chapter 12
chapter 12
For some reason seeing him sent a shiver up my spine. He looked more like a predator now that I
could see him more clearly. He was huge. Even sitting down, his head could easily see through the
windows. I wonder what mutated breed he is. I am assuming it is a he, I wasn’t game enough to go
check. I know I wouldn’t want anyone checking between my legs to see what I was, if I was a dog.
Opening my car door, he walked over to me. I patted his big head. He pressed his nose onto my side
where the gash was. I hissed a little from the direct pressure on it. I don’t know how but since he
touched it, I was fully aware of the zig zagged cut across my side.
Deciding I should recheck it, I lifted my shirt. The dog watched, turning his from side to side like he
was studying it. I pulled the gauze back. It held together well and wasn’t pouring out blood, but I
definitely required stitches. Examining it in the light, I was pretty confident that across my hip bone that
jutted out under my skin, that the cut in at least that area was to the bone. I tried to pry it open with my
fingers a little so I could see layers of tissue outside my skin instead of under it. I had thankfully
stopped bleeding, but I needed stitches or it would either get infected or leave a terrible scar. That’s the
last thing I needed.
Placing the gauze back over it, I reached for the bottle of vodka. The stray tilted his head watching
me. His eyes looked so human like as he stared at me. I felt he was judging me. I turned away from his
watchful gaze and took another mouthful. The dog stuck around for a few more minutes before he took
off back down the ramp, leading to the lower levels of the car park. I had only five minutes left of break
so decided to lock my car up and walked back inside.
When I reached the office, Theo was perched on the end of my desk like he was waiting for
someone. That someone was me.
“Where did you go?” he asked. He seemed to sniff the air for a second. It was such a strange thing
to do. I have caught him doing it multiple times over the last few months, maybe it was like an
involuntary tick or something. But it was definitely strange. I have even seen his eyes go darker a few
times after doing it, like right now when he glanced at my face before quickly looking away.
“I had to go get something from my car?” I told him. He eyes me suspiciously like he doesn’t
believe me. I know I didn’t smell of vodka. I only had a couple of mouthfuls and there aren’t any
cameras on the top level of the carpark, so he couldn’t have seen me either. The way he was as staring
at me gave me goosebumps when suddenly his eyes darted down to my hip, the exact hip that I had
injured. He abruptly stood up and walked away without so much as a glance back in my direction.
Shaking my head, I walked into the kitchenette. I placed the kettle on, needing a caffeine hit.
I made myself, Tobias, and Theo coffee before walking back out to the foyer. I placed my cup down
on my desk before knocking lightly on Tobias’s door. No answer. Opening it slightly, he wasn’t in there.
The curtains were closed, and the only light was coming from his computer screen. I quickly walked
over and placed the cup on his desk. As I went to turn around though, I walked directly into him. I
jumped in fright at his closeness, my hand going to my chest from the fright. Before realising it was him.
“Sorry you startled me” He looked down at me. I felt tiny next to him, my face was level with his chest. I
had to crane my neck to look up at him.
I tried to step to the side but he moved even closer, effectively trapping me between him and his
desk. Exclusive content from NôvelDrama.Org.
I gulped and took another step back, my arse coming in contact with edge of his desk. I dared a
look up at him, and he was staring down at me with eyes that for some reason felt familiar and not
because I see him every day at work. I could not place why I felt that way. He reached his hand up. It
lingered in the air for a second when the door opened. His hand dropped and I looked around him and
noticed Theo stepping into the office. Using that distraction, I quickly moved away and practically ran
from the office. Theo seemed startled to see me, having not noticed me when he stepped in and
moved out of my way as I bolted from the room.
Closing the door behind me, I went back to my desk where my coffee was waiting, my heart was
pounding in my chest. I couldn’t figure out what just happened, but I knew one thing. The way he
moved and silently stood there staring at me, made a knot form in my stomach. I felt something under
his gaze. I wasn’t sure what it was, but it was definitely new, it sent thrills through me and fear at the
same time. Something dangerous was behind the way he looked at me. That thought alone scared me.
The day seemed to pass by slowly. I remained at my desk only seeing Theo come and go. I
noticed even he seemed to be avoiding me for some reason. He would barely even look in the direction
of my desk, just dart past and never linger like he usually did. When it hit 4:30 Tobias finally walked out
of his office and placed a document on my desk. “I need you to copy this and email it off to all
employees, and this is your copy for future reference,” he said. I nodded my head and he turned and
walked away.
Looking down at the paper, I noticed it said changes to Medical Insurance Policy, scanning over
the page. I stopped when one of the clauses read amended effective immediately. I read it and nearly
started crying. This would have helped me and my mother so much, if only it was changed before the
accident. I was glad though; this has the potential to help so many people. Tobias had changed the
Medical Insurance Policy so if you didn’t have dependants or were single you could nominate one
family member of your choosing to be on the policy with you. A lump formed in my throat as I got up.
I had to force back the tears that were starting to brim. I walked over to the printer and scanned the
documents in and walked back to my desk. I emailed every employee the document, letting them know
of the changes to their Medical Insurance Policy. I received a few emails back straight away off people
who weren’t exactly in my position but had family that could really benefit with this sort of help. Mark
especially, his message coming back instantly excited about the changes. Mark was single like me but
had a sibling with ongoing medical issues. Mark worked in the foyer downstairs and was one of the first
people I met when I started here. I had seen him a few times at the hospital with his sister. We had
spoken a couple of times, saying how we wished our medical policies could cover our family members.
I was expecting a reply from him. I knew he would be just as excited as I am for him. Unfortunately for
me it was too late. Mark though would get some help now to support his sister. His message hitting my
email, I quickly read it.
“Is this real? Have they really changed the policy?”
I replied, “Yes, Tobias just gave it to me. The changes are effective immediately,” and hit send
before closing my email. I knew I would be bombarded with questions but figured I would deal with
them Tomorrow. Tobias walked back out and nodded his head at me before leaving. I couldn’t form
words right now so, I just nodded back. I didn’t trust my voice not to break at his thoughtfulness. Maybe
he wasn’t as heartless as everyone thought. Theo however, I didn’t see him leave. He must have snuck
out when I was sending off emails. I turned everything off making sure to turn off all the lights and
checked to make sure I switched the phones over to voicemail. I then stepped into the
elevator.