Taming the Billionaire

#6 New Day!

When Elise woke up, she was shocked. She was not in her room. She checked her surroundings, trying to remember where she was. The memories of last night started coming to her, making her feel restless. She looked inside the blanket. Indeed, she had fallen asleep naked. It was a first for her. She wanted to tell herself that it was a drunken mistake, but she couldn't ignore how good she felt. Nolan was outstanding.

Elise looked around for Nolan, suddenly realizing she was the only one in the room. It made her feel gloomy when she couldn't find him anywhere. Stealthily, she got out of her blanket and picked up her clothes scattered on the floor. She quickly got dressed, washed her face, and picked up her belongings before glancing at the comfortable mattress and blanket one last time before leaving the extravagant suite. Indeed, it was a momentous night. She sighed. She wasn't feeling guilty about it. But she felt a little sad even though she knew it would be a one-night drunken rendezvous from the start.

Elise turned to see the five-star hotel in front of her as she waited for the cab. She could never afford to stay in one, even though she worked in one herself.

The erotic memories Elise made with Nolan flashed through her mind, making her blush. She shook her head, looking at the watch. On the first day with her new boss, she was going to be late. She still had to go home and change her clothes. She sighed, trying to stay focused. The night was over. She had to hurry if she still wanted to keep her job intact. Moreover, she didn't want to get too late and make Helena and Mike assume she got late because she was sulking over them. The night might have started that way, but she no longer felt the same way.

On the other hand, Nolan stood dumbfounded when he entered the room. He felt ghosted by Elise. He wondered if it was how all those women had felt after he had ghosted them in the past. Was it karma hitting back at him? It was a cruel joke!

When Nolan woke up that morning, he had never felt better. He continued sleeping a little longer, cuddled up next to Elise's naked body. He wanted to wake her up and make love to her. Morning s*x would be a first for him as well. He had always left for his house after s*x. But, he controlled himself. He wanted to take things slowly with her. Last night was a drunken affair. He wouldn't want to startle Elise by doing something she might not desire that morning.

But after a while, hundreds of thoughts flooded through Nolan's mind, making him anxious. He couldn't simply take things slow while she lay against him. It tempted him. Moreover, he weighed if bringing her to this hotel room was a mistake. He could have taken her to his home to make her feel right. By the time he got up and had already freshened up, Elise had still not woken up. He loitered around the room, worried about leaving the room that she might wake up when he wasn't around and get the wrong message. He even had breakfast inside the room. But Elise was still asleep.

When Nolan got too bored, he decided to go to the boutique and get fresh clothes for Elise. It shouldn't be long. Plus, she was in a deep sleep. He had a bad feeling about it. He should have listened to his instincts instead of his boredom. He had even left her a note on the fridge door. But she never checked it. What was her hurry?

Nolan sighed, frustrated and defeated. He had no details about her. He should have at least gotten her number or where she worked. Had he not gone out for that mere fifteen minutes, he would not have had the misfortune to return to this empty room.

Nolan was in a bad mood. If it weren't the first day of his new role as the CEO of the Pristine hotel, he would have taken a day off and tried to find her whereabouts himself rather than entrust it to his subordinates. The welcome ceremony by the board of directors was even more boring than he had assumed, probably because his mind was elsewhere. His day was moving very slowly. Seconds felt like minutes, minutes like hours, and an hour like an eon.

After the meeting, Nolan wanted to go to his office. But they asked him to greet the staff members, annoying him. He was helpless. He couldn't say no to it since it was his first day.

"You look tired," Mike whispered, walking close to Nolan. Nolan rolled his eyes. He hated him to the core. If it weren't for his father's intolerance, he wouldn't have tolerated Mike anywhere near him.

Nolan ignored his remark, walking towards the hall. He had to give a speech and give some awards to some performers. He wasn't sure why he should give away awards on his first day, but he was going to observe everything for a while before making any changes.

"Hi!" a familiar voice greeted Nolan. He took a deep breath, trying to control his agitation. The day couldn't get worse. As if tolerating Mike wasn't enough, Gianna was there too to irk him more. She wasn't even directly associated with the Pristine hotel. Why on earth did she feel the need to plan this unannounced visit? If she was anything, it was persistent, unnecessarily. Or was it her fragile ego that couldn't accept a rejection?

"What is she doing here?" Nolan asked Mike, trying hard to hide his annoyance.

"Aunt invited her. She said she should be here to support you." Mike replied, flashing his teeth. Nolan rolled his eyes and scoffed. He had nothing left to speak. His stepmother, Clarence Miller, was one hell of a woman. It wasn't easy to outwit her on a normal day. She was hellbent that he should marry Gianna, her best friend Mila Morgan's daughter. After all, Gianna was Mila Morgan and Ruth Morgan's only child, the heiress of the Morgan empire.

It didn't matter to Clarence that Nolan was not even slightly interested in that match, especially after how relentlessly Gianna broke his once innocent heart. Now that he looks back, he doubts that it was his teenage fascination with a beautiful girl and nothing more. There was never any loyalty, honesty, or transparency in their relationship. They were a wealthy couple of a clique, only together to make everyone jealous. At least, that was the case for Gianna.

Everyone forgot everything once Gianna returned and wanted to get together with Nolan because she liked his new persona. After all, it benefited their social circle and bank balance. But to Nolan, it was just her ego because he didn't respond to her how she would have wanted. He was just his obsession. And he had no desire to play her unreasonable games one more time. He had fallen victim once.

In the front row, the board members and important guests were seated. Gianna was right in front of Nolan, flashing her biggest smile. Nolan did not even spare a look towards her, avoiding the front row entirely. He was looking everywhere else, trying to pass the time. The anchor was telling the crowd a very long description of him, making him wonder how much of that was even true.

Nolan tried to push back a yawn, checking his phone several times to see if his subordinates had found anything about Elise. But there was nothing. He was getting impatient.

Nolan heaved, looking up randomly. He shifted his gaze instinctively before his reaction stiffened. He turned his face in the previous direction.

Alas! He felt like a fresh breath of air struck him, making him feel livelier. A shocked Elise was sitting in the crowd, looking flabbergasted, trying to process his presence like him. Were they a match made in heaven? Nolan chuckled at that random thought. The gloomy day suddenly got brighter. The new workplace instantaneously became fun. And the dead spirit woke up inside him. A broad smirk rolled on his face.

When Elise reached the hotel, no one had even batted an eye about missing her, except Sara, who wouldn't want her to get caught. No one cared about the absence of a lowly employee like her, as they were busy with the bustling crowd and the preparations for welcoming the new CEO. Even Mike and Helena did not bother about her. It was like a blessing in disguise. To her, it was like an ordinary day. She quickly got engrossed in her routine life until they had to attend the introduction ceremony of the new CEO. It was a mandatory affair for all the managers.

Sara and Elise sat together, gossiping about the previous day. The rumor that the new CEO was cold and handsome had already spread like wildfire. They were curious to see him, but that didn't stop Sara from keeping bothering Elise to know more about last night, who was royally ignoring her never-ending questions. When the anchor announced the new CEO's entry, like everyone else in the hall, their attention shifted toward the podium and the front row.

"Is she the woman from yesterday?" Sara asked, looking in Gianna's direction.

"Who?" Elise followed her eyes, becoming startled when she saw Gianna. What on earth was she doing here? For total strangers, they were always in the same place!

"Nolan Miller, our new CEO!" the anchor announced, making Elise lose balance as she turned toward the podium.

The hotel had kept the new CEO's identity a secret. They said it was a promotional strategy to get the hype and the media's attention. Only the board of directors and a select few knew about it. So, an employee of her status could never get her hands on such confidential details. Otherwise, not even in her wildest dreams would Elise dare to have a one-night stand with Nolan. Now, not only her ex but also the man she had spent an erotic night with, was at her workplace as her new boss. How merciless was her fate? Was it in some cruel mood to torment her?

Elise wanted to avoid looking at Nolan. She tried to look elsewhere or hide her face. But after a while, Elise would find herself fixated on him. How could she not stare at him when she was still trying to overcome that shock that had struck her like unannounced thunder?

She felt like the ground was slipping away from her feet slowly. But she could do nothing to protect her. There was no comparison to how helpless she felt at that moment!

As if fate was still angry at her, Nolan looked in her direction. Elise gasped, forgetting how to breathe. She had a single moment of respite when Nolan's eyes moved in another direction. Perhaps he didn't recognize her amidst the crowd. But that moment of relief was too short-lived. Nolan quickly shifted his gaze back in her direction.

Alas! Elise felt like all the air from her body was sucked up, making her petrified. A fascinated Nolan was sitting on the podium, looking amused, trying to process her presence like her. Was the devil taking revenge on her? Elise swallowed hard at that bizarre thought. The mundane day suddenly got stormier. Her workplace instantaneously became dangerous. And the urge to run away from there became irresistible. Her face turned pale, her eyes popping out in shock and confusion.