“Came to meet my best friend. Why? I’m not allowed in Achilles Valencian’s cave?”
I rolled my eyes. I knew inviting him in could cause a catastrophe if Ace came back and saw him here, but I couldn’t just send him away.
“It’s not like that. Come in.”
He strolled inside as I opened the door wide for him.
“Coffee?” I asked while he looked around the penthouse, his hands stuffed in his pockets.
“Sure.”
Nodding, I padded into the kitchen, and he followed behind.
“So, what brought you here? You didn’t tell me you were going to drop by.”
“After last night, I thought I’d talk to you personally. I wanted to see if you’re okay,” he replied.
“I’m fine, Warner. Don’t worry.” I put water on the stove.
“Did you ask him yet?” He watched me carefully.
A sigh left me as I shook my head. “I didn’t get the chance. He hasn’t been home since last night.”
One of his brows raised. “Home, huh?”
I ignored his bitter tone.
“I mean, his home.” Though it’s just been two days since I was staying here, this penthouse started to feel like home to me. He was my home. So, wherever he stayed, my home resided there.
Once I made him a cup of coffee, we settled in the living room.
I just hope Ace doesn’t show up at this moment.
“So, you got any more information on Arthur?”
Then something clicked in my head. How could I be so irresponsible? I forgot to tell him Arthur knew about him and his detective cousin.
“Unfortunately, no. We tried our best, but—”
“You have to tell your cousin to stop investigating right now!” I cut him off, causing a crease to settle between his brows. “Arthur knows everything. He threatened me to stay out of his path.”
His eyes widened. “What? Shit! That’s what I was afraid of!” Shaking his head, his eyes landed back on me. “And what threat? Did he do anything to you? Are you okay?”
I nodded. “Yes, I’m fine. He just warned me to stay away otherwise… uh, you know what he can do.”
I didn’t want to involve him more in this by telling him about Arthur’s threat. He already suspected Ace. I didn’t want him to go after Ace’s past anymore. If Ace hid something from the world, there must be a reason behind it. Making everything worse wouldn’t be a good idea.
“I’m really sorry, Warner. I shouldn’t have involved you guys in this. Now you and your cousin are on his radar,” I apologized. “Please stop whatever investigation your cousin is running. Thank you so much for your help, but I’ll handle everything myself from now on.”
Shaking his head, he took my hand in his. “It’s not your fault, Em. It’s me who offered help. No need to thank me, it’s what friends do, right?” He smiled. “And there is no way you’re doing this anymore. It’s risky, Em. Don’t instigate him further. He already warned you once.”
“I’m not scared of him. Nor am I gonna back out. He’ll rot behind bars. I’ll make sure of that!” Determination laced my voice.
It was just a matter of time.
He let out a defeated sigh. “Why aren’t you telling Achilles then? Arthur threatened you by showing his real face. Isn’t that enough for Achilles to believe you? Or you also think he’s involved with his uncle’s sins?”
I snatched my hand from his, giving him a pointed look. “We’re not doing this again, Warner. I told you not to assume anything before you have solid proof against him.”
“Solid proof? Didn’t you hear what I told you last night?” His voice rose, jaw tightened. “He destroyed every proof that could prove his father’s murder before the world. He’s saving a criminal. A heinous criminal. And you’re saying not to assume anything? I can’t believe you, Em!”
“You don’t know the whole story. Whatever happened years ago, we don’t know anything about it. Even the man you talked to. There must be a reason why Ace did it, or there’s also a possibility he didn’t even do anything! That man could be talking about someone else.” I tried my best to keep my tone calm. “So, please. Until I know the whole truth, I don’t want to hear any more about this topic. It’s mine and Ace’s personal matter, Warner. I’d like you to stay away.”
A dry chuckle left him, sadness flashing across his eyes. “I almost forgot you’re not my Em anymore.”
I averted my gaze. I should’ve felt guilty right now, but I didn’t. He was crossing his limits now. I had to stop him.
“I’m still your Em, your best friend, Warner. But things are different now. I really appreciate your concern for me. But trust me, Ace isn’t what you think he is. Even if I believe your word that he’s lying to me, there must be a reason for that. Because I know he wouldn’t do anything to hurt me intentionally. He loves me, Warner,” I said, softly.
His brown orbs met mine. “I loved you too, Em. But that didn’t make you stick with me as much as you’re doing for him.”
“Warner…”
He rubbed his face. “I’m sorry! I again crossed my limits, didn’t I? I just… can’t accept the fact that you’re with someone else now.”
I sighed. “It’s for the best. No matter how much I loved you as a friend, I never loved you as a lover. My heart always belonged to someone else, and you knew that. We weren’t meant to be together. Even if Ace hadn’t come into the picture and somehow we were still together, trust me, Warner, neither of us would stay happy. I could never make you happy. So, it was necessary to end it before we made it worse.”
“Well, that’s just your opinion. Because I was very happy with you in our relationship.”
But I wasn’t. I wanted to add but decided against.
“There’s someone out there who’s worthy of your love, Warner. Someone who can give you equal love in return of your affection. And I’m sure you’ll find her soon,” I whispered. “Anyway, let’s not talk about it anymore. How’s everything going in your life? You’re probably going back to Seattle soon, right? I’m quite impressed your boss let you take leave for that long. I thought he was a snob?”
Taking a sip of his coffee, he shrugged. “I quit my job.”
“What?” I gaped. “Why? I thought working in such a massive company was your dream. Everything was going smoothly. What happened?”
His gaze locked with mine. “Achilles Valencian happened.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
He let out a sigh. “As you already know, my boss was an ass. I didn’t know why, but he had an allergy with me taking any leave. Even when I wanted a few days off for Tess’s wedding, he denied. Of course, my main purpose was to see you. But I couldn’t stay in Seattle without sorting things out with you. Yes, I was mad with you, but there was still hope I could win you back.” Casting me a glance, he cleared his throat. “Anyway, I didn’t wait for his approval and left. I told him I was sick and couldn’t work for a few days.”
“Then what’s the problem?” I probed.
“The problem is that the owner of the company found out about my leave and demanded my immediate presence in the office. And if I didn’t, I’d lose my job.” His laughter was dry. “I was surprised about why an owner of a multi-billionaire company would be interested in an ordinary employee’s leave. So, I looked him up on Google. And guess what? What a coincidence, my big boss and your boss turned out to be friends.”
My frown deepened. A warning bell rang in my head. “Friends? You mean Ace’s friend?”
He nodded. “Can you connect the dots? Now I understand why among so many candidates, some even from the most prestigious colleges, they chose me. They made me move to Seattle. Or should I say, he made me. To keep me away from you.”
I stared at him, flabbergasted. I didn’t know what to say.
Did Ace really send Warner to Seattle to keep him away from me?
“How can you be so sure?” My tone was low.
He threw me a look of disbelief. “After everything I told you, you’re still trying to defend him? Isn’t everything clear? He clearly told his friend to get me a job in his company, so I’d have no choice but to leave you behind. So, he could have his chance with you. And he did! He took you away from me!”
His fists clenched and unclenched, eyes flashing with anger.
“That’s why I didn’t fall into his trap again. I quit the job, even if my boss told me that if I quit the job just like that, it’d breach the contract they made me sign. And I’d be responsible for the big red mark on my career.” His jaw ticked. “But I couldn’t let him win this time. So, I quit. And Achilles Valencian did what he wanted. He made sure I didn’t get any job anywhere. First, he took you away from me, and now he ruined my career.”
“I can’t believe this!” Putting my head into my hands, I let out a breath.
What the hell is wrong with him? What the fuck was running in his head when he did all these things? He couldn’t just let his possessiveness ruin someone’s career, for God’s sake! That freaking prick!
“Now you know why I keep telling you he’s not the right person for you? You’re an obsession for him, Em. He wanted to get you at any cost. And he did. But trust me, Em, obsession doesn’t stay for long. Once he gets bored with you, he’ll toss you away like you’re nothing.”
His words didn’t reach my ears because all I could think about was how to smash something on his head when he would come back home. Rage boiled in my veins like lava. How dare he do that to Warner?
I looked up at him. “I’m so sorry, Warner. I don’t know what to say… I’m extremely sorry. I’ll talk to him, don’t worry. Everything will be fine. You’ll get your job back, I promise.”
He shook his head. “You’re still not leaving him? Even after everything?”
Closing my eyes, I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I love him, Warner. I can’t just leave him.”
He stared at me for a moment and then averted his eyes. Nodding slowly, he got up. “I guess I should leave now. And you don’t have to talk to him about my job. I’ll take care of it myself. Thanks for offering help.”
“Warner, stop!” I stood up as he turned to leave. “Don’t leave like this. I’m extremely sorry, but—”
“It’s okay, Em. You don’t need to say sorry. I should’ve known that no matter how much I try, I can’t take his place in your heart. I have to be somewhere right now. I’ll see you later.” And then he was out of sight.
My shoulders slumped. The broken look in his eyes made my heart ache. I didn’t want to hurt him. But still, I did. And to add salt to his wounds, my freaking boyfriend just ruined his career!
He has a lot to answer for!
But where the hell was he?
Picking up my phone, I called him. But it went to the voicemail again.
Letting out a curse, I threw the phone on the couch.
To get some fresh air, I took my purse and stormed out of the penthouse.
I needed to collect some clothes back from my home. And to have a small chat about my sudden relationship with Mom and Dad, of course. They had been nagging to know what was going on between me and that prick.
As much as I was mad at him, I was going to come back. Otherwise, how’d I knock some sense into his thick head?
Parking my car before the office building, I got out with my duffle bag.
Heavy breeze blew my hair in different directions as a thunder cracked in the dark sky. The hefty clouds covered the moon tonight, inducing an ominous ambience around. The sudden change of the weather in this early winter was kind of unexpected. It was a good sunny day, but now it seemed it’d pour at any moment.
Greeting the watchman, I strolled inside and got into the VIP elevator. Due to the bad weather, most of the employees seemed to be in a hurry to leave earlier tonight.
Because of all the tension and headache he gave me, I didn’t join the office today.
I didn’t know if the devil was home yet or not.
My jaw clenched.
Meeting with my parents went smooth. I was grateful they didn’t ask many questions about why I didn’t take him along. He was supposed to go there with me. But they were pleased I decided to give Ace a chance.
But I didn’t think they would be happy if I told them what their favorite Achilles Valencian did.
Shaking my head, I padded out of the elevator as the doors slid open. The bodyguards’ postures were stiffer than usual, and their nods were tight.
What’s with them tonight?
The sound of lightning reached my ears again as I walked into the penthouse and closed the doors behind me.
A frown was immediate to form between my brows.
The lights were off. But I left them on.
Was he home?
Shrugging off my coat, I trudged inside. Goosebumps crawled up my skin as the cool air kissed my arms. The living room’s lights were dimmed, and the eerie silence unnerved me.
And then I saw a shadow. Sitting on the couch, its posture was slightly leaned forward with its elbows resting on its knees.
My heartbeat ran fast. “Ace, is that you?”
And the only reply I got was silence.
