The Alpha’s Dynasty

Maya

When I told Harry about my outing at the resort and how much I enjoyed it, he insisted that I go with him. Going with the kids was great, going with an adult was even better. I refused to think that it would’ve been better if I was with Zane. Though to be honest, that was a hundred percent true. Since Harry had refused to back off after I turned him away, I decided to let him distract me. Besides, he was being so nice to me that I was beginning to think I would be better off dating him instead of pining for a man who had disappeared and seemed to have forgotten me.

We were lying on hammocks under the shade of beautiful trees overlooking the river. The river was quite muddy that day. I thought it was because of the fishing going on at the upper side of the river. I had seen some fishermen with nets when we were entering the resort. Harry and I were talking about objectification and women empowerment. We rarely talked about such things but there was a trending case about the issue which had prompted the conversation.

“Women themselves make it hard for objectification to stop,” he said. “The truth is that many men don’t want to treat women like objects. Women throwing themselves at men are one of the reasons they end up getting objectified. Do you know that there are women who beg men to sleep with them so that the men can give them money?”

“Yeah but those are mostly prostitutes. Besides, they don’t force you to sleep with them.”

“Not every man exercises self-control,” he told me. “Some of us do. Those who don’t find it hard to respect women who continually throw themselves at them. If a woman has no respect for herself, how can anyone respect her?”

“Well, not all women are the same. Men should understand that just because some women will let themselves be treated like objects doesn’t mean all women should be treated like that.”

“Agreed, Miss B.” He smiled, making his face look so beautiful. I wished I could hold it close to mine. Shaking my head, I got rid of those thoughts. He was just a friend and I didn’t want to fall for him and end up heartbroken. That was my sister’s job. Kelli was an expert in getting her heart broken. I couldn’t even count the number of men she’s fallen in love with.

“Let’s talk about something else,” Harry suggested. I hoped he was not about to bring up the dreaded topic i. e. his feelings about me. I blamed myself for bringing a man who was into me to a romantic location.

“Like what?” I raised my eyebrows, shifting in my hammock.

“Like the amazing things you do for those children,” he sat up straight, watching me. “I admire you so much and think you’re a great person. People who help others without expecting anything in return are the best in the world. We need more people like you, Maya.”

“Stop it,” I told him. No one had ever said so many good things about me before. Harry was a great guy and in some aspects better than Zane.Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“Miller and Carrington have to be the most heartless people I’ve ever seen. How could they suspend you for volunteering with a charity organization? It would be understandable if-”

“This is depressing,” I cut him off and rolled myself off the hammock. I was there mostly because I wanted to stop thinking about every bad thing that had happened. Every time I stayed home, the thoughts threatened to drive me crazy. “Let’s take a walk or something.”

Harry got out of his and came towards me. He linked his left hand with my right one, leading me closer to the river. It was beautiful. Far away from the bank was a very tiny island with only trees and no building. I thought it would be nice to go and live there for a month, far away from backstabbing humans.

“Beautiful, right?”

“Yeah,” I agreed, not taking my eyes off the tiny island.

“Just like you.”

I glanced at him and his gaze was fixed on the island. I could tell he knew I was looking at him but he didn’t shift his gaze. I smiled. “Thank you.”

“I like you,” he said and that was when I noticed the change in mood. For some reason, his body suddenly felt warmer. I unlinked my arm from his, feeling like he ruined the moment. Our friendship was growing so well and even though I had been hoping for it to grow into something else for some months, I didn’t feel thrilled like I expected to. Something was wrong and I knew it has everything to do with Zane. I had been foolish to think I could get over him so easily, that I could use Harry to make that happen. Now I realized that for me to love another person, I have to first get over Zane. How the hell am I supposed to do that?

“I like Zane,” I confessed.

“I know,” he says, holding my arm. “But he’s not with you. I can help you get him out of your head. If he cared about you, he wouldn’t have let you get suspended and done nothing about it. He owns the company and he was okay letting you go. He doesn’t deserve you, Maya.”

He looked in my eyes and I saw attraction in his.

Suddenly, he kissed me but it didn’t feel right. I placed my hand on his chest and gently pushed him away. He pulled away and without a word hugged me. I could feel his heart beat against my chest.

At some point, his body stiffened and he let go of me. I heard footsteps and turned to look at the person behind me.

“Hi Maya,” he said quietly.

First of all, how did he know I was there? Secondly, I was screwed.