CHAPTER NINE
Charles
Her presence in my office has become more than a nuisance. It's a disturbance, a ripple in the calm waters I've carefully constructed over the years. Selene does not yet understand her effect, nor do I think she's capable of comprehending it fully. And that ignorance, more than anything, vexes me.
It began this morning when she walked into the office with that top. It was something simple, understated even. Yet, when she bent slightly over the table, her blouse shifted just enough for me to catch a glimpse of her cleavage. Just a fraction of skin, but it was more than enough. I'm a man, after all. The reaction was immediate, and frankly, inconvenient. My body stirred against my will, blood surging south as my trousers grew uncomfortably tight.
I shifted in my seat, sliding my chair forward under the desk, hoping it would mask the evidence. With a deliberate movement, I reached down, adjusting myself discreetly so I wouldn't walk around the office with an obvious imprint. I've never been one to parade my desires openly, and Selene, of all people, did not need to see what she had done. Not that she noticed. She never notices. And that, I think, is part of the problem.
It's the innocence in her, or perhaps the oblivion, that unsettles me. Seeing her breasts—her soft, pale skin exposed—stirred something in me I had no intention of feeding. And it wasn't just desire. No, it was anger. Anger that she could have this effect on me, that she remained so unaware of the danger she invited. She walks through life untouched by the darker aspects of it. By men like me. Men who, if they weren't in control, could devour her without remorse.
I don't want her hurt.
The thought was ridiculous, but there it was, persistent. Selene is... fragile. Too fragile for this world, too fragile for this office, too fragile for me. Yet, despite that, she continues to brave the storm. Today, for instance, she was different. There was a new edge to her posture, a bolder tone to her voice when she spoke to others. She's learning to stand taller, becoming something more than the meek, timid girl who first walked into Stones Technology. I should feel satisfied by that; after all, I've been grooming her, pushing her beyond her limits. Instead, I found myself torn between approval and irritation.
Yes, I was impressed. Her newfound bravery—her willingness to push back—was a welcome change, one I had anticipated. But it wouldn't last. Selene doesn't know yet what she's up against, what it means to stand toe-to-toe with someone like me. Brave or not, she will break. And when she does, I'll be there. I'll be the one to pick up the pieces, to mould her into something stronger, something sharper. But first, she has to shatter.
For now, I let her have this small victory. There's no harm in it. She's still unaware of how close she is to the edge.
The sudden vibration of my phone on the desk pulled me from my thoughts. I picked it up, glancing at the screen. Iris. My thumb hovered over the message for a moment before I opened it. A sense of unease washed over me—uncharacteristic, given my nature. I don't get rattled. Control is my currency, and I wield it with precision. But this message... something about it unsettled me.
I glanced around my office, then back at the phone, staring at her name. Even before I opened the message, a heavy weight settled in my chest. Iris had always known how to push buttons I'd rather remain untouched. The thought of her, of what she wanted from me now, dragged at me, stirring memories best left forgotten.
Still, I opened the message.
*"Charles, we need to talk. It's time."*
A simple statement, yet it hit harder than I expected. 'It's time.' Time for what? Time to revisit the past? Time to open doors that should have remained shut?
I closed my phone, shoving it into my pocket with more force than necessary. The discomfort in my trousers was gone, replaced by the annoyance her message sparked. Damn her. And damn her timing. She always knew when to strike, knew when I was most vulnerable. Yet, what disturbed me more was how deeply it affected me. Unsettling me wasn't easy. But Iris had a way of doing it, a way of making me question things I'd long since buried.
I rose from my desk, calling it a day far earlier than I normally would. No one questioned it. They wouldn't dare. I made my way out of the office, exchanging brief nods with a few staff members as I passed by. None of them would guess the storm brewing beneath my composed exterior. Not Selene. Not even Iris.
Home was a welcome sanctuary. As I stepped through the door, I was greeted by the familiar padding of paws rushing toward me. Zungy and Enzol, my loyal companions, circled around my legs, tails wagging with the eagerness only animals possess. They were grounding, a stark contrast to the chaos that had started to stir within me.
I crouched down, running my hands through their fur, feeling their warmth, their unconditional loyalty. For a moment, I allowed myself to breathe. But it didn't last long. Iris' message had reopened old wounds, ones I wasn't keen on examining. She wanted to take me back—back to a time before I had hardened, back to a place where emotions had once ruled me. She had always been adept at that, at knowing when to pull me in.
Her message was a clear invitation to relive the past. And for the first time in years, I felt the memories attempting to creep in. The nights, the long conversations, the promises... they tugged at me. But as I sat there, stroking the soft fur of my dogs, something shifted. The pull wasn't as strong as it used to be. The memories weren't as sharp, as biting. It wasn't as hard to fight them off as it once was.
I thought about why, and the answer came quicker than I expected.
Selene.
That woman was an enigma, a puzzle I had yet to solve. There was something about her—something that made the past easier to ignore. It wasn't that she was a distraction, though that certainly played a role. No, it was more than that. Selene had, unknowingly, managed to wrap herself around my mind in ways that no one had before. Her existence, her presence, quieted the noise that Iris' message had stirred.
A five-foot-two, black-haired girl with two mismatched eyes. That's all she was. And yet, it felt like more. It was her quiet strength, her fragility combined with an oblivious boldness that made me pay attention. She didn't belong in my world, and yet, here she was. Intruding, invading, comforting.
I shook my head, standing up from where I had been crouching. Zungy and Enzol padded after me as I made my way upstairs, their paws soft against the floor. Selene's face lingered in my mind, her image more persistent than the memories Iris had tried to evoke. Strange. I didn't expect that. I didn't expect her to have this kind of hold on me.
As I prepared for bed, my thoughts circled back to her. Iris, for all her attempts to drag me into the past, had lost her grip on me. It was Selene's presence, her unintentional comfort, that guided me through the night. It was her image—small, fragile, yet somehow resilient—that I took with me as I lay down, letting the weight of the day finally slip away.
Selene. A name that shouldn't mean anything, and yet it did.
The thought of her stayed with me as I closed my eyes, her image soothing me in a way I didn't fully understand.
And for the first time in a long while, I slept with ease.