Chapter 6; What's in it for me

"Ms. Red, I am so sorry! I didn't know you would come today," he said apologetically as he approached her. "Come on, let's go in," he added, ushering her inside. Alexia couldn’t have been happier.

"But, sir, she didn’t have an appointment," the receptionist said hesitantly.

"And whose problem is that?" he snapped. "Listen, Miss Re— I mean, Miss Alexia here was personally given a contact card by the boss himself. Instead of humiliating her, you should’ve called the CEO's desk to confirm if she should be let in. Such an attitude isn’t professional at all," he lectured, and Dollie, the receptionist, felt her job hanging by a thread. Just who was this girl?

She looked so ordinary, yet both Ezekiel and Tyler knew and respected her. Dollie began to cry and begged Alexia for forgiveness.

"It’s okay," Alexia said gently, "but please, don’t hurt anyone again. You have no idea who they might turn out to be. Hurtful words can ruin someone’s self-esteem and confidence."

With that, she and Tyler headed to the top floor, leaving Dollie feeling ashamed. To be honest, the girl was actually beautiful, and jealousy had clouded her judgment. She didn’t mean for things to escalate this far.

Thankfully, Ezekiel was out of the conference room when Alexia and Tyler walked in. Alexia gasped at the sight of him. No, he didn’t look like the demigod she’d seen yesterday, but this look was just as breathtaking. He exuded the aura of a mighty, sophisticated, and stoic CEO. And she liked this side of him, too.

Wait, what am I thinking? Pull yourself together, Alexia, she scolded herself.

"Zeke," Tyler called out to the man whose attention was glued to his laptop, completely oblivious to their presence.

Ezekiel raised his head and froze for a moment at the sight of the red figure in front of him. Her red crop top accentuated her beauty, and her trousers highlighted her curves. This cute lamb was somehow both innocent and alluring at the same time.

"Mr. Xiao, I’m here for my reply," Alexia said politely.

"Hmm... Mr. Xiao? Since when did you become polite? Weren’t you the one screaming at me last night?" he teased with a chilling smile, though his eyes flashed something unreadable for a moment.

"I was angry yesterday, so I couldn’t speak politely. Now that I’m calm, I’d like my reply, please." She said matter of fact.

"And what’s in it for me?" he asked, leaning back in his chair.

Alexia fell silent. "Surely, Little Red, you couldn’t have thought I would just agree without any benefits, right?"

It was true—she hadn’t thought of that. Wait... Little Red? It sounded like something from a cartoon. But who cared? She was too busy racking her brain. What could a CEO with everything at his beck and call possibly want from me? she wondered. Then, suddenly, the most absurd idea came to mind, shocking both her and Ezekiel.

"I’ll live with you," she blurted out.