The Truth

Ch.16: Angel

Looking at Angelica, somehow, it really calmed me down. Her trembling expression was...cute? No, more like a mouse caught in a trap, but that was all. At least, that's what I told myself. I didn't even know why I'd called her in, to begin with.

I had already fixed the reports. The truth was, I was just angry. Furious, actually, at the absurdity of Alessia's brother, Kevin, blowing 20 million dollars on a pair of shoes. Who the hell does that? And maybe, just maybe, I'd taken it out on Angelica, wanting to see how she'd react.

"You are a devil," she spat out, her eyes burning with defiance as she tried to walk past me.

Without thinking, I grabbed her wrist, pulling her back and spinning her around to face me.

"And what makes you think you're an angel?" I shot back, my voice dripping with mockery.

She glared at me, clearly frustrated, but there was something else in her eyes-something that made me pause for a split second. I felt the words slip out before I could even register them. "My Angel doesn't exactly have wings, does she?"

Angelica blinked, taken aback, and for a moment, so was I. Did I just call her Angel?

"What did you just say?" she asked, her tone a mixture of confusion and irritation.

"Nothing," I snapped, releasing her wrist a bit too quickly, as if I could erase the words by letting go. "I said, what makes you think you're an angel?"

She didn't let it go, of course. Angelica was nothing if not persistent. "No, you didn't. You said 'Angel.'"

"I did not," I lied, my voice firmer than it had any right to be. I turned away, trying to regain my composure. "You must be hearing things."

She scoffed, clearly not buying it. "I'm not deaf, you know."

"Could've fooled me," I muttered under my breath, hoping to deflect her attention.

"Seriously, what is your problem?" she demanded, stepping closer, her eyes narrowing. "You call me in here, throw some ridiculous accusation at me, and now you're pretending like you didn't just say something completely out of line."

"My problem," I said, turning back to face her, "is that you can't seem to do your job without getting under my skin."

"Under your skin?" she repeated, incredulous. "You're the one who's always breathing down my neck, treating me like some...some pet."

"Maybe if you acted like a professional, I wouldn't have to," I shot back, but the words felt hollow even as I said them. The truth was, I didn't know why she got under my skin, but she did. And it frustrated the hell out of me.

Angelica crossed her arms, looking up at me with that stubborn fire in her eyes. "You're impossible."

"And you're insufferable," I retorted, though there was no real venom in my voice.

The tension between us crackled, the air thick with unspoken words and unresolved emotions. I should've walked away, but instead, I found myself standing there, staring at her like some fool who couldn't figure out what the hell he was doing.

She looked like she was about to say something else, but then her expression softened, just a fraction, and she sighed. "You know what? Forget it. I don't have time for your games."

She turned to leave again, and for reasons I couldn't quite explain, I found myself reaching out to stop her once more. "Angelica-"

She froze, glancing over her shoulder with a wary look. "What now?"

I hesitated, the words caught in my throat. What What did I want to say? "Just...don't let Alessia get to you."

Her eyebrows shot up, clearly not expecting that. "Why do you care?"

"I don't," I replied quickly, too quickly. "But if you're going to survive in this house, you need to be smarter."

She tilted her head, studying me like she was trying to figure out some complicated puzzle. "Smarter, huh? Like playing mind games with your staff?"

"Exactly," I said, my tone deliberately cold. "Just remember, Angel, this isn't a playground. It's a battlefield."

"Stop calling me that," she said, though there was a slight flush in her cheeks that I couldn't ignore.

"Stop getting under my skin," I countered, a hint of a smirk tugging at the corner of my mouth.

She rolled her eyes, finally pulling free of my grasp. "You're impossible," she repeated, but this time there was a faint frown at her face as she walked away, leaving me standing there, wondering just what the hell had happened between us.