Chapter 3 His Eyes

• Monday morning, she woke up early, cooked their breakfast, and went inside the bathroom to bathe herself. As the water drips down to her body, her mind travels again to the man she saw in the ABCD.
• It was just a quick encounter, but she couldn’t get her mind off of that man. “Carl,” she whispered his first name. She heaved a deep sigh and finished bathing. She entered their room and nudged Bethany to wake her up.
• “Rise in shine, sleepyhead,” she said as she wore her white blouse—well she needed to dress formally. And again, she needs to wear heels. Bethany’s killer heels.
• “Bethany, come on, wake up,” she said and slightly poked Bethany’s cheeks.
• “Hmmm… five more minutes, Athena.”
• She just shook her head and went outside the room. If she’s going to wait for her, she will be late for her appointment. As she saw on the PRIMO portal the other day, she might be there before eight. And it’s already 6:45 in the morning.
• Having luck with her, she stepped inside the building but unfortunately, she needed to pass by the guards.
• “Good day, Miss. Any appointment?” asked the guard with a beard on his face.
• She flashed a smile and stated her reason. The guard then let her in.
• But when she was about to enter the building, another woman with a pair of glasses snapped in front of her and asked her about her concerns.
• “I’m here for the internship, Ma’am,” she said, politely.
• The woman lowered down her gaze as she started to scrutinize her. “You’re Bella Mon?” the woman asked, which made her frown. Mon?
• “I—”
• “Welcome, Mr. Evans is waiting for you,” the woman cut in.
• Wait—what? She's not a Mon. Why did the woman didn’t let her finish what she was about to say? And it seemed like the four-eyed woman was in a hurry.
• “Move quickly. Mr. Evans has been waiting for you for almost fifteen minutes,” the woman said.
• Again, she was surprised, and she couldn’t even utter a word about it.
• What the hell is happening? She thought.
• They went inside the lift and the woman pressed the letter P. Why is there a letter P on the buttons?
• She never thought that the odds were in favor of her, but the woman was mistaken, and she had a conscience. She’s not the one they need.
• “Ma’am. I’m sorry—”
• “It’s okay, at least you’re here.”
• What?
• When the lift opened, they stepped out and she didn’t have the chance to explain herself until they went inside the huge room.
• “Mr. Evans is waiting for you at his office. Just walk straight into that hallway and turn left. It’s the black door,” said the woman, and pointed to the dim hallway.
• She heaved a deep sigh, this was her chance, but her conscience was eating her, she was not Bella Mon. She’s Athena Helena Johnson, for Pete’s sake.
• She looked at the woman who had just sat down at a white desk near the door. The woman then caught her eyes. “Go now, Miss.”
• She nodded and started to walk. As the woman said, she turned left, and a black door welcomed her sight. She took a deep breath before she knocked. She counted to three before she twisted the knob.
• The moment she laid her eyes inside, a pleasant scent welcomed her. She opened the door widely and went in. Her eyes roamed around the tidy and elegant place, but she couldn’t find Mr. Evans.
• She closed the door and walked closer, then she saw the desk nameplate and read aloud the name scribbled on it. “Carl Primo Evans.”
• “Yes?” said the deep, velvety, husky voice from behind.
• She turned quickly and gasped the moment her eyes landed on the Greek-God-like being, meters away from her.
• “Carl,” she whispered.
• SHE looked at the man, who was now just a meter away from her. Finally, the man she saw at the ABCD is standing right in front of her. Now, she can scrutinize him closer, and the man is way more handsome.
• She's twenty-two and overly mature. She would never say, “OMG. He is so… hot!” and fawn all over the man. She’s aloof about these things and would be more likely to say something sarcastic like, “Do you expect me to swoon because you smiled at me?” and roll her eyes.
• But she had eyes too and could describe one’s face. The man was at least six feet four inches or maybe taller, had jet-black hair, bright blue eyes, a strong jaw and a Roman nose, which made him more attractive.
• She just raised her brow when the man threw her a smile. She may be rude, but she just found it weird for someone who hides his beast in a human form. She has a strong hunch that the man standing in front of her is a vampire. She just needs more time to lure it out.
• “You’re the intern, right? You made me wait for you for almost fifteen minutes,” he said as he walked to his table. She followed his movements and stopped when the man sat on his swivel chair.
• “I hate employees who come later than me,” he added, which made her wince.
• She gasped when the man looked straight into her eyes. It sent shivers down her body. Thus, she looked away. In the first place, she’s not the one he was expecting. She’s not Bella Mon.
• “And I don’t like people who will not look at me when I am talking to them.” She closes her eyes when his words seem to throw stabs at her chest.
• ‘Calm down, Athena,’ she thought.
• She then slowly turned in his direction and tried to flash an apologetic smile, but it turned into a wince. She really can’t fake her attitude.
• “I’m not—”
• “You will be my personal assistant in the meantime. My PA took paternity leave because his wife gave birth. Are we clear?” he said, with his authoritative voice.
• “I’m sorry, Sir, but I’m not—”
• The man stood up and never let her finish what she was going to say. And she’s now trying to control herself.
• “Follow me.”
• The man then exited the room and she followed. She stumped her feet as she followed him. God, what has she done? Why the hell did she think about doing such things? Again, the answer is… because of her curiosity.
• The man presses the button on the elevator and puts his hands inside his pockets. He looked at her and she then looked up. Geez, she’s five feet eight inches tall but the man is taller than her and it seems like she will break her neck when she looks up much longer.
• “You have a bad temper, young lady,” he said, and went inside.
• She frowned. What? She shook her head and stepped inside the elevator and stood on his right side.
• “I’m not that young, Sir.”
• “You’re younger compared to me,” he replied, but never looked down.
• She just shut her mouth and never talked again and was afraid that she might lose her temper. Well, she grew up a badass girl, even though she was raised inside a convent. She doesn’t know but she has this instinct that she will have a horrible temper when she dislikes the person.
• Do you dislike your new boss? she asked inside her mind.
• No one dared to talk again until they reached the lobby. As much as she wanted to ask questions, like where are they going? She just held herself.
• They’re near the entrance and about to go out when a woman with blonde hair and has paint on her face—she used to call makeup as paints, she also hates it… approaches them.
• “Good morning, Sir.” The girl greeted him.
• She then looked at the man’s reaction. But she never recognizes any emotion in it. Even when the man threw a smile at her the moment, he first saw her, it was just a plain one. And his eyes, they seem like they’re drowning you.
• “I’m Bella Mon, I’m the intern—”
• She gasped when the man looked at her. “I… I told you, I’m not the one you were expecting, but you didn’t let me finish the talking,” she said.
• The man kept his gaze at her. If it’s a different person, they may feel unease, but it’s Athena, and she doesn’t care if the man will stare at her all day. If only he had not been the boss, she might have raised her brow. But she still knew how to give respect and just remain calm.
• “Then who are you?” he finally asked.
• She met his eyes. “I’m Athena Johnson.”
• “And what are you doing at my company?”
• Don’t roll your eyes. She warned herself. She flashed a smile. “I’m here to apply for the internship—”
• “Then you’re hired.”
• “Hey,” the woman named Bella appealed and she even held the man’s arm. Carl never breaks his gaze on her. But she saw how the man disjunct the woman’s grip in a swift way.
• “I hate people who come late. I value time. Follow me,” he said, but still looking at me. I gulped and nodded.
• Why does he seem scared now?
• THEY are inside Carl’s car and they’re traveling to where she doesn’t know. The silence inside can be deafening. So, she just pulls out her favorite vampire book from her bag and started to read. She always brings it to her wherever she goes. It’s the book her aunt Alice gave her when she was just eight. From the cover to its pages, the tint of being old was visible. But she managed to take good care of it for a long time. No torn pages, just those stains and, of course, its smell changes.
• “Vampire.” Finally, the man beside her spoke but her eyes remained on the book.
• “You believe in their existence, do you?”
• She closes the book and glances at him before she darts her eyes at the wide road in front. “Sort of, I love them, but at the same time, I hate them.”
• The man scoffed. “Really? What’s the book all about?” he asked, and it was the first time he had thrown out an expression like that. She took a glimpse into his eyes and it was still deep.
• “Vampires are beasts who fake human form and drink human blood,” she replied.
• Through her peripheral vision, the man’s gripped tightly on the steering wheel. His veins in his hands became more visible.
• ‘Is he affected? Was my hunch, right?’ she thought.
• She pulled out her clip from her hair and did the dumbest thing, she willfully pierced its sharp edge on her index finger.
• “The hell,” she cursed, pretending to be hurt, and held his finger and pressed it, so the point of blood came out.
• The man stepped on the car’s brake, forcedly, which made her body move inward. Good thing she wore the seatbelt.
• Her eyes remained on her finger and staring at the blood coming from it. And slowly, she looked at him. The man’s eyes remained in front as his grip was on the steering wheel. She gasped when she saw the man’s eyes flicker—from blue to red. And he closes his eyes before looking at her.
• “Are you insane?” he asked out loud.
• She put on a dull face, still pretending to her drama. “I didn’t mean to—”
• “Get out of the car!”
• She was taken aback when he shouted, and she immediately got out of the car.
• At that moment, she realizes something. He’s no ordinary human, and she was sure of that. That flicker was the evidence.