Chapter 39 Afresh
ANNA'S POV
James let out a small breath, the kind that barely lifted his chest but was loud enough for me to hear because of how tense the air suddenly became around us. His eyes moved quickly, scanning every corner of the surroundings like he was afraid someone might be watching or listening. Only after taking in everything did he step closer to me.
As he moved forward, I instinctively took a step back. I didn’t even think about it, I just did. The whole thing felt uncomfortable, and the way he hesitated in his movements made it obvious he was ashamed to say whatever he wanted to tell me. Clearly, whatever his big announcement was, he didn’t want anyone else around to overhear it. The fact that he cared so much about who could hear him already told me something was wrong on his side.
“I would have preferred to say this to you in private,” he said, sounding annoyed but also desperate, “but fine, whatever. I’ll just say it. I know there’s still some heat between us, but I’d like us to act maturely and put that aside. Forget about everything that has happened between us and start over afresh.”
Huh?
For a moment I honestly thought I misheard him. This man standing here with his wrinkled expression and his lowered voice was asking me to forget everything? Just like that? It took everything in me not to laugh in his face.
Was this how bad he needed help? Was the situation with his company that terrible? To the point that he was coming here to ask me for a fresh start? The fact that he even had the balls to show up in front of me, to say any of this with a straight face, aggravated me even more. But I forced myself to remain calm, to keep my voice steady, because I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing me worked up.
I bent my head slightly, just enough to glance past him, and I saw Melissa still standing exactly where she had been earlier. She hadn’t moved an inch. Her fingers were picking at her nails anxiously, but her eyes — those sharp, cold eyes were fixed on us like a hawk watching prey. She wasn’t even pretending not to listen. She wanted to hear everything.
I let out a small scoff, unable to help it. “I’m guessing this is you and Melissa’s plan of trying to become friends with me now that you know the fate of your company rests on my decision,” I said, glaring at him sharp enough to cut through the fake sincerity he was trying to dish out.
“What? No,” he said quickly. “Me being here has nothing to do with Melissa or my company, I’m just…” He suddenly stopped talking, his eyebrows pulling together like he realized something only just now. “Wait, you’ve seen what’s going on with my company?” he asked, disbelief tightening his voice.
“Oh yes,” I replied calmly. “I’ve heard what’s happening with that little failure of yours. The drug you stole.” I said it casually, but my words hit him like a slap.
For a moment he actually flinched. His hand twitched, rising a bit like he wanted to cover my mouth, or maybe stop me from continuing. But he froze instantly, stopping himself before he made the mistake of trying something stupid. He knew what would happen if he touched me. He knew the consequences of that now, especially with so many people around and with Quinn Enterprise’s name attached to mine.
I watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard. Panic began creeping into his face, crawling slowly up from his tightened jaw to the edges of his eyes. Was he scared because he didn’t want me to know? Or was it because he was terrified of the news coming out? Maybe he was worried that if I already knew this much, then other people would eventually find out too.
“Okay, we really need to talk now,” he said, his voice lowering and sounding more pressured.
“I’ve told you,” I said firmly. “Anything you want to say, you can say it here.”
He looked irritated, like he wanted to argue, but he forced himself to stay in control. “Look, whatever I might have done to you in the past, I’m sorry about it. I might have gotten over my head when the money finally came in. Can we just leave this whole thing behind us?” he asked.
I didn’t even hesitate. “You need my help,” I said with a small smirk.
“Yes, I do,” he admitted almost immediately. “My company needs your help.” He took another step closer, then leaned so close to my ear I could feel his breath against my hair. “The drug formula you gave me five years ago… there’s a little problem going on with it. I’m sure you’ve read about that too.”
I pulled back slightly so I could see his face. “So, why are you telling me this?” I asked.
“I’m telling you because I’m hoping you can help out,” he said. “You’re the only one who developed the formula, and if you can be so kind to come check it out and see how to solve the problem that’s at hand, it would be of great help…”
“Sorry, but I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said calmly.
His forehead wrinkled. “What do you mean?”
“I mean,” I said, tilting my head with the smallest hint of a smile, “I don’t know why you’re inviting me to your lab, because I didn’t develop that formula. Isn’t that what you told everyone?”
He clenched his jaw. “Don’t do this, Anna. This isn’t the time to act petty. I told you already, let’s put this childishness behind us. My company is going to collapse if I don’t do something fast.”
“I’m not helping you with your drug, James,” I said, my voice losing any softness it had left. “You claim the formula is yours, right? Then fix the problem yourself.”
“Okay, okay,” he said quickly, raising both hands a little as if trying to calm me down. “But that’s not all I need your help with.”
I blinked at him. “Are you serious?” I said, almost laughing at this point. The level of pathetic he looked right now was unbelievable.
“Yes,” he said, swallowing again. “Even if I were to get a team together to fix the problem, they would still need to run a lot of tests, and those tests require funds. I wanted to speak to Mr. Quinn personally about this, but since you’re in charge now… I was thinking maybe Quinn Enterprise could assist with the funds necessary. It wouldn’t be for free. It could be more of an investment or a loan.”
His voice shook near the end, like even saying those words hurt his pride.