TEMPTING THE BEAST

Chapter one: The break up

A new day: Monday Morning

It was a very bright and beautiful day, with the sun in the sky, smiling at everyone. Despite the beautiful day, everyone seems to be in a hurry, the cars moving quickly, and the pedestrians hurrying up and down the street with no clear-cut destination seen. It was as if everything and everyone was in fast-forward mode, and suddenly, the pause button was pressed. Everything froze in front of a tall Oval Office building, the DIXON AND SONS EMPIRE, a multi-billion dollar company that started as a small real estate company but has now branched off into other business spheres. Now, they acquire old buildings and a failing company, which they revive and sell for much more than it costs to develop.

The top floor housed the CEO's office, a huge compartment with ceiling-to-floor windows that gave a beautiful view of the city. Inside sat a well-dressed gentleman in a clean-cut blue suit, his broad shoulders filling up the suit nicely. He has a nice undercut, with its entire top neatly palmed and swept backwards.

His large hands were clicking seriously at his laptop, and his well-sculpted face was marred by a long ridged scar that took half of the right side of his face. He was frozen in intense concentration, his entire focus snapped by the work he was doing on his laptop.

He was trying to get all the work piled up due to the mini-vacation he took to spend time with his parents, a mandatory holiday that his mum institutes every last weekend of the month to ensure that her kids were not just all work and no play. He dared not miss it, so no matter how much work was left on his table at the end of the last Friday of the month, he abandoned them for a trip to his parent's mansion.

Everything around his office space seemed organized and in place. All the files were arranged neatly on the shelf, and his desk was neat and organized. His writing materials were organized into a small rectangular box. He kept his cup of coffee far away from his right hand to avoid spilling it.

The quiet atmosphere in the office broke when a phone rang in the outer office. The sudden noise did not break the intense concentration of the man in the office, who continued to work without a pause.

The phone kept on ringing until suddenly it stopped.

In the small outer office attached to the CEO's office, the secretary, a very pregnant African American, walked back inside from taking a leak to find the phone ringing; knowing how much her boss disliked noise, she hurried to it and picked it up.

" Mr. Dixon's office, how may I help you? " Marilyn said gently and professionally over the phone.

" Oh," she exclaimed, lifting her left brow when she realized who was calling. It was a personal call to her boss rather than a business call.

Marilyn wondered why the lady on the other side didn't call her boss on his line, but she didn't voice that thought; she only asked the woman to hold on to inform the boss that she had called.

The lady's rudeness didn't offend her. She was on the clock to mind those things. She was used to the lady's rudeness, as she was a recurrent feature in the place, being the boss's girlfriend.

Slowly, mindful of her protruding tummy, she exited her seat and walked to her boss's door. She knocked once and opened the door, knowing full well that no order to come in would be issued.

" Miss Lance is on the phone," she said to her boss, who had not bothered to look up at her entrance.

" Tell her I am busy; I will call her back, " Maxton answered in a detached, cold tone without pausing his work. He didn't have time to chat with Laurel, knowing full well how the call would go and how it would end up in a shouting match, which had become a norm for them these past few months. He didn't have the strength, not the time.

He and Laurel had been dating for two years now. She was the only one who had lasted that long with him since the accident. Not willing to dredge up bad memories, Maxton quickly pushed down everything in his mind and focused on what he knew how to do the best work.

Marilyn sighed, knowing how the fiery-tempered brunette would react when she told her that. The actress is like a child who wants everyone to be at her beck and call, constantly demanding attention and not happy when she is not giving it. She is not going to be a happy camper. She shook her head at her boss's relationship with the woman; it looked more like a business relationship than a loving one.

She spoke on the phone outside the door, but the line was already cut. The woman sighed in relief at having been spared the energy she would have used to appease the spoiled princess.

The day went by so fast that lunch was around the corner before Marilyn knew it. Having been cooped up in the office, she decided a little exercise was in order and had lunch in the café across the office building.

She went midway to chit-chat with her friends in the office before taking the lift downstairs.

Once she was done, she decided to get her boss a little something; knowing how immersed he could be in his work, she was sure he wouldn't remember to eat anything if she didn't get him anything. The man breathed and lived his work. For the ten years, she had worked for her boss, who took over from his father at the young age of twenty, she had never seen him take a break, and if not for the break, her boss's mother insisted that all her children take, the man would have been walking 24/7 for 365 days with no break.

Sometimes, Marilyn believes her boss to be a machine because, despite all his work, the man still looks good and shows no signs of stress. Yep, a machine, that is what he is, she concluded, taking the order from the young man's hand.

When she got back in, she went to drop off the lunch she had brought, only to find her boss still in the same position she had seen him in this morning: head bent at his computer, intense concentration on his face as he stared and typed.

Marilyn winced at the thought of all the tension and knots in those broad shoulders and strong neck. He probably won't have it, being the machine he is, she thought in mild amusement. She headed towards her boss, who finally looked up as she approached.

Maxton had been so keen on completing the work piled up over the weekend that he hadn't lifted his head for a pause until he felt someone enter his office again. He looked up to see his pregnant secretary waddling his way in his direction, a brown paper on her right hand and a cup of coffee on the left.

" Is it lunch already? " He asked.

" Yes, boss," Marilyn answered. She held out the lunch bag to her boss.

" Thanks, Marilyn, " Maxton said affectionately, something you will only hear when he is addressing his family or his secretary, who he had come to appreciate her diligent and hardworking attitude; she made everything easy for him when he took over from his father, had helped him adapt and encouraged him when he felt that he was In over his head, and thought he was a little fish swimming in the big sea and was worried about not meeting up to his father's standard. She had told him not to try to be his father, that he should find his path and that advice he had taken and ran with it. In the last ten years, he expanded their company from a multi-million dollar company to a multibillion-dollar company.

The Greene family had been with their family since the company's creation. Her mother had been my dad's secretary and, when she retired, had gotten her daughter to replace her. He would miss her when she went on leave, and he sincerely hoped that he could find someone as efficient as the woman.

Marilyn gave the young man a fond smile before returning to her office. Midway to the door, she paused and turned back. " Sir, about the interview for my replacement, will you conduct it personally, or should I inform HR to do it? " Marilyn asked her boss.

" I will be conducting it myself, " Max answered, taking a bite of his lunch. There was no way he was leaving the duty of finding his secretary to other people. He needed to screen them and judge for himself the kind of person they were because they would be walking a lot closer, and he didn't need a slob or someone who could not keep up with him.

Marilyn nodded and continued her way. Maxton finished his lunch and returned to work, and the next time he came up for air, everywhere was dark. He checked his watch to see if it was 8 pm. " Damn, " he cursed. He had forgotten to call Laurel.

He stood up and began to pack his things. Just as he put in the last item, his phone rang. He looked at the screen to see it was his younger brother calling.

" What can I do for you? " Little brother asked into the phone, his voice losing its usual coldness.

" I found a new club I think we should check out. I called Marlon, and he is in. Are you in? " Maximus said from the other end, his voice high with excitement.

Maxton sighed. Despite how much he would have loved to hang with his brothers, he couldn't; he needed to see Laurel. They hadn't seen each other for a week because he had been too busy at work and postponing their meeting. " I can't, little brother, have a date with Laurel," he said regretfully.

" WHAT! Bro, don't tell me you are still with that mannerless b***h! " Maximus cried from the other end of the phone, his distaste for his brother's girlfriend clear in his voice.

Maxton's fist clenched at his side as his mismatched eyes grew cold. " That woman you are calling a b***h is my girlfriend, and I will watch how you insult her, " he said into the phone, his tone tight and rigid.

Maximus sighed, wondering at his brother's loyalty to the b***h whom he believes is only a matter of time before she betrayed his brother, but Maxton was right; no matter what, the woman was still his girlfriend, and he should show more respect.

" I am sorry, " he apologized in a low tone, staring down at his feet like a child being scolded by his mother for being impaired. He respected his brother so much but disliked it when he said something to anger him.

" Bro, you know the woman is only with you because of your money and fame, right? " Maximus said quietly into the phone. Despite not wanting to anger his brother, he couldn't help pointing out the main reason he didn't like the b***h for his brother.

" At least she is not pretending to be somebody she is not. With her, I know what I am getting, and not some people who pretended to love me only for it to be a joke, " Maxton said, his voice growing colder as memories he didn't want to remember surfaced.

Maximus sighed again. Her brother had long given up on love after the woman he loved abandoned him because of his scars.

Five years ago, Maxton was involved in a fatal accident that nearly killed him, but he survived. Only it left him with a scar on his face that many women find repulsive, and the few that are willing to tolerate him are only there because of his money, like the b***h he was currently with. Even though his brother had given up hope of finding someone to look beyond the scar to see the man beneath him, he was sure that such a woman was out there.

"It's all right, bro. Go do what you gotta do, but you owe me an outing, " Maximus said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood.

Maxton's lips twitched at his fun-loving brother. " Don't worry, you have got a deal, he said in a light tone before cutting the call.

Maxton finished packing and walked out of the office. The whole place seemed deserted, as all the other workers had gone home. In the executive garage, used only by the top members of the company, was his car, a black-tinted Audi A5 2020 model.

His driver, a huge African American man, had heard his approach and came out of the car to open the back door for him. He held it open until he was inside before he entered the driver's side, and they drove away from the parking lot. Stop at any of the florists by the roadside, he said to his driver.

A few minutes into their drive, they saw one. He asked his driver to park, and then he came down.

Once he walked into the shop, he felt eyes on him. He looked up to see the woman selling the flowers wince and make a face when she noticed his scar. He pretended he didn't see it and looked around the shop, searching for Laurel's favourite flower, a blue daisy.

He picked up a bouquet and dropped a $100 bill on the counter. " Keep the change, " he growled at the woman and walked out.

When he returned to the car, he said to his driver, "Take me to Laurel's apartment."

When they arrived at the apartment complex, the driver asked, " Do I wait for you, sir? "

" No, " Maxton replied curtly, stepping out of the car.

He knocked at his girlfriend's door and waited for the door to open.

A few minutes later, the door opened to reveal a skinny, tall brunette wearing chiffon black sling hand nightwear and a black flowing robe over it. Without a word to the man standing outside, she walked back inside, leaving the door open.

Maxton sighed at the anger he glimpsed on his girlfriend's face. I guess I am in for a silent treatment tonight, he thought, following the brunette inside.

Inside the living room, he saw the brunette sitting on her couch, one leg placed under her thighs, the other dangling to the floor. She gazed fixedly at the TV screen, but from the rage burning on her face, you would notice that what was on the TV was the least of her problems.

" I got you some flowers, " Max said, stretching out the daisy he had picked up from the florist on his way back. His tone was calm as if he were trailing a land mine and scared of tripping one.

Malicious mocking laughter broke the woman's lips. She continued to laugh as she stood up to take the flowers from Maxton's hands.

" You got me flowers," she said in a low, sweet, mocking tone, spreading her hands before her features twisted into something ugly. The laughter disappeared, and her lips curled in disgust.

" You think your useless flower is going to make up for blowing me off all week, she snarled, tossing the flower to the floor, the rage back on her face. "Who do you think I am, a toy that you can pick up when it suits you when you need someone to f**k, cause no one will willingly want to f**k not with that ugly scar, and then when you are tired, you toss aside only to come running back with a bunch of useless flowers thinking they will make up for your lousy attitude, " Laurel continued to rant unaware of the change in the atmosphere of the room.

Her words hit Maxton like an arrow going straight for his heart as his body grew cold. He couldn't move; the pain was too much. Even though he hadn't loved the woman, at least he had cared, and to have her say those things to him chilled his body. He needed to get out of here before he did something he would regret. Without a word to the woman, he turned on his heels and walked out of the apartment, knowing in his heart that it was over.

The brunette continued to rant for a while before she realized she was alone, " f**k, " she cursed out loud, running out the door after Maxton. Still, by the time she got to the apartment lobby and outside, she could only catch his shadow as he was being driven off by a yellow taxi.

" f**k!!!!!! " She screamed in frustration before returning to her apartment, knowing she had messed up.