should be ready to sit with the boss.” He had commended her with a broad smile.

.....

What had that been about? Had he said all of that while knowing he was not going to give her the promotion? Was this a game where the hero gets trashed and the sidekick takes all the glory?

“Why the hell is everyone cheering at Silvia? This is supposed to be my position,” she thought aloud. But thankfully, no one heard her statement. They were all too busy cheering for Silvia to pay her any attention except for Denise.

“Silvia is my protege for goodness sake,” she said in a barely audible voice, almost choking on her words because of the emotion that clogged her throat.

Even though the room was properly ventilated, she suddenly felt very hot. She tried to stand up, but her legs were shaking, “Ella, you are brave, intelligent, strong, and beautiful. You have been a fighter from the day you set foot into this world and nothing can change that.” She reaffirmed as she took a deep breath. She summoned all the courage she could muster, and stood up. She glared at Mr. Frost for a while before storming out of the meeting room.

“Ella, wait up!” Denise called after her. She was as taken aback by this as Ella. Even some of her other colleagues were puzzled. Denise wished she could act as the fairy godmother now but she was in the same boat as Ella. They both work for the same scheming bosses.

Ella went straight to her desk, picked up her bag, and swiftly left the building without answering Denise’s calls. She also snubbed the concerned, Mrs. Tuna; the trend forecaster, who was already at her desk wearing an anxious and affectionate look. Mrs. Tuna was ready to console her and give her usual lengthy motivational speech.

A vortex of anger and frustration swirled inside her veins. She was quivering in fury, but she restrained herself from expressing it.

Different thoughts flooded her head as she stepped briskly into the parking lot, without looking left or right for incoming or outgoing vehicles. She froze when she suddenly heard the deafening screeching sound of a car’s tyre, but was jolted back to reality by the honking of the car horn.

“Are you crazy? What the hell is wrong with you? Or have you suddenly turned blind?” She screamed, scowling at the person seated behind the wheel of a gray-colored exotic car. All she could think of were ways to make the driver’s morning miserable. The fury within her had been begging for a release, and she finally had found a scapegoat.

When the driver’s door opened, a tall, handsome-looking young man with tanned skin stepped out calmly. His elegant movement was in slow motion as though time had slowed down. His movement gave him the demeanor of a beautiful warlord. The dark blue fitted suit he wore captured his broad-shouldered athletic body.

Ariella who had been ready to yell at him found herself at a loss of words, and she blinked in awe as she beheld this fine specimen creation. How could one man possess all these amazing qualities, she wondered?

Everything about him was perfect. From his neatly cut light brown hair to his clean-shaven square projected chin, to his perfect lips, to his...

“Are you alright?” The handsome man asked her, cutting into her thoughts as he scrutinized her with genuine concern.

His husky voice was sweet music to her ears. His ocean blue eyes were hypnotic and domineering at the same time. Ariella found herself drowning and lost in those gorgeous bottomless eyes.

“Say something Ella,” she echoed within.

“Can you hear me? Are you okay?” His voice had a potent undertone of impatience and amusement.

“What?” She asked with a lost expression on her face.

“Are you feeling alright?” he asked again. “You look pale.”

“I’m okay,” Ella responded, and then she cleared her throat, “I...y...you... you should look where you are going, mister,” she stuttered animatedly.

There was something familiar about his face that she could not place at the moment. ‘Where have I seen this face?’ she mused as her eyes darted from side to side.

The handsome-looking man was Leon Treshvire. He is a multibillionaire and the CEO of Treshvire fashion. Treshvire fashion is a top-ranking fashion industry in the fashion and retail world, located in the heart of Amzone city. He was known to be classy, bossy, mysterious, and arrogant in his behavior. He was also an elite playboy who dated only the hottest girl and never flaunted the same girl twice on any occasion.

“Excuse me!” Leon was amazed by her audacity. “I should look where am going. From the look of where we are standing right now, I should conveniently say, you should look where you are going,” he pointed out with a frosty glare. “It could have been worse if I hadn’t pounced on my brakes. Imagine the mess we would have been in. Regardless of the situation, thank goodness you are alright.”

Ella observed her surroundings and discovered that they were in the middle of the driveway. She felt a sense of reasoning but she wasn’t going to take that tone from this man. She has had enough for one day.

“Well, even if I may have not looked properly like you allege,” she half admitted, “you should know that this is a car park and not an expressway,” she returned his glares.

Leon gawked at the lady in front of him in bewilderment. Whatever gave her the temerity to talk to him in that manner? It was obvious she was unaware of his status. It felt good in a way that someone neutral could express themselves in that manner without fear or favor. But he had to talk some sense into her.

“Lady, you have to...”

“Miss Ariella,” she blurted out, irked at his tone. Ella couldn’t explain why she was channeling her frustration on this beautiful stranger. Although, it felt good to release her anger on something or someone. She boldly stared into his magical eyes, unable to decipher his next action.

“Miss Ariella,” he said trying hard to conceal the anger that was looming under his breath, for the sake of peace, try to watch where you are going in the future. We wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself now, would we?”

“I’m sorry,” Ella breathed with a sigh. He had been right all along. He didn’t deserve this unnecessary outburst.

Her eyes shimmered with threatening tears which she tried hard to stifle. “You don’t deserve this cold treatment. I’m not usually like this. I just had a rough morning. Thanks for not crushing me,” she tried to smile.

Leon was instantly overwhelmed by her sudden outpour of raw emotion. He wasn’t prepared for it. Just a minute ago, he had assumed she was rude and mannerless. But now, he was curious about finding what had made her angry to have acted in this manner. And surprisingly, he was eager to help her out. He felt like holding her in his arms to console her.

“It’s okay, I understand the feeling,” he spoke gently to her.

“This is one rare jewel” Leon subconsciously noted as he assessed the red hair beauty before him. “How come they had never crossed paths”, he wondered. Her slim fitted white suit complimented her alluring curves. She had stunningly beautiful and angelic jade-green eyes. Her long, curly and silky ruby red hair was so captivating.

“I’ll be on my way,” Ella spoke up and turned to take her to leave but was stopped by Leon. He held her lightly but firmly on her arm.

“Hold on,” he spoke softly, “Are you sure you’ll be fine?” his eyes conveyed a deep and genuine concern for her well-being.

Ella gazed into his concerned beautiful eye, as a tear escaped her shimmering eye.

———————

Hello everyone, Welcome.

I am so glad you chose to read this book. Writing this story has been a roller coaster experience for me. And I hope you enjoy reading it just the way I enjoy writing it.

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Please note: this story starts slow as it shows the how the FL develops into a fierce and powerful character. It is filled with a lot of suspense, action, darksides, romance and a bit of comedy.

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I remain yours truly, author Tres_ Aguila