She Had A Lover
1141 Words
Mallory, fully ready for work and her kids for school, emerged from the house with them to find Ronan out there, standing beside his car.
"Good morning, uncle Ronan," Cassius and Lyra chorused happily.
"Hey... look at these cute pumpkins," Ronan leaned over, enough to tousle their hairs with his fingers.
They giggled.
"Hi." Mallory tucked some strands of hair behind her ear. "Seems you're getting fond of coming over without informing me lately," she added a subtle chuckle.
Ronan smiled. "Let's just say I wanted to surprise you. And I'm glad it worked."
Straightening up, he reached for the children's backpacks.
"Come on. I'm here to give y'all a ride." He winked at the kids, smiled at Mallory before turning towards the car.
Happily, the kids ran after him.
***
Ronan dropped Cassius and Lyra off at school before heading to Mallory's workplace.
The drive was boring at first as Ronan had been too busy, making and receiving calls. At some point, Mallory was scared he might get them into an accident.
"You had a new CEO at the office yesterday, right?" Ronan asked when he was free of his phone, causing Mallory to c**k her head at him.
"Yeah. How did you..." she stopped her question, realizing it was pointless.
News like that tend to fly freely in the business world.
Looking at Ronan as he focused his gaze on the road, she noticed there was no smile or warmth in his face.
"So, um.... have you gotten to spend time with him? Speak with him?" He was a little uneasy as he asked. Mallory noticed from the way his hand went up and down the steering, and his eyes danced on his side of the window.
She became a little curious. Why was he asking that?
"Well... I'm his P.A." She scoffed.
Ronan snapped his head at her, his eyes rimming with red and scaring the s**t out of Mallory. She recoiled with her brows knitted in confusion. What in God's name was that reaction?
"What did you just say?" He asked in a tone that seemed too serious. His gaze was more on her than on the road. It got Mallory worried.
"I... I don't understand. Is something wrong with it?" She was honestly confused.
"Weren't you the P.A to.. what was it again? Arlo? How the hell are you Wilder's P.A?"
"Well, I was retained to the CEO's position. And I thought that should be a great idea because..."
"Well, it's not!" Ronan screeched to an abrupt halt by the side of the road.
It was so sudden, Mallory's head would've bounced against the dashboard if she didn't have her seatbelt on.
A gasp slipped her throat as she looked at Ronan with a mix of fear and shock.
"It's NOT something to be happy about, Mal," he said between clenched teeth. "I do not want you being around that guy. I do not want you around them!"
Mallory was dumbstruck. Now it was obvious he had some kind of history with Wilder. But what could it be? Could whatever knowledge he had be of help to her?
Unfortunately, she couldn't tell him who Wilder was to her. Because from the look of things, he hated him.
Ronan exhaled deeply while brushing his fingers into his hair. Mallory's heart thumped heavily in her chest. He was trying so hard to control his temper. And that wasn't a good sign.
"Listen," he placed his hands on the steering. "I need you away from those people. You need to quit your job and stay away from them."
Mallory was flustered. "But why? What's going on between you and them, Ronan?"
"Because they're bad! And they're evil! I don't want you around them, Mal!"
"B...But you can't just tell me to quit my job. I had that job before I met you, and I can't let it go simply because you want me to."
"Have you lost your mind?" Those were the last words she heard before they were silenced by the echo of a slap against her cheek.
It was so hard, it whipped her head to the side and sent shockwaves through her body. Her skin burnt from its sting.
Reflexively, her hand went up to her face, holding the side of her cheek that'd had been struck.
Anger and hurt vibrated through her, but she didn't have the guts to look Ronan in the face.
"You'll quit because I want you to, Mallory. And you have no damn right to argue it out with me!" He snarled.
Mallory's lower lip trembled, she had to bit her inner cheek to stop it. Sniffling, she lowered her hand from her face and kept her gaze on the windscreen.
"Please, let me out," she said with a straight face.
Ronan grew cold instantly. The gravity of his offense washed over him, he pinched his eyelids shut.
Taking a deep breath, he turned on the ignition of the car and resumed driving.
Mallory looked sternly at him, but he didn't spare her a glance. Badly, she wanted to yell at him and tell him to stop. But God! The guts she didn't have.
So, she looked away, seething with rage.
***
Silence existed between them the entire time until they drove through the gates of the company. Mallory tried alighting from the car but noticed she couldn't open the door.
She looked at Ronan as he stepped out from his own side and walked round to open the door for her. The child lock had been on, and that was because he wanted to be the one to get the door when they arrived.
Grabbing her bag, she vacated the car and was about leaving when Ronan gently held her wrist, making her halt.
It wasn't noticeable to anyone around, tho. But Mallory didn't want to remain in that position with him.
Standing barely an inch apart from her, Ronan lifted his hand to her face and ran a finger along her cheek. Mallory didn't like the fact that he was doing that in public.
"I'm sorry, okay?" He cooed. "I really am."
She said nothing. Didn't even look him in the face.
"Could you...skip work for today?" He asked softly.
Mallory took a retreating step from him.
"I have to go," she mumbled and walked out on him.
....
Wilder watched from the large window in his office with the file in his hand.
His attention had been gripped by his P.A coming out of a car which had been opened by a man. For a reason he couldn't explain, he was glued to it.
At first, he wondered who the man was. But it became obvious when he put his hand on her.
Hm. So, his P.A had a lover. But why did that man seem so familiar?
- Writer
