Please don't chase me

Doom

Yana couldn't believe her ears. He admitted it so easily. Most of all, he was too close. It felt weird having him so near to her, being able to smell his fresh scent, feel his hot breath, and it finally settled in, that indeed, his presence was gracing her life again.

Despite this overwhelming force of his, Yana remained unfazed and glared at him. She opened her mouth only to be interrupted, "What? You aren't going to sacrifice yourself to help the kids? I should've known what a really shameless person you are. Didn't I tell you before that I hate people who pretend to be good the most?"

Yana wanted him to be the bad guy, so he was going to play this role for now. However, Luka couldn't help but narrow his eyes as he stared at Yana's red lips moving and her fierce eyes that didn't accept the loss of this fight. She seemed like a tiger cub baring its fangs when in truth she was just a little fluff in other people's eyes.

Luka's words pricked Yana. The terms might be unfavourable for her but for everyone else, it was the best option possible. The children deserved a better place to live in and the staff deserved a raise. Yana briefly closed her eyes and exhaled. She had to swallow her pride, "Alright."

Luka's smirk deepened and Yana instantly regretted it but to her relief, he pulled away and gave her a pen, then from the top of the staple he took a few papers, "There's a contract, sign it and we have a deal."

"You... planned it," Yana couldn't believe he already prepared everything beforehand.

"Did I?" yet he was playing dumb. He was playing the reversal card on her.

This Luka, Yana didn't like at all. He should just revert back to the bookworm he was before and leave her alone.

"Don't look so angry," he even had the guts to make fun of her.

He has really changed as a person but then again so has she, "I'll put you in charge."

"In charge of what?" Yana's voice was filled with suspicion.

"Of the project."

"What project?"

"Are you doing it on purpose? I can play this game all you want," Luka slyly smiled and Yana grimaced, ''Of what?"

"The remodelling project."

"Shouldn't you or someone from your company do it?"

"There'll be people working on it but it'll be better to have someone internally to give their two cents," Luka looked at Yana and his eyes curved. Yana froze before her eyes widened. This jerk!

"You really want to make my life hell!"

"How come?"

"Don't fucking play dumb. An outsider like me should work with experienced people on the project? No, even take the lead? You're pitting me against everyone to be hated and trashed!"

"You're skilled, aren't you? You've studied economics," now this bastard was even mocking her.

"This and that have nothing to do with each other!"

Luka finally stopped his teasing and approached Yana again. He was a head taller than her, so he matched her height before saying playfully, "Good luck. In a few days, some external managers will come. It's good if you can successfully lead this project."

Yana's eyes twitched as Luka left her alone in the room boiling her head to a pot of sour tea. It wasn't even people from his company but from another one! It was clear that they would mercilessly tear a newbie like her down. Luka literally threw her to the dogs.

He really wanted to make her suffer. In the first place, a remodelling project? Shouldn't they just renovate the orphanage? What did Luka plan? Just what should the orphanage become that even managers from other companies were involved?

"Damn," Yana cursed.

Usually, she had an amicable personality but Luka literally made her want to feed that personality to the gorillas, so they can spit it out and present Yana with a new one.

She'd be ripped apart during the project! There was no way seasoned company employees would listen to a little girl working in an orphanage!

This was just ridiculous! She wouldn't be able to survive for even a second! This damned-

Taking a deep breath, Yana calmed down. She had to prove herself. To prepare and be ready to shove the success down Luka's dry throat.

***

"And that's how I got into this mess," Yana sighed as she told Seli, Melinda and Carol briefly about what happened.

"That cheeky brat thinks he can do whatever he wants just because he's rich?" Melinda scoffed and then patted Yana's shoulder, "Don't worry dear, we'll help you if he does anything to you!"

"Thanks, Mel," Yana rubbed her temples. Melinda meant it good but how useful would it be?

"Ah, such a shame. Seems like it's true. Handsome CEOs are always devils," then there was Seli who secretly dreamed every girl's Cinderella story, wishing to be able to be the poor girl the CEO falls for.

On the other hand, Yana still couldn't believe Luka was a CEO. It just didn't suit him at all. Even though his prior cold behaviour would intimate everyone in his company, Luka as a CEO? The sky should first dissolve in acid before Yana would accept something as ridiculous as that!

Carol was the only one who kept quiet until now. She just sat there without moving and stared holes into the air.

Then with an "Ok," her only remark, she stood up and left the office.

"Ah, Carol's unfazed like always," Seli sighed and started to twist the discussion into a whole new direction. Eagerly chatting with Melinda about the romance dramas, she even put Luka into a category.

But Yana could see it clearly. The expression Carol wore. It was full of displeasure. If Yana guessed it right, Carol didn't seem happy about this. But why?

What was she displeased about? This whole ordeal in general? Or that Yana was in charge of the project? Which was it? Yana suddenly got a bad feeling that things definitely wouldn't go smoothly from now on.

And her suspicions were affirmed. The next day, Luka called the orphanage and told Yana, "Tomorrow, there'll be a meeting at the company. Come here at 1 o'clock sharp. Someone will pick you up."

Yana forgot that the meeting would take place in the company. A place she definitely didn't belong to. Doom already loomed.