*
*
It was Jeb who walked inside.
Faith recognized him, he was a senior in the marketing department. He was a cool guy and one of the few people who treated her sincerely.
Faith had adjusted her clothes and hair as best as she could, she silently prayed that Jeb hadn't noticed anything.
"You wanted to know when the product will arrive from LA, I think this will help to boost the supplies." He handed some files to Sterling, whose features were still hardened in a scowl.
Faith watched as Jeb stared at her, the poor guy probably wondering what he had done wrong.
The telephone rang and Sterling started to make some calls and Jeb walked over to Faith.
"Great to see that you're back to work again!" He whispered, smiling broadly.
"Thank you!" Faith returned his smile, she felt a little more relaxed and less anxious that they were at least some people positive about her return.
"You've got some lipstick stains here."
Faith's eyes widened at his words and she flushed in embarrassment.
She guiltily accepted the handkerchief he provided while murmuring a "thank you".
"You're welcome. And no need to be embarrassed, some things just happen." He smiled but Faith could only wonder if he knew how she got the lipstick stain.
She returned the handkerchief to him and looked up, expecting Sterling to still be busy with his call, she didn't expect to find his gaze currently digging holes into them.
The kind of piercing stare that would have one reflecting on all the things they might have possibly done wrong, that was exactly how Faith was feeling right now.
There was tension in the room, the complete silence making it worse.
She couldn't pinpoint anything she'd done wrong, but the weight of his eyes made her feel otherwise.
Sucking in a sharp breath she met his gaze.
"I__um_still have some things to run in my office." The words came out in a jumbled sentence. Faith quickly exited the office without waiting for Sterling's approval.
*
*
It wasn't up to an hour later, Faith walked into the cafeteria, it was noisier than usual.
She was surprised that she received no stares, it meant that the gossip wasn't about her.
She couldn't have felt more relieved, that was until Yvonne spotted her. Faith started to exit with her coffee but Yvonne quickly approached her, wearing a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"You're quite close to Mr. Hunter aren't you, at least, tell us what happened."
Faith stared at Yvonne in confusion and Yvonne rolled her eyes.
"Are you going to pretend you don't know why Mr. Hunter fired Jeb? Your office is quite close to his, just spill a bit."
Faith stared at Yvonne dumbfounded.
Jeb was fired?
"He must have offended the boss___"
"Everything happened so suddenly __"
"If someone like Jeb could get easily fired, I'm really scared__"
Faith stood like a statue, hearing the murmuring of colleagues and the coffee suddenly felt cold in her hands.
"Can't you see she's ignoring you? She must think we're not worth her response!" Darla marched forward to tug Yvonne's hand, staring at Faith maliciously.
Faith couldn't be bothered to reply to her, she turned in the direction of Sterling's office, she wanted to know why Jeb was fired, he had always been a good employee, and it should be at least with a valid reason.
She met Sterling busy with his desktop, he looked up when she entered. Although the corners of his lips curved slightly, there was some gleam in his eyes that made her feel a bit uneasy.
She walked closer until only a few distances separated them and cleared her throat.
"I'm hearing that Jeb was fired?"
She thought she saw annoyance flash through his eyes.
"Yes."
He gave nothing more.
Faith thought he answered the question too casually. She inhaled deeply and decided to press on despite his hostility.
"Can I know why?"
His gaze clashed with hers then, and all the breath clogged up in her throat. He pushed aside the desktop and fully turned to face her.
"Because he deserved it for making a mistake he shouldn't have!" Sterling spoke stonily, Faith could feel the heated waves emanating from him.
Faith yelped when he suddenly tugged her so she was sitting on his thighs with his arms tightly caged around her.
Unwaveringly, she held his stare.
"The mistake he made is not by any chance because he I__interuptted earlier, was it?" Faith's expression held all seriousness.
She was relieved when Sterling chuckled quietly.
"As much as I fucking hated that, I'm not that selfish."
Faith thought that it was good that Sterling wasn't that unreasonable. Now, she was ashamed that she'd even asked him the question. If he fired Jeb, he must have had a sold reason, curiosity made her want to know.
"Then why? What did he do wrong?"
Faith felt the arms around her tighten until she squirmed. His eyes bore barely suppressed anger as he stared down at her.
"While I could forgive that he disrupted us earlier, what I hated the most was how he looked at you. He wanted more from you!"
Faith was more than shocked by his response, she stared at him with wide eyes, her blood slowly turning to ice.
He was being unreasonable!
This was the same Sterling that beat the shit out of Dan, the same that broke her phone.
"No, he didn't! Tell me you didn't ask him to leave because of that!"
"You didn't see the way his eyes were gleaming at you! He wanted what was mine and was lucky I only let him leave the company!" The venom was raw in Sterling's voice, and his face twisted into an ugly snarl.
Faith was too stunned and angry to speak.
"H_he didn't even do anything!" She squirmed against his grip, she didn't want to be touched by him at this moment.
"I don't want to be around you right now!"
Her struggles made Sterling snap, his lips were curved into a bittered snarl.
"Why are you so bothered that he's no longer here? What the hell was he even saying to you?!" His eyes were snaked with suspicion. The covetousness he couldn't hide seeping through.
Faith closed her eyes briefly.
Dear God, not this again!
Just when she thought that everything was going well between them.
She had even dared to begin to have dreams and hopes that something might develop between them.
His lack of trust in her was evident, how could he even utter those questions?
She blinked furiously, refusing to cry. She had been the one who set herself up for this.
Meeting his gaze one last time, she whispered.
"Let me go!"
He looked like he would say something but Faith beat him to it, her expression bitter.
"Oh, I almost forgot, I'm just a possession, one that you paid a high price for."
Sterling despised the weary look in her eyes even though he'd caused it. It caused an unpleasant sensation in his chest. He wanted to comfort her but he knew she just wanted to get away from him.
Why couldn't she understand?
He was a man, one who had lusted and obsessed after her for so long, how could he not recognize when others stared at her with the same intention?
He was a bastard who'd fought his way into her life and he would fuck with anyone who looked at her the same way. It was a simple understanding.
She belonged to him! It was his birthright to have her.
She might be upset, but that wouldn't change his decision. Since she needed some space, he would give her that.
He was well assured that in the end, she would return to him.
As soon as he unwillingly let go of her, she stormed out of his office, ensuring to bang the door loudly.