Chapter 19

"And the devil's back," Layla mumbled to herself as she watched Nolan walk in, looking handsome as hell. It seemed as if he got more handsome each passing day; he looked more handsome than the last time she saw him, and he would look more handsome tomorrow.

"Good day, sir," she greeted curtly, no smile ghosting her face. She immediately regretted greeting him as he didn't even bother to answer her; he didn't even wave.

"Did Xander give you the files I asked him to give you?" He asked as Layla shook her head.

"Yes, sir, they're rig"

"Print them out, give copies each and bring them to my office in five minutes," he interrupted.

"Ask Bertha to bring me a cup of coffee," he ordered, walking straight to his office.

Layla rolled her eyes as she picked up the telephone, placing a call to Bertha, informing her of the president's request. Then she went ahead to the printer to get her portion of work done.

"Oh God!" Layla gasped in fear. She had gotten into very big trouble. She had accidentally poured ink on the papers, not just one but all, along with the duplicates.

"What did I do now?" She asked herself, and she began to breathe heavily. No doubt Nolan would sack her, not after murdering her. He sounded like he needed the files urgently, now she had ruined all of them.

She felt like jumping out of the thirty-story building skyscraper and ending her life instead of facing Nolan. Where would she even begin her explanation?

"Layla," someone called behind her, and she instantly turned to see Xander standing there along with Bertha, who was standing with a tray in her hand. She must have already delivered Nolan's coffee.

"What's the problem?" He asked on seeing her wet eyes; she was literally on the verge of crying.

Layla couldn't speak as she slowly pointed at the ruined papers.

"Oh," Xander mouthed, sucking his teeth. She should be crying; Nolan would not take it lightly with her. That's the main reason his past secretaries never lasted. Not to talk of the fact that he didn't like Layla, who happened to be his mate. He was literally planning on rejecting her.

"How did this happen?" He questioned, collecting the papers from her. They were all ruined. Totally.

"Oh no, Layla, you're definitely losing your job today," Bertha said in pity from behind.

"Leave," Xander ordered in a hard voice as she hurriedly left.

"He's going to kill me," Layla said amidst sobs.

"Don't worry; we can figure something out," Xander said, trying to sound convincing. Though he knew there was little hope for her.

"You know there's nothing I can do here; all the papers were ruined. I must have added too much ink," she said, her heart beating loudly. Xander could literally hear her heartbeats from where he stood. She was scared.

"I'll speak to Nolan on your behalf, come on," he gestured, leading her to Nolan's office; he could try talking him out of it.

"Are you done with the papers?" Nolan asked the moment Layla and Xander stepped into his office. Layla felt her heart jump, and she quickly hid behind Xander.

"What is it, where are the files?" Nolan requested, seeing her tensed state; he guessed she must have made a mistake.

"I'm sorry, sir," Layla apologized with her head facing the ground.

"Sorry for what?"

"Apparently, the papers got ruined with ink by accident," Xander spilled the beans as Layla gulped loudly. She lifted her head a little, only to see Nolan's eyes burning with fury.

"I know you're always bound to make mistakes!" He grunted, dropping the pen he was holding noisily on the table.

"I told you I needed the papers urgently, but you still went ahead and ruined it," he glared at her, fuming with rage.

"I am so sor.."

"Shut it!!!" Nolan growled as silence reigned in the room. Layla could feel cold chills down her spine; it was as if his eyes were boring holes into her.

"Nolan, I think you're taking it too far," Xander began softly, trying to calm Nolan down.

"Taking what far?" He yelled in anger as he stood up from his chair, striding to where she stood. Layla quickly hid behind Xander in fear.

"She's not a fucking child, but an adult!" He howled, grabbing Layla's arm as he dragged her out from behind Xander.

"Don't interfere, Xander," he warned in a monotone, as Xander tried pulling Layla backward.

"Don't dare me," he warned, and Xander could guess he was really angry this time. He had no choice but to back down. If Nolan ends up hurting his mate, he was the one who was going to get hurt at the end of the day.

"You!!" He growled, raising his hand in the air as Layla quickly hid her face, wincing in pain. He was holding her so tight and was hurting her; now he wanted to hit her.

But no pain came; she lifted her head slowly to meet his gaze. He was staring dangerously at her. His icy blue eyes, which she used to find attractive, now held this ferociousness in them. He stared at her as if he was disgusted with her, like he made a grave mistake having her in his life. A tear dropped from Layla's eyes; she didn't plan on crying, but strangely his behavior hurt her a lot, and she felt pained.

Nolan's eyes softened at the sight of the tear that fell from her eyes, but he quickly hid that and held a stoic expression.

He released her from his hold as he began to walk back to his chair, and he spoke.

"Take your pathetic self out of my office." Layla quickly walked out of his office and went straight to the bathroom.

"Nolan!!" Xander called after Layla was gone. "You fucking went too far; she's your mate," he deadpanned. He knew Nolan was only trying to be stubborn and was fighting deep within himself not to go after her and comfort her.

"But not for long," Nolan uttered. The full moon was a few days away; that's when he would reject her as his mate, after that, she'll cease to work with him as he never wanted to lay his eyes on her.

"So you really plan on rejecting her, right? But why do you hate her so much?" Xander couldn't help but ask.

"Use the door," Nolan snapped as Xander quietly walked out. There was no need to argue with him; Nolan was literally a beast whenever he was angry.

"Fuck," Nolan cursed, clenching his fist tight. They should never have met that night.