Chapter Eighteen

Gustin Pov

Gustin sat in the sleek conference room, surrounded by the usual buzz of his top executives and his manager the sound of voices discussing profit margins and market trends , all while his mind was a thousand miles from the boardroom.

Their voices were muffled, barely reaching him as he stared at the glossy surface of the table, his pen tapped rhythmically against the notepad in front of him while staring blankly at the spreadsheets on the screen in front of him.

Gustin was a master of maintaining control in these situations, but today, his mind was slipping.

Leilani hadn’t called him back.

The time he had given her was almost gone and the silence was worse than the waiting, probably because anything could have happened.

She could have left back to America for all he knew taking his children with her s despite his efforts to remain calm, his patience was wearing thin.

He shifted in his seat, trying to focus,

“Mr Winchester?” The voice of his CFO, Sarah, cut through the haze of his thoughts.

He blinked, realizing everyone in the room was looking at him. He hadn’t been paying attention for the last ten minutes.

“Yes?” he said, clearing his throat and sitting up straighter, trying to shake off the distraction.

Sarah raised an eyebrow, he was never distracted, they must have been surprised .

“We need your final approval on the logistics for the European expansion. You’ve seen the reports?”

Gustin nodded, though the specifics of the report were a blur. He had skimmed through it the previous night, but between thinking about Leilani and dealing with Bellamy’s tantrums, he hadn’t fully processed the details.

“Of course,” he replied, leaning forward to appear more engaged.

“Proceed as discussed. Just make sure we're on track. We can't afford to be behind the competition”

" When they think the technology, I want them to think Cross" he replied his tone smooth, masking the fact that he hadn’t heard half of what was discussed.

Sarah gave a short nod, though her eyes lingered on him for a moment longer than usual, Gustin knew she could tell that he wasn't fully there even if he'd done his best to bluff.

She was sharp, the kind of executive who never let anything slide, which made her valuable—as a worker and as a friend but it also meant he had to be careful.

“and your thoughts on the product relaunch timeline?” she asked i

" Is rushed, have marketing go over the proposed timeline,again" He glanced at Lucas, who gave him a subtle nod,

Gustin knew he had to pick up he had let distractions get the best of him, his thoughts had been consumed by two things: Bellamy and Leilani, who still hadn’t responded to his request to meet.

As the meeting adjourned, Gustin gathered his papers and exited the conference room. Lucas following right behind him, already sensing his boss’s mood.

" Someone would think they lit a fire under your ass" Sarah called and he paused

" Maybe, I was escaping the pain in my ass" he grunted and she laughed.

" What's wrong " she asked, he started to speak and she cut him off.

" Don't say nothing, you were distracted, you're never distracted"

" I'm busy " he muttered and she looked to Lucas

“Anything urgent this afternoon?” she asked as they walked down the hall toward his office.

“Nothing that can’t wait,” Lucas replied and she nodded

" There you go, now talk"

As he got seated he told her everything

" Leilani is back" he said and she stilled, she had not been very happy with him when he divorced her

" Ok, so" she asked

" She was pregnant" he mumbled and she leaned away blinking

" That's –" she paused

" Well, you can't blame her for moving on Gustin" she muttered

" No, she was pregnant, she's had the kids, they're around four" he mumbled and Sarah sat there frozen

" Shit, oh my god. Shit Gustin. Does Bellamy know" he asked and he nodded

" Told her this weekend "

It hadn't gone over well at all.

She hadn’t reacted well,in fact, she had been practically frozen in disbelief when he told her and since then, she hadn’t allowed him to see Thomas, keeping her distance.

Gustin wasn’t worried, not yet. Bellamy just needed time to process everything. He figured once the initial shock wore off, they would talk, and she would calm down and if that didn't work he'd do it the hard way. He wasn't loosing Thomas.

“Any word from her?” Sarah asked

Gustin let out a breath, shaking his head.

“Not yet. She’s still pissed probably "

" Of course she would be, Gustin "

"You just dropped the bombshell on her"

He knew that but it didn’t mean he was willing to let go of his children.

" What do I do" he asked Sarah and she sighed

" Gustin honey what do you want . Is it getting Leilani back, or just seeing your kids" she muttered. He was glad he was asking her she knew how much he didn't want to be like his father having kids and never claiming them but she knew it wasn't just about the kids either.

" I want to win her back" he mumbled and she sighed

" If I were Leilani I'd deck you and then bury you in my backyard " she muttered wryly

" Do what you want but it won't be easy though " she mumbled standing

" I have to get back to work, my boss is very strict "

" Will you be home for dinner " he asked, his mother liked her and would have preferred he married her instead of Leilani and a hundred time chose her over Bellamy but she was like a sister to him so that wouldn't work.

" I'll see you next weekend" she muttered and he nodded

" I'll tell her"

Lucas, wandered in the office holding a tablet in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.

" I really hate you, i could have used the coffee" she muttered to him and he smiled

" I will do well to remember " she waved, walking out the door

“Sir, the documents for the house are ready for your review. We just need your signature to finalize the purchase,” Lucas said, walking briskly beside him setting the cup by him

“Good. Get it done by today,” Gustin replied signing without missing a beat. He'd both the house that Thomas had seemed comfortable in

Lucas nodded.

“Also, Ms. Bellamy hasn’t responded to your last message. Should I follow up with her again?”

Gustin shook his head.

“No. Give her some space."

Lucas scribbled a note on the tablet and continued,

“Understood. Anything else?”

Gustin paused his hand hovering over the pen, he considered asking Lucas to call Leilani but he didn’t want to seem desperate.

He had already left her multiple messages. If she wanted to meet, she would eventually call.

"Just stay on top of the house purchase." He muttered, dropping the pen on the table

“Should I schedule anything else for the afternoon?” Lucas asked, hovering by the door to Gustin’s office.

Gustin shook his head.

“No,"

Lucas left him alone, as soon as the door closed behind him, Gustin let out a breath, rubbing his temples. and sank into his chair, staring out of the large window that overlooked the city.

He glanced at the clock. It was early afternoon, and the thought of heading to Leilani parents’ house crossed his mind. Maybe seeing her in person, without the tension of their last meeting, would soften her stance. But he knew she wouldn't want that.

He sat down at his desk, glancing at his phone hoping for a missed call or message from Leilani.

Nothing.

Just as he was about to toss the phone aside and focus on the paperwork Lucas had left on his desk, the phone buzzed.

His heart skipped a beat, and for a brief moment, he hesitated before picking it up.

The screen flashed with her name

Leilani !

He quickly grabbed the phone and swiped the screen and held the phone to his ear.

“Leilani?” he answered, keeping his voice steady

“Leilani,” he said.

There was a brief pause on the other end, the sound of soft breathing before she spoke.

“Let’s meet.”