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CHAPTER 24
At once, Damien knew who the culprit of his current predicament was—Raphael.
Not that he minded now, everything had been processed. And right now, he was focused on his work rather than an outcome he couldn't change.
"Whatever you say. I heard you."
"Tsk." Davion withdrew his hand, pulling the envelope with him. When his eyes landed on Damien, he saw a swirl of different emotions in them briefly before they reverted to their normal emerald green shades.
"The enthusiasm you showed earlier was way better. What's with the change in attitude? I went a great deal to get this done."
"And you are expecting a thanks?" His gaze narrowed at Davion. "If you are, you should…"
"Save it. I wasn't," Davion cut in. "I just wondered."
He rose from his seat. It was clear Damien's mood wasn't inviting for games, and neither did Davion mind.
He had accomplished what he needed to.
Now his trip to Los Angeles was certain without any hiccups.
Damien watched as Davion walked out of his office, but stopped just a few meters away from the door.
"And great job with the Emirates' Corporation file… they called minutes ago, commending the work done on the proposal you sent," Davion said, and he left the office without waiting for a reply or reaction.
'Emirate Corporation?' Damien asked himself, puzzled. 'I… damn, I forgot about that after I took over. Hmm, I was supposed to attend that later today, considering someone's lazy ass. I never thought he'd… When…?'
He paused as he began to go through his laptop, checking his last few emails and browser tabs.
"If I didn't... wait, Raphael?"
The shock on Damien's face was one Raphael would have been so thrilled to see.
Usually, when Raphael took over, his work was left undone, giving Damien quite the headache of trying to meet deadlines.
In the past, it was only on rare occasions when Damien overly exhausted himself that Raphael had a chance to take over.
However, as time flew by, his defences against his alter ego weakened, leaving him at his mercy.
Still, Raphael barely ever got any work done and instead went partying at any chance he got.
Shutting his eyes, Damien pressed both fingers close to his face, his mood and aura changing slightly.
A couple of seconds later, he reopened his eyes, a perfect blend of dark and light emerald green swirling around their iris.
"Tsk, someone feels chatty today. This is the second, or is it the third time you've summoned me for a chat? It's definitely the third time. If I remember clearly, which I do, the first time was right after you sealed me, and the second, your mother's death and…"
"And this," Damien interjected Raphael's voice in his head, "is why I never summoned you."
"Tsk your loss."
"Is it?" As soon as Damien voiced that, he pressed his lips together, taking in a deep breath. "Anyways… I never knew you could be this useful, Raphael."
"Pfft…" Raphael scoffed, and for a moment, Damien could almost picture the look on his face. "Count it your lucky day, Damien. I wouldn't be so generous next time."
A light scoff rolled out of Damien's lips in response. "I wouldn't be counting on it." Raphael was about to retort when Damien added, "Nor should you for Skai."
Immediately, his eyes turned darker, the shades taking on a greener hue than before. "Damien… behave," Raphael growled, his voice resounding like a warning in Damien's head.
"Know your place, or else I might forget what you did for me and not return the favour."
Damien did not give Raphael a chance to reply when he shut his eyes, and immediately the cold aura in the office dropped.
"Naughty." Damien mouthed the words, a mischievous smile appearing on his face.
*********
Luckily the week ran out much quicker than Skai thought it would.
During that period, the number of times she bumped into or encountered Damien was minimal.
To the point, Skai forgot she had a business party date to attend until Friday, when she miraculously bumped into him.
She had been on her way to submit a document and ensure it was tended to before the next Monday, when the inevitable happened due to how fast and callous she was.
"Ah… oh my…"
"Hmm."
The moment Skai heard that familiar voice, she lifted her head, her eyes meeting his as her lips fell open.
Did she run out of luck or what?
"S-Sir," Skai stuttered, hoping he wouldn't notice the change in her voice.
"Skai." Damien regarded her for a moment. The wrinkled lines on his forehead relaxed as he took in the lovely sight of the lady before him.
Although Skai's appearance was far from perfect—the sweat on her forehead as though she'd been running, the messy strands of hair glued to her face, and her rapid breaths—she was nothing short of beautiful.
"My apologies, sir." She dipped her head and attempted to take a turn and escape this awkward moment.
"Wait."
Skai paused as she heard the words she was hoping she wouldn't hear. 'He's probably angry I didn't pick up his call, is he?' She was hoping the call was a mistake or something.
Not wanting to provide any explanation of some sort, she had made sure to stir clear and she did a really great job all week.
She turned around and met his gaze once more, those emerald eyes that seem light at times, darker at other times. Or maybe it's the play of light.
But from this distance, she was getting a very close look at him, and… 'Fuck, he's handsome.'
Her eyes widened at the thought that just ran across her head. What was she thinking? She asked herself.
She was so lost in her thoughts that the only thing she noticed was Damien's lips moving.
"...tomorrow, so I'll pick you up by 6:30." Was the only part of his sentence she was able to grab.
The puzzled and almost confused look on her face gave it all away. He knew she didn't hear him.
"Sir?..."
"Tomorrow, 6:30. Don't make me wait." He half repeated it, and the next thing, he was walking away to his predestination.
"Okay?" she said it in an unsure way. The words were more like a whisper, trailing off to no one aside from her.
'Tomorrow? What's happening tomorrow?' She asked herself as she watched his athletic build walk away.
"Skai!" Before Skai could figure out what Damien had said, she heard her name being called.
A cold shiver ran down her spine, her mind recalling her earlier errand as her gaze dropped to the file in her hand.
"Manager?"
"Ms. Jayden, are the files being sent to the Marketing Department? I just got a call from..."
'Oh shit. I got distracted.' She facepalmed herself in her mind.
"On it, sir!"
Without turning back to look at him, her feet picked up her earlier pace. The last thing she wanted was for him to meet her standing in one place.
As kind as he was, when it came to lazy and sluggish workers, one got the wrong side of him—cruel and wicked.