Sereia's POV
"Dang it," I said as I wiped my eyes.
One minute I was eating breakfast with Elliot, and the next tears were gathering in my eyes.
I don't think he noticed.
His eyes were glued to his screen as he watched his stocks increase.
We were talking about work when he asked me how my sleep was.
And I'm crying over that.
No one's ever asked me that for years.
No one's ever asked me how I'm feeling or how am I doing after my sister's death.
It's been six years.
Six years of being forgotten.
Six years of never being asked simple questions like this.
I wiped my eyes one more time before exiting the cafe's bathroom.
When I sat back down at the table, he was still engaged with his phone.
"Everything okay?"
The simple question he usually asked me always seemed like a complicated one to me.
If I were to answer honestly, I would say no.
I would say that I'm tired.
I'm tired of working so hard to be where I am. I'm tired of missing my family. I'm tired of being filled with anger and sadness when I wake up each morning.
"Of course," I smiled before drinking my mocha. "Feeling better from last night?"
I don't know how much I affected him last night, but I know I did something.
He looked up to me, seeming annoyed. "No."
So moody.
"Well, travelling does do things to your body," I comforted him.
"Mm," his grumpy self groaned before he returned his attention to his phone.
"Sir," I started. "Does the company coverage include clothes shopping?"
"This is a business trip, not a vacation, new girl," he answered.
"I know, but the event won't start for another three hours," I explained to him. "I was hoping that we could go explore the city."
He put down his phone on the table. "Again, this is not a vacation."
"You're no fun," I told him as I looked on his dress shirt.
There was a small tear on the side and I pointed to it. "Do you need me to fix that?"
He looked at me confused before looking down at it. "I didn't even notice that."
I immediately grabbed the small seeing kit I always carried in my purse and walked to his side.
He shook his head. "It's fine. I'll buy a new one."
My eyes widened. "What? It's just a small tear."
"It's fine honestly," he said. "I'll go and change when we're done."
I shook my head as I tread the needle.
He twitched a little when I placed my hand above his side and began stitching the rip.
"Keep still or I'll accidentally hurt you," I warned him and he listened.
"Were you a designer too?" he asked and I looked up at him confused.
"What?"
"To do this," he explained. "How do you know how to do this?"
I smiled. "It's a basic skill, Elliot."
I felt the need to say his name.
"Where?" he asked. "Did your school require you to know how to do it?"
"Not at all," I said trying to hold in my laugh. "Let's just say my clothes had a lot of holes when I was younger."
"I see," he said, still not comprehending why I know how to sew. "Why do you walk around with that kit?"
"For moments like these," I told him. "My sister always told me to always be prepared for anything."
He looked down on me. "I didn't know you have a sister."
I stayed quiet as I tied a knot and cut the excess thread.
"Had," I finally corrected him. "She passed."
"I'm sorry," he said as I stood up and went back to my seat.
"It's fine," I quickly shut down the conversation as I returned the kit to my bag. "You have a little brother, right?"
I remembered seeing some scandal about him when I was researching the company.
He nodded. "Yeah, I have a kid brother around the same age as you. A pain in the ass he is."
"So why don't I see him?" I asked.
"Sent him away," he shrugged. "He kept causing too much trouble over here."
I nodded. He must have caused a mess if they couldn't even bury all of the scandals.
"So I'm guessing you're not a fan of his."
"I am," he said hesitantly. "It's just that he could do better. You're the director of my company while he's running around doing nonsense. He could be better if he tried."
"Don't compare me to him," I told him.
"And why is that?" he asked. "You're a perfect example."
"Because I had to grow up faster than people my age."
He seemed intrigued. "Why?"
"Because I needed to get revenge."
He slightly smiled. "And did you get it?"
I shook my head. "Not yet, but I will soon."
He seemed to fall into deep thought as he nodded. "May I ask what the revenge is about?"
"My sister's death," I explained as I leaned back into the chair.
"I see," he said, trying to avoid hitting any of my nerves. "Ready to go? I forgot something in my room."
I nodded and we both stood up.
We began to silently walk out of the cafe before he spoke up again.
"How did your sister die?" he asked. "Murder?"
I shook my head. "Suicide."
"I should've seen the signs," I made the mistake of saying out loud. "I was so dumb and selfish that I couldn't see the signs. It's my fault."
"What?" he asked. "It's not your fault. Your sister made her own decision."
I shook my head.
He was wrong. It is my fault.
"Can we not talk about this?" I asked him when we entered the lobby.
I couldn't risk crying in front of him.
"Of course," he kindly agreed as we approached the elevator. "I'm sorry I brought it up."
I shook my head. "It's fine."
He pressed the elevator button and we waited for it to arrive.
"Oh, I forgot to thank you for repairing my shirt. I didn't know that was possible."
He pulled out his wallet and began to take out money. "Here, for your service."
I shook my head. "No, I can't accept."
"I need to repay you," he urged and I shook my head again.
"Don't worry," I assured him. "You'll repay me very soon."
He had no idea that he was the key to my revenge.
"You're an interesting one," he said as he returned his wallet to his pocket.
"And what about you?" I asked. "Are you interesting?"
The elevator doors opened.
"It depends on what kind of interesting you're talking about," he answered as we entered.
"What about in the bedroom?" I asked. "Are you interesting there, Elliot?"
He cleared his throat as he pressed our floor number. "I think we're done here."
I stepped in front of him. "I think we're just getting started."
He gulped as he looked down on me.
"Why are you doing this to me?"
"Because I want you," I told him and he sighed.
"That's not how it works," he said. "You can't just say those things to your employer."
I stepped even closer to him so that my front pressed against his.
Even though I was pretending to want him, heat flowed through my body when I felt his hardness.
"Do you want me?" I asked him knowing the obvious answer.
He opened his mouth to say something but no words managed to escape.
"You can touch me if you like," I told him as I intertwined my hands with his and slowly brought them to my thighs.
His eyes darkened as he looked down at me.
Give in already.
The elevator doors opened and he pulled away his hands from mine.
"Stop it," he snapped at me before angrily storming out.