Help I'm Alive
The alarm seemed to echo off the walls in the dark bedroom. The result caused Caroline to groan aloud before ultimately checking the clock. It was 4 in the morning not 6. She smiled happily to herself knowing that this alarm was not for her.
Tyler Lockwood was not so lucky.
Bracing the chill of the night air he lazily rolled over to face his girlfriend before groggily whispering, "okay babe I gotta go".
Caroline frowned with closed eyes. She'd completely forgotten what today was. Today being the day Tyler left on out of state business for the week. Her life was just moving too fast.
"Nooo, don't go!" she pleaded sleepily, as she flung her body across his in a lame attempt to prevent him from leaving.
These past few weeks had been rough on the both of them. With the late nights and early mornings of her new demanding job she felt Tyler was more of a roommate than a boyfriend.
Niklaus Mikaelson, she had learned, seemed to have a sick obsession with pushing her buttons. If he wasn't ignoring her, ordering her around, or passive aggressively insulting her in public he could be seen smirking at her flustered expression as she fought to stop herself from stabbing him in the eye with a pen. She had grown to hate that man. That stupid, sexy, man.
She knew for a fact that when she wasn't involved he could be quite charming. She'd seen him in action and had almost forgotten how horrible he could be. He certainly had other people convinced.
All the women in the office adored him, especially those that worked for him personally. He seemed to have a special preference for them, with the extreme exclusion of Caroline.
To other women he was dashing, handsome, and funny, but to her he was the devil in disguise. A devil she wouldn't mind fucking. Time and time again she dealt with his little tirades by zoning out and imagining what he'd look like naked. If he could still focus on belittling her if she stuck her tongue in his mouth. If he'd moan into her if she slipped her fingers under his waistband.
"I have to go," Tyler sighed.
"No, just a little longer please. I don't know what I'll do without you for a week," she said softly.
She still didn't know how she got to meet a guy like Tyler. Every other guy she knew was married, or jobless, or lived at home, but Tyler was the picture of stability.
Something she desperately craved after years of uncertainty.
"Probably what you've been doing for the past four, working," he remarked bitterly.
Caroline grimaced. She did feel guilty for that because she knew it was true, but it wasn't something she could help. At least not yet.
"I know, baby, I'm sorry. My boss is an ass."
He said nothing, instead he propped himself up and prepared to get out of bed.
"No wait. Let's have some fun before you go," she said suggestively and suddenly far more alert.
Tyler turned back to look at her. There was a slight indecisive expression on his face that didn't seem to lean in her favor.
"I don't think so, Car-" he started to say.
But Caroline was already taking matters into her own hands.
Before he had finished his sentence she had already started the crawl on all fours towards him, swaying her hips with each step.
There was a lot of things Tyler found attractive about Caroline, but he'd be lying if he said her ass wasn't his favorite. This was a fact she used to her advantage.
He watched as her thin t-shirt rode up her back, revealing the lace of her royal blue panties. Something about the shape of them added extra dimensions to her ass. To him it looked rounder, and softer; he wanted to grab a handful.
By the time she made her way to him he was fighting a losing battle with personal responsibility. Would he make it to the airport on time? Maybe he could skip a shower?
Again, she left him no room to decide.
She shoved him roughly back onto the bed and went to work on his pants. She could see his erection fighting against the thin fabric of his checkered pajamas and she was more than happy to help it along.
There was something so sexy about a man's desire and she couldn't help wanting him more in return.
Suddenly he had her flipped on her back with her legs resting alongside him.
He watched with primal eyes as her slender fingers wrapped around him and guided him inside her.
She threw her head back in an involuntary moan as he filled her.
"How long has it been?" She thought to herself.
Truthfully she couldn't even remember when was the last time her and the showerhead had alone time.
Both her and Tyler barely had anytime to speak to each other anymore, sex itself seemed impossible.
Before Tyler sex was a non-issue, but commitment changes things. Caroline was still adjusting to the concept. Somehow they'd have to find room in their busy schedules to accommodate. Surely, Tyler felt the same way.
Tyler grunted as he started to slide further into her.
As always his thrusts were slow and melodic. Caroline tried not to sigh out loud when she realized it was happening again. She knew for a fact at this pace she wouldn't be getting anywhere. Tyler knew as well, but he insisted it was a matter of timing.
He's going to cum before we've even started, She thought. She needed to be fucked, really fucked. A stress relieving fuck that would put her mind at ease, but she knew Tyler would never go for that.
She threw her weight to one side, forcing him on his back while she straddled him.
At least this way she could better control the movements. She rode him hard, expertly grinding her clit against him. She enjoyed the control over each thrust as she felt herself growing nearer.
"Caroline!" Tyler shouted, throwing her from climax.
"What?" She replied, stopping completely out of fear she'd hurt him.
Tyler rubbed his eyes exasperatedly "Look I know you like this way, but I told you I can't get into this."
"Why?" she said angry and disappointed. They'd had this conversation a million times and it never ended well.
"I don't know, it's emasculating," he added hesitantly.
She glared at him in the darkness.
"This was your idea, anyway, I wanted to go to work. Can't we switch back? " he whined.
"I guess," she replied reluctantly.
Clumsily they switched back, Tyler returning to his old ways and Caroline to her boredom.
I could be asleep right now.
The sound of the home phone ringing interrupted them just as Tyler was really starting to enjoy himself.
"Who the hell is calling at four in the morning?" Tyler snapped.
"I don't know." She made a move to answer but Tyler stopped her.
"No way, you can't answer that. We're busy."
In actuality only one of them was busy. Caroline wasn't all that invested anymore.
"Tyler it's four in the morning, it could be important!" She protested and answered before he could say another word.
"Hello?" she gasped.
"Am I...interrupting something?" A gruff voice said.
She stifled a groan.
Out of all the calls it could've been, the hospital, an indictment, the coroner, it had to be this one.
"No, Mr. Mikaelson. Just sleep," she said trying to sound pleasant but failing.
Tyler could be heard audibly groaning with frustration in the background. Caroline ignored him.
"Most people don't sound out of breath when they wake up," he countered.
"Most people don't get calls at four in the morning," she retorted.
For a moment there was silence on the other end.
"I need you to come to the office this morning, Coraline. I need an early start on things. I'm on my way now, I expect you there shortly."
There was a click on the other end, indicating he wouldn't be needing a response.
Truly there was nothing she could say. She'd already tried to politely address him, the way they suggested at HR. But he didn't follow the same rule book and always responded with "if you can't handle it, quit."
He always made it sound like this was the way things had to be if she wanted to survive in this industry.
Caroline may have lacked a recordable amount of experience in this area, but she was smart enough to know this bordered on indentured servitude.
"You must be joking," Tyler said sensing the mood of the conversation.
"Ty-" Caroline began, but he had already stormed off, ending their encounter by locking himself in the bathroom.
She sighed loudly to no one but herself.
If she could've argued with her boss she would have, but Tyler never believed that.
The sound of the shower turning on was the end of what little conversation they might've had.
Still, she didn't want him to leave town without saying goodbye. Sadly, the both of them knew she didn't have time to wait out Tyler's hissy fit, but she still tried.
There she sat surrounded by tangled sheets and darkness hoping that for once he would be the bigger person. Unfortunately for her Tyler was rarely this person.
When it became clear he wasn't coming out and she was running out of time she sighed and began to dress numbly in the dark.
Careless fingers drug small runs in her stockings; a fact she couldn't be less aware of. It was far too early to be meticulous and she wasn't in the mood for it to begin with.
She shot a final glance at the bathroom door, the lack of fog on the nearby mirror told her he wasn't even running hot water, meaning he was just waiting for her to leave.
So against her own desires she she did.
The drive to work was even more depressing than the atmosphere of her apartment. At this time on a Tuesday no one was out. The normal sense of community her fellow drivers provided was gone, leaving her alone with her thoughts.
Had she done the right thing? Should she have told her boss to shove it?
She absolutely wanted too. His demands were insane and they were quite literally tearing her life a part, but she couldn't let him break her. She'd dealt with worse men, powerful men, and even more terrifying were the women who controlled them.
Some punk rich kid wasn't going to stop Caroline from moving on with her life and becoming something.
The Mikaelson's may love playing games with each other but she'd played hers long ago and she knew what she was made of. Her very survival was proof of that. No Mikaelson, or wannabe,would shake that knowledge.
Eventually she arrived at the office exhausted and irritated.
Having had some time to cool off from earlier's events she realized how she must look. Her skirt was wrinkled from having spent a week on the bedroom floor, her hose was snagged, and she only vaguely remembered pulling her hair into somewhat of a bun. Certainly, she looked how she felt and considering how tired she already was she doubted she'd care at all in a few more hours.
This was slowly what her life was dissolving into, getting dressed in the dark and not giving a damn.
Katarina would be so disappointed in her star pupil.
She had just sat down at her desk when she heard the elevator doors open. Her head raised automatically to meet the newcomer.
Her eyes narrowed at the sight of Niklaus Mikaelson walking through the opening.
A smirk toyed at the corner of her lips when she saw that he too looked like something the cat dragged in.
Instead of his normal smoothed suit it was clear he had been wearing it several hours. His usual silk tie was gone leaving undone buttons to grasp the attention of any wandering eyes, and in her tired state wander they did.
She bit her lip as she trailed over the center of his collarbone and down the firm ripples of a muscled chest. Her legs involuntarily crossed as her mind went to darker places.
What she wouldn't give to run her nails down his back as he fucked her up against a wall. As she played out the fantasy she was aware of how mad she still was at Tyler. It was his fault these fantasies had become so difficult to ignore, and for again leaving her unfulfilled.
After all it was Tyler she wanted, but it was Tyler who would've rather gotten to the airport on time. But she didn't dare show any of this on her face. Instead she refocused her thoughts on her boss' disheveled appearance.
Judging by how far down those buttons opened it looked like he may have had help. She knew well that on a Tuesday night few places were open to party through the night, but a man as rich as Mr. Mikaelson probably had better places to go with even friendlier staff.
The state of his hair gave further proof to the theory. She could still see the wavy lines where thin fingers had snaked their way across his scalp. Any of these things alone would've made Caroline suspicious that her boss had been out "dancing" on a Tuesday, but his eyes were the true tell.
They were as focused as always, but today the circles under them framed his face with a weary sort of edge that made the hairs on Caroline's arms stand up.
Uncharacteristically he decided to stop at her desk, scrutinizing her with tired eyes that verged on threatening.
"You look like hell," he said tactlessly.
"Well that makes two of us."
Somewhere in the back of her mind common sense had told her to shut up, but she wasn't listening.
Briefly it appeared she may have overstepped her bounds again, but lack of sleep seemed to work on the two in different ways. It made her feisty, it made him playful.
For the first time ever he flashed her a cheeky smile so brilliant she knew she'd gone slack jawed with awe.
Her reaction amused him more than her reply. He had made the comment hoping to test her patience again, but the look of shock was far funnier to him.
Without another word to her he retired to his office leaving her agape and exhausted.
All morning long she lived on coffee she lovingly referred to as "tar" while fighting the strong urge to take up smoking again. The stress of this job was testing her in novel ways that threatened to bring out old habits.
The only thing that kept her going was the nap she would take at lunch instead of eating. As far as she was concerned Kate Moss had it wrong, today nothing would taste as good as sleep would feel.
Unbeknownst to Caroline, Mr. Mikaelson had other ideas.
At 11:45am he made his first appearance since his dazzling smile six hours before.
"Cheryl, grab your coat. We have an errand to run," he said briskly, fingers sharply correcting his tie.
Unlike her he had had time to clean up. She noted that he must've kept a spare change of clothes in his office because he was wearing an entirely different suit, perfectly pressed with a matching tie and shined shoes.
Even his hair had been restyled into perfection. The only remnants of this morning were the dullness in his eyes that only those who knew him well could see. Most people didn't look a man like him in the eye.
"Where are we going?" Caroline demanded weakly.
After being dragged out of bed at 4am she was really needing some alone time. Alone time he had quite clearly gotten in his cushy office.
"Errands," he repeated indignantly.
She held in the exasperated sigh that threatened to pass her lips.
She wasn't sure how much more of this she could take.
She knew the exhaustion or the caffeine was gonna send her over the edge, it was just a matter of time. She just hoped it was her boss she went after with a machete and not an innocent bystander.
Silently Caroline followed him to a waiting car knowing anything she said would come out as unintelligible or grounds for termination.
The car was a shiny black number she couldn't place. The only thing she felt sure of was that it was an SUV fully capable of seating nine or so.
Yet when she saw inside the vehicle it had been entirely refurnished into more of a limousine format. Perfect for lounging in luxury.
He surprised her when he stopped her from opening the door herself and instead opened it for her.
Sure, she'd had her door opened before but it was always a romantic gesture or one meant to persuade her to do other things later. This time however he seemed to do it out of sheer chivalry.
When she looked at him questioningly he returned the expression with a rushed look of annoyance. As if if to say "why aren't you in the car yet?"
Apparently he wasn't an entirely huge dick.
"I hope you're giving me a lunch break," she said curtly as she stared out the heavily tinted window.
It was warm today. Evidenced by the casually dressed men and women wearing shorts and loose flowing tops walking past her window.
"We'll feed you," he said just as shortly.
Immediately after she sat down he had slid in along side her, leaning across her to reach the open bar where he poured what smelled like bourbon into a fat crystal glass.
"Anita, take Fifth will you?" he ordered the driver through the car's custom intercom.
The car was shorter than any normal limo, and certainly didn't require an intercom to speak to the driver, it needed one due to the black glass divid between the cab of the vehicle and the lounge in the back.
"Yessir," Anita replied. Caroline noticed a slight Hispanic accent on her tongue.
The rest of the ride was spent in silence. The clinking of ice against his expensive glass was the only sound to be heard over the hum of the engine. Then the hum stopped, signaling they had arrived.
Casually he threw back the remnants of the glass before leaving the car.
Reluctantly she followed him out.
Her eyes widened when she saw where they had gone. They were having lunch at Noir, the fanciest and most elite French restaurant the city had to offer.
Caroline had been there several times before and knew for a fact the waiting list was a mile long for anyone of the wrong social class, but she didn't worry about not getting a table, the Mikaelson's were definitely of the right social class.
"I can't afford this," Caroline said.
"I'll pay," he replied as he smooth his suit jacket.
I can live with that. She thought.
Once inside they were met with a very flustered looking hostess.
"Oh, Mr. Mikaelson, the rest of your table is already seated," the girl said politely as she led them through tables seated with what was obviously old money.
"Thank you, Claire," he said flashing her that smile from earlier.
The poor thing lit up like a beet, her cheeks turning a brilliant shade of pink.
Rest of the table? She pondered. He hadn't mentioned meeting people for lunch. Of course he wasn't in the habit of telling her anything really.
Instead of voicing her concerns she she remained quiet until they arrived at a large table towards the end of the building.
"You have got to be kidding me," Caroline said out loud.
There before them sat Rebekah and Hayley along with some other unfamiliar faces Caroline had never seen, but judging by their mannerisms she could tell they were related.
He had brought her to a family lunch. Free food or no free food she would've rather been asleep.
Klaus turned to her with raised eyebrows. He'd heard her outburst.
"This place has crystal glasses? That's classy," she asserted quickly.
Before he could respond the table had already spotted them.
"Niklaus!" the table greeted cheerfully.
"What took you so long?" A cheeky looking man asked.
"Indeed, brother, we were beginning to suspect foul play," another well dressed man asked.
"Nonsense, I wouldn't miss this for the world," Klaus said brightly.
Brighter in fact than Caroline had ever seen him.
She recalled the way he drank in the car like it was a requirement and she greatly suspected this was all in giant act.
In her experience the wealthy people of this city were always involved in some form of theatrics. From their expression, to their phrasings, it all seemed so calculating to her, and the Mikaelson's were no exception.
"My love," he said to Hayley, planting a chaste kiss on the top of her head before taking his seat alongside her.
Caroline watched as Hayley politely recoiled from what looked like a sweet gesture. She was beginning to sense there was something deeper at play here.
"Who is your friend Niklaus?" asked the nicely dressed brother.
"Who?" Klaus asked obliviously.
Caroline tried not to scowl at his response. It had been thirty seconds since he'd last spoken to her and already he was pretending she wasn't there.
"I'm Caroline, Mr. Mikaelson's new assistant," Caroline replied offering him her hand.
The older brother took it with a happily surprised smile. Obviously he was a much kinder man than his brother.
"Oh yes, Carol is here," Klaus added as if suddenly enlightened "We had unexpected work at the office and I thought it best to bring her along to finish up," Klaus said simply.
Caroline pursed her lips in thought. She hadn't been informed of any work. She had barely been informed of lunch. Yet, here he was laying out the lines to a story she'd never heard, expecting her to back it up.
Hayley and Rebekah exchanged a suspicious glance at one another. They clearly didn't buy his story either.
Realizing how long she'd been standing without someone offering her a seat, Caroline took the only available seat next to her boss.
Almost immediately the table was greeted by a tall lanky man in a suit, carrying a notepad and pen.
"May I take your order?" he asked in a polite yet dignified tone.
As the table began to make their various orders and specifications, "A grilled salmon, but with the seasoning on the side. Is your veal grass fed? What wine would you suggest goes best with seared tuna?" Caroline noticed that none of them had menus. They were obviously regulars.
If she wasn't already well versed in this menu she would've been waiting for twenty minutes while the waiter grabbed a menu after the people that payed his tip were served.
Luckily, when the waiter finally addressed Caroline she was more than certain of what she wanted, "I'll take a glass of Hundred Acres Cab Sauv with a Lobster Bisque and a Caesar Salad, please," she said smoothly.
She felt all the eyes at the table turn to her, particularly that of her boss'. She tried not to smirk as she realized they'd underestimated her.
"Hundred Acres?" Klaus whispered judgmentally in her ear, causing the hairs on her neck to bristle. She couldn't see him, but judging by his tone she could imagine the dangerous look on his face. As if she should choose her words very carefully.
Knowing this, she disregarded him entirely and replied just as harshly, taking care to cover her mouth with her napkin in an attempt to prevent lip reading.
"I'm having an unexpected dinner with your family after I was called into work at four in the morning. Not to mention you clearly have something planned that I'm in on, but not aware of. You bet your ass "wine"," she enunciated the last word with excessive anger.
She took great offense to being brought here under false pretenses. Especially after the morning she'd had. Then he had the nerve to judge her for drinking. Under different circumstances she could've held her tongue, but given the excitement of today this was holding her tongue.
To her surprise the verbal warning she was bracing for never came. Instead his response was given aloud.
"Make that two glasses of Hundred Acres," he added confidently.
She locked eyes with him out of shock to find his face perfectly complacent, though again slightly amused. His eyes seemed to agree with her. I guess we both needed a drink, She thought.
This time it was Hayley's turn to whisper something menacingly in his ear. What exactly it was, though, Caroline couldn't make out, but she felt his body next to hers stiffen.
Caroline truly hoped her drink would get here before the show started.
As if by magic the waiter returned with all of the drinks they'd ordered before the table's conversation started up again.
"So, I was thinking in Switzerland we could go to this cute little ski lodge Trisha Tolken's family owns up in the mountains. I hear they only hire instructors with at least ten years experience, and that their head instructor was in the Olympics!" Rebekah chirped.
"Oh, Becks that sounds amazing. Then I was thinking we could visit my uncle, he's about twenty minutes from where we'll be staying but he says he'd love to be our tour guide," Hayley added excitedly. Though not as authentic as Rebekah's tone had been.
"That sounds like fun, maybe I'll come by with my new girl Shelly and spend a few days with you. I think she'd like that," said the man Caroline learned was Klaus' little brother, Kol.
"Shelly? Honestly Kol, you have the worst taste in women. She sounds perfectly lower class," Rebekah scolded disgustedly.
As the two of them dissolved into bickering while the older brother, Elijah, played referee two people were aware of how uncharacteristically quiet Klaus had gone.
He had remained mute through all of the Switzerland discussions and through his family's idea of small talk. Instead deciding to focus on the steak he'd ordered and keeping Caroline's wine glass full.
Caroline wondered what his reason was for such a kind gesture, but she decided to do herself a favor and not question his good humor.
Hayley didn't come to the same conclusion, quiet in her mind was a sign of weakness, a weakness she wanted to exploit.
"So, babe," she began sweetly "Aren't you excited for our family vacation? You've been awfully quiet."
Klaus glanced up at her from his plate with a blank expression. For a moment she thought it might be possible he hadn't heard her, but she knew her boyfriend rarely missed anything.
"Oh actually love, I can't make it to that. I do apologize. I forgot to mention it," he replied lightly.
"What do you mean?" she questioned, shaking her head like she'd heard a bad joke.
"Yes, Nik. What are you going on about? Was it the issue with the weather? We'll bundle you up, nice and warm, just like mum used to," Rebekeh interjected.
Her comment elicited soft chuckles from the other family members, but Hayley and Klaus were still locked in a war.
"I mean I can't go. I have several business meetings throughout that month to discuss possible mergers with a few other offshoot companies. Normally I could move them around, but it would be terribly rude to cancel on what could be the next Bill Gates," he clarified.
"So, it's out of town?" Hayley asked. Her good nature had all but vanished now.
"Out of town, out of country," he replied. He seemed neutral but something about his posture said he was enjoying this.
Caroline gulped down more of her wine as she watched Hayley's grip on her steak knife tighten. She still wasn't sure what was going on here, but she knew it wasn't good.
"Oh Nik please, cancel," Rebekah begged, she too had noticed Hayley's change in demeanor and was trying to compensate.
"I'm afraid I can't little sister. But don't worry. I won't be going alone. Caroline will be accompanying me on these trips over the next few months."
Caroline choked on her wine.
The table turned to address the sound.
"I'm, what?" she managed to say, while wiping the drops of red wine from her chin.
"Didn't you get the email, darling? It has all the information there," Klaus replied in a concerned tone.
His affectionate term made Caroline uncomfortable. Most of the time he refused to use her real name, a pet name was truly out of character.
"Apologies everyone," he continued "This one can be a bit green sometimes, but luckily I'm more than willing to educate her." His tone was so mild, few people understood the underlying connotation, but it was certainly there.
He was telling them, no telling Hayley, he and Caroline would be fucking, if they weren't already.
Caroline's mouth dropped for the second time that day. She was horrified by his accusations, and in front of his family of all people.
Hayley on the other hand had taken on a look of complete murder. Caroline was sure she was going to stab him right then and there.
Rebekah had the same amount of faith in her friend's restraint as Caroline did because she slyly took the knife from Hayley's hand before announcing she had to go to the bathroom and it was mandatory, as a girl, that Hayley escort her.
The remaining men at the table exchanged confused glances. Seemingly unaware of what had just happened.
Klaus seemed as calm as ever, in fact he seemed to be in an even better mood after all was said and done.
The food came and went but the girls never returned. Something that didn't seem to worry Klaus at all.
He simply told his brothers that it was time he and Carol return to the office and to send Hayley and Rebekah his love.
Caroline said nothing till they were safely seated in the moving vehicle.
"What was that?" she all but shrieked at him.
Now it was his turn to look shocked "I beg your pardon?"
"What was all that? You insinuating that we were-"
"That we were what?" he interrupted with a mock tone of concern.
"That we were-" she couldn't finish the sentence. It was too bizarre.
"That we were fucking?" he said harshly.
She swallowed hard but nodded in agreement.
"Why Meryl, that's ridiculous. Because what I said was you are a new hire. You aren't aware of the ropes yet and that I was going to show them to you. I never said we were sleeping together. Because that would be a lie. We aren't sleeping together, are we Meryl?"
Caroline narrowed her eyes, but shook her head. She didn't like his angle.
"Do you want to sleep with me?" he challenged.
"No," she replied, ignoring that twisted feeling she was getting in the pit of her stomach.
"Good, because that would be inappropriate behavior for my personal assistant. And then I would have to fire you on moral grounds," he added before pouring another bourbon.
She sat there, too stunned to speak as he drained yet another glass of alcohol.
"Well I can't go out of town with you," she argued meekly.
"Why?"
"Because I'm not prepared for it, my boyfriend already hates that I work here-"
"Your boyfriend is not my problem," he said tightly. This conversation was starting to aggravate him.
"No, but I can't just go without a warning-"
"Caroline," he spat "You are my personal assistant and when I am away on business I will be needing personal assisting. Now I would rather have someone that already knows my routine, and I do use the term "knows" rather loosely, because we do know how you struggle with such simple concepts, but if you refuse to do this for me I will fire you. I will end your future here. I will end your future everywhere. In addition to this you will never speak out of turn again, because if I catch you doing so I will send you back to whatever burger flipping hell hole you crawled out of, do I make myself clear?" his words escaped his lips in a hateful rush. Each one stinging her harsher than the next.
She didn't doubt he'd destroy her life and she couldn't go back to her old one. She was out of options.
Utterly defeated she slunk back in the corner of her seat. Seething from his audacity and worried about what Tyler would say when she mentioned she'd be leaving on business a few times a month.
Back at the office they didn't say another word to each other. He immediately returned to his office, slamming the door behind him. Caroline sank back into her office chair with the world on her mind.
She realized that she would have to find a way to tell Tyler about this, a way that hopefully wouldn't leave her single.
She sat there for twenty minutes typing and retyping emails to him, hating each one more than the last.
How am I going to do this? She worried.
This job was supposed to open doors for her, give her experience and opportunities. The experience she was definitely getting, but it seemed to be preventing her for going anywhere but down. She felt locked in to a job she hated.
When she heard the office door click open she didn't dare look up.
She was still mad at him, still hated him, was still pissed there wasn't anything she could do to help herself. She wasn't used to being helpless.
But the sound of heels stopping in front of her desk caused her to look up.
Before her stood Hayley in all her hellish glory. She looked as stylish as she had at Noir, but somehow more lethal. Caroline knew she hadn't seen her come in during the time she'd been back. Even more unsettling than not know where she came from was the predatory grin she had plastered on her face.
This wasn't a friendly visit, not by a long shot.
"Carol, is it?" Hayley asked brightly.
"Actually, it's Caroline," she murmured cautiously. There was something about this woman she didn't like. It was a familiar sort of danger she tried very hard to stay away from these days.
"Of course," Hayley replied, her grin widening in a way that made Caroline think of hyenas "I think it's time you and I had a little chat."
So are you team Tyler or team Caroline? I think the relationships here are all pretty messy. Super excited about next chapter, it has a lot more of Hayley and her questionable background so that should be fun.
Thank you so much for all your comments last chapter! I enjoyed reading them all, but I'm gonna warn some of you now this isn't going to be a fairytale.
There are no angels in this story so be prepared.
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