Chapter Twenty-nine

If I were to blame anyone, I would blame myself. Stupidity can strike you any time, especially when it concerns the heart. It’s two ways. To follow the right thing, or to succumb to a foolish thing called love. The hopes that people have in you, or your own desire.

The chair pressed harshly against my back, and I groaned aloud. Hands clawed Chad’s back as he continued to press hard kisses on my willing lips. His tongue slipped out and caressed my lower lip. I squeezed my eyes shut, not daring to open them. I can’t believe that this is happening! Why am I not pushing him away? Why am I letting this happen? Get away from him, Rachel! Before he pulls you in too deep.

Abused lips parting for air, I opened my eyes halfway to see Chad staring down at me with eyes clouded by desire. I didn’t have to read his mind to know what he wanted to do next. It frightened and excited me at the same time.

When he leaned down for another kiss, I let him. For my head was swimming in a haze, yearning for affection. His lips wandered to the side of my face, mine caressing the bandage over the scars I’d made in forgiveness. A gasp escaped my lips when I felt his hot breath against my ear, before his lips took over.

It’s been a while since I’ve experienced this kind of feeling. I’m sure it’s all right to succumb to this simple desire. A desire that I’ve been keeping in my heart for so long.

“Hey, sis.”

I turned around to see Harvey standing behind me in his uniform, yet his collar was a bit out of place. Shaking my head, I bent down to fix the collar.

“Harv, do well in school, all right?” These past few days, I couldn’t help but feel bad that Harvey had been left out of our current situation. There were even times that he would just stare at us in absolute confusion as to what was going on.

But, I should trust my parents’ decision. It would be better to just act like nothing was wrong than to worry him. It might affect his life and studies.

“Don’t worry, I’ll always do my best to make you proud of me.” Harvey smiled. Hand placed against his heart, he gave me a determined look. “I’ll be protecting you from wicked people and horrible men.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at his words, tousling his hair. “I’m counting on your words, all right?”

“Well…” He trailed off, which caught my attention. Harvey wringing his hands meant he was trying to say something, yet he couldn’t find the words. Even his eyebrows were furrowed, a sign that he was thinking hard. I placed a hand on his shoulder in concern, wondering what was bothering him.

“What is it, Harv?”

His lips moved silently, as if debating over his words. I gently pushed his chin up to look him in the eye, smiling warmly at him.

“It’s all right. You know you can tell me anything, right?” Harvey nodded and cleared his throat.

“Sis, when I grow up, I want to be like you.”

I felt my body freeze as I stared at the grinning boy in front of me, his eyes filled with admiration and determination. “I want to be like you, sis. You’re strong and nothing sways you. I’m proud to be your brother.” Heart almost to the point of bursting, I embraced him tightly. Not in joy, but in disappointment. Disappointment in myself.

“Sis, can you pick me up from school later?” He smiled. “I want to show you something awesome I made.”

Oh, Harvey. If you only knew how imperfect I am, you’d be ashamed of me. But I won’t let that happen. I’ll continue being that sister you can count on. Even if it means sacrificing my own desires, I’ll always continue to guide you. No matter what it takes.

“Sure, Harv.”

“Rachel. Can you hear me?”

I snapped away from my thoughts and considered Chad’s worried eyes that scanned my face. However, my gaze fell on his lips that had been against mine not a few seconds ago. Lips that were red as cherries, caused by our inappropriate actions. My cheeks followed the same color and I diverted my attention away. Anything that would make my heart calm down from its continuous raging beat.

Why am I even feeling this way towards Chad? Is it true? Am I really in love with him?

Feeling my shoulders being shaken, I faced Chad once again. “Hey, you okay? Did you even hear me?”

I nodded softly before gently pulling his hands off. “I’m fine, no need to worry.” His tense body relaxed and went to fix his tie that was messed up. I can’t believe it happened again, I’ve been kissed by this man plenty of times! And yet, how can we still face each other like nothing happened?

“Chad.”

“What?”

I stood up from my seat, facing him dead in the eye. He challenged me with the same stare, obviously preparing for what I had to say.

“We have to stop.” No, that didn’t sound right. “ We must stop this—whatever this is.” I waited for his reaction to explode right in front of me, knowing full well that he would laugh it off and continue his nuances. My expectations were blown right out of the building when he nodded and shrugged.

“All right, if that is your wish.”

He backed away and returned behind his desk to retrieve something. I watched with cautious eyes as he went through his papers before handing them over to me. Taking them, I immediately read the title printed in bold.

Expanding in Europe.

I frowned, not bothering to read the rest, and looked up to face him. “What? You want to expand in Europe?”

“Specifically, in the United Kingdom.”

Maybe I should’ve told him that I’ll soon be taking over my parents’ company and that this won’t be a long-time thing. That I’ll soon be handling the bigger company, unlike the one I’m managing right now for training purposes.

Shouldn’t Chad, of all people, know that?

Rachel, were you too caught up with being partners with him that you forgot that this won’t last forever?

“You won’t be needing Chad’s assistance soon,” Dad announced, much to my surprise. I set down the cup of coffee on the table and waited for him to elaborate. Once he knew he had my attention, Dad sat down across from me. Waving away the staff who had suggested a cup of coffee. “It’s all right.”

“Dad, what do you mean I won’t be needing it?”

The way he searched the surroundings made me want to laugh, because I knew full well who he was looking for. Fortunately for him, Mom wasn’t around. Relaxing, Dad leaned back on his chair and exhaled deeply. “Rachel.” I took in his serious expression, preparing myself for what was about to come.

“Yes, Dad?”

“Dear, you know you can take up the role anytime. Right? So, why not do it now?” I froze in my place, words searing my mind. “I agreed that you should learn the basics and test your abilities, especially when handling this company of ours, but…” He trailed off, eyes landing on his almost wrinkly hands. Age was slowly taking its toll. “If you don’t want to take it—”

“Dad.”

As he looked up at me, I gave him a small smile. “I can’t take up a huge role without knowing how to make use of it. I should learn before taking the reins.”

Dad chuckled and scratched his cheek. “You sound just like your mother.”

I smiled, took the cup and drank the fragrant coffee. He let out a sigh.

“I wish your mother would believe me. I just don’t trust the Montgomerys, especially their son. Don’t hang out with him for too long and, as much as possible, stay away from him.”

This is what I should do. Take up the role I was born to have, not toss it away like an ignorant person. A lot of people would kill to have our company. Literally.

“Don’t worry, Dad. I’ll take your advice.”

He nodded in agreement and folded his hands on the table, looking at me with wistful eyes.

“Rachel, I just don’t want you to regret anything.”

Chad nodded and carelessly threw the other papers away, littering all over the ground. My hands itched at the sight of it. How could he be an idiot and mess up his own office? However, my eyes were averted away when Chad let out a sigh. His hand ran through his blond hair, steely eyes on his phone that was now buzzing on top of his desk.

“Yeah. I figured it would be for the best if you want to bring that company of yours higher.” He answered monotonously. “I’m pretty sure you want that, to prove to your parents that you’re the best. Right?”

I raised a questioning brow at him, wondering where he was heading with this. He can’t be suggesting...

“Are you saying that my parents don’t think I’m the one for the job?” I demanded. “That someone else deserves it?”

Chad gave me another shrug. It was starting to piss me off. “I don’t know. Who knows, maybe they want Harvey to have the company instead of you. I’m sure they’re secretly disappointed that Harvey came last—”

My hands did the talking. I ripped the paper of his proposal into shreds until it was nothing.

“I won’t accept it. I don’t need to expand in the United Kingdom, or wherever the hell you think is good for my parents to know I deserve to be the next CEO.”

Chad’s amused face made me clench my fists. “Oh, is that so?”

“Damn well, I’m right! And don’t bring my brother into this. You don’t know what he wants and what our life is. Stop assuming you know everything!” Harvey would rather lock himself in his room than lead the company. “I don’t have a choice but to run the company. I’d rather die than shame my family.”

“So, you admit it?”

I slightly frowned at his words. “What?” Slowly, like a tiger approaching its prey, Chad walked to me. “Are you admitting that you don’t like business? That you’re just trying so hard to please your parents so they won’t know that your heart is elsewhere?”

“Stop it.”

“Why? Why would they force their daughter into something she doesn’t want?” Now standing in front of me, he towered above me and stared down. “Do you even like business? Does Harvey want to be the CEO? Do they know about what happened between you and Nathan? I’m sure, if they did, that bastard wouldn’t even be walking.”

“You don’t know anything, so stop assuming things!” I screamed, and proceeded to slap the man in front of me, for what seemed to be the hundredth time. But my hand never made contact with his face. Hand tightly gripping mine, Chad looked at me in pain. Pain that I hadn’t seen before—it stunned me in place.

“Then tell me.”

My eyes widened at his words, not anticipating this kind of response. “W-what did you say?” Did I hear it right? Feeling his grip loosen around my hand, I was pulled closer until my nose stroked his suit. My hands were limp on my sides as I felt Chad embrace me quietly.

“Chad, what are you doing?”

“Rachel, you should’ve told me,” he whispered. “You should’ve taught me who you are and what kind of life you had. I can’t keep assuming whenever I’m around you.” He buried his face in my neck, and I shivered at the action. “I’m tired of having you keep pushing me away when all I want is to know you better. I want you to open up to me.”

But, who are you for me to open up to?

“You’re probably confused right now. Probably shocked to hear that I want you to share your past with me when I’m not even someone significant in your life. I want you to know that I’m your friend, not an enemy.” I continued to listen to his soft words against my ear, the way he rubbed his hand up and down my back soothingly, as if to comfort me.

“The day I met you, I thought you were just the same as the women I see and chat with. But you proved to me that you were different.”

“How am I even different from those women?” I had to know what had made me stand out to this man for him to keep popping up out of nowhere and irritate me to no end. “You once said that I wasn’t your type, that I was boring and stiff. You wanted a woman with experience. What suddenly changed your mind about me?”

Was he lying that day? Was he trying to cover up his sorrow of losing the woman he loved by being a selfish jerk? Or, was he telling the truth that day, and is he currently messing with me? Does he peg me for an idiot?

Chad let out a soft laugh, throat rumbling. “I just want to know you better. Whenever you share your thoughts or just memories of your past, I feel happy. The day you revealed that you had an ex-fiancé made me think that we were both alike. We both got hurt and stood up again after the fall. I just want you to know that I want to help you in any way I can.”

Alike? Me and him?

Pulling away from me, Chad gazed right into my eyes. “Instead of pushing me away, let me heal you Rachel.” Fingertips caressing my cheek, Chad ran his fingers up to my hair. I softly flinched at his affections, completely surprised by how gentle he is, but that didn’t stop Chad. “You do indeed have soft hair,” he hummed quietly.

“Chad…” This man, what is he up to? Is he currently teasing me? Is he serious about pursuing my love? Or something else?

“I won’t rush you. I’m not like that idiot,” he confirmed, hands pulling me closer until we were only an inch apart. I could feel my heart beating precipitously once again, similar to a horse running for its freedom in the wilderness. What should I do? Scanning his face and trying to find the deceit in his eyes, I found none.

Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself. What if this man just wants to know me? Should I give him that chance? But, what if he’s lying? What if he’s plotting something like what Dad says?

My whole body tensed when he pressed his lips against mine, however gentle. His huge hand crawled on my back before pressing it mildly. Much to my surprise, I began to relax in his arms, the tension disappearing and my body leaning on his for support. Even my legs started to give way.

How could something wrong feel so right?

I hummed softly against his lips, liking the way his body was being pressed against mine. Even though it was wrong, it felt right; something that I didn’t feel towards Nathan in the days we were together. No, being with Chad was different. My whole world felt warm and calm, like the waves kissing the shore. Like my whole world was safe in his arms.

It was the ringing of my phone that snapped us back to the real world. Away from the warmth and into reality. Pulling away from him, I took out my phone and stared at the caller’s name.

Mom.

“You should probably take that,” Chad mumbled, and moved away. I watched him pick up the papers he haphazardly threw around a while ago. Diverting my attention to the phone, I picked it up and held it to my ear. “Hello, Mom.”

“Rachel, where are you?”

“I’m currently at a meeting.” My excuse made Chad stop his actions to look up at me. Ignoring his stare, I went back to the matter at hand. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“I’m afraid so. Your father encountered some men a while ago on his way to work. He suspects them to be the ones who harassed us.”

“Is Dad all right?” The thought of Dad being in danger, or, worse, in an accident is enough to make my head spin. “Nothing happened to him, right?” Please, let Dad be all right. Let him be safe and sound.

“In God’s good graces, your dad’s fine.” I let out a sigh in relief, silently giving thanks. “He’s currently with the investigators. He won’t stop until he gets to the bottom of it and puts those malicious men behind bars.”

“I’m glad he’s all right,” I mumbled in reply. “By the way, don’t worry about getting Harvey from school. I’ll pick him up this afternoon.”

“All right. Please come home safe.”

“Bye.” I hung up before regarding the man behind me. “I’m going now.” My eyes followed him as Chad walked up in front of me. His huge hands placed themselves on my shoulders and pulled me close. “I won’t ask you what happened. I’ll wait for you to tell me,” Chad whispered. I couldn’t help but smile for his consideration. “Until then, take care.”

“Thanks.” That was all I could say, for I didn’t know how I could respond to such words. Especially coming from the same man who kept annoying me to no end. I must’ve failed to notice all the good deeds he did to me before that I deduced him as a jerk. Chad Montgomery must be an understanding man. “See you around.” I waved goodbye and headed for the door.

“Hey, Rachel.”

Hearing my name, I turned around to see Chad grinning at me with such charisma. “Drive safely, plum.” Blood churning at the taunt, I sharply turned and walked away, annoyed. Yeah, right. An understanding man indeed.

I paid no attention to his chuckles that dissipated once the door shut behind me. That man! Percy and the rest followed me out. Even when I left the building and headed back to my office, my mind was still on Chad. What do I do with him? I touched my heart, thankful that it didn’t waver completely.