KASMINE.

 

“Mum… I don’t want to be here anymore. Please?” I said to my mum for the hundredth time since the day I arrived.

 

I thought I could work things out with my brother and be freer around him, but I was wrong. He’s been worse than he used to be with his overprotectiveness.

 

“Come on, honey. You’ll be fine. Besides, you’ll be coming home tomorrow, won’t you? I know you miss me, your friends…” Mum said, trailing off again, probably talking to someone else in the background. It’s been a habit of hers that I detested. She always wanted to handle too many things at the same time.

 

“See you tomorrow, mum,” I hung up the call even before she could respond.

 

My mum was never available. How would she know what I was going through? We couldn’t even as much as connect through a simple conversation, how much more build a connection where she’d know how I truly felt on the inside about certain things I was going through?

 

I had no one to talk to except…

 

Speak of the devil, and she appears!

 

What the hell was Claire doing here at Zamford Tech? Was I dreaming?

 

“Baby girl!!!” She squealed, running into the office, which made me feel more like a prisoner than an intern.

 

“Claire! What are you…?” I was beyond shocked, but she took the words out of my mouth.

 

“I’ve been reposted to Zamford Technologies! Can you believe that?” She pulled me in for a hug.

 

“How did you do that? Don’t tell me you manipulated your way here,” I folded my arms across my chest, giving her a playful glare.

 

“I wouldn’t call it manipulation,” she said with an eye roll, “Where is he?” She asked, looking around for my brother in anticipation.

 

I felt pity for her. She was almost obsessed with Kester, but he would never love her back. He already had a fiance, and I believe he loved her. Moreover, Claire wasn’t his kind of woman.

 

Just before I opened my mouth to speak, the door to my office opened, and the face of the man who made me uncomfortable with just his stare walked in on us. His face was set in its usual frown.

 

The moment my eyes met Kester’s, I felt the familiar knot tighten in my stomach. His forest green eyes bore into mine for a brief second before I instinctively looked away, my heart racing.

 

He stepped into the office holding a sleek shopping bag, the door softly clicking shut behind him.

 

Claire’s excited chatter died mid-sentence as her gaze locked onto him. She froze for a moment, then straightened her posture as though trying to appear more poised. I could practically hear her heartbeat accelerating in the sudden silence.

 

“Kester,” she breathed in a soft voice as if his mere presence was a divine blessing.

 

He didn’t even glance her way.

 

Instead, he strode over to my desk with that same cold energy that made everyone in his presence feel like they were two steps behind him. The bag landed on my desk with a muted thud, and I looked up at him questioningly.

 

“This is for you. Open it when you’re alone.” He said casually.

 

“What’s in it?” I asked curiously, despite myself.

 

“Do as you’re told for once in your life, Kasmine,” He replied calmly.

 

Heat rushed to my cheeks. I felt embarrassed. But before I could open my mouth to speak, Claire interrupted me.

 

“Alpha?” She called.

 

He paused and turned his head, his eyes finally landing on her, “Yes?”

 

“I’m Claire,” she said, stepping forward, her hand extending toward him. “The new intern. It’s such an honor to intern in your company. I’ve heard so much about Zamford Tech, and I am glad to be a part of it.”

 

His gaze drifted to her outstretched hand, but he didn’t take it. Instead, he raised an eyebrow, his lips curling into a faint, mocking smirk.

 

“Claire? The one who fought her way into my company?” he asked, his voice carrying a sardonic edge.

 

I saw the shift in Claire’s countenance as her outstretched hand dropped beside her.

 

“I…” She swallowed nervously. This wasn’t the reception she hoped for.

 

He let out a scoff, shaking his head slightly as he glanced at me briefly. “Get busy, Claire. This isn’t a place for idle chatter.”

 

***

 

Claire hadn’t come into my office since she left. She felt terrible at how Kester had spoken to her. He knew her too well, but every time he came across her, he acted like he’d never met her before.

 

She was my friend, for fuck’s sake!

 

I rolled my eyes at the thought of how annoying my brother had become. Then, my gaze rested on the bag he had dropped casually on my table.

 

I had forgotten all about it.

 

I remembered his words: “Open it when you’re alone.”

 

It was cryptic, sure, but Kester was always cryptic. And there was something unsettling about the way he said it and the way his gaze had lingered on me before he left. His gaze held something I couldn’t name, but it left a sour taste in my mouth.

 

I cautiously pulled the bag toward me. The sleek black packaging felt lighter than it looked. Taking a deep breath, I slipped my fingers into the opening and began to pull out the contents.

 

My breath hitched.

 

The first thing I saw was the soft, crimson lace of a lingerie set, the kind you’d see on the cover of an intimate apparel catalog.

 

My fingers trembled as I unfolded it, revealing intricate floral embroidery that looked scandalously suggestive. I quickly stuffed it back into the bag, my heart pounding.

 

But my curiosity won out. Against my better judgment, I reached in again and pulled out two more sets—one was a daring black, while the other was an innocent-looking white with satin ribbons.

 

They were undeniably beautiful. And sexy. Far too sexy to come from my brother.

 

A thousand questions flooded my mind. Was this some sort of peace offering for being an ass to me for some days now? Or was it an inside joke gone terribly wrong?

 

Wait… Did he have someone else in mind when he bought these? Perhaps he bought them for June and decided to tease me with them?

 

What a terrible sense of humor!

 

The idea of Kester browsing through a lingerie store seemed laughable as I imagined it, yet here was the evidence in my hands.

 

My gaze darted to the glass wall separating my office from his. To my shock, he was sitting at his desk, reclined in his chair, watching me intently. His eyes didn’t even waver when I caught him.

 

My stomach dropped.

 

I flinched, shoving the lingerie back into the bag as the heat burned its way up my neck and into my cheeks. His expression was unreadable, but the intensity of his gaze… I couldn’t tell if he was amused or… something else entirely.

 

Oh, Selene! What have I gotten myself into? My brother was beginning to act in a way that disturbed me.

 

I stood up abruptly, clutched the bag in one hand, and went to his office.

 

“Okay, Kester, the joke’s up,” I dropped the bag on his desk with an eye roll, “They are for June, aren’t they?” I sighed, placing both hands on my waist.

 

He didn’t reply immediately. Instead, a flicker of something similar to irritation crossed his sharp features. Then, he masked it with a calmness that only fueled my frustration. “Who says they are for her?” He asked, his gaze never leaving mine.

 

“You didn’t possibly get these for me,” I said, laughing incredulously, though the laugh came out more like a nervous breath. “Sexy lingerie, Kester? Really?”

 

He leaned back in his chair, the faintest smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. “And why can’t I? Is it such a crime for a brother to buy his sister lingerie?”

 

“Lingerie, Kester? Do you hear how insane that sounds?” I asked incredulously, pulling the red one out of the bag and pointing it at him.

 

He shrugged, unbothered by my rising irritation. “It’s just clothing.”

 

“No, it’s not just clothing,” I countered, my voice lowering as I stepped closer to his desk. “Why would you buy these for me? You’re not my boyfriend. What’s the point of this?”

 

His eyes flicked to the bag, then back to mine, his expression darkening slightly as his jaw clenched. “Does everything need a point with you, Kasmine?” He stood up, adjusting his navy blue suit.

 

“Kester…” I was saying, but the words stuck in my throat when he took long strides until he stood close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off him. The scent of his cologne—spiced cedar and something darker—filled my senses.

 

The office suddenly felt so small as his huge frame swallowed my small one. My pulse quickened, and I couldn’t stop the bead of sweat sliding down my temple.

 

I clutched the bag tighter, suddenly feeling like I was holding a live grenade.

 

” “Stop overthinking things, Mine,” he murmured, the word dripping with an intimacy that sent a shiver racing down my spine.

 

That single word—Mine—knocked the air from my lungs. I didn’t like the way it sounded.

 

“You are my kid sister. And I can buy you anything I deem fit. These are just lingerie. Not sex toys.” The tone of his voice didn’t match the intensity of his gaze. His tone was softer.

 

The casual, deliberate way he said those two forbidden words, ‘sex toys,’ made my heart slam against my ribs. I knew he could hear it, feel it, the tension between us.

 

I swallowed hard, nodding slowly, my voice coming out small and strained. “Okay. Thank you,” I said, desperate to create distance between us and to diffuse whatever this was.

 

But his eyes stayed on me, dark and intense, like a predator watching its prey. I could feel my skin burning under his gaze, my legs threatening to buckle beneath me.

 

I cleared my throat, “I should…” Just as I was about to say more, thankfully, the door swung open, breaking the tension between us. I jumped, stepping back as if caught doing something I shouldn’t have.

 

It was his girlfriend, June.