Chapter 62 Worthy to Fight For
Audrey was silent for a moment, but finally nodded vaguely. "Yes."
"As a CEO and a secretary? Like before?" Elliot repeated, as if challenging her to change her answer.
"Yes," Audrey replied with a softer voice, her fingers clenching her hands until they turned white.
Elliot's face hardened, his jaw visibly tightening. His eyes conveyed a mix of anger, disappointment, and sadness all at once.
"Fine," the man finally said. "If that's what you want, we will go back to how things were. A professional relationship between a boss and a subordinate, according to the existing rules. Isn't that what you want?"
Audrey did not answer. Her heart felt so tight, even though she should have felt relieved to hear Elliot agree to her wish. "Yes, Sir..."
"But not for today," Elliot suddenly added, making Audrey look at him with a furrowed brow.
"What do you mean?" the woman asked hesitantly.
"Because whatever you say today…" Elliot paused his sentence for a moment, letting out a long sigh to ease the tightness in his chest. His face looked tired, but also laden with unspoken emotion. "…won't make me let you go just like that."
Audrey stood rooted to the spot, her body stiff, while Elliot's words spun in her mind. He stared at Audrey for a few seconds that felt like forever, before finally walking past her without a word, heading toward the door.
"Sir…" Audrey called softly, almost a whisper.
Elliot's steps halted, his hand already gripping the doorknob tightly. He stood tall, but his shoulders looked tense.
"Don't call me that," He said hoarsely, with emphasis. "You don't know how hard it is to stay standing straight right now."
Audrey bit her lower lip, trying to hold back the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. "I didn't mean to make things difficult…"
Elliot gave a small, bitter laugh. "You're not making things difficult, Audrey. You're just making everything feel impossible."
Without turning around, Elliot opened the door and stepped out, closing it softly.
Audrey remained standing in her spot, looking at the door that had just closed with a chaotic feeling. Her chest felt so tight, as if something was lost with Elliot's departure.
When she finally tried to breathe deeply, the tears she had held back finally flowed freely. She covered her face with both hands, letting the pent-up emotion spill out uncontrollably.
A soft knock heard as Elliot was lost in thought on his room's balcony, accompanied by the bright moonlight in the clear sky.
His long contemplation was instantly dispersed. He walked to the door and opened it slightly, only to find Finn, his youngest brother, standing there with his usual characteristic grin.
"What trouble are you making now?" Elliot accused, looking sharply at his brother.
Finn's grin slowly disappeared, replaced by a pout. "Tsk. I just want to ask something. Why are you always so suspicious?"
One of Elliot's eyebrows raised. "What do you want to ask?"
"Let me in first!" Finn protested.
Elliot sighed deeply, finally shifting his body to make room for his brother. Finn stepped in quickly, his eyes scanning his brother's neat and classy room. He dropped onto the sofa in the corner of the room, whistling softly.
"This room never changes, huh," he muttered, stretching. "Just like the owner, serious and boring."
"If you talk too much, just get out." Elliot squinted slightly in a threatening manner.
"Geez, why are you so sensitive?" Finn grumbled, but found his brother's attitude amusing.
"What do you want to ask?"
Finn shrugged casually. "I just want to ask Marcus's number. There's something I want to find out."
Hearing the name of Marcus, his personal investigation team leader, made Elliot's forehead crease with suspicion. "What for?"
Finn suddenly looked a bit nervous, but he tried to stay relaxed even though his face was slowly flushing. "I want to know about someone."
"Who?" Elliot crossed his arms over his chest, his gaze sharpening.
Finn scratched the back of his head, looking awkward. "Well... it's... Natasha. You know... my new manager."
Elliot's face became harder to read. "Why don't you ask her directly?"
Finn rolled his eyes, annoyed. "Well, how can I ask her directly about her past? Besides, I'm just curious. I feel like she's hiding a lot of secrets!"
Elliot stepped closer, looking intently at Finn. "Curious? Or do you like her?"
Finn's face immediately turned into bright red like a boiled crab. "What?! Who said I like her?!"
Elliot raised one eyebrow. "No need to say it. Your face explains everything."
"No, I'm not!" Finn protested, but clearly he couldn't hide his feelings anymore. "I'm... just curious!"
"If you're only curious, why involve Marcus?" Elliot pressed his brother harder. "You know he just does for important matters, right?"
The next moment, Elliot felt slapped by his own words. He suddenly remembered Audrey and her family...
Finn was silent for a moment, then answered in a somewhat pleading tone, "So, can I?"
Elliot sighed heavily, finally grabbing his phone from the table and doing what was asked. "Why didn't you ask your boss for help?"
Finn winced. "Too much effort! If I ask my boss, it'll eventually get back to Dad."
"And you think I won't tell Dad?" Elliot looked sharply at his brother.
Finn chuckled softly. "If you tell Dad, I'll tell him about the girl you were with at the hotel that time."
Elliot froze for a moment, then looked at Finn with an indecipherable gaze. "What do you mean?"
Finn only stared back with a serious face, before finally bursting out laughing. "Your face, Bro! Hahaha! Seriously, you should see your face! Hahaha!"
Annoyed, Elliot walked over and flicked Finn's head. "You're really looking for trouble!"
"Ouch! I was just kidding!" Finn winced while rubbing his head. Elliot's flick really hurt and stung!
After the situation subsided, Finn looked back at his brother with a mischievous gaze. "So, who was the girl, Elliot?"
Elliot looked sharply at Finn. "Shut your mouth!"
"If the girl wasn't important, why are you so upset?" Finn teased. However, before his brother could react further, he quickly stood up. "Okay, okay. I'm leaving. Thanks for the help, Mr. Elliot, the Honorable But Sensitive."
Elliot sighed deeply, watching his brother walk toward the door. "Finn."
The young man stopped, turning to face his brother. "Yeah?"
Elliot seemed to think for a moment, before finally asking in a calmer tone. "Do you really like her?"
Finn nodded softly, this time without the grin. "Yeah... I think so."
"You realize she's your manager?" Elliot asked, his tone cautious.
"Yes, I know," Finn replied seriously. "Do you have a problem with that?"
Elliot held his breath for a moment. He wanted to talk about his own feelings, but finally chose to let out a long sigh. "No. I just want you to be careful."
Although his brother didn't say anything, Finn could sense what the man was feeling. He smiled faintly, walked closer, and gently patted Elliot's shoulder. "My advice, Bro, fight for what's worth fighting for. You won't know the result if you don't try."
After that, Finn left, leaving Elliot lost in thought where he stood. His brother's words kept echoing in his mind, adding to the tightness he had been trying to ignore.