☘︎ Lʏᴋᴀs Vɪᴛᴀʟʟɪs ☘︎
Stupidity should've been my middle name.
There was no other explanation for why I was standing outside Jennifer Ryson's office, holding a takeaway bag filled to the brim with cupcakes and a glass of rainbow smoothie in my hand and having an eye-to-eye stand off with her four bulky bodyguards.
I like to believe I have a rational reason for being here, the said reason being the platinum bracelet tucked inside the back pocket of my jeans, even if my conscience acknowledged the bluff and knew it was just a means to an end.
Getting past the front desk receptionist was a piece of cake. All I had to do was charm my way into sneaking a first-on-the-list appointment. I'd been more than relieved when the call to Jennifer's office wasn't answered because there was a high probability she'd send me away or worst yet, ban me forever from this place. But the sweet, clueless receptionist who didn't know I was her boss's rival told me her boss's schedule was free anyways so I was good to go-
Oh wait, right!
"I have an appointment." I state as confidently as mortally possible, holding up the appointment slip under the bodyguards' noses.
The four of them exchange robotic glances, check the note, check me for any dangerous objects and then finally with a if-you-dare-try-anything-funny-you'll-pay-fucker look, let me in.
Pushing open the office door and shutting it behind me, I feel a sense of victory engulf me. Ah, the struggles to get inside Jennifer Ryson's office.
"If I didn't know better, Ryson. With the amount of security you have, I'd think you're the Prime Minister of the United Sta-" My words and my footsteps alike come to a screeching halt the moment I take in the sight in front of me.
So this was why she didn't pick the call.
There, seated behind the desk in all her glory, is Jennifer Ryson. Only she's. . .sleeping.
Her head is cradled between the cage of her crossed arms resting above the table. Her hair is a silky curtain framing the edges of her face, her long lashes shut and casting a shadow down the angled lines of her cheeks.
Momentarily starstruck, I approach the desk with silent steps as if a little sound would wake her up. Setting down the takeaway bag and the smoothie glass on the desk, with the table a barrier between Jennifer and me, I lean down a bit to get a better view of her face.
There's a peacefulness to her features, lost in the serenity of sleep, that makes her look like a dark angel resting on earth to bewitch the humankind.
Not being able to help myself, I bring my hand up to gently tuck away the little strands of hair falling in front of her closed eyes, behind her ear. My fingers gently graze the skin of her cheek in the process.
Feeling like I'm invading her personal space without permission, I'm about to snatch my hand away when she leans into the touch with a soft sigh.
My entire body locks at the reaction, my fingers freezing midway. I should pull away, I really should.
But it only takes her resting her face on my hand with another exhale of breath in a drowsy demand, for me to loose all sense of resolute.
My fingers navigate the slopes of her cheeks, the shape of her jaw, feeling the softness of her silky skin. Something in my chest softens, bringing a smile to my lips as her features relax in contempt.
I don't like her. I definitely don't. Neh, not even a bit. She's my rival. We will always have cold war between us. But a man can always appreciate beauty and God, she's fucking beautiful-
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The Secret Heiress | ✔️
Romance---▪︎ A Wattpad featured story ▪︎--- Twelve years ago, an incident changed my life. I was sent to London by my father with a new identity; all alone, away from my family and home, away from everything that was me. With a new persona as Jennifer Ryso...
