Ch 15: Heartfelt Confessions

Recap:

He flicked a finger at her in dismissal, as Cecilia fought down the scream that was building in her throat. At that moment, she was wishing it was poison she had put in his coffee, not just lactulose.

With jerky movements, she opened the door and slammed it shut after her. Marching down the corridor, steam coming out of her ears, she muttered under her breath menacingly.

"Just you wait. You've not seen anything yet!"

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Cecilia systematically went through the files, writing a brief note to herself on each suggestion for the ball so she could type it all up later. She was trying to immerse herself so thoroughly in work that she didn't have to think about that j*rk. Oh, just the mere mention of his name was enough to get her blood boiling!

But, no, she was a professional. She was here to work, and so she would. However, there was no law - there was nothing - to prevent her from planning revenge in the safety of her own home...

Before her evil thoughts could be brought to fruition, they were interrupted.

"Miss Knight?"

She was beginning to hate her name being called by that cold, arrogant voice. But it sent a shiver down her spine, all the same.

Sighing heavily enough to make it obvious, she turned around.

"Yes, Mr Freire?"

Arctic blue eyes surveyed her, travelling down the length of her body before meeting her eyes. For a moment, Cecilia thought she saw something in them... a hint of heat, of passion, a flame burning ever brighter... before it was all extinguished, eyes cool and impassive once again. That brief moment was enough to send a hectic flush over Cecilia's skin, and she cursed her body for being so hyperaware of his.

"I'm afraid we will have to postpone your overtime hours for another day. You may go home."

Startled, Cess glanced at the clock to realise it was indeed 6pm. She turned back around to face him, a strange, unnamed emotion filling her.

"But... why? I mean, you were so adamant about me staying... And suddenly, I don't have to anymore? Did something happen?"

Nicolas let out an impatient breath. "Do I have to explain myself to you? What makes you think I owe you an explanation?"

"N-no. That's not-" Cecilia stuttered, cursing her own curiosity.

"And, besides, I didn't say you didn't have to work overtime anymore. Merely that we would postpone it to another date.  Now, kindly vacate the premises. The cleaning staff will be here by half past six, and I wouldn't want them to have to wait for you."

He turned around, without another word, and left.

"I wouldn't want them to have to wait for you." Cecilia mocked. "Of all the stupid, arrogant, idiotic..." She muttered to herself, as she shoved her belongings in her bag.

Precisley five minutes later she was out of the office, locking it behind her, still mumbling obscenities. It seemed every time she met Nicolas Freire, impossible as it may seem, he only seemed to aggravate her even more!

Striding down the empty hallway, she stopped suddenly as she heard giggling. Coming from Nic's office.

Tiptoeing over, she peeked around the corner.

"Nicky! Come on, we'll be late to dinner."

"Yes, Soph, I'm coming." Nic's exasperated voice could be heard clearly. Cecilia watched discretely as he closed his laptop screen, and rose up from the desk to make his way around to the female figure standing near the door.

"It seems work is more important to you than I am!" Sophia complained, arms crossed.

He engulfed her in a hug before she could say anything further, smiling softly at her. "Now, could there be anything more important to me than you, angel?" He teased, giving her a soft kiss on the forehead.

Cess could never have imagined that such a side existed within such a man: a side that was warm, kind, affectionate, caring. A side she desperately wished he would show to her... But, wishes were just wishes - unfulfilled dreams that were never meant to come true.

"Then, come on! I'm starving!" Sophia's loud voice brought Cecilia back to reality with a thud.

He chuckled, lightly, before switching off the lights as they made their way out. Cecilia panicked, hurriedly spinning around and half running down the corridor.

"-you're buying, you know that, right?"

"Of course. When have you ever bought me dinner?" He questioned, sarcasm heavy in his voice, as they came down in the same direction as Cess.

"I don't need to. You're filthy rich. You should be made to spend that money, once in a while, instead of hoarding it away like some sort of miserly old- Cecilia!"

Spinning around, Cess found them arm in arm, looking at her with surprise. She forced a smile, as she fumbled for an excuse.

"What are you still doing here? I thought I told you to leave a good 15 minutes ago." Nic barked at her.

"Nic!" Sophia elbowed him in the stomach lightly. Turning her head back around to Cecilia, she smiled. "Pardon him. He's just grumpy because he hasn't eaten anything all day."

"Sure. No problem. So, you're on your way to dinner, then?" Abruptly, Cess bit her tongue, cursing herself for revealing that bit of information.

"You-"

"Yes, we are." Sophia quickly butted in, before Nic could say something. She leaned in closer to Cess, before whispering. "And Nic had already taken some medication earlier, so you don't need to worry."

Before Cecilia could even begin to deny that she'd been worried about the lactulose Nic had ingested, both Sophia and Nic had already left, Sophia's goodbyes echoing after her.

Damn it! She must have seen the pills in my hand earlier. Cess mused, before she too headed out.

***

"Cole, can I ask you something?"

Her brother looked up from his laptop, numerous files open on his lap and scattered over his desk.

"What, Cecilia?" He frowned, annoyed. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

Cecilia rolled her eyes, before grabbing his files from him, and throwing them out of reach.

"Hey!" He yelped, jumping up to try and catch it while it was airborne, in vain. "What do you think you are doing, Missy?"

"What a little sister must do in order to get a little attention from her big brother." Cess retorted, pushing the file further away as her brother grappled for it. "What on earth are you doing, bringing your work home? Dad may have made you a separate office at home, but it doesn't mean that you just work 24/7!"

Sighing, Cole just put his hands on his hips, glaring down at his little sister spread out on the leather sofa in his office.

"Must I really be forced to go to my apartment, just to get some work done, Cessy?"

"Cole."

Immediately, all thought flew out the window as overwhelming concern filled him at her tone of voice. Cole knelt down at her feet to get a good look at her face.

"Cessy? Honey? What's wrong?" He tilted her face up, and searched her eyes for an answer.

"Cole." She grasped his hands, holding them tightly. "Cole, I have a problem."

"A problem?" He frowned, darkly. "Is it a man? Is he harassing you?!" His voice raised several decibels. "Who is he?! Who is that pr**k?! I'll kill-"

"No! No!" Cess hastily reassured him. "Nothing like that. Actually... it's my friend who has a problem. But she didn't know who to ask, so I told her that I will ask you."

"Oh, a friend." Cole calmed down, climbing up on the sofa to sit beside her, loosening his tie. "Well, what is it then? Nothing illegal, is it?"

"No, Cole." Cecilia rolled her eyes for the second time that night. "Seriously, what sort of people do you think I hang around with?"

When Cole just raised a blonde eyebrow, Cess thought it would be best to just move the conversation forward.

"Actually, she's never been in a relationship before. And she doesn't really understand what it is that she's feeling."

"Go on." Cole leaned forward, listening attentively.

"Well... she's always thinking about him. And, whenever she sees him, it's like her heart stops for a moment. She finds him annoying, overbearing and rude... but when he smiles at her, she forgets every bad thing he's ever done to her. She really, really dislikes him - maybe even hates him - but shivers rack her whole body if he ever brushes by too close."

"Really?" Cole's piercing grey eyes seemed to penetrate her soul. "Are you sure we're talking about a friend?" He said softly, after a pause.

"O-of course!" Cecilia stuttered, horrified to think that her brother may have seen through her.

"Well, in that case... she needs to conduct an experiment. Tell her to check what she feels whenever he touches her, when he looks at her, when he smiles at her. If her heart rate always increases when he does this, her body becomes hot, and she's short of breath, then..."

"Then?" Cecilia asked eagerly.

Cole stifled a smile at his sister's curiosity. "Then... I'll tell you afterwards. First, do the experiment - or get the experiment done - and tell me if the results are positive or negative."

"Ok." Cecilia slumped, deflated for a moment, before she suddenly sat up again. "But, Cole, what does it mean if the guy treats the girl like a princess. Only her. If he ignores everyone else. If he showers hugs and kisses on that girl, but is rude to everyone else. If he never gets mad at her, or shouts at her. If he indulges her every wish-"

"He loves her."

"What?!" Cecilia sucked in a breath, pain overwhelming her in a sudden rush.

"It's simple, Cessy." Cole put an arm around his little sister, immensely pleased that she'd found herself a man who treated her like that. It seemed the only thing she was unsure of, were his feelings towards her. Cole hastened to reassure her. "If a guy treats the girl like she's his entire world, and she's the only one that matters to him... it means he loves her."

"Oh." She spoke, voice small, as she turned away to hide her tears.

"But, who are these friends of yours?" Cole teased, fully aware that they were non-existent. "Can I meet them?"

"NO!" When Cole jumped, she hastened to make up an excuse. "I mean... this is very confidential. I shouldn't have told you, in the first place. If she finds out... it'll be really bad."

"Oh, yeah, sure!" Her brother nodded his head, sagely, pretending to go along with her. "But either way," he smiled at his little sister tenderly, "it seems my little Cessy is growing up." He pulled her cheek, lightly.

"Coley!" She whined, slapping his hand off. "I'm not little, I'm-"

"I know, I know." He put his hands up. "You're an adult, etc etc." He rolled his fingers in the air, rolling his eyes with it. "Hey!" He jumped up, suddenly. "Let's go party."

"What?" Cecilia stared up at him, half laughing, half bemused. "Right now?"

"Of course, right now!"

Cecilia shook her head at him, seriously considering if her brother was bipolar. Hadn't he just been arguing that he needed to work a few minutes ago? "Cole, it's a weekday, we've got work tomorrow."

"Pssht! Who cares about that? It's your fault anyway, 'cos you made me lose my work mood. Now you have to pay the price." He stared down at her sternly. "Are you being a spoilt sport right now?" He pouted at her.

"Hey!" She jumped up, indignant. "Who're you calling a spoilt sport?!"

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AN: Heya guys! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please Vote, Comment, Share if you are liking this book! 😉😉

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