No need to panic ... I guess

Mr. Jones had been exceedingly considerate over the weekend. Even if he made attempts to sleep with me from time to time, he always respected it if I didn't want to. I was very surprised at that, since he seemed to be quite stubborn and brusque at first.

But maybe it was just his kind of apology for stealing my virginity without knowing.

However I don't think that was a typical behavior on his part. He wasn't the type of person to apologize at all. He was more the type of person who didn't owe anyone righteousness. At least he probably thought so of himself.

It was strange.

He seemed to enjoy my presence somehow. Like he's grateful that i'm just hanging out with him. And his behavior didn't look fake at all.

I wondered if it was because of his extreme pheromones that he was probably always alone. Almost no one could stand to be near him for long. And injecting suppressants all the time wasn't a solution in the long run either. Suppressing your pheromones too much for a long time could eventually lead to severe health problems after all.

I had the feeling that his rough manner was just a facade he was trying to protect himself with. That he was trying to protect himself from being emotionally hurt.

It would probably be a bad feeling if you liked someone so much, but that someone couldn't stand being around you for long. And the other one would feel guilty about it too. It would certainly be very hurtful.

But maybe I was just imagining it. I didn't really know him after all.

Well, we already had sex and spent the weekend together. But in general I have only known Mr. Jones personally for like five days. It all happened so damn fast.

There was certainly a lot I didn't know about him.

While we got along well in some ways, our relationship hadn't progressed to the point where we fully revealed our dark pasts to each other.

Also, I didn't think of Mr. Jones as the type of person who just voluntarily liked to talk about his past. He seemed to me like the type of person who kept everything to himself in order to appear strong in front of the others. Like someone who didn't have any weaknesses.

But there was no such person. Everyone had their personal weaknesses. Everyone had their own battle to fight. Even if it sometimes doesn't seem like it from the outside.

"Hey, you were one of the candidates who applied for the job of Mr. Jones' assistant, weren't you? Then you got the job!Congratulations!" A bright voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

I looked up from my plate. Somehow I had completely forgotten that I was still sitting in my company's cafeteria. I hadn't touched a bite of my food.

In front of me was a woman with a light brown bun and a petite figure. She gave me a friendly smile while her brown eyes studied me behind the thick lenses of her glasses.

I knew her from somewhere. Actually I had seen her many times before.

"Ah, the acorn Lady." I acknowledged her. She was the woman who always greeted the people in the foyer.

"A-acorn?" She repeated with a questioning expression on her face.

I widened my eyes in shock. Did I just say that out loud? I cleared my throat out of embarrassment.

"I'm Nora Saintclaire. It's nice to meet you." I said hastily and held out my hand in greeting, which she took with a warm smile.

"I'm Dianne Edmund. M-may I sit down?"

"Sure." I said shortly and then devoted myself to my already cold food.

I still had a quarter of an hour left from my lunch break.

But Mr. Jones could call me back to work at any second. I should at least eat something so I don't pass out afterwards. I'd already skipped breakfast because I overslept and didn't want to risk Mr. Jones throwing another of his unfounded fits of jealousy.

"And how is it?" The acorn - Miss Edmund asked me with an interested expression.

I looked up at her questioningly.

"What do you mean? My work?" I asked to make sure what exactly she meant.

"Yeah, well, no... I mean what's it like working with Mr. Jones?" She phrased her question differently.

"I get along with him reasonably well. At work, we actually work well together as a team."

"And outside of work?" She asked curiously.

I almost choked on my food.

"What?"

"Ah I'm sorry. Such a question is probably too personal. It's just that you smell like him very intensely."

"Well, we work pretty closely together. It can sometimes happen that after a while you take on the smell of the other person. And Mr. Jones fragrance in particular is a very extreme one." I tried to explain. My lie came surprisingly smoothly over my lips.

"You're right. His scent is really strong. Even I as a Beta can perceive it more than clearly. Even I would like to flee on the spot, when he just walks past me in the hallway. For you as an Alpha it must be even harder, you poor thing." She pitied me.

"It's not that bad once you get used to it. In addition, the position pays well." I explained.

"Oh, is that it, Miss Saintclaire? I didn't know it was so awful being around me." I suddenly heard a harsh voice behind me.

My blood froze in my veins immediately.

Miss Edmund just sat there stiff with fear. Like a deer that has stopped in fear of the headlights of an approaching car.

"Mr. Jones, what are you doing here? you don't usually eat here in the canteen, do you?" I tried to play innocent and change the subject as quickly as possible.

"I came to pick you up for a business meeting. It starts in five minutes. So if you'll excuse us, Miss..." He cocked his head slightly with a questioning expression, presumably not remembering the name of my counterpart.

"… E-edmund. A-and sure. You two probably have more important things to do." Miss Edmund stuttered.

"Indeed. We have." He said dangerously with a light smirk. All the blood drained from my face, as he spoke.

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me to my feet against my will. Then he pulled me with him surprisingly quickly, so I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye properly to Miss Edmund.

"What did the receptionist want from you?" He asked visibly pissed off, while we walked down the hall together and all the other employees literally jumped out of the way.

Mr. Jones pheromones and his aura seemed to speak volumes.

"She wanted to know if I had settled in well here. I think she was just curious and wanted to be friendly." I tried to tell him.

"She asked you about me, am I right?" He said angrily.

"Yes. is that a problem?"

"Some of my employees are keen to start new rumors about me. The scarier and terrifying the better. That's why I always keep a certain distance from them. And I want you to do the same." He explained, still clearly annoyed, when we got into the elevator and he pushed the button for the top floor - his office.

"Didn't you say we had a meeting? why don't we go to the meeting room?" I asked confused.

"Do you really think there are meetings during the lunch break?" He asked with a sneaky grin that startled me for a second. Nevertheless, I composed myself quickly.

"You are a workhorse. With you everything is possible." I said indignantly and crossed my arms in front of my chest.

"You are right. With me everything is possible." He emphasized with a dirty grin as he began to loosen his tie.

Suddenly I became aware of what would now await me on the top floor in his office.