Chapter 89 Shattered trust
His fist clenched tightly against the desk, knuckles whitening as his eyes locked onto the system screen.
In the parking lot, Lucas and Emily were still talking and laughing. Alex’s breathing grew shallow. Then they hugged again. Instantly Alex's jaw hardened as his heart ached.
Emily leaned up and pecked Lucas lightly before slipping into her car. Lucas stepped back, smiling and waving as she drove off. He stood there a moment longer, hands in his pockets, watching the car disappear before turning. Then walked back toward the restaurant entrance.
Alex’s grip tightened further, his nails digging into his palm.
“Baby,” he muttered under his breath, the word tasting like betrayal. “You're meant to be my baby, Lucas, not calling some other person your baby.” He muttered angrily.
And as Lucas pushed open the entrance door, unaware of the storm waiting upstairs, Alex’s eyes darkened with a mixture of jealousy, hurt, and something far more dangerous.
Lucas barely made it through the entrance before the weight in his chest became unbearable. He didn’t stop at the kitchen.
He turned sharply, headed for the elevator, and then straight to Alex’s office. His pulse hammered as he felt bad about bailing on their lunch. Maybe he will make it up to him by giving him sweet kisses and suggesting dinner. Without overthinking, he knocked once and stepped in.
“Alex, I'm so…”
“Save it.” Alex cut him short and the word cracked through the room like a whip.
Lucas froze in his tracks.
Alex shot to his feet, eyes blazing, jaw tight, the security monitor still glowing behind him like silent evidence.
“So,” Alex began coldly, “How was your little date?”
Lucas blinked. “What?”
“Don’t play dumb with me!” Alex snapped, slamming his palm against the desk. “Flirting in my restaurant? Holding hands? ‘I missed you, baby?’” His laugh was sharp and humorless. “You think I wouldn’t find out?”
Realization dawned on Lucas’s face. “Alex, I can explain…”
“Explain what?” Alex cut him off, stepping closer. “That you’ve been deceiving me? That you have a girlfriend and still hug and kiss me?”
The accusation hit harder than a slap. Lucas’s chest tightened. “She’s not…”
“Not what? Not your girlfriend?” Alex shot back. “Because from what I saw and heard she clearly is.”
Lucas stared at him in surprise. He had rushed up here ready to apologize for missing their lunch. Then thinking of how to make him happy, but Alex hadn’t given him even a breath to speak. Not a second of trust. Just accusations and anger.
Something inside Lucas cracked.
The hurt in his eyes slowly hardened into something like defense. He shot his eyes and opened it back. “You know what?” Lucas said quietly.
Alex’s breathing was ragged. “What?”
“You’re right.”
The words landed heavily between them. Alex blinked, thrown off balance. “What?”
“You’re right,” Lucas repeated, forcing the words out despite how they tore at him. “She’s my girlfriend since that’s what you believe,”
Lucas continued, voice trembling but steady enough, “Since you've already found out about her there’s nothing to explain. I'm sorry you trusted me enough.”
Alex’s face drained of color, but pride kept him rigid. “So you admit it.”
“Yes, or do you want me to lie?”
The word felt like a blade sliding between his ribs.
“Then what the fuck are we?” Alex demanded angrily, his voice trembling.
Lucas swallowed, eyes shining now despite his effort to remain composed. “Nothing.”
The room seemed to tilt. “I won’t be accused like that,” Lucas added, his voice breaking slightly. “If you think so little of me, then maybe this was a mistake from the start.”
Alex opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Lucas stepped back toward the door. “It’s over, Alex. We are nothing now.”
And before his expression could betray the devastation clawing through him, he turned and hurried out.
The hallway felt endless as he almost ran past the kitchen. By the time he reached the locker room, his vision was blurred with tears. He shoved the door open and stepped inside, the sound echoing harshly in the empty space.
His hands trembled as he gripped the edge of a locker. “A girlfriend? How could he even think that when I was tripping badly for him. This means he never trusted me. I had bared my life for him except for one secret.”
Lucas staggered over to the mirror, and stared at his reflection. “Hey guy, hold yourself because you and him are gone. It's over.”
The words replayed viciously in his head. His knees weakened and he sank onto the bench, heart shattering in silence. Tears still dripped down his cheek.
Upstairs, in the office, Alex stood frozen. The anger had calmed but it left behind something far worse…regret
The rest of the day spiraled downhill. In the kitchen, Lucas moved like a machine, silent, precise, detached. Orders came in; he handled them flawlessly. No mistakes or complaints. But the usual spark in his eyes was gone. Some staff noticed, including Zenith.
The glow and softness he saw that morning were not there anymore. He wondered what had changed. He waited to check Alex out as well but he never returned to the kitchen.
He walked over, “Hey buddy, are you okay?”
“Yes, I'm fine.” Lucas responded calmly.
“Are you sure, you…”
Lucas turned and glared at him. “What the heck is your problem? I said I'm fine.” Lucas nearly screamed at him, alerting other people nearby.
“Woo, easy tiger,” Zenith muttered as he instantly moved away from him.
Upstairs, Alex wasn’t any better.
He tried reviewing invoices. Tried responding to emails. Tried focusing on anything that wasn’t the image of Lucas smiling in the parking lot but he couldn’t concentrate.
That word, “I missed you, baby.” looped endlessly in his head. By late afternoon, his chest felt hollow.
He closed early.
By closing time, Lucas had made up his mind to stay away from Alex, his company and Zenith madness.
He pulled a plain envelope from the company's stationery. The resignation letter inside was short, formal and cold. There were no explanations or emotions.
He walked straight to the HR office, knocked once, and placed it on the desk. “I won’t be continuing from tomorrow, I'm sorry for any inconveniences” he said quietly.
The HR officer blinked in surprise. “Is everything alright?”
Lucas forced a faint smile. “Yes, just some unforeseen circumstances.”
With that, he turned and walked away before anyone could ask more questions.
Alex had left the restaurant earlier than usual. He didn’t inform anyone. He didn’t look for Lucas.
He just grabbed his keys and drove home. The silence in the car was suffocating.
Once inside his house, he loosened his tie, poured himself a glass of whiskey, then another one and another one.
The burn in his throat was better than the ache in his chest. He dropped onto the couch, staring blankly at the amber liquid swirling in his glass.
Could it be that I overreacted? The thought crept into his head uninvited. He replayed the scene in his mind again. Thought swirling but then his phone vibrated.