Scarlett walked inside her office, greeted by Rohan, Riya, Isla, and Cal. Her eyes fell on Cal, who stood beside Rohan, welcoming her with a warm smile. 

"Cal?" 

Scarlett walked towards him with a surprise-filled look as he smiled before waving at her. "How are you, Scar?" he asked. 

"Good, and how's your mom?" Scarlett asked as they walked inside. Scarlett went inside her cabin as Cal followed her. "Everything is all right. She's now on bed rest." Cal smiled back. 

"Oh, it's a relief that she's fine now. I couldn't contact you these past few days because I was so caught up in work."

"I know, Scar. I heard from Rohan about whatever happened last evening. Thank God that Mr. Walker was there; otherwise, Kacey could've done very harmful things." Cal sighed, shaking his head. 

"I will contact his lawyer and confront him about his recent activities." 

"Here are the cover samples for the hallway design. I've talked to caterers and florists, and there's an orchestra band that debuted last year with a fresh concept. I contacted their manager and let them know about the gala. He would like to have a meeting with you to finalize things." Rohan placed the sample album in front of Scarlett, on the table. 

"All right. Let's fix a meeting with them. We have planned all the things, and we now need a refreshing performance for the gala. If these people seem suitable, let's confirm that they will perform the function." Scarlett began the album by going through the samples. 

"When is the manager free?" Cal asked. 

"Um, upcoming Friday," Rohan told them. 

"Hmm, then, let's fix a meeting for Friday," Scarlett replied. 

"Fine. I'll fix a suitable time after contacting them and let you know." Rohan said as Scarlett nodded before he left the cabin. 

"I honestly think Kacey has taken it too far, and I need to bring it to the court." Scarlett leaned back on her chair as her jaw clenched when Kacey's mischievous face crossed her mind. It irked her so bad that her hand itched to go to him and slap him across the face, snatching away all the mischievousness. 

"Are you sure?" Cal asked, surprised. 

"I am." 

"Scar, Kacey is a man with a strong background. I doubt we could make it work." Cal sighed as his fingers started to fidget. 

"I have to, by any means. I would love to see all the mischievousness tear off of his face, and him being left with regrets and nothing else. He mistook me for someone so weak, Cal. I can never forget the words he has said to me." Scarlett's fists tightened and her jaw clenched as Kacey's filthy face crossed her mind. 

"I need him to lose. By any means." 

"I understand. I'm meeting Victor at 8 PM for the next hearing." Cal informed. 

"I'll also join you," Scarlett replied. Cal hesitated for a moment, seeing all of the work that Scarlett still had to complete. The date for the Gala is coming closer day by day, and still, a lot of things are yet to be done. On top of this, Scarlett has to deal with the dispute as well. 

~~~

After meeting with Victor and discussing the next hearing, Cal and Scarlett finally left his office. They had a warm cup of coffee before Cal offered to have dinner together. Initially, Scarlett thought of accepting, but her answer changed as soon as she saw someone walking towards them. 

None other than 'him'

His honey-amber eyes with fiery rings glinted beautifully under the bright street light as he crossed the road to walk toward where she stood. 

"Mr. Walker?" The words softly rolled on her tongue without her even being aware of it as Noel approached them.

"Hi," he muttered a soft 'hi' to her before his eyes shifted to the person next to her. The change in his expression from soft to stern was so quick that Scarlett almost let out a chuckle. 

"Um, hello, I'm Cal. I work as a general manager in Adair's event plans." Cal introduced himself with a smile as Noel nodded. 

"Nice to meet you, Cal. I'm Noel." 

"I know. I heard how you happened to be in the club last night, where Scarlett met Kacey. I'm so thankful to you." Cal smiled as Noel exchanged a glance with Scarlett. 

"All right, Cal. I'll meet you tomorrow." Scarlett turned to face him as Cal nodded in agreement before giving her a quick hug. Noel's eyes flashed an expression of something unexplainable to him before he curled his fingers while his eyes kept settling on the other two. 

"I'll meet you tomorrow morning. Good night." Cal wished as Scarlett wished him back before he finally took his leave. Noel, meanwhile, kept standing there without budging as Scarlett took out her phone to book a cab. Her car was in the apartment, but she didn't get to bring it because of the busy day in the office. 

"I'll drop you," he said, earning a 'are you sure' look from her before he shook his head and walked towards his car. Scarlett quietly followed him without resisting because she knew the urgent need she was in to reach her home because of her stomach growling in pain and hunger. 

Noel began driving silently as Scarlett could see the tension in his muscles, his eyes locked on the road, and his jaw tightened as he drove. It made her gulp intimidatingly, so she chose to stay silent, but her stomach did not. 

"Are you hungry?" Noel asked after Scarlett painfully clutched her belly while shutting her eyes in disbelief. "Yeah, well, I haven't had dinner yet." She shrugged, replying to him. 

"Do you want to go somewhere for dinner then?" He offered, earning a surprised glance from her, but she shook her head. 

"No, it's all right. I'll just cook myself something once I reach home. It's getting late and rainy already." She told him honestly. Noel nodded in agreement before taking a turn to the left. 

Scarlett heard a ring on her phone, realizing it was a text. She opened it to see Nancy texting her. 

Nancy: It's getting rainy, I will stay at Ella's place for the night. DW and good night !<3

She sighed before putting her phone back and focusing on the sideways. The road went empty real quick because of the bad weather as trees passed on the lonely street. Finally, after twenty minutes of riding, the car came to a halt. Scarlett looked outside to see her apartment.

"We're here." Noel mused. 

"Oh well, thanks. Um, it's getting pretty rainy. You should also reach back." 

"Won't you ask me for a coffee? My throat is pretty sore." Noel looked at her as she was taken aback by him, but smiled. "Yeah, sure, why not? Please," Noel nodded, getting out of the car as he followed her in the direction of the door. Scarlett opened the door, welcoming him to her apartment.

"Um, I'll prepare you a coffee first." As she walked toward the kitchen counter, she could feel his intense gaze on herself. The man had something running through his mind; he was staying silent, and she knew that. She looked up to find him looking at herself as his eyes keenly fixed on her. 

"Can I ask you something?" He said, his tone was low and thick. Scarlett nodded before she went to take out the coffee powder from the shelves and began to pour some. "Yeah," 

A smile appeared on his lips as he took close steps towards the other side of the counter, coming face-to-face with her. Scarlett sucked a breath in her throat as his intense, spicy cologne hit her nostrils. Her insides throbbed with excitement as she eyed him. 

He had a tall, athletic body, gorgeously tanned skin, and facial features so strong and masculine that they could defeat a Greek god. His amber eyes were so charming, with those igniting fiery rings that added to his overall appearance. 

"Scarlett?" 

She came out of her bubble of thoughts before looking back at him, "Yeah, you can ask anything." she said, almost immediately trying to hide the embarrassment off of her cheeks that felt hot red. He smiled. 

"Is Cal your boyfriend?" The question came out, leaving her baffled as she stared at him in dismay, "Huh?" 

"Um, that guy named Cal who was with you earlier." He let out a nervous smile, shaking his head. "Oh him. No, he's not my boyfriend. He's just a good colleague. Besides, he's someone I can rely on for work. He's a great man." Scarlett smiled before turning around to grab the water jug, whereas, his eyes kept fixed on her. 

"I see." Noel smiled as she turned around to face him. "Um, would you like some sugar?" she asked. 

"One spoon would be sufficient," he replied. "Okay," she said, smiling, and added a spoonful of sugar. She turned around, gasping, as she found him standing close to her. "Is Cal interested in you by any chance?" The question came out of his mouth, abruptly. 

Scarlett was a bit taken aback but still answered, "Uh, no. He's just a sincere man who happens to be a close friend. Just that." she replied. A smile of satisfaction appeared on his lips as he looked at her. "Oh, is it? It's good then," he mused. 

"Why do you care, Mr. Walker?" The question left her mouth without her even realizing it. In her sane mind, Scarlett would never do that, but still, whatever she asked was reasonable. She needed answers as to why Noel was giving her so much attention and time when, in the first place, he didn't even know her yet. 

Noel kept staring at her. He was still, his eyes fixed on her face as she impatiently waited for him to answer. "I-" 

"Mr. Walker, you're not supposed to ask these questions unless you're-" 

"Unless I'm?" He took a step forward, causing her to abruptly step back. 

"Unless I am?" He raised his eyebrow, looking at her amused,, before taking one step towards her. Scarlett gulped before stepping back to maintain a safe distance between their bodies. 

"Unless we are..." Scarlett's throat went dry as he stooped close to hers. His eyes keenly examined; every feature of her face as she tried to think about a good choice of words. 

"Unless we are..." he smirked as she winced when her hips were pressed against the marble of the cold counter. To make it even worse, his hands surrounded each side of her hips, tightly pressing onto the counter as he hovered over her. 

"Unless we are what, Ms. Adair?" His voice was low yet deep enough to create chills in her body. His intimidating, fiery eyes keenly fixated on her lips as she nibbled them, unable to look him in the eyes. 

"Mr. Walker, unless we share a bond close enough to have this conversation." she reminded him. 

"I do not care," he pondered as the corner of his lips curled. 

"You should," she said. 

"Why should I?" he asked, amused by her response. A sly smirk was playing across his lips. 

"Because you..." She breathed heavily, summoning every bit of courage she had to provide him with the answer, "You are intimidating. And your proximity..." she breathed again as he brought his face closer waiting for her to continue. 

"Hmm mm?" He signaled to keep her going. She nibbled her lower lip, contemplating whether to be honest about what she was feeling or to just run away. 

"Your proximity... It- It's unsettling," she said, looking away, feeling the rapid beat of her heart drumming. "There are lines that shouldn't be crossed and boundaries that must be respected," she said. 

"And what if I tell you?" He put his index finger below her chin, sucking every ounce of breath out of her. "I have always found that the most adventurous things that I want to explore lie just beyond the boundaries," he whispered. "I thrive on unpredictable adventure, Ms. Adair..." he said as he brought his lips closer to her. She was so close that he could feel her uneven, rapid breath. 

"And I am willing to cross every line with you." he finished, leaving her in complete bewilderment. Her voice had fallen deep into her throat. Not a word comes out. Just pure shock plastered on her face. But there was something else. A thrill. An excitement. A crave. 

"Mr. Walker, this is not us..." she gulped. 

"We both are aware of our needs, Scarlett. We both know there's something between us..." His jaw clenched as his finger dug deep into her soft flesh. Scarlett's body tensed under his rough touch. 

"something we can't ignore." He looked her deep in the eyes as he took one final step close to her, blocking the space for any air between them. The fiery rings of his honey-amber eyes ignited passionately. Scarlett gulped but was surprised at the way her body reacted under his touch. 

"We should not-" Scarlett tried to protest, but before she could do it, she already felt his lips descending upon hers. A shiver ran down her spine as she tried to proceed with what had just happened. Before she could do anything further, his lips had already started molding onto hers, silencing her every protest and her every doubt. 

The kiss was electrifying, igniting a fire within them that they didn't know existed. "Mr. Walker-" 

"You're going to call me Noel from now on," he said, pulling only to stare intensely at her. Her fingers rocked, digging into her waist. Scarlett sucked a deep breath as his eyes sharpened on her lips. There was something in them. 

Pure hunger and thirst. 

Desire to have those lips. 

So he did. In no time, his lips were back on hers. Consuming every inch of her mouth till he was completely satisfied. But the hunger only grew. It never subsided. The feel of her soft lips was making him insane as he savored every moment of it, kissing every inch of them. 

He devoured every inch of her mouth, roughly yet tenderly. 

*******

Woo, the chapter was intense to write lol. I wrote such an intense scene after a very long time. My cheeks are flushed rn. Anyway, I hope you liked that. Love love <3