Meeting Mr. Mogul(54)

"How about from the top?" I offered in the same tone.





Thirty-Four





"Can you be a little more specific?" William asked shyly, like he was confused by what I said.

"Do I have to spell it out for you? I don't have the patience to play  your game anymore. Spill it out already, William," I groaned in anger.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," he mumbled and let out a strained sigh. "After  you and I met, it was a given what I thought about you then. I didn't  know who you were so I asked my sister …  She handles the restaurant  branches in the company … " he started silently, his voice strained and  weary, and then paused.   





 

"Go on. I'm not going anywhere since this car is running … " I urged when he didn't continue.

"Right," he whispered. "So, uhm …  She looked you up for me. I wanted to  know who you were. And then, she grew interested with you. I don't know  her reasons, but for me, it was all about the company." He sighed  heavily in guilt. "You don't know how sorry I am right now for having  you caught up in all of this …  But I assure you, what I felt when I asked  for another chance was real. I may have thought about you differently  at first, but it is the opposite of what I feel about you now."

"And you expect me to believe you because … "

"I wouldn't be here right now if what I'm saying isn't true. You already  know about our agreement, what is there for me to want from you?" he  asked pointedly.

"How should I know? You're the one who used me as a toy, who played me,  and who lied to me. You're the one who wreaked havoc in my life. So, is  there anything else you want from me?" my voice raised an octave higher  at every question I asked from him.

"I'm so sorry, Andy. I truly am … " he whispered in desperation.

For a moment, all I could hear was the soft hum from the car's engine,  as we grew silent. The tension grew thicker and thicker by the second. I  didn't know what to say to him anymore. I was at loss for words and I  felt numb.

When the car stopped at a red light, I glanced outside and looked for  something I was familiar with. I didn't feel like talking anymore and  neither of us was going to initiate another conversation. Thus, it would  be irrelevant to stay inside this suffocating car.

So, I quickly unlocked the door and opened it wide enough for me to jump  out. Behind me, I heard a loud gasp from William. In the front seat,  Mark had turned his head around just in time to see me get out.

"Where are you going?" William called aloud as I quickly straightened myself in the middle of the road.

"I'm going," I replied intently and turned towards the driver's seat.  "Don't you dare get out of the car, Mark," I warned him, eyeing the  already half opened door.

"Aren't you going to work?" William asked, getting back my attention.  His body was leaning towards me, his face full of concern and  irritation.

"Yes. Later. I'll call Ms. Maxwell that I'll be late for work," I  intoned without interest and trailed off as I mumbled that last part to  myself. "I'll see you when I see you," I said with more volume before  slamming the door in his face.

From the way his mouth was wide open before I closed the door, I knew he  wanted to say something more but I beat him to it. I turned around and  half ran towards the opposite side of the street without turning back.  When I heard a sudden loud honking of a car, I knew William's car was  still there. It took all of my will to keep myself from looking back and  continued to walk towards an unknown direction.

The street was lined with building after building of boutiques. I turned  at the end of the streets, took a deep breath, and closed my eyes as I  stopped walking. After a few seconds, when I was sure that he wasn't  following me, I turned back from where I came from.

After walking aimlessly for a few minutes, I saw a bus stop and jogged  there. I checked to see if the bus route would pass by two of the places  I wanted to go. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw that one route  passes through my father's hospital.

On the ride to the hospital, I got my phone out from my purse and sent a  message to Ms. Maxwell about my whereabouts. I didn't have the guts to  talk to my boss either. I had mixed feelings towards the woman. She was  very sweet when she gave me the job and the apartment. Who would have  guessed that it was all just a ploy for a bet between William and her?

When I reached the hospital, my phone buzzed. I dug out my phone from my  purse and glanced down at the name flashing on the screen. I let out a  strained breath when I saw the name.

I slowly clicked the answer button and placed the phone to my ear. "Andy, I'm glad you picked up," Alexandra stated in relief.

"Ah, yes. I've sent you a message a few minutes ago. Can I get to work a  little late today? I'm visiting my dad for a while," I whispered shyly,  repeating what I had texted her.   





 

"Sure. Take the whole day off. You can come to work tomorrow. I'll be  doing some personal filing at work today," she replied and paused for a  second. "But can I take a small amount of your personal time today? I'll  treat you for lunch," she continued softly.

"Oh …  sure, Ms. Maxwell. Where are we meeting?" I asked timidly, unsure  whether to truly accept the offer. I can't see two Maxwells twice in the  same day after what happened this morning but I didn't want to be that  rude to my boss either.

"Do you still remember Kevin? He'll pick you up at your father's  hospital around noon, if it's alright with you," she said with more  confidence, like the hard part had gone.

"Yes. Okay. Thank you," I whispered with uncertainty as I tried to remember who Kevin was.

"Good. I'll see you at lunch."

Before I could properly say a word of farewell, the line went dead. I  slowly took the phone away from my ears and glanced at the empty screen.  I don't know what to make of what just happened. So, I'll be having  another Maxwell today. But I knew she wouldn't be saying sorry to me.  One thing I understood and observed about Alexandra Maxwell is that she  was not the kind of woman who easily lowered herself when she sees that  she wasn't at fault in a certain situation, even if she was involved in  it.

I made sure to take my time going up to my father's room. I didn't want  to look transparent like any other days. But I'm talking about my father  here. Even if I had a poker face, he would notice something was wrong  with me.

As I entered his room, he quickly noticed my sour mood. "Having a rough  day? Why aren't you at work?" he asked as I walked towards him to give  him a kiss.

"Good morning, too, dad," I greeted teasingly as I kissed him on the forehead and walked towards my spot.

"So, are you going to tell me or do I have to guess?" he asked after I sat down.

"Oh. Come on. It's not that obvious that I look gloomy or sad. I have  this no-nonsense expression right now," I stated in disbelief as I  pointed at my face.

"Peanut, have you looked at yourself in a mirror recently? Your eyes are  red and puffy, like you've been crying recently. Plus, your face is  slightly flushed," he objected and gestured at my face.

"I didn't …  it's not …  really?" I stuttered in defense but gave in at the end.

"Oh, peanut. What happened? I thought you're happy. Is this about William?" he asked in realization.

"No. Why would I let that guy affect me like this? I'm tough about stuff like that dad."

"You saying all of this is proof enough that it is about William."

I pursed my lips and kept my mouth shut for moment. He can see through  my lie no matter what, and there is no use on lying to my own father I  didn't want to admit out loud that this man I used to hate, and knowing  about his true feelings for me, affected me this much. So what if he  doesn't like me?

With a deep intake of breath, and letting it out roughly, I told him  vaguely about what happened last night and a few things this morning. I  didn't put into detail about what happened after, or why I stayed over  at his place. I went straight to what had happened this morning, and  what I overheard William say about his feelings for me.

"So, you are hurt that he doesn't have feelings for you? And you believe that lie?" he interrogated.

"I'm not affected whatsoever about … " I trailed off when my father stared  at me with the look that he makes when he knows I'm lying. "Okay, I'm a  little hurt by it," I admitted softly.

"Do you believe him?"

"How can I not? He screamed it loud and clear for the world to hear."

"Oh, peanut …  Men are sometimes like women, too, you know. William  doesn't dislike you. If he disliked you, he wouldn't have gone through  all of that trouble for you. It would be a waste of time, and no matter  what the bet was about, a man can't be that dedicated to something when  he doesn't want it in some way. William has feelings for you but he  himself doesn't know it yet," he explained smoothly.