Lara felt an ache settle in her head as she stood in a triangle formed by the three.

"Excuse me," she said, and she walked away quickly from the trio. She heard retreating steps in various directions behind her, but she knew without being told who it was that was on her trail.

"You mind telling me where you are heading to?"

"Anywhere away from the three of you. We promised to stay off each other's radar at work, remember?"
she said over her shoulders, increasing her pace, but there was little pace she could keep on heels.

He covered the distance between them in a matter of seconds and pulled her to face him.

He kept an arm around her waist to steady her as her legs rocked sideways on her heels from the abrupt pull.

Lara jerked back from his touch, hissing at him. "What if someone sees us?"

Shane tsked. "You are bothered about anyone spotting me bracing your fall and not about the epic confession you've received earlier." He seethed the last words through his teeth.

Lara's lips twitched.

"I thought you two were just friends."

"We're not having this conversation here, Shane."

"Of course we aren't. We are at work. We meet after work, and you tell me exactly what the deal is you have going on with my staff."

"Pardon me? Your staff?" Her lips parted intermittently as the weight of his words hit her hard. The ache in her heart at his words and the ache in her belly from being starved all day sent dizzy spells washing over her face.

Lara retreated a step.

"Lara, that came out wrong."

"It was exactly what you meant, Shane. I have neither the qualifications nor the eligibility for this position, I assume, but..." She huffed a breath. "I get it." She turned her back on him, half-running and half-walking away from him.

"Lara, that wasn't what I meant to say. Please." Shane called after her, extending his hand to stop her.

"Stay away from me!" Lara barked at him, her eyes clouded with tears.

"La.." Shane stopped, anguish piercing sharply through his heart as he saw the stain of tears on her face. "Lara, please."

"Please, Shane. I've had enough drama for the day. I need to breathe. I need to be anywhere. Away from you, please," she told him.

He nodded slowly in acquiescence. "I'm sorry."

"No, I am. It's all clear to me now what I am really to you."

"That's not what I meant, Lara!" Shane groaned.

Lara advanced on him. "Then, tell me what it is you meant by that word." She bellowed back at him.

"Your staff? What have I been doing with your staff? How..." Her shoulders sagged as she looked at him, lost for words to describe the emotions overwhelming her at the moment.

"You are taking this all wrong, Lara. You are an exclusive, Lara." He leaned closer to her and dropped the pitch of his voice so that only she could hear it. "You are the woman I love, Lara. So of course, I'm jealous as well as mad that that boy had the audacity to confess he loves you in my presence. Fuck! He's in my employ, and he's asking out my woman." Shane swallowed to keep his voice down, as it had risen to a pitch from annoyance.

Lara's lips parted wordlessly as she looked at him. "I didn't realize that was what you meant," she said softly, her eyelashes fluttering.

Shane leaned back. "We are reversing roles here. I should be mad, not you. Technically, I caught you cheating on me."

"Please. I wasn't the one confessing my feelings. He was, and of course, it shouldn't be a shock to you that he is attracted to me. I am gorgeous." Lara cupped her face, pouting her lips.

Shane hiccuped. "Of course, I won't be once I have him discharged from his employ."

"You won't," Lara hissed through gritted teeth.

"Is that a dare?"

"No." Lara shook her head, looking at him with a plea in her eyes. "He's still a friend. I can't have you do that to him."

He looked away from her and turned.

"Please, Shane."

"We will discuss this after work. I have a call to make," he said over his shoulders, walking away.

Lara bit down on her lips and heaved a sigh. She felt depleted of energy. She staggered as a wave of vertigo hit her, almost making her lose her footing on the floor.

She walked, biting down on the winces that escaped her throat as she walked towards the bathroom.

She turned on the tap as quickly as she got in and splashed water on her face. She bent over the tub as she turned the water off, trying as hard as she could to bite down on the pain that swarmed in her belly.
It hurts a lot. She tightened her hold on her stomach and sucked in breath harshly through her teeth as she stood straight, staring at her reflection in the mirror.

She should get something to eat before she gets back to work.

She doubted she would be able to do any work if she failed to eat. She had grown weary of the hunger and emotions she held within her.

She raked her fingers through her hair and heaved a sigh, her eyelids fluttering to a brief close.

"Abortion pangs?"

She jumped, her eyes flashing open and locking with Claire's gaze in the mirror at the sound of her voice.
She pinched her nose in irritation at the question, turning to face her. "What?"

"I would expect nothing less from the likes of you." Claire stepped inch by inch closer as she seethed the words through her teeth. "Gold diggers. Filthy wenches..."

"Cut to the point, will you? I don't need you listing out your attributes to me," Lara cut in.

Claire smiled crookedly. "You," She pointed a finger at her. "Are sleeping with Shane."

Lara didn't bat an eye. She stared at her, unshaken by her words whatsoever.

Claire scoffed. "You are not even denying it."

"Why should I?" Lara asked drily.

Claire angled her chin haughtily, her lips parting in surprise at Lara's audacity. A smile tipped the corners of her lips in amusement. "Now you think you are on top of the world because you are fucking, bitch-assing the CEO." She tsked under her breath, rolling her eyes.

"For your information, Claire, Shane and I are official," Lara hissed.

Claire snickered. "Official. Indeed. Trust me. He's only having as much fun as he gets from bitches like you. When he's done with you, you won't be any different from the others."

"Stop being a hater, Claire. I'm not responsible for your misery," Lara quipped in return.

"What misery, bitch?" She sneered in her face.

Lara rolled her tongue in her mouth and sucked in her lip ring to calm her temper. "Call me that one more time, Claire, and you will regret ever uttering a single word today."

"You dare threaten me?"

"I'm not threatening you, Claire. I'm only warning you to stop being bitchy. It's not my fault Shane ignored your advances despite your throwing yourself countless times at him."

Shock washed briefly over Claire's face at Lara's words, and she retreated a step, her mouth parting in surprise.

Lara inched closer to her and whispered in her ear, "How many times did you offer him your body? Once? Twice? I lost count. And guess what, Claire? I didn't even have to try. He craves my touch and company every time." She seethed out the last words to mark her point before she leaned back to face her squarely.

Claire was biting down hard on her lips as she glared at her with murderous looks in her eyes, her hands tightly balled into fists beside her.

"Now who's the bitch between you and me?" Lara angled her chin. "Excuse me," she said and walked away.

Claire gritted her teeth hard as she watched her retreating figure and groaned in annoyance, raking her fingers furiously through her hair.

"You bitch!" She spat through her lips, her chest heaving.

Lara sagged down on her seat first thing as she got into her office.

She had been walking on shaky legs from the restroom down to her office.

She clutched her chest, bit down on her lips, and swallowed hard, as she could still feel the tinges of shock that had rippled through her body at Claire's accusation.

She mentally reproached herself for giving in to her desires at work. Chills snaked down her spine throughout the rest of the hours at work.

No matter how hard she tried to get over those words, her brain kept replaying them in her head.
By the time the closing hour was up, she sagged back against her chair, staring at the time.

She couldn't bring herself to walk out there and face anyone.

What if Claire had told everyone about her relationship with Shane?

Although Shane had given her his word countless times to make her feel assured that her affair with him wasn't just a fling; he wanted her, it did nothing to assuage her fear of the reactions from her co-workers should the information be exposed.

She covered her face with her palms and groaned into her palms. "Oh! God." She sighed heavily.

She waited a few minutes before she began to wrap up things for the day.

She hadn't been able to concentrate at all.

She heaved another sigh, slapping her palm against her forehead.

How much worse could the day go for her?

She had been through worse situations. Surely, she would pull through whatever outcome this situation brought.

She decided, and with a light shrug, she got off her seat and squared her shoulders, walking out of her office.

Her strides faltered as she moved to the elevator. Sweat broke out occasionally on her skin as she came in contact with a few of the staff on the floor.

They spoke in hushed whispers after nodding in acknowledgment at her, and she could swear they were whispering about her.

She bit down hard on her lips as she stepped into the elevator, meeting the accusing glances of the few in there as she stepped in.

Their looks were practically screaming, "Bitch! Whore!"

She forgot how to breathe during the brief ride down to the lobby. Her chest felt tight, and she had to gasp intermittently to get a hold of her breath.

Sweat coated her forehead despite the chill in the air, and heat rushed in waves through her body.

She could feel their gazes on her back.

She silently prayed that the elevator would descend quickly and open its doors.

She doubted she could last another minute in there.

Finally, the doors opened, and she dashed out. She walked hurriedly out of the building towards the gates.

She wanted nothing more than to hail a cab, get home, and scream her burning lungs out into her pillow.

But first, she needed to catch her breath.

Her phone's ringtone gave off, and she checked the caller's identity.

Shane.

She swallowed the lump that formed at the back of her throat at the sight of his name.

She picked up the phone and raised it to her ear.

"Where are you, Lara?"

"I'm sorry. I have to cancel out on today."

"Something's wrong, Lara. What is it?"

She shook her head. "It's nothing, Shane. I have to attend to some urgent matters at home. I have to go, alright? Till tomorrow, I guess."

She ended the call and walked the last distance to the road. She waited for the traffic signal to show the green light and crossed the road with the rest of the pedestrians waiting to get to the other side of the road.

She rolled her eyes in her head and continued walking down the sidewalk as she spotted Shane's car approaching.

The car was pulled to a stop a few steps away from where she was, and his driver got down to have the back door opened.

"Get in, ma'am, please. I will drive you home," he informed her.

Lara waved her hand dismissively. "No. I will take a taxi."

"I insist, ma'am. Please allow me to take you home."
Lara furrowed her brows. "Where's Shane?" She peered through the opened doors.

Her phone's ringtone gave off, and she raised it to her ear.

"I was hoping not to cause a scandal since that would be the last thing you would want. So, get in, Lara."
His voice came in through the receiver.

"I told you..."

"You don't fool me, Lara. Something's off with you, and you're talking it out with me."

"Come on.." Lara groaned under her breath in protest.

"Lara," he said firmly.

"Ah!" Her shoulders sagged in defeat. "Alright. I'm getting in." She walked closer and got into the car.

The driver closed the door and walked back to the front seat to get the car moving.

Silence ensued in the car throughout the ride. Lara gritted her teeth, uncomfortable at the silence.

She looked out the window at the next turn and observed that the car was being turned in the opposite direction from her house.

"What..?" She swiveled her head in his direction.

"Have you eaten?"

"I don't want to eat. I have to be at home."

"Well, I do have to eat, and you will be keeping my company as we have unfinished business to go over."

Lara furrowed her brows. "Are you becoming a dictatorial boyfriend?"

"No," he replied flatly, holding her gaze. "We agreed to be an open book with each other and to never keep secrets from one another."

"There's..." Lara cut in defensively and bit down on her lips. "I'm sorry."

"What is it?"

The car pulled up to a halt.

"Claire knows about us," she said in a whisper.

"Lara."

"I am not comfortable with others at work finding out about us yet. I'm not mentally prepared for it."

"Lara." Shane laced his fingers with hers, holding a side of her face so she could face him.

Lara bit down on her lips nervously, questions arising in her mind. "What did she say to you?" He asked. "Look at me, Lara."

Lara shook her head against his hand and took it off the side of her face. "I'm only bothered."

A brief silence filled the air around them as they sat before Shane asked, "Why are you hellbent on keeping us a secret, Lara?"

It confused him. Women would love nothing but to be publicly known to be his lover, if at all, his mistress.

Her lips twitched. "I'm not keeping us a secret. I affirmed to Claire that we are dating, but the fewer people that know about our relationship at work, the better."

Shane searched her face momentarily before he nodded once in agreement. "As you wish, then. Let's go."

Lara's stomach rumbled in delight at the arrays of delectable sea foods set on the table.

They all looked and smelled tantalizing; she couldn't wait to dip them in her mouth and savor the richness of their tastes.

"Thought you didn't want to eat?" A smirk cupped a corner of Shane's face. "Whose stomach is rumbling here?"

"I skipped breakfast and lunch," Lara said without thinking, biting down on her tongue as she became aware of what she had said.

"What? Why did you?" Shane demanded fiercely.
Lara sucked in her lower lip. "I kept losing my appetite."

"Your health should be of the utmost importance, Lara. You are not to work until you're well fed henceforth, am I clear?"

Lara nodded. "Yes, Sir." She gave a salute to him.
He tsked, and they both settled down to eat.

Shane tilted most of the dishes toward Lara. "Eat up."

"I've not regained my appetite yet," Lara refused, tilting the dishes back. "I can't take in much or else my stomach will hurt."

"You will, Lara. My mom won't let me off if she's introduced to a gaunt form of you."

"Pardon?" Lara arched an eyebrow at his words.

"My mom would love to meet with you by the weekend. It's all too sudden, I know. I can just cancel out."

"When?'"

"The weekend. By this weekend."

Lara nodded, twitching her lips.

"She's actually delighted about meeting the lady who finally tamed her rake of a son."

She bit the inside of her cheeks to stifle a smile.

"Okay." Lara nodded.

"Okay? Okay." Shane beamed with delight. "I doubted you would agree to come along."

Lara tsked.

"My birthday is coming up the following week."

"Really?" Lara's eyes lit up with a smile. "Happy birthday in advance."

"Honey, thanks."

The dessert was served after the main dish had been eaten, and it was just as yummy and delicious as the main dish was.

"I'm well-fed now." Lara leaned back in her seat.

"You eat too little."

Lara arched an eyebrow. "Perhaps your expectations for my dietary intake are too high."

"It's not. You should eat more to make up for the ratio you've missed."

"Says which dietician?"

He pointed his thumbs towards himself, and Lara giggled.

"Figures." She nodded sarcastically, beaming. "A roving ambassador of romance turned unlicensed dietician." She raised a glass of wine to her mouth and took a drink.

"I may be an unlicensed dietician, but I know how to satisfy your appetite." He added a wink following his statement.

Lara choked on her drink and set the glass back down to stifle her cough.

"Dirty mind, Lara. What did you think I implied?"
Lara clutched her chest lightly. "Beats me. It is obvious what you were implying."

"Nah! You enjoyed these dishes we've had right from the sight of them, didn't you? I know how to regain your appetite and satisfy it. Am I not the best man you've ever had?" He spread his arms wide, palms upturned, in a welcoming gesture.

Lara's lips parted, and she smacked them close. She twisted her lips and furrowed her brows. "Well, you're the first man I've had."

"I'm a lucky man, am I not?" Shane beamed.

Lara pinched her nose, pouted her lips subtly, and rolled her eyes. "I haven't had a chance to make comparisons. Perhaps..."

"There won't be a need for that." Shane planted his hand palm down on the table.

Lara leaned up in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest. "You're that confident?"

"Is that a dare?"

Lara rolled her eyes. "Don't make me swoon too much. It's not good for my mental and emotional health."

"Want to take a promenade afterwards or a ride on a yacht?"

"Both sound nice, but I'm afraid I feel too drained rather than energized after eating to indulge in either of the two."

"Then we should hit the gym or the spa," Shane suggested.

Lara shook her head. "What I need is to fall into a bed and zone out into bliss."

Shane's eyes lit with a glint.

"Mine? I'm up for it. Let's set off."

Lara rolled her eyes. "Mine, and I want personally derived bliss from much-needed sleep. It's been a long day."

"You're mean." Shane sulked.

Lara laughed and shook her head at the look on his face, stifling the sound with the back of her hand.

...tbc

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