The Accidental Detective: Finding Her Boss

Chapter 25

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"Perhaps I haven't made myself clear: You do not own me or control my life! I can talk to whoever I want and make friends with who I want! You're not the boss of me Zayden."

Zayden's jaw clenched, he was trying his hardest not to snap at her, but she was making it impossible. "I never said I was, but I am asking you to be more careful with who you interact with and to not go around making friends with whoever smiles your way!"

"That is literally- you practically dragged me out of there, Zayden! How is that not controlling??" She threw her hands up in the air in exasperation.

"We all know if I asked you nicely you would not have listened to me," Zayden scoffed.

"And can you tell the audience why that is?"

"And what the heck is up with you letting everyone kiss you! Seriously Loriatte, you were about to kiss a stranger."

Although he was right with that last point, she refused to let him know, instead she crossed her arms and looked away from him.

Zayden's nostrils flared at the attitude in her silence, "look, I'm only trying to look out for you here, need I remind you that there are bad guys out there who want your head on a fucking platter, so you can't just go wandering around and making friends - or whatever it was you were trying to achieve with that guy - with whoever. Or did you already forget about how your stubbornness ended for your friend?"

A deathly silence fell upon them as his words settled in the air. He regretted it as soon as the words left his lips, and the heartbroken look she gave him made him want to run into a wall for being so careless with his words.

There was a line and he crossed it.

Zayden cringed, "I didn't mean-"

"It's getting late, I'm going to bed," she cut him off, "goodnight Doug, and go home." She grabbed her phone and rushed up the stairs, heading straight for her bedroom.

"It's 5pm, does she normally go to bed this early?" Doug broke the silence after the sound of the door loudly banging shut echoed throughout the entire penthouse.

"Fuck!" Zayden ran a hand through his hair that was growing out, he fell back on the sofa and exhaled sharply through his nose, guilt instantly enveloping him like a blanket.

Doug sighed and took a seat next to him. "Personally, I understand where you're coming from, but you know, girls like their space. You trying to control who she talks to will only make you the enemy here, no matter how right you are or how good your intentions are."

Zayden gave Doug an offended look, "I don't control her."

"Right, just possessive," Doug said with a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

"I'm not- what are you still doing here any way?"

"No no, don't you try and change the topic with that whole  'go home Doug' nonsense, I'm only trying to help you." Doug patted his shoulder.

"Help me by making me feel even shittier?" Zayden scoffed and raised an eyebrow, side eyeing the FBI.

"Look, she's never going to see that you're only trying to protect her if all you do is dictate her every move-"

"Her life is in danger! She has no choice but to listen to my every instruction, I'm the one responsible for her safety, and because her stubborn ass refuses to listen to me, I have no choice but to force her to stay close to me."

"Do you hear yourself? I mean I get it, but when you go about it that way, it just sounds wrong man. She is an independent human being with thoughts and feelings who would want to do her own thing, meet people and go about her life normally," Doug told him, sounding sincere- which was a very rare case for him.