Twisted Love

Chapter 1

"Woke up on the right side of the bed...."

Arghh... I reached for my phone on the bedside table and dismissed the alarm. Glancing at the clock, I noticed it was already 7:00 A.M.

"Why can't I be a morning person?" I pondered to myself.

Reluctantly, I got up from the bed and made my way to the washroom to freshen up. After a quick shower, I returned to my room and began dressing up. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I admired my long hair cascading down. It was just the way I liked it. With average height and big brown eyes, I felt satisfied with my appearance. I hurried downstairs, ready to start the day.

"Good morning, Mom and Dad," I greeted my parents cheerfully.

"Good morning, sweetheart," my mom replied, and my dad smiled in response.

"Sit down and have some breakfast, Elena," Mom offered.

"Sorry, Mom, but I'm running late. I'll catch up with you later," I grabbed an apple, kissed them both, and rushed out of the house.

Unlocking my car, I started driving towards my office, which was only a few minutes away.

"Good morning, Elena!" my friend Alice greeted me with a warm smile as soon as I entered the office.

Alice was my closest friend here and in my life.

"Morning, Ali. Sorry, but I'll catch up with you later. I have a meeting to attend, and I'm already behind schedule," I hurriedly explained, not giving her a chance to respond. I was sure she must be laughing at me. Huh.

Once I reached the conference room, I took a long, deep breath and opened the door.

As expected, everyone turned around to see who had just arrived.

'Well, hello, Bad Luck!' I thought sarcastically, rolling my eyes. Why did everyone have to stare at me like that? I hadn't stolen anything.

Then my gaze fell on my boss, who stood at the front, piercing me with his blue-grey eyes.

"You're late, Miss Edwards," he said, interrupting my train of thought.

"I'm sorry, I..." I began, but he didn't let me finish my sentence.

"Take your seat," he ordered, and I complied, finding a place among my colleagues. He resumed speaking.

"Tomorrow, our new clients from Mexico will be here to discuss a new project. I want everything to be prepared today. I need to review it before we present it to the clients. Elena," he looked directly at me.

"Yes?" I raised my eyebrows, curious.

"You need to be present tomorrow to converse with them in Spanish. Although they'll have a translator, your presence is important," he informed me.

"Okay," I replied, nodding.

"Now, everyone, get back to work."

As everyone began to disperse, I was about to leave when Mason called me.

"Yes?" I asked once everyone else had gone.

"Late as always, huh?" he smirked.

He walked over and stood in front of me, revealing his true colors.

"I... umm..." I bit my lip, trying to come up with an excuse, but he interrupted me.

"You got up late," he stated, not even bothering to ask.

"No, I..." I began to protest.

"Come on, Elena. I still remember that you're not a morning person," he said with a hint of mockery.

Yes, you do, I thought, rolling my eyes.

Some time ago, Mason, now my boss, used to be my classmate back in college. We never really spoke to each other back then. He was a complete jerk, a spoiled brat from a wealthy family, always surrounded by girls. He played football, and the teachers turned a blind eye to his misbehavior due to his father's generous donations to the college. A few months ago, when I joined this company, I had no idea it was "his" company. His grandfather used to be the boss at that time, and he was genuinely nice. However, for the past month, his grandfather had stopped coming to the office, not due to retirement but to take a break. Later, he introduced his grandson, Mason Anderson, as our new boss. I was completely taken aback when I saw him. When our eyes met, he smirked at me. Though we didn't interact much before, we were aware of each other's presence.

"Whatever. Can I leave now?" I said, growing impatient.

"I'm your boss, Elena. Show some respect when you talk to me," he said, his tone laced with amusement, which only annoyed me more.

I narrowed my eyes at him and replied sarcastically, "If you're done now, may I leave, 'Boss'?" I emphasized the word boss.

"See, it wasn't that difficult, and yes, you can go now. But remember, be on time tomorrow. The meeting starts at 10:00," he warned.

"Yes, boss. I will be there on time," I retorted, and with that, I left the room. What an idiot.

I didn't see his face, but I was pretty sure there was a smirk on it. Jerk.