'What the hell is that smell?' Nigel screamed in his mind, but kept a stoic expression on his face.
Though he tried to hide his reaction, that little slip did not go unnoticed by Jacob, and it made the CEO go stiff in his seat.
To distract the man, Jacob asked, "Will that be all?"
"Yes. Thank you, Mr. Grant," Nigel quickly snatched the folder from his desk and scurried away, leaving Jacob to release a long, relieved sigh.
"F*ck! Look what you made me do, Aliana," he whispered. Locking the door once again, he stood up from his seat before heading into the attached executive suite to change into a fresh pair of suits.
Meanwhile, Nigel reached Aliana's office.
Instead of rushing to hand over the file, he took a quick detour to the side of the desk.
Aliana, sitting at her desk, watched her assistant with a raised eyebrow.
"Nigel? What are you..." she trailed off when she noticed him frantically spraying sanitiser onto the folder and his own hands before wiping them both clean.
Her face twisted with confusion, "Did you hit your head on the way here, or is there a pandemic spreading out there that I have not been made aware of?"
Nigel, once satisfied that the folder was thoroughly cleaned, stepped towards his boss and placed it quickly in front of her.
Aliana continued to stare at him, her eyes full of unspoken questions. He gave her a bright, reassuring smile, "Sorry, boss. I just know how much you value being germ-free, especially since you've only just recovered. I thought it best to clean it up before handing it to you."
Aliana narrowed her eyes at his assistant in suspicion before letting out a weary sigh.
"Whatever."
With that, she took the folder and began going through the content.
Nigel released a relieved sigh inwardly, glad she wasn't pushing the matter any further. He has been working with Aliana since the day she joined the company. And even though she was a tough nut to crack, he knew how dedicated she was to the company, and he admired her deeply for it.
He has watched her closely in every meeting, and he never failed to notice the effect she had on men around her.
Although he himself was a man of her age, he had never looked at her that way. Instead, out of pure respect and loyalty, he had developed a fierce sense of protection towards her, determined to shield her from anyone with ill intent.
Aliana knew that, which was why she was so comfortable around him. It was also why she had tasked him with running background checks on every blind date her father tried to arrange for her.
On the other hand, Jacob has always maintained respectful boundaries with Aliana, but Nigel noticed that ever since his boss's best friend, Jade Ross, had dated the man for a few months, he had made a more conscious effort to get close to Aliana.
Nigel knew he should not read too much into it, especially since Jacob was mentoring her to take over the CEO role.
Still, as a man, he possessed a rather acute instinct when it came to intentions that were less than pure.
Walking into Jacob's office today had flared those protective instincts within him like a mother hen. That was why he had taken the liberty of sanitising the folder before handing it to her.
Watching Aliana go through the file, he thought to himself, 'Ah, what a pain. I'll really have to start keeping an eye on the CEO now.'
Silently questioning his life choices and why he had taken this job in the first place, Nigel moved around the office to prepare coffee for his boss.
While Aliana was busy drowning herself in work to distract her mind from the supernatural chaos wreaking havoc on her life, her latest interview had captured someone else's attention.
Icy blue eyes remained fixed on a large flat screen in a luxurious mansion as he watched the striking blonde woman hold her own against a swarm of reporters.
On the screen, a reporter's question echoed:
"Do you believe this was a targeted attack linked to corporate rivalry?"
"Please, if there were some grant scheme behind it, then I must tell all my dear well-wishers, it's gonna take more than a car crash to take me down. Besides, pray tell me, who speeds up on a blind turn?"
A faint smile curved along his lips at her reply, but he said nothing, silently watching the rest of the interview as amusement danced in his mesmerising eyes.
His phone, resting on the side table, buzzed, flashing Cillain's name.
He already knew what was coming, so he silently slid his elegant finger across the screen and brought the phone to his ear.
"Did you watch the news?" Cillian asked, sounding a bit annoyed.
"Hm," the man replied.
"Our stocks are taking a hit just because she implied that I was driving recklessly, or worse, that I planned the entire accident!" Cillian snapped.
The man's lips curved upwards further at the sound of Cillian being so easily ticked off by the feisty heiress.
"Who speeds up on a blind turn, Cillian?" he asked, his deep voice echoing in the quiet room.
Cillian went silent for a second, "You… you are enjoying this, aren't you?"
When he was met with only silence, Cillian let out a breathless, disbelieving chuckle, "You really are enjoying this." This time it was a statement rather than a question.
Instead of confirming or denying it, the man asked, "When is the World Business Conference again?"
There was a pause on the other side as Cillian realised the weight of the question.
"Are you planning to finally show yourself to the world?!" Cillian nearly shouted, causing the man to pull the phone away from his ear.
A slight frown marred his handsome features, "No need to shout, Cillian."
"Oh, the mighty world of fallen! You really are planning to show yourself! Do you know what that means? It means you cannot turn away from this once you have stepped into the limelight!" Cillian exclaimed in utter shock.
"I am not planning on anything. Just answer the question, Cillian," the man said calmly. He completely ignored Cillian's dramatics while his eyes remained fixed on the screen that replayed Aliana's interview again.
"In…in two weeks. But really, I cannot believe you are actually planning to show yourself. What changed?" Cillian asked, his voice full of curiosity.
"Nothing has changed," the man replied.
"Is it about her?" Cillian pushed. "I know it is about her!"
"I think you have a significant amount of damage control to do. I suggest you get back to that rather than looking for something that isn't there," the man replied calmly.
Before Cillian could utter another word, the man cut the call and tossed his phone onto the sofa beside him.
He rose from his seat and walked to the window overlooking the garden, where a sea of roses bloomed in the twilight.
His icy blue eyes remained blank and unbothered as he stared at them.
He parted his lips, his voice a low whisper in the empty room. "Just like a rose," he murmured. "Beautiful… but with sharp thorns."