Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - Distracting Attire, Burning Rage

The weekend had dragged on endlessly. I'd spent most of it locked in my bedroom, only venturing out when I was certain Sterling wasn't home. After that terrifying moment during our movie night—the red glow in his eyes, that animalistic growl—I couldn't face him.

Monday morning arrived with a strange mix of dread and relief. Work meant escaping the suffocating tension of the mansion, but it also meant facing Sterling in a professional setting where I couldn't simply hide behind a locked door.

I stood before my closet, deliberating longer than usual over my outfit. I finally selected a modest knee-length pencil skirt and a light blue blouse—professional, appropriate, and hopefully unremarkable enough to avoid Sterling's attention.

As I applied my makeup, footsteps approached my door. My hand froze, mascara wand hovering mid-air.

"Aurora." Sterling's voice came through the door, deceptively calm. "We need to leave in thirty minutes."

I swallowed hard. "I'll be ready."

I waited until his footsteps retreated before exhaling. Our morning commute would be the first time we'd been alone together since Saturday night. My stomach knotted with anxiety.

Twenty minutes later, I descended the stairs with my laptop bag slung over my shoulder. Sterling stood at the bottom, scrolling through his phone. He looked up as I approached, his eyes slowly traveling from my face down to my heels and back up again. The intensity of his gaze made me falter on the last step.

"That skirt is too tight," he said abruptly.

I glanced down at my perfectly normal, standard office attire. "What? No, it's not. This is professional workwear, Sterling."

His jaw tightened. "It accentuates your curves too much. Go change."

"Are you serious right now?" I couldn't keep the incredulity from my voice. "This is a regular pencil skirt. Every woman in your office wears them."

"I don't care about every woman in my office," he snapped, taking a step toward me. "I care about you parading around in clothing that makes men stare at you."

Heat flooded my cheeks—half embarrassment, half anger. "I am not 'parading around.' I'm dressing appropriately for my job."

"Change. Now." His voice dropped to that dangerous register that made my skin prickle with warning.

I considered arguing further but thought better of it. Sterling was clearly in one of his moods, and fighting would only make us late. Without another word, I turned and marched back upstairs.

In my room, I yanked open my closet and grabbed a pair of tailored black pants. They were looser than the skirt but still professional. I changed quickly, muttering curses under my breath the entire time.

When I returned downstairs, Sterling gave my outfit a curt nod of approval before opening the front door. The drive to Sterling Dynamics passed in tense silence.

"I'll see you for lunch," he said as we entered the lobby. Not a request—a statement.

"I have work to do," I replied coolly.

His eyes narrowed. "One o'clock in my office, Aurora. Don't be late."

Before I could respond, he strode away, employees parting before him like the Red Sea. I headed to my own office—strategically located right next to Sterling's, with a connecting door between them that I suspected had been his idea.

The morning passed in a blur of coding and meetings. Around eleven, I stepped out to grab coffee from the break room. When I returned, I noticed Rhys, one of the new interns, hovering near my door with a stack of reports.

"Hey, Rhys," I said with a genuine smile. He was young and eager, fresh out of college and clearly intimidated by the corporate environment. "Need something?"

His face lit up at my friendly tone. "Ms. Sterling! I have the analytics reports you requested. I finished them early and thought you might want to take a look."

"That's fantastic," I said, unlocking my office. "Come on in, and please, call me Aurora."

Rhys followed me inside, carefully setting the reports on my desk. "I added some additional visualizations that weren't in the original scope, but I thought they might help illustrate the user engagement patterns better."

I flipped through the first few pages, impressed by his initiative. "This is excellent work, Rhys. Really above and beyond."

His cheeks flushed with pride. "Thanks! I really enjoy data visualization, and—"

The connecting door flew open with such force it slammed against the wall. Sterling stood in the doorway, his expression thunderous. Rhys froze mid-sentence, his face draining of color.

"Mr. Hamilton!" he stammered. "I was just delivering the analytics reports to Ms. Sterling."

Sterling's gaze moved between us with dangerous slowness. "And why are you still here, discussing them at length instead of returning to your assigned tasks?"

"I—I was just explaining some of the additional—"

"Are you being paid to chat, Mr. Edwards?" Sterling's voice was eerily quiet. "Or are you being paid to work?"

Rhys looked like he might be sick. "To work, sir."

"Then I suggest you do exactly that before I reconsider whether we need interns who waste company time with social visits."

The implied threat hung in the air. Rhys gathered his things with shaking hands. "I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again."

As he hurried toward the door, I found my voice. "Rhys, thank you for the reports. They're excellent."

The young intern gave me a grateful glance before practically fleeing the room. When the door closed behind him, I turned on Sterling.

"What is wrong with you?" I demanded. "He was doing his job—work that I requested!"

Sterling's expression remained cold. "He was making eyes at you. I could see him from my office window."

I stared at him, incredulous. "He was not 'making eyes' at me! He's an intern excited about his first project! And even if he was, so what? I'm allowed to speak with male colleagues!"

"Not like that," Sterling growled. "Not with him looking at you like you're something to be devoured."

"The only person looking at me that way is you!" The words escaped before I could stop them.

Sterling went utterly still, his eyes darkening dangerously. "Watch yourself, Mine."

"Stop calling me that," I hissed. "I'm not yours. I'm your stepsister, and this—whatever this is—needs to stop. You're being completely irrational."

He took a step toward me, and I instinctively backed up until I hit my desk. "Irrational?" he whispered. "You think it's irrational for me to protect what's mine?"

"I am not yours," I repeated, my voice trembling despite my best efforts. "And Rhys wasn't doing anything wrong."

Sterling's eyes flashed with something primal. For a heartbeat, I thought I saw that red glow again. "You weren't brought here to make friends, Aurora. Remember that."

He turned and stalked back to his office, slamming the connecting door behind him. I sank into my chair, my legs suddenly weak.

"Why?" I called after him, frustration finally overcoming my fear. "Why do you keep treating me this way? Why don't you allow me to befriend guys? It's not right, Kes!"

The connecting door remained firmly shut. My question hung unanswered in the air, but deep down, I was beginning to understand a truth too terrifying to acknowledge—a truth about the dangerous nature of Sterling's obsession with me.