Chapter 79 Date In A Storm
Silence had taken over.
Vince was there with a few of my staff members whose eyes were judging me already, placing allegations on my character at the very moment.
He had seen me embracing Arden though it was abrupt and unwanted on my side. But, the timing, it was the worst, and the worst position.
My heart momentarily stopped, pulling away from Arden abruptly and facing Vince who was frozen.
“Oh Lord, what is happening here?”
One of the employees whispered, the judgment in her tone made me tense and maintain a fair distance from Arden.
“Alyssa…?” Vince’s voice was dangerously low.
He was frozen, his eyes locked on the hand that dared to embrace me and back to my face with visible disappointment.
No…no, no, no, anyone’s disappointment but not his.
“What the fuck is happening here?” he finally demanded, his gaze locking onto Arden.
“It’s not what it looks like, Vince. I swear.” I stammered, my lips ended up quivering, “Arden was just… he was helping me.”
“What type of ‘help’ requires such close contact?”
Vince walked into the room. My heart began to pound wildly, clutching the table for support.
“What the hell is that, Alyssa?”
“The—the thunder,” I whimpered, my hands shaking when I pointed at the window where the thunder was loud and crystal-clear.
My dignity was dissolving under the collective stare of my own staff. They did not buy my explanation.
I didn’t care about them either. My main concern was Vince.
“It was so loud, I jumped. I wasn’t thinking. Arden just caught me… it’s nothing else, I promise.”
Arden cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably, adjusting his collar awkwardly.
“Yeah… we… I just helped. She was startled.”
Lowering my head, I was afraid of finding him hurt and disappointed with me. I didn’t dare to raise my head until Vince’s assertive tone cut through the tension.
“Are you afraid of thunder, Alyssa?”
“No,” I shook my head honestly, “This one was just so sudden and loud, you must have heard it too, right? I jumped in fear.”
Vince glanced at the window, back to me, the tears glistening in the corner before relaxing gradually, “I see.”
He took a moment, causing me enough time to lift my head and look expectantly. His eyes softened for a second, extending his hand to me.
“I trust you. If you say you are frightened, then you are. Come here.”
The ‘come here’ was an order.
I didn’t think twice, my body moved instinctively, wrapping my hands around his waist allowing Vince to capture me in a one-arm hug by holding my shoulder.
Vince looked at Arden with a frown, “And what brings you here, Arden? In the middle of a flood?”
“Just passing by,” Arden said, though his frontage was leaking, “I thought I’d say hi.”
“You told me your car broke down,” I reminded him, my confusion momentarily coming back, furrowing my brows.
Arden stiffened, “Yes… It did. Luckily, you were nearby.”
“How fortunate for you,” Vince muttered, his grip on my shoulder tightening, dripping with a sarcasm that made my heart skip a beat.
“Unfortunately, Alyssa and I have a date. You should book a cab and go home, Arden. Now.”
Arden opened his mouth to argue, perhaps to repeat the warning he’d hissed moments ago, but the look on Vince’s face silenced him.
He let out his usual smile, “I guess… I’ll do that. Take care, you two.” He nodded and left.
I let out a sigh of relief.
One of the staff members lingered at the door, whispering to another.
“Are you sure it was nothing? It looked like more than a jump—”
Vince didn't even turn around but his authority was lingering in the air.
“It was a startled reaction to a storm. I don’t want anyone else questioning my wife’s character or her actions. Clear?”
“Y-Yes, Sir,” they stammered, scurrying away instantly, not daring to interfere again.
Vince turned back to me, his hand gripping my waist with a firm, possessive strength, “Let’s go, Alyssa.”
We left, I could feel my heart thumping madly, my mind creating reasoning, explanations to not enrage him by any possible means.
Vince held an unfathomable expression, driving casually while I was glancing at him from time to time, fidgeting my fingers around my dress.
We soon stopped at a lot and Vince gave me an ice-cream that for a moment faded all my vexation and made me chuckle.
“Ice cream?” I asked softly, “In a literal hurricane?”
“Especially in a hurricane,” Vince replied with a smirk.
Leaning against his seat and taking out a small freezer box with ice-cream along with some snacks, indicating he had it all planned.
“I want to be in the middle of this storm with you. I want us to see it, feel it, and realize that as long as we’re in here... it can’t touch us.” He smiled, opening a packet of chips and began to munch on it.
I dug my spoon into the cream, the sweetness opposite to the adrenaline still lingering from Arden’s visit.
“Vince, about the office,” I began, my voice trembling, “I wasn’t, I would never—”
“I know.” He smiled, placing his hand over mine, knitting his fingers with mine, kissing my knuckles with an affection that swayed me.
“I saw the way you looked when I walked in. But…” He sighed, lowering his gaze with dejection.
“Seeing him touch you... it did something to me. I.. did not like it. Another man, touching my wife.”
He leaned closer, his gaze softening with a beautiful intensity that turned me oblivious of my surroundings.
“I am a cold man, someone who knows business and deals, Alyssa. But when it comes to you? I had to be so cautious.”
I looked at him, surprised by the honesty in his eyes. “Cautious of what?”
“Of losing you,” he whispered, resting my hand under his cheek, the endearment made my chest ache.
I wonder what good deed led me to him.
“You are my wife, I cherish you, I need you in my life. When I saw him near you, I.. I hated it. I am sorry, I don't want to be controlling or possessive but I…”
He stared intensely at me, “I can’t help it.”
The fear Arden had planted, those hissed warnings about Vince’s character, felt so flimsy compared to the man sitting in front of me now.
“You won’t lose me,” I promised, leaning across the seat to rest my forehead against his.
“The storm is outside, Vince. But I’m right here. I’m staying right here.”