Chapter 59: Chapter Fifty-Nine: Choke

Karlo: I’m coming…

I paused reading the statistics on my laptop when my phone vibrated, and I saw Karlo’s text. Without even thinking twice, I stood up and went to the washroom with the makeup kit that I took from my bag.

Blush on.

Lip gloss.

Eyeliner.

Comb.

Perfume.

I had to enhance my makeup and fix my hair. After that, with the final touch, I bathed myself with my Chanel perfume. I looked sideways in front of the mirror to check if I was missing something.

I think I’m good to go now.

At the right time, someone knocked on the door of my office. I tiptoed on the floor as if my footsteps would be heard from the outside. I slowly creaked the door open. It revealed Dara’s face.

“Hello, ma’am. Someone is outside. He is saying he is your friend?” my assistant explained.

My face went disgruntled as I slowly rolled my eyes in disappointment. “Friend, he says, huh?” I mumbled and widely opened the door. “Okay. Let him come in, then.”

I wanted to lash out as I turned my back on the door. How could he say that he is just a friend? After what happened between him and me last night, he didn’t want to introduce himself as my husband?

That jerk!

A dramatic series of footsteps emerged behind me as the doors closed. I was still turning my back to him while crossing my arms. I sighed heavily so he would sense the disappointment in my tone.

“Friend, huh?” I mumbled. “You could have just said that you are my husband. If I-“

I was about to reprimand Karlo for lying, but when I completely faced him, the words immediately retreated to the back of my throat when I realized that it wasn’t Karlo. My lips parted for a bit. I furrowed my eyebrows, staring now at Ian, who was holding a bouquet.

“So you thought I’m your husband, huh?” Ian cockily asked and tilted his head. “Finally, you have acknowledged that bastard as your husband. I thought you hated him?”

Ian was wearing a black business suit with Ray-Ban sunglasses hanging on his black pants. Before, he had messy hair that made him so handsome and hot way back in college when he was still a basketball varsity. But now, he had a pompadour hairstyle that made him look serious and stern, but still handsome. Even more handsome.

I suddenly remembered how he refused to be with me because of how complicated my family and the responsibilities I have on my plate. After that, his image with Helen flooded my mind. I wonder if he knows about her being an assassin and if she manipulated him into hating me.

But if he really hates me, why does he have flowers in his hands?

“Minerva…” he called as he tried to reach me.

I took a step backwards, refusing him. “Who gave you the right to touch me?” I replied coldly.

The smug look on his face didn’t leave him, and he even chuckled, which annoyed me. “Come on. I know you still love me,” he said. “I even brought flowers to give you.”

“I don’t care about your flowers, and I don’t care about you anymore,” I firmly stated and raised my forehead for him to see that I was not kidding. “Did you have some sort of amnesia, and you already forgot how you left me?”

He was taken aback. Conscience crept into his eyes, and his shoulders slumped. I continued glaring at him like a fierce cat.

“I’m sorry…” he softly said. “It’s just that I could not take the risk to link with you because I was afraid of what my family might face.”

“Get out…”

“But I realized that I should not have let cowardice get over me. I really love you, Minerva.”

“I don’t care if you got afraid, Ian. If your love was greater, it would have been enough for you to stay with me.”

“Minerva, I regretted every day for not fighting for you. Please come back to me.”

He dropped the flowers on the sofa and launched towards me so he could embrace me. I tried to push him, but the desperation in his embrace was only making him hug me tighter.

“Ian, I can’t breathe!” I screamed.

“I miss you! I love you, Minerva. Please come back to me!” Ian just continuously said.

“What is happening here?”

When I managed to accumulate enough force, I pushed Ian hard, making him fall to the other sofa. He was out of the way, so I could see Karlo in the doorway with two paper bags in his hands. For some reason, I got nervous because he might have a bad idea.

He had a dress shirt and pants on. He might have left his coat in his car, or whatever. As usual, he looks handsome, but his hair got a bit messy. Maybe he went outside.

Oh my goodness! I am in the state of having a serious situation, and all I could do was describe how handsome Karlo is?!

I shook my head. Karlo looked at me coldly, and I sensed that he was taking this seriously. I instantly waved my hands like it was not a big deal.

“It is not what you think, Karlo,” I defended myself. “He just came in here.”

“And you let him come in?” he emphatically asked with his ticking jaw, an indication that he was not taking it lightly.

“No! I thought it was you who came in because you said you were coming!” I angrily explained and glanced at Ian, who was watching the two of us. “You know what? I have no time for you, so get out of my office!”

Before I let him talk, I marched towards the other sofa where he dropped the bouquet. I didn’t even think twice about smashing it on him repeatedly. I saw from my peripheral vision that Karlo was about to stop me, so I threw everything at him directly.

“Don’t even touch me!” I exclaimed while widening my eyes. “You get out also! Get out!”

He glared back at me. I was already hyperventilating because of how frustrated I was. I thought he was going to do something to me, but he just shifted his weight and dragged Ian's collar so he would stand. Before I knew it, he was already dragging him out, with him holding his collar as if Ian was a dog.

“Let go of me, you bastard!” Ian demanded, trying to remove Karlo’s hands.

“Karlo!” I shouted.

“She just said you get out,” I heard Karlo say as he harshly opened the door and threw Ian out. “And don’t ever come back here.”

“Hey-“

Ian’s words were muffled and cut off when Karlo slammed the door shut, even locking it. I even saw my secretary from outside, who was covering her mouth in shock as she watched us. I massaged the bridge of my nose in stress. Karlo turned his back so he could see me. The two paper bags were still in his hands.

“You are not an exception, right? I told you to get out!” I said and even pointed to the door behind him.

He shot an eyebrow. “And do you think I am that type who would follow you?” he said sarcastically and dared to casually placed his other hand in his pocket. “I’m your husband now. I either follow you if you are right or not follow you when you are in the wrong.”

This man is driving me nuts!

“So can we eat now?”

I rolled my eyes.

The next thing I knew, I found the two of us eating in front of the marble table. I pouted as I  finished chewing the ramen melting inside my mouth. He brought Japanese food, like sushi, tempura, and my favorite ramen. He knows that I like Korean and Japanese dishes aside from steak. He learned it ever since we got married by quietly observing me, even though I was distant from him for a long time.

Currently, he is in front of me, focusing on eating ramen. He was holding the black bowl with his huge hand, while the other was using chopsticks. I watched how his veins were protruding as he used just a little bit of force at the same time eating, then flashes of him thrusting inside me last night went behind my mind. While I was parting my lips with my eyes watching his every move, he suddenly lifted his gaze at me, making me choke in my throat.

Karlo was alarmed by my series of coughs. Without further ado, he grabbed my bottle of water and ran beside me so he could make me drink.  I closed my eyes so I could feel swallowing whatever made me choke. His hand was already caressing my back. When I opened my eyes, his face was slightly worried.

“Are you okay?” he asked when I pushed his hand away while he was holding the bottle. “Don’t eat in haste.”

“I’m fine,” I answered and pouted. “I’ll eat properly.”

He nodded and gave me my bowl of ramen. I accepted it. He grabbed his bowl and started eating again, but he didn’t stand up and just stayed beside me. For some reason, with this simple act, the butterflies in my stomach went crazy. We ate silently, but his glances sometimes catch me off guard. This time, I won’t let myself choke just because I am bothered by his mere presence.