Their Marred Boy

Chapter 26

Elias stood before the shut gates of Lab 016, still stuck by the moment's hesitation that had planted his feet onto the concrete ground minutes ago.

No matter how many times he would encourage himself, he couldn't go any further. Perhaps the dark puffs of exhaust exiting through the pipes had altered his brain's chemistry because he suddenly had no control of his limbs.

Elias didn't want to go inside. He didn't want to be in the very place that had ruined his mate, scarred him beyond belief, and stolen many years of his life. How ironic was it that he owned the building. Not even the building itself, he was the successor of the very corporation that ran a dozen more labs as such.

He felt his clutch on the briefcase tightening, and the urge to handle the occasion physically, once again popped its head through the dark corners of his mind, though he managed to suppress it.

The fog of hesitation that had numbed his mind evaporated once he sensed the presence of a person standing beside him. Elias assessed the buildings for a moment longer, taking in the misery and pain that was associated with them. The terror wafting off of each pipe managed to run one last shudder through his body, giving his shoulder another push that brought him closer to the edge, before he collected himself.

Fixing his stance to a more confident one, and making sure that his poker face was intact, he calmly turned to acknowledge the person who was standing at a decent distance from him. The woman, he'd now found out, was standing tall with her arms crossed and a neutral expression hardening her sharp features.

Elias caught her eyes, though didn't speak. He wanted her to be the first to approach him so he could find out what she wanted without being suspicious. After all, he was trespassing.

The woman was clad in a navy pencil skirt with a matching blazer covering a white dress shirt. An EAD card was dangling off her neck and a lab coat was clutched in her hands.

"Delfina Pérez. The Principal Investigator of Lab 016." She said, offering him a well-kept hand.

Elias paused, though reciprocated. Pérez's hold was firm, almost domineering, and Elias could feel Adryan becoming agitated. The female beta was challenging him.

"Elias Ji-"

"I know." She interrupted him. "What are you doing here Mr. Jilani?"

Elias stalled for a moment, not feeling confident enough to let a lie slip through easily under the woman's calculating gaze, "I was sent here to inspect and report back any issues."

The woman smiled, though it was cold and almost mocking. "I don't appreciate it when people question my intelligence, so again Mr. Jilani, what are you doing here?"

Elias straightened, now feeling confident under the circumstance he was familiar with. He wouldn't let this woman walk over him, even though he was at a great disadvantage, "Ms. Perez, I advise you to watch your tone if you want to have a respectful conversation." he warned.

The woman's smile morphed into a scowl, "Mr. Jilani, I don't believe you have any place seeking respect here. After all, you're no longer a part of the Lepus Medicina crew."

Elias chuckled, "Funny how you regard respect as status.
I never brought up my family name, yet here you are threatening me with that measly little position of yours."

The woman's face hardened, turning the tips of her ears red in anger, "Please state your business here Mr. Jilani. Before I call security." She gritted out.

This time, Elias' shoulders shook with the force of his laugh, "Oh god." he breathed, "Do call security, Ms. Pérez. I'm Elias Jilani, they'll escort you out of here first before even thinking of touching me."