My Servant CEO

Today, unlike Cara’s usual routine, she woke up not by the sound of her alarm clock, but by the sunlight that shone directly on her face. 

Today was her twenty-first birthday and like before, she would wake up with a terrible headache. Although unlike the years before where her headache was because of drinking too much on the eve of her birthday, this time it was different…totally different.

Cara’s head was throbbing. She opened her eyes and instinctively her hand searched for her thick glasses. To her dismay, they were broken beyond recognition.

“The heck? I can’t afford to get a fresh pair of glasses,” she blurted out as she mussed her hair in frustration. Luckily, the incident last night was just a bad dream… or was it?

She rubbed her eyes with her hands. She suddenly realized her vision was high definition even without her thick glasses on. She looked around and saw the time on a wall clock. It stunned her that not only was her shift almost over, but the clock was a few meters away from her. Her vision actually zoomed in!

“Oh my God, what is happening to me?” she murmured, still in disbelief. The staff room was in shambles. The incident last night had knocked heavy metal lockers over and the full-length mirror was shattered beyond repair.

“How on Earth will I fix everything in time?” There was a tone of panic in her voice. She pushed the lockers hard, trying to get them back into place, but surprisingly, they were light. “What the fudge! Is it really so light or am I just really strong?” She was starting to question her abilities, and she was sure that super strength definitely was not one of them.

“Sinli sibil, Sinli sibil, Sinli sibil.” She heard chanting in her mind, as if wanting her to say it out loud.

“What the hell is Sinli sibil?” she finally said loud and clear. A beam of purple, glittery light flashed across the entire changing room. And voila, everything was clean and in order, as if nothing happened.

Cara quickly picked up her things and felt like her sanity was slowly leaving her. She ran as fast as she could. She needed to get out of this place as swiftly as the changing room had gotten cleaned. She lowered the cap she was wearing and ran so fast she felt like she was almost floating.

“Ahh.” Cara fell. Feeling slightly dizzy, she realized she had bumped into someone. It was a man. And everyone around her looked mortified. She stood up to check on the man.

“Is he dead? Why are these people overreacting?” she spoke to herself as she went over to see the fragile man.

“Ahhh!” he screamed like he was in so much pain. Cara was scared, so she started moving away. The man screamed louder.

Cara heard a sizzling sound, like putting fresh meat on a searing hot pan. And the scent was unpleasant, like veal being torched. She looked around, and it seemed like she was the only one bothered by it.

She chose to ignore it and stepped backwards little by little as if no one would notice her leaving the scene.

“Don’t let that woman get away!” he shouted, giving instructions to his guards while pointing at Cara.

Cara instantly realized the man she bumped into was none other than Ashton Crafter, the billionaire who was allergic to women. She walked back, not wanting to be dragged away by his guards.

“Oh God, am I killing him right now?” Cara couldn’t help but feel sorry at the sight of Ashton in excruciating pain.

“Help me to my office and bring that woman too!” Ashton said while obviously still in pain. His staff helped him and brought Cara with them.

Cara was dazed and confused, as the song says, but it was literally what she was feeling. One moment, she thought she had superpowers, and the next she almost killed her weird boss.

Ashton signaled for his men to leave the two of them. Cara did not know what to expect, but she sure had a lot of explaining to do, especially now that Ashton was looking at her name tag.

“So, I suppose you are not Theo,” he said in a low voice.

“I’m Cara. I’m really sorry, boss. I did not mean to bump into you. Is your allergy really that bad?” Cara asked Ashton with a tone of innocence.

“Yes, it is bad.” He started unbuttoning his shirt. His rock hard abs and broad chest were a sight to behold.

‘Boss, works out for sure.’ Cara’s silly mind was again blabbing about unimportant things at this critical time.

He moved towards the mirror behind his desk to check his back. It surprised Cara to see a fresh brand on his back. It was identical to her new tattoo.

“How the hell?” she exclaimed loudly this time.

“Witch, look at what you did to me!” Ashton replied with conviction.

“I really did not mean to bring you harm. What should I do to fix your allergy? Should I not move away from you right now? Well, as far as I know, you should stay away from allergens, right?” Cara thought of a lame excuse even though she still did not understand why Ashton’s allergy looked like a cow branding. But what was stranger is that it looked exactly like her fresh ink.

Ashton fixed his clothes and grabbed pain reliever from his drawer. With a serious look on his face, he walked towards Cara.

“Witch! We have no choice but to get married now. Come with me!” Ashton exclaimed to the confused Cara.

“What? Why? I just met you! I don’t even love you!” Cara was distraught, asking Ashton while he practically dragged her out of his office.

“Don’t flatter yourself, witch. What I feel for you is the opposite of love,” Ashton sneered angrily at her.

He instructed Cara to get in his car. Cara knew her boss’s reputation, so she behaved and kept quiet. She would wait until he cooled down and was willing to listen to her explanation.

The silence between them in the car was bearable. She preferred it this way. She looked out the window and realized that he was taking her to an exclusive estate. There were no houses nearby, and all the people they passed bowed before Ashton’s car.

When they arrived at a mansion, a butler opened the door for her. They were all taken aback to see a woman with Ashton, and an unsightly woman at that.

She just quietly stood there and felt judged by everyone around her. Perhaps she was not used to being the center of attention, or maybe she was just guilty of causing harm to that arrogant boss. Cara was half explaining this in her mind as she could not do it in actual life. She clenched her fist nervously, waiting for instructions.

“I did not mean to bump into the weird boss and I’m definitely not planning on marrying him.” The thought of marriage made her cringe. She could not even admit her feelings to her crush. How could she face marriage?

Ashton interrupted her daydreaming when he grabbed her arm and pulled her inside the mansion.

‘What is he planning now? I’m not ready for this!’ She wanted to protest, but Cara was afraid of what could happen while she was in his mansion. ‘They will bury my corpse here and no one would even know. What a sad life.’ That’s how far she had thought of her situation already, and she was ready to give her last will and testament.

Ashton opened a beautifully carved, humongous door. “Is this my dungeon?” Cara could feel that her end was absolutely near. She closed her eyes, refusing to see how her life would end.

Thud.

She heard the door close shut. Cara slowly opened her eyes. She was in an elegant room—a library—a library that was bigger than her best friend Theo’s house. She could not understand why people would choose to house so many books when most people barely had a roof above their heads to keep them warm at night.

She looked around and smelled a pleasant aroma of essential oils. She sniffed it like a bomb-sniffing dog. “Lavender with the bark of a century-old Acacia and three drops of fresh spring water from up north,” she said out loud. Cara covered her mouth with her hand immediately. It baffled her.

‘What the fudge did I just say? It was too accurate for a guess,’ she thought to herself.

Ashton leaned over the table in front of Cara. He cupped his chin and pinned his gaze to Cara. She ultimately felt uncomfortable being raked from head to foot. She looked down to avoid Ashton’s deep-set eyes, which were made more gorgeous by his thick eyelashes.

“Hmm, so, you have a heightened sense of smell, incredible hearing, and impeccable eyesight, right?” Ashton bluntly asked Cara.

Her eyes widened at his statement. “How could you possibly know? Are you some kind of shaman?” Cara blurted out with a tone of mockery.

“Not me, dummy. It’s you. You are a witch.” Ashton laid it out in the open like it was normal for him to call her a witch.

“You know, you are too petty for a CEO. I’ve told you already. I did not mean to harm you in any way. Why do you have to repeatedly call me a witch? Let’s be grownups here and settle this now,” Cara begged Ashton to take her seriously.

He moved closer to her and lowered his head to meet her eyes. Ashton was serious. There was not a thread of a doubt in his aura that he meant business. In his low voice, he said to Cara, “You really are a witch. In fact, you are the Sakalam.”

“This is it. This is the day. I can do this.” Cara took a deep breath while looking at the signage as she stood in front of a worn-out building.

She puffed out her cheeks as she gathered her courage to open the wooden door. There were a lot of people. Most of them were minding their own business, which was exactly how she liked it. She was the observant one; she despised being the one observed.

Cara is a simple woman and prefers to be unseen. She’s more comfortable being one with the crowd than standing out. Most of the time she would be mistaken as a boy, since her hooded jacket conveniently hid her long brown wavy locks. Her thick glasses do not help in showcasing her gorgeous blue-gray eyes and long lashes, either.

She looked around, hoping to find that one person who can help her with the best birthday gift she thought of having.

“This place stinks” Cara muttered underneath her breath. She hates the smell of cigarette smoke in a confined space like this. She hates going in this place, as she feels that the men in here are scrutinizing her appearance. But she does not really have a choice, she does not want to do it with Theo at home, Uncle Thomas would kill them.

She tapped a tall bearded guy with a man bun who was busy chatting with other men in the shop.

“Hey, Theo! This is the day I am so ready for it,” she said in a serious tone.

“Right now? Are you serious? I thought we were going to do it on your twenty-first birthday. That’s tomorrow, right?” Theo asked Cara in one go.

“Yes, but I will be on duty tonight. I want to do it now, Theo.” Cara used her expressive eyes to persuade Theo.

He let out a deep sigh. Theo has no power over this woman. “Okay, but promise me that this would be the first and last, Cara.”

Cara pouted her lips and mumbled. “I’m not so sure about that, I heard that the feeling can get quite addicting.”

Theo nodded as he led Cara to the chairs near them. The whole shop went dead silent. Their eyes follow the two around as they listen intently; after all, it is not every day that they hear that type of conversation in the shop.

“Well, I can attest to that, I’ve done it so many times already.” Theo answered confidently.

Theo took off the hood of Cara’s jacket from her head. Her soft, wavy hair instantly fell to the side of her cheeks. He then removed her thick glasses. Cara smiled sweetly at Theo, and he awkwardly smiled back at her.

She crossed her arms and grabbed the bottom part of her jacket and took it off. She was wearing a black tank top with a low back, so that Theo could easily access it.

“You know it’s my first time, Theo. I don’t know if I can take the pain that well.” Cara reminded Theo. “I know, and I promise you, Cara, that I’ll be gentle,” Theo said as he sat on the black stool in front of Cara.

She tied her hair in a messy bun and sat, turning her back to Theo.

Cara bit her lower lip, not wanting to make a sound as Theo was busy with her back. She glanced at him; and saw Theo wipe the beads of sweat from his forehead.

Their eyes met. Theo cleared his throat before he spoke. “Are you okay?” He asked Cara with a genuine tone of concern.

“Yeah, it stings a bit, but nothing I can’t handle.” Cara replied with a smile.

“Bzzzt, bzzzt.” The sound of needles vibrating as it pierces Cara’s skin was music to Theo’s ears.

“What the fuck, bruh? Is she Theo’s little sis?” Brenan asked Chuck, who was standing beside him.

Brenan and Chuck are Theo’s new friends. He met them in the tattoo shop and they instantly clicked together. It made Cara happy to see Theo with other friends since it has always been just the two of them since she moved in with the Willis.

Bren walked towards Theo and Cara. “Hey Cara, how are you?” His tone was casual, but Theo knew better. He stopped what he was doing and directly looked at Bren.

“Hey, hands off my little sis.” He sneered at Bren with his nostrils flaring.

Bren raised both his hands and chuckled. “Chill, bro; I was just asking.”

“I know you, Bren, don’t even think about it.” Theo was stern in his voice.

“Jeez, bruh. You sound like a strict father. Um no, I take it back. You sound more like a jealous boyfriend.” Bren confronted Theo as he walked away while laughing at him.

Theo gagged after hearing Bren’s words. Cara saw how Theo reacted. She felt like they have trampled her ego.

“Am I that repulsive?” Cara seriously asked Theo.

“We’re practically like siblings. How do you want me to react?” Theo asked Cara as he snickered.

“Can you stop saying that? We are not siblings; you are too ugly to be my brother.” Cara tried her best to boost her ego.

Cara’s lifelong crush on Theo has been kept for the longest time because of their situation. She lives with him and his father Thomas since she was twelve when her grandma died. Although she’s not legally adopted, Theo treats her like his own little sister. Something she can’t reciprocate.

“It’s done, Cara.” Theo assertively said, disturbing Cara of her daydreaming.

Cara instantly stood up to check her back. She smiled from ear to ear; it filled her heart with genuine satisfaction. Her homage for her grandma is finally complete. At the moment’s spur, she embraced Theo and kissed him on his cheek.

“Thanks, Theo,” she said while her arms are still around his neck. It was a pretty awkward position for them, as their faces were only a few inches apart. Cara finally realized what she did and let go of Theo.

“Silly girl, turn around. I’ll cover it,” he said while chuckling. He covered Cara’s new tattoo with a thin layer of petroleum jelly and a bandage.

Cara quickly put on her jacket and picked up her bag. She’s running late for her shift, hailing the first cab that she saw, and luckily it was empty. She arrived at her work just in time to clock in.

Cara changed into her work clothes in stealth mode. Technically, she does not work here, at Crafter Co. Theo does. Women are not allowed in this side of the company, the owner and CEO Ashton Crafter is apparently allergic to women and he often visits this part.

His allergy is known to the public since they also considered Ashton as one of the most eligible bachelor not in the country alone but in the entire world. However; in reality, most people consider his allergy as an excuse for his closeted homosexuality.

Cara has never seen Ashton personally; she wanted to take extra precautions just in case his allergy is true. She does not plan on causing the death for that poor dude. An ironic name to call a man that is one of the richest in the world.

Cara even pretended to like Ashton just to trigger any reaction from Theo. Sadly, Theo believed it and even let her take his place in the company so she can “stalk” him. Cara still can’t believe how dense Theo can be that he can’t see how she feels for him.

The first part of her shift was pretty much uneventful. She is part of the CCTV monitoring team. She practically sits four hours straight and stares at different monitors to see anything out of the ordinary. She then spends her one hour break eating and stretching her legs and then goes back to finish her shift to stare on monitors some more.

On her way out for her break, a few minutes before twelve; she wanted to check her phone to see if Theo remembered to greet her at exactly twelve in the evening, just like the past thirteen years of her life.

“Theo, I can’t believe you slept on my birthday this time.” Cara hissed as she saw her phone had no notifications. She proceeded on making a hot cup of coffee for the much needed stimulant for this gloomy and rainy night.

“Hmmm… Just what I needed.” Cara savored the aroma of the free, black brewed coffee in their staff room. She was about to take her first sip when suddenly…

“Ah, fudge! It hurt!” She felt a burning pain in her new tattoo. Cara hurriedly ran to the changing room to check on her back.

“I’d kill you, Theo, if this one gets infected!” She exclaimed as she turned her back on the mirror.

Her tattoo wound was glowing around its edges, a bright light was emitting from it. Cara remembered the antique hairpin her grandmother gave her before she died. This is the reference for her tattoo, something she thought of commemorating her beloved nana.

She scoured her bag and under her pile of useless receipts is her small black draw string pouch. Cara opened it and in an instant, the pulsating light coming from the pin blinded her.

A sizzling sound made her scream, her tattoo turned red hot like an iron dipped in burning hot lava.

“Ah, Help me! Someone Help me!” She screamed at the top of her lungs, but no one came to her aid. Her antique hair pin dissolved in thin air while she was holding it. She looked down at her feet and realized she was slowly levitating.

A loud thud of thunder echoed, followed by a sharp lightning as it hit her. She cannot be wrong, it hit her while she was floating in midair; she felt a surge of electricity flowing through her. Cara could no longer scream for help. She was near her limit; she was about to faint.

She wanted to fight it, but her eyes turned too heavy for her. Cara’s vision turned pitch black, and silence followed.