"What kind of movies do you have?" I asked as my eyes twinkled in excitement.
"What kind of movies do you like?" he asked with a grin, knowing that I was hooked by his offer.
"Let me see what kind you have and then we'll see our options from there." I stood up and gestured for him to lead the way.
William gave me a quick, beaming smile before he walked towards the living room. My eyes grew wide at the sudden expression he had on his face. No matter how many times I've seen it, his smile will always leave me awestruck.
With a secret smile, I quietly followed behind him and sat down on the huge couch across the huge plasma television. William walked up towards the television and clicked on something before the wall in front of him separated, revealing a ceiling to floor hidden cabinet. I gaped at the huge stash of CDs in front of me. This might take a while.
We were currently watching a Kevin Costner action movie but I was already yawning and my eyes were getting watery from sleepiness.
"Do you want to go to bed now?" he softly asked beside me, his warm breath caressed my forehead.
By now, I had given in to the temptation to lean against his shoulder. He had somehow scooted himself beside me throughout the movie until there was no gap between us.
"No. We can still finish this one," I replied softly as I kept my eyes open and glued on the screen in front of me.
Beside me, I could feel William chuckle at my stubborn reply. For the next few minutes, the battle to keep my eyelids open had become a challenge, like climbing up the great Mount Everest. When I heard another faint chuckle from William, I knew that I was losing the game. The next thing I knew my mind went pitch black and sleep had taken over me.
Somewhere in the distance, I could faintly hear muffled voices across the room. My body registered something soft and silky covering me. I twisted myself and rolled once until I finally realized where I was. I'm in someone else's bed.
As that realization hit me, I abruptly sat up and assessed the room I was in. The dominant black and white color in the room seemed familiar. Then, I glanced down on the bed sheets and saw that it was a familiar color, too. I whipped my head and looked at the far wall on my right, guessing that there might me a desk and fridge there. And I was right.
"Damn! I'm in William's room," I cursed as this fact hit me.
Before I could jump out of bed and start to give him a beating, I heard a female voice muffled across the door. I stiffened at the sound and slowly got out of the bed. I glanced down on my clothes, checking if I still had them. If I didn't, I wouldn't really care that he had a guest. I will get out of his room and give him a good beating.
When I was contented with my current appearance, I tiptoed towards the door as I tried to make something to the sound. I leaned my ear to the door to hear more of the conversation.
As I continued to eavesdrop, the voice behind the door started to soften until I couldn't hear anything. Curiosity got the best of me. I gently opened the door and got out of the room without making any sound. I placed my back on the left sidewall in the hallway, knowing that they won't see me from this angle. I continued to tiptoe towards the sound until I could hear their words clearly.
"How much did you lie to her, William?" a familiar female British accent asked softly.
I felt rigid as I recognized who the voice belonged to. But by then, I wasn't contemplating about why she was here. My mind was racing about the question she asked. What lie?
Thirty-Three
What lie? Has William been lying to me? About what? I continued to listen and decided to not jump into conclusions just yet. I didn't want to walk out of this hiding spot until I know what they are talking about.
"I didn't lie … " William replied softly, his voice trailing off.
"Don't dare lie to me, William. I know what is going on with you and Andy. I asked Maggie about it and Mark had said the same," Alexandra stated sternly, her voice was very commanding.
"You hired the people who work for me as your spies?" he asked in disbelief as he brushed off her words.
"I didn't hire them as my spies. I've asked them nicely and they willingly gave me information," she replied. "And if I hear that you're going to fire them because they told me the truth, I won't hand over the company to you," she continued after a short pause.
"I'm not that childish … " William raised his voice in disbelief after I heard footsteps moving away from me.
"Well, sometimes you are," Alexandra countered with a soft chuckle.
"I'll be honest here, okay … Maybe, at first, I had planned it out since we did have that bet … " William started softly, his voice filled with guilt and disappointment.
"I knew you would act that way," Alexandra agreed.
"You knew how I felt about that situation, and there you were, throwing more fuel to the fire," William stated in disbelief. "How could you hire her after I told you about our frustrating encounter?"
"I wanted to know how you'd react. I never thought you'd take that bet to heart. I only wanted you to change her mind about you. I've never seen you fail in seducing a woman before … " she replied with a chuckle.
"And, I had to be the idiot to fall for your trap. How could I not accept that freaking offer? If I succeeded, you'll hand over the company to me. Who in their right mind, under my situation, would not say yes?"
"I get where you come from … But do you have to pretend and lie about your feelings for her? You can't be serious about the dating thing, are you?" Alexandra probed, her tone was beyond curious.
At that moment, I was leaning forward as I tried to hear their conversation clearly. This was the one question I wanted to hear the most.
"That is none of your business. Besides, I did change her mind about me. So, I won and a deal is a deal," William arrogantly replied.
"I understand. I already processed the papers," she said. For a moment, I swear I could feel her eyes roll as she said it. "Before we go to that … Answer my question!" she demanded firmly.
"I'm not going to tell you that … Sheesh!"
"So, you do like her? Or is it more than like now?" Alexandra probed further. I could almost imagine the smile on her face right now.
"For goodness sake! I'm not in love with her … Can you not be so giddy about it?" William shouted in frustration, the sound of his voice was close to where I stood.
I stiffened in place as I overheard his true feelings. I felt a slight twinge of pain from the pit of my stomach and up to my heart. It was a weird sensation. It was something that I only felt when I feel hurt or sad about something. And, in that moment while I processed my feelings, I didn't notice William walking towards me.
"Andy … you're up … " William whispered in surprise as he stopped in front of me. His face was filled with shock.
I stood still in a crouching position as I looked at him, my back to the wall. I was about to open my mouth and reply, but William beat me to it.
"How long have you been standing there?" he asked almost angrily, his eyebrows scrunched together.
I raised an eyebrow at him. "Not long, but long enough to hear what you really think about me," I replied sternly as I quickly stood straight.
William's eyes grew wide in disbelief. He opened his mouth for a second as he tried to come up with something to say.
"You don't need to explain yourself. I get it already," I said softly. "And if you're still wondering about another dinner, this is me saying no," I continued more softly as I walked past him.
When I reached the living room, I made a quick glance at the direction where I guessed Alexandra would be. She was standing by the dining table, her eyes also wide in surprise. She gave me a small apologetic smile and a curt nod as our eyes met. I gave her a nod of goodbye with an expressionless face in return. Now, I knew why she truly hired me. It was all a game between two rich siblings and I just happened to be the casualty.
As I reached the main door, William finally snapped out of his shocked state and ran up behind me.
"Wait! Andy!" he called desperately.
"I'm busy today, Mr. Maxwell. If you have some business that you'd like to talk about, I'll gladly entertain them at work," I monotonously replied with my back to him. "I'll see you in a few hours. Thank you and good day, Mr. Maxwell," I continued after a short pause. At the exact moment, I felt the wall inside me grow ten times thicker from the day I met him.
"Andy … I don't … It's not what you think … " he stuttered in desperation, his voice quivering with helplessness.
"Goodbye," I asserted, yet my voice had lost its strength, making it sound like a whisper.
I didn't hesitate to open the door. I walked out of there as fast as I could. When I reached the elevator, I pushed the call button with agitation. I kept pressing it until the metal door opened. I let out a sigh of relief at the timing and walked in quickly. I pressed the button for the lobby. I glanced up at the closing door with relief. But before it closed, I saw a glimpse of William's face. His eyes were empty, and there were no signs of the smiling man that I saw last night. He had yet again showed me another side of him I thought I'd never see. This was the side I never wanted to see on him.