A soft chuckle left him. “Of course, Rosebud. Nothing will happen to me. I’m just stating facts.”
“Then it’s a really absurd one! And you’ll emotionally blackmail me to get me into your court now? Because that’s not happening!”
“I’m not blackmailing you. And what’s done is done. It’s not negotiable anymore.”
My lips pressed tight. “What if I run away with all your money?”
Another laugh. “You can take anything you want, baby. Everything is yours. Just make sure you also take me along. Because I can’t live without you.”
I could feel my cheeks and neck heating up again at his cheeky response. Now he was flirting with me?
Unbelievable man!
I wiggled out of his arms. “Whatever you say, I’ll make you take everything back from me. Or I will give it back to you!”
He quirked a brow. “It’s non reversal, Rosebud.”
“We’ll see!” Huffing, I turned around and walked away.
“Where are you going?”
His footsteps behind me reached my ears.
“To the meeting. With the responsibility you gave me, do I have any other choice?” I replied, without stopping.
“Right. But what about my forgiveness? You didn’t forgive me yet.”
“I said I’d consider. And you didn’t agree to my second condition.”
He groaned.
“Now that’s not fair, Rosebud. I agreed to one, even though it was too much for me to do. And the second one wasn’t negotiable.” He continued to walk after me down the hallway outside of his office.
“It’s absolutely fair. The deal was for two conditions, and you only agreed to one.”
“I can still keep my men after you, you know.”
“You can’t. You promised.” I wasn’t bothered by his threat. He was bound by his promise here.
He stayed quiet.
Huh? Accepted defeat so soon?
An involuntary smile tugged at my lips as I walked ahead of him. I wasn’t letting the equal owner thing go so easily. I’d give it back to him today or tomorrow. At least I got his men off my back.
A masculine groan reached my ears.
What was that?
Turning over my shoulder, I looked at him.
His heated gaze set on my butt. With wide eyes and flushed cheeks, I turned back my head and walked as fast as I could.
Pervert!
After the meeting, when I strolled out from the conference room, leaving Ace behind to discuss something with some of the board members, I spotted Tobias.
“Hey! You’re here at this time?” It was almost lunch hour.
“Yeah, remember the project Achilles invested in my startup company? I needed to discuss something with him.”
Oh, I almost forgot about that. And thanking him for helping Tobias also slipped my mind. But I couldn’t let one thing slip at that moment, the one that was nagging me in the back of my head since the meeting with Warner.
“Ace is still busy with some board members. Why don’t we hang out at my office until he is free?” I needed to dig out information about Arthur from him.
He nodded. “Sure!”
Once we were in the safety of my office, out of anyone’s earshot, I didn’t waste anymore time.
“What do you know about Arthur?”
He halted his movement in the air from settling his ass on the chair to look at me. Then taking a seat, he raised a brow. “That he’s Achilles and Caleb’s uncle and is a good man? Why do you ask?”
I rolled my eyes. How informative! “I didn’t ask you his identity. I asked if you know more about him. Like his background and past.”
“Wait. Does Achilles know his Rosebud’s interest is shifting from him to his uncle? I know even at this age, he is quite fit. But c’mon Em! Isn’t it going out of the line?” he teased.
My mouth twisted in disgust. “Shut the hell up! I need some information about him to clear up some doubt of mine. So, speak up now. Don’t waste my time!”
His posture straightened. “Doubt? What’s happening here, Em?”
I sighed. “I can’t tell you anything right now, Tobi. Once I sort everything out, I’ll let you know. So please, help me here.”
He slowly nodded. “All right. I don’t know what doubt you have about him. He’s a trustworthy man. And really close to Achilles and Caleb.” Unbuttoning his coat, he leaned against the chair. “Anyway, as far as I know, he spent a big chunk of years of his life in the UK. His relationship with Achilles’s father wasn’t good. Due to some conflict, his father sent him away to the UK when he was quite young. He only returned some years after Achilles’s father’s demise.”
Yes, I heard his relationship with Ace’s father wasn’t good, and he was in the UK before he came back. But I didn’t know it was Ace’s dad who sent him away. And over the years, they didn’t have any contact among each other.
“What did he do back then in the UK? A job or anything?”
“He had a small business there. It’s quite big now with Achilles’s help. You can say he’s a millionaire now with farmhouses and some hotels,” he replied.
“Ace went to the UK for two years to get his degree after I left for New York, right? Did he stay at one of Arthur’s places?”
At my question, he shifted in the chair, scratching his jaw. “Umm, sometimes. It was Arthur who sent him there. Though we all thought he was going to need a lot of time to finish his… course, regarding his state. But he returned after two years and handled his company on his own.” Pride shone in his eyes.
Why did I feel like something was hidden behind his words?
“After sending Achilles there, Arthur took care of the company until he returned. He kept everything stable. That’s why Achilles and Caleb respect him so much. When no one was there for them, Arthur was.”
That’s why I didn’t want to think anything bad about him. But after Sierra’s incident, I couldn’t help it. Maybe the kindness and honesty were a façade?
“Do you know where exactly his business is located out there?” Warner’s cousin could find out more about him from the locals and people that associated with him in the past.
“Yeah, in Wales. I’ll send you the address.”
“What about his own family? Doesn’t he have a wife or kids?”
He shook his head. “No. He never married. I never heard anything about him having any children.”
A question off-topic raised in my head. “Do you know where Ace’s mom is? Or the reason behind his dad’s suicide?”
I would ask Ace myself all these questions about his past on our date, but after his revelation, I couldn’t think of anything else other than what he did seven years ago.
“The only thing I can tell you is she’s not here. And not really in touch with anyone. The rest you have to ask Ace himself. About his father committing suicide, I really don’t have any idea. He never told me. The only thing I know is things were never good between his parents.” He shrugged.
My heart tugged for him. It must have been really difficult for him to live in a place where he had to watch his parents fight everyday. Even I heard of them arguing sometimes during my visits to his place. And now he didn’t have his father beside him. His mother was alive, but still far from him. I wondered what was the reason she left him and Caleb behind?
I heaved a sigh. “All right, thank you, Tobi. I really needed some insight.” Though it wasn’t much, at least I got something about Arthur.
“I don’t know what you’re up to, but think twice before doing something rash. Achilles is quite close to his uncle, so be careful.” He stood, buttoning his coat. “Oh, before I forget, tomorrow is Tess’s rehearsal. You’re coming, right?”
I rubbed my neck. I decided not to attend, but then I couldn’t just miss an event that meant so much to her. Nor did I want my parents to be upset.
“I’ll be there. Don’t worry.”
He smiled. “Tess will be relieved. She’s been nagging me to convince you to come if you had decided otherwise. I’m glad you’re letting things go, Em. It’s for everyone’s good.”
I nodded. “I know. See you tomorrow.”
Placing a kiss on my forehead, he walked out of my office.
Letting out a sigh, I plopped on the chair he occupied seconds ago.
With everything going on, I totally forgot about her marriage. And Warner was invited by Mom. Though it was when we were still dating each other. She couldn’t uninvite him just like that. My biggest concern was, Ace would be there too.
A groan left my mouth.
They were going to come face to face again. The thing I didn’t want.
