In the Rain (Prequel to Rain Again)

Chapter Seven: Cat and Mouse

Alex let a hint of a smirk slide a corner of his lips up. Finally, his mind was at peace after being able to take his revenge on this audacious woman. Luck was on his side as it also opened a way for him to make the revenge-taking process a continuing one.

He strolled back to his spyglass again and looked through it.

There — his enemy's business, The Choice, was getting bigger than his. Holy hell! They had begun to build another wing to their building, and it looked like there was going to be a mini amusement park on one of the floors of that new wing.

"Alex."

A pat on his shoulder with his name being called made him look back. It was Kim.

Alex straightened up again.

"You have no reason to be so stressed about them," Kim said.

"They are getting bigger, " Alex said sniffling, then sneezing quietly again. His nose was badly stuffed by now and he found he was beginning to feel troubled concentrating on anything.

Walking over to his chair behind the desk, he sat down and closed his eyes briefly.

"Size doesn't matter."

Alex scoffed hearing Kim. "That sounds ridiculously vulgar, Kim." Letting out a long breath, he added, "Would you please tell the new peon to bring me a coffee?"

"Sure."

Alex heard Kim leave the room.

The thief basta** was still to be caught. This issue was like a constant buzzing headache making him want to tear everything around him.

Exhaling a long breath he began rubbing his aching forehead.

His brain suddenly began forming a plan, a plan that would surely turn the steady environment of Quartz upside down. But he saw a high chance that in this way the thief basta** could finally be caught.

He heard a strong knock. It seemed like his new peon was quite annoyed. His closed eyes relaxed. 

She might become his personal stress-relieving game—a mouse he could chase. This could turn into something very positive after all, he thought a bit evilly and without much guilt since she was no saint as well. Using connections to climb the ladder of one's career was not an honorable thing to do. More unexpectable was locking horns with him so brazenly—something which no one else would dare.

Suppressing the smile on his face he said, "Come in."

Stomping footsteps approached him. But before she could reach his desk, he told her, "Close the door behind you every time you enter my office, newbie, remember it well from this day onward. I like my privacy."

She muttered something indecipherable.

Was she cursing him?

Eyes still tightly closed, he raised an eyebrow. "Did you say something?"

"It's nothing." Her gruff voice said clearly this time.

"Louder," he demanded even though he heard it clearly the first time.

"I said—it's nothing!" She bellowed, putting the coffee mug down in front of him with a loud thud. Some coffee splashed out on his desk.

This time, the smirk on his mouth might have slipped out slightly.

She was mad at getting trapped by him.

He reveled in it immensely.

Fixing his posture and expression of enjoyment that might have slipped out a bit, he straightened and brought the mug closer. "You must learn to behave if you want to keep working here. Clean the desk now, will you?" he ordered, eyeing the splattered coffee.