Page 46 of The Unwilling Bride
The kind of quiet that has my hackles rising and makes me very aware that I’m in the presence of a predator.
My stomach twists. I want to pivot and run out. But I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to let him know that his overbearing dominant persona is having the intended effect of making me want to lower my eyes and drop to my knees and agree to anything he asks of me.
I tighten my fingers around the back of the chair and manage to choke out: “It’s j-just a suggestion.”
“Oh?” There's so much scorn packed into that single syllable, I feel it cut into my skin. His face is a mask. Perfectly controlled. Perfectly blank. But his eyes?—
His eyes are burning. Cold fire. The kind that destroys everything in its path.
I stiffen. Every muscle in my body locks.
This is it. This is where he dismantles me. Where the Ice Commander lives up to every terrifying story I've heard about him. Where he takes me apart piece by piece, with surgical precision, until there's nothing left but the smoking ruins of my confidence.
I brace for it. Wait for the first cut.
But then he drawls, "Maybe you should get your facts right first, Ms. Richie."
I blink. What?
He returns to his keyboard. Starts typing again like I'm not even standing here. Like he didn't just drop that cryptic statement and leave me scrambling to decode it.
I stand there, mouth half open, brain completely offline.
What facts? What did I get wrong?
And why is he looking at his screen like this conversation is over when I, clearly, don't understand what just happened?
"I—" I start.
“That’s all.”
A part of me can’t believe that he dismissed me like he’s the principal and I’m an errant student. On the other hand, I can’t wait to get out of here.
I turn toward the door, pulse hammering, face burning, completely and utterly lost. But also, glad to make my escape.
What just happened?
I wander out of the room.
Ollie’s waiting for me, his young face filled with anxiety. “Everything okay? Why did you ask me to wait?”
“I’m sorry, Ollie, I tried, but I couldn’t convince him to not fire you.”
He looks taken aback, then relaxes his shoulders. “Oh, but you didn’t have to.”
“What do you mean?” I frown.
"James asked me if something was wrong. Said my performance had dropped." Ollie shifts his weight on his feet. "When I told him about my mum being unwell, that I was trying to juggle hospital visits and find care for her… He told me to take the rest of the week off. Stay with her until I sort out a caregiver, so I can bring her home."
I stare at him. "He gave you time off?"
"Full salary. Days aren't deducted from my annual leave." Ollie's voice cracks slightly. "And he said he'd cover the cost of the caregiver. Not a loan. Just…cover it."
The words hit me like a physical blow.
"What?" I blink. Once. Twice. "James said that? James Hamilton said that?"
"I know." Ollie lets out a breath that sounds suspiciously wet. "I was overwhelmed. Honestly, I still am. Turns out the Ice Commander isn't quite what we all take him to be."
