ENTANGLED

Gregory left without feeling an ounce of shame but a lot of regrets. Whether it was seeing Xenia cry or seeing her afraid, both options affected the man who hated to hurt the woman in any way.

Xenia held Andrew's face to check the bruises," Andrew, let's get back inside."

They walked back to Xenia's office.

Luckily for Andrew, Richard Xenia's new boss was a friend who knew how to observe discretion. Also, his team was not the same busybodies Xenia had in Astoria.

"Gregory isn't going to leave you alone, is he? What exactly happened between the two of you?" Andrew asked as he took a seat.

"I'm sorry, Andrew. I'll go and get something to cleanㅡ."

Yes, Xenia dodged the question, which she knew would make things much worse.

As Xenia spoke, there was a knock on the door, which was about to prove the woman needn't say a word for the disaster to strike.

"Sabine, what it?"

"You forgot your ring in the conference room."

"Ring, what ring, no, I haveㅡ," Xenia's eyes widened as she stared at her finger. Her engagement ring was gone; she made even bigger eyes at Sabine, who pursued to take the measurements of Xenia's coffin with her words.

"It's yours, look, it's embossed: To my love Xenia."

"Thanks, Sabine," Xenia said through gritted teeth.

"Why haven't you got your ring on, Xenia?" Andrew turned his gaze away from Sabine to focus on Xenia, who felt the drops of sweat sprout from her forehead.

Xenia swiped her thumb and forefinger on her forehead and gave a nervous smile, "It must have slipped off."

Andrew glared at her as he emphasized, "this ring can't slip off, Xenia, unless you pull it off."

"Well, it did, Andrew," Xenia replied as she put her ring back on her finger. Xenia didn't want to talk. She was in the type of situation were to survive; one replied whatever nonsense the mind mustered for the sake of getting away.

"Why, Xenia?"

"I don't know; it must have been whenㅡ."

Okay, someone passe me the shovel to dig a hole to bury me, Xenia thought.

"When what?"

Xenia lowered her gaze, "nothing."

"Xenia, please," Andrew's pleading eyes got the best of her, letting the bull ooze out like hot lava.

"Gregorygrabbedmyhandforafewseconds," Xenia imagined she broke a world record of speed with the sentence.

Andrew got up in a spontaneous reaction to what he heard and walked to the door.

"Andrew, please, please, don't leave. I don't know how he did," Xenia pleaded while holding the arm which gripped her office's door handle.

"You're telling me you didn't feel the man taking off your engagement ring?"

"Andrew, I swear, Iㅡ."

"But why was Gregory holding your hand in the first place?" The man asked, shaking his head as if to chase a horrible thought from running loose in his mind.

"Andrew," Xenia began, but she didn't know what to say, what could she say?

How was she to explain her Ex dispossessed of the ring, and she didn't notice?

No, matter what Xenia replied, all Andrew would retain was Gregory managed to absorb her attention enough to do it.

The man lifted his head to the ceiling before saying, "let go, Xenia."

"Andrew, no, please, listen to me."

"Xenia, I've never loved someone like you, and because of that love, I need to leave now. I don't want to say or do something that I will spend my life regretting. So please let go of me."

Xenia did as asked, and Andrew departed. As Andrew walked out of the building, he saw the trampled bouquet of roses he brought for Xenia, and he walked past without looking back.

XY XX

Xenia was confused; she didn't know what to do. The woman needed advice, and she had no one to talk to about her problem. Panicked, she grabbed her phone and ran through the names of her directory. There was only one person who knew her enough to give an honest opinion.

Who do you think you are, Xenia? Do you believe she'll pick up the phone and welcome you with open arms?

Though Xenia doubted the person would reply to the call, she dialed: The faithful, aka Niki.

"Hello."

"Niki, it'sㅡ."

"What took you so long?" Her friend asked like someone awaiting their lover's return.

Xenia pulled the phone away from her ear to look at it, unable to believe what she heard, "what, you were expecting my call?"

Niki giggled, "well, you're my best friend. Of course, I was waiting for your call. You were, the angry one, Xé."

A short silence followed the sentence, "Niki, listen, I'm sorry."

"So, I'm I."

"I miss you," Xenia added.

"I miss you too, babes."

"You know what? You are the only friend I have. I have no else to talk to," Niki heard Xenia tap her feet like an infant as she complained.

"Don't worry, Xexe, your Agony aunt is ready and listening. I'm charging you a full-size carrot cake."

"Niki, you're the best."

Niki shook her head, "why do I get the feeling that one of my purposes in life is you, Xenia?"

"Hey, you are living off my story. This piece of advice is a small price to pay."

"True."

Xenia felt better spilling out her worries to Niki; she almost forgot she fueled the writer's imagination. Though it made the woman happy to talk to Niki, it was clear her friend had her preferences concerning the man of her life.

"I told you, Xe, Gregory, and you, it isn't over."

"I'm engaged to Andrew. How many times I have to tell you? I'm engaged."

"Why are you yelling?"

"Because you keep pushing Gregory into the scene. Right now, that man has probably ruined my engagement."

"Xenia, can I ask you something?"

"What?" Xenia barked like a Rottweiler.

"How did you feel when you saw Gregory?"

Xenia paced back and forth in her office, "what, what do you mean?"

"I'm talking about when you saw him at the gallery."

Xenia didn't even try to remember for the souvenir was still fresh on her mind. Niki's words revived the electrifying feeling.

Xenia let out a nervous chuckle and covered her eyes with one hand, "I just thought, hey, Gregory's here."

"We're on the phone, Xe, but I can almost see and hear your cheekbones rising as you are lying like a con artist."

"Okay, don't say anything cynical, okay. I really need you to be as neutral as a priest in a confessional booth."

"Okay, you can't say priests are neutral when you don't see their faces. For all, we know they spend their time laughing at us or playing Candy Crush while we confess au dilemmas."

"Niki."

"I was just saying, Xe."

"Niki."

"Okay, I'm listening. What is it, dear child? How did you feel when you saw Gregory Carlton, aka. The man who almost owns the world.

Xenia sighed, "my breath shortened."

"Eh, can Iㅡ."

"Don't even dare, Niki. I swear if you add one comment, I'm going to scalp your goldy locks."