: Chapter 26

He knew what I was asking. He knew very well what I wanted to know.

His feelings just didn’t grow within these last few days. It had to be from our past. And if he felt something for me, why did he do that? Why did he push me away like that?

“I want to know, Ace. Will you tell me?”

Not only about the night years ago did I want to know about. What happened to his mom and his hatred for his old house also nagged at the back of my mind. I didn’t forget the venom and pain reflecting in his eyes when he stared at the doors of his mom’s former room at Tess’s engagement party.

There were so many things I had questions about. But the answers weren’t anywhere in sight.

Taking a deep breath, he took my hands and brushed his lips against my knuckles. “I will. I will tell you everything you want to know. You have every right to. But not now. At least not today.”

A heaviness lifted off my chest. I felt relieved. At least he didn’t deny.

“Then when?”

He opened his mouth when a knock landed on the door.

I jumped off his lap as Carter poked his head through the door. His eyes widened, seeing my flushed cheeks and Ace’s murderous glare.

“You better have a valid reason for the interruption, Carter.”

His secretary visibly gulped. “Y-yes, boss. I’ve got the reports on—” taking a glance at me, he stopped, “—project CA.”

Ace stood as soon as Carter mentioned the project. The ambience around us veiled itself into staid.

Project CA? It must be something really important.

Noticing Carter’s hesitance of talking openly due to my presence, I cleared my throat, glancing at Ace. “I gotta go now. I’ll see you later.”

When I turned to go, he grabbed my hand for the third time. Pulling me closer, he left a peck on my forehead.

“We’ll talk soon.”

Staring at his gray pools, I nodded, and walked out of the room, giving Carter an awkward smile.

God, I don’t know what he might be thinking catching us in that position! But I was more frustrated than I was embarrassed. Ace was just about to tell me when he was going to unravel the past before me. But Carter ruined it all.

The nagging desperation to know the truth vexed me.

I had to know everything before making a decision, but I was falling weak. I was finding myself giving up every time he was around. One look at his stormy gaze, and I was that fifteen-year-old Emerald again.

How long can I resist? Not for long.

I have to talk to Warner.

And just as I thought of him, my phone rang. His name flashed on the screen.

“Hey!” I tried to smile, but failed miserably. Nervousness and guilt swirled inside me at once. Nervous because I had no idea what to tell him. And guilt because I didn’t want to hurt him. But I had no choice. It was for the well-being of both of us.

“Hi! I’m so sorry I couldn’t pick your calls. I was in a meeting. And when I finally got some time and called you, you didn’t answer.”

“Yeah, I was… uh, a little busy,” I lied, clenching my fist.

“No problem. By the way, I called to inform you I might not be able to attend Tess’s wedding. I don’t know what’s up my boss’s ass. He just hates the word ‘leave.’ I don’t think he’ll allow me to attend the wedding. It’s too much work here,” he complained.

“What? But you can’t miss Tess’s wedding!” He had to come. Otherwise, how would I confront him? I couldn’t keep it in for that long.

This guilt will kill me.

“I’ll try my best, Em. But I can’t guarantee anything.”

I took a deep breath. “Warner, listen to me. I need to see you. I—”

“I know, I miss you too! But—”

“We need to talk. It’s really important.” I cut him off.

He went quiet.

“I-I’ve something to tell you. I can’t tell you on the phone. I need to talk to you in person.”

Silence.

Just when I thought the line went dead, he spoke up.“It’s about Achilles, isn’t it?”

A gasp slipped through my lips. How did he know?

“H-how…”

A humorless chuckle reverberated through the phone. “Isn’t it obvious? Whenever he’s around, your eyes only stay to him, even if your boyfriend is standing right next to you. You think I didn’t notice at that party and racetrack?” He scoffed. “And now that you work for him, I should’ve seen that coming. But I was too foolish to think of trusting you.”

Biting my lip, I looked down. Shame and guilt burned my vision.

“It’s not what you think. I didn’t—”

“How could you do this to me, Em? You’re ready to leave me now that you found your lost love? You forgot how I was there for you when no one was?” His voice croaked.

“How do you know he’s the one I loved?”

He laughed. “You’re always uncomfortable around him and the look in your eyes whenever you look at him, it says it all. Childhood love, a family friend. Now it all makes sense. He’s the family friend who broke your heart seven years ago, isn’t he?”

I gulped the lump in my throat. “Warner, please. Listen to me. I tried my best—”

He again cut me off. “That’s the point. You tried your best to manage to look happy with me. But you never were, were you? You were always in love with him. No matter how much I loved you, you never reciprocated my feelings. Because you never loved me, you never even tried to.”

“Warner—”

“This is not done, Em. You shouldn’t have played with my feelings like that!”

Then the line went dead.

I stared at the phone as a lone tear fell down my cheek. I just did what I was afraid of. Hurt one of my best friends. The person who always supported me in everything. I didn’t think he could ever forgive me. I felt like the worst person in the entire world.

Wiping my tears, I tried to call him again, but it went unanswered. And the next time, it was unreachable.

Deciding to give him some time, I let out a breath and walked away. I didn’t know what I’d tell him once he was calmer. But I had to sort it out. Convincing him wouldn’t be easy, but I didn’t want to lose a friend like him forever.

Maybe I should just go meet him myself? I didn’t think he’d come here after our conversation. And I didn’t want him to confront Ace. That’s what I feared right now.

A possessive man and a hurt ex-boyfriend’s face off wouldn’t be good.

It’d be a chaos.

When I went to collect some files from my office I needed to take home along to work on them, I found Matt on my way out. With a heavy carton in one hand and another small white box in the other, he struggled to walk out of the elevator. His ruffled blond hair and the perspiration on his forehead announced his misery.

“Matt? What’s all this? Where are you going with these boxes?”

He huffed. “To my new office.”

“Why? Are you shifting?”

“Yeah, after whatever Liza did, she got terminated immediately. And now the boss wants me to take Liza’s place. I’m happy he showed such trust in me, but damn! My job was much easier than the secretary’s job.” He shook his head.

I remembered how Liza didn’t even get a minute to take a break most of the time. She was best at her job, but unfortunately, everything got ruined.

“Yeah, I understand. But hey, look at the positive side. Your salary would now be doubled.” I winked at him. Even though I was joking with Matt, the talk with Ace and Warner lingered in the back of my mind.

I mentally shook my head. I wouldn’t get any peace until everything was fixed.

He laughed. “Yeah, that’s why I didn’t waste a moment to say yes!”

Chuckling, I glanced at the boxes. “You need any help with these? I’m free right now.”

The eagerness was lucid in his eyes. “Yes, please! I’d be more than grateful if you do.”

Smiling, I took the smaller box he handed me and accompanied him to Liza’s former office.

Laughing at some joke he shared from his first day at job, we were just outside the empty office when we noticed Ace and Carter.

Carter was explaining something to Ace while trying to match his employer’s powerful steps. The tense jaw and clenched fists of his declared of the storm that was raging inside him.

He was… furious.

He came to a halt when his eyes met mine. The swirl of intense emotions that ran in his gray pools was unknown to me. My smile faded.

What happened to him? Even Carter was pale and out of breath.

When Ace’s gaze fell on Matt, his jaw tightened even more before they moved back to me, eyeing the box in my hands. In my peripheral vision, I saw Matt taking a step back, fumbling with the box as the boss glared daggers at both of us.

Slightly moving his head, he pointed Carter to the white parcel in my hands and in seconds, it was taken from me.

“I’ll help Matt from here. Don’t worry,” Carter said, casting a nervous glance at Ace.

I narrowed my eyes at his boss as he came closer.

“What’s with you now? And do not give me that look. I’m not scared of you!” I snapped, even if I found difficulty not to step back under his towering figure.

Placing a hand on my waist, he cupped my chin as if Carter and Matt weren’t standing there, watching us. “I told you to go home and rest. Then what are you doing here? And with—” he threw another sharp look at Matt, “—one of my employees?”

“I was just helping him,” I replied, confused.

“He can help himself. And if he can’t, then he can just ask someone else. You don’t need to help him.”

“And what’s wrong with me helping him?” I gave him a challenging look.

Pressing his lips together, he kept silence.

“I should go now. A lot of work is pending,” Matt stuttered.

“You better!” Ace hissed, not looking away from me.

Throwing a thanks my way, he fled inside the office, followed by Carter.

All the while, our gazes didn’t break. We did the staring match for some moments, until he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, calming him down.

Once opening them back, he pressed our foreheads together. “You always make me lose my sanity, Rosebud.”

With my brows still furrowed, I said, “And you drive me insane!”

His lips twitched at the side. “Do I?”

I nodded, slowly melting. “Why so angry?”

Expression back to serious again. “I’m a very possessive man, Rosebud. I don’t like my woman laughing with some other man.”

My eyes widened at the ridiculousness. “He’s just a friend. Stop behaving like a caveman! And I’m not your woman!”

His orbs darkened as he pulled me closer, his nostrils flaring. “You are. You’re mine, Emerald Hutton. The sooner you accept it, the better.” He took a swift glance at his wrist. “I’ve got somewhere to go right now. I’ll talk to you later. This talk isn’t over yet.”

“But this is ridic—”

My words died in my throat with his mouth claiming mine in a punishing kiss. As if thousands of electric shocks ran down my entire body the moment his lips touched mine. Delicious shivers shot through my insides as his expert tongue explored every inch of my mouth.

Instead of fighting him, a whimper left me as my eyes closed on their own. And just as I was about to cling to him, he pulled away.

No…

Still dazed from the euphoria of his scorching kiss, my treacherous eyes cast him a look of irritation.

Why did he pull away?

“Nobody can take you away from me,” he growled close to my yearning lips, his eyes flashing with rage.

Carter came out of the office and stood behind him, but I was too busy thinking of his words.

Giving me a last deep kiss, he said, “I’ll see you later. Go home.”

Then he was gone, leaving me unsated and confused.

“Nobody can take you away from me.”

What did he mean by that? Somehow, I knew he didn’t say it because of Matt. There was something else. I saw it in his eyes. Rage, hatred and… fear.

Why was that?

Letting out a sigh, I touched my bruised lips.

Intolerable man! How dare he behave like he owned me? I’ll definitely kick his ass if he kisses me once more without my permission!

Huffing, I decided to head back to my office.

As I turned to another hallway, I stopped when Sierra came out of the main conference room.

The thing that had my brows knitted was her trembling state. With her arms around her, she silently wiped her cheeks, her dark hair hiding her face from me. Without looking anywhere, she put her head down and rushed away.

What’s wrong with her?

As far as I knew, there was no meeting today. So what was she doing in the empty conference room?

Then the door of the conference room opened again and came out a person I knew quite well.

Arthur Valencian.

With a blank expression on his face, head high in confidence, as usual, he shoved his hands into his pockets and followed the way Sierra just took. He didn’t notice me standing at the other corner of the hallway.

Confusion webbed inside me. What the hell was he doing inside an empty conference room with Sierra? She looked pretty shaken. Was he threatening her about something? Or was there something else?