Chapter 34.

Catalina studied the white envelope, flipping it over and over and trying to know what exactly it was. She didn't know if it was work related or personal. But from the looks of it, she could tell it was personal. And the way the woman had looked when she lied that she was Ryder's girlfriend had made her conclude that Ryder had something to do with her.

Catalina was unsure about a lot of things in Ryder's private life, she wondered if he dated the woman. The woman was far different from the kind of woman Ryder would have normally gone for. She would have been gorgeous, if she was slimmer, Catalina thought.

Catalina decided to open the envelope, just to have a glimpse of what was inside of it.

She opened the envelope and unfolded the contents. It was a pregnancy test result and a short letter.

I didn't mean for this to happen this way. I am available to talk so that we can work this out some way. I just had to let you know. I'm sorry if this is coming as a shock. I didn't mean for it to happen. Please call me when you see this. And if you don't, I'll know your answer.

                                                   Holly.

Catalina stared at the letter and the pregnancy test for a long time. Putting two and two together, she figured the two of them must have had a very messy breakup. One that made Holly uncomfortable and unable to tell Ryder about the pregnancy in person.

There were different scenarios in her head as she wondered what she was going to do with the information in her hand.

If she let the envelope reach Ryder, it would destroy any further chances she had with him. He would send her packing and devote his time and energy into making the relationship work because of the baby.

On the other hand, if she threw away the letter and prevented Holly from seeing and talking to Ryder, he would never know and it would increase her chances with him.

But there was one question still nagging at her at the back of her mind, did Ryder still love her?

He was crazy about her years ago. So much so that he would have died for her if she asked him to. But these days he treated her like a pest and she wondered if he'd ever feel and remember an inkling of what he used to feel for her before.

Catalina stared at the letter with contempt. A baby was just the thing to keep her away from him and she had lost far too much to even lose more now.

She wanted Ryder all to herself, she thought as she walked towards the pristine kitchen.

She took a lighter and switched it on.

The flames licked the paper rapidly and in a few minutes, the envelope, pregnancy test results and letter dissolved into ashes. Leaving not even the slightest trace of their existence.

Holly arrived at her bakery in a mess. Her face was blotchy and red and she didn't even care that she looked like a truck ran over her. She had left Ryder's place as a mess, drawing unwanted attention to herself. All she wanted to do was to work away all the pain. For the past few days she had avoided the kitchen because the smell of eggs had nauseated her. But she couldn't take a minute more of her self pity and crippling depression.

After meeting a woman in Ryder's apartment, the woman that Ryder seemed to have moved on with, Holly felt like she had been stabbed deeply in a fresh wound. She wasn't expecting anything like that at all.

She had thought that she was different and Ryder was special. She had gotten used to the idea of being genuinely wanted by someone only to find out that it was all a lie.

The hardest part of it all was how she missed him. There were so many things she missed about him. His presence alone was enough to lift her out of a bad mood.

To think that she denied herself of the pleasure of being with him because of Kim only for her to realise that the pain of him being away from her was brutal.

She wished she could reverse it all and wish all the bad parts away.

She wished they could have met under different circumstances.

But would he even have wanted her in the first place?

"Holly? Holly?"

Jamie shouted in alarm and Holly looked at him slowly.

"What?" She asked slowly as she glared at him. She had been so deep in her thoughts that it took her a moment for her to realise where she was.

"Well, you've been looking at the cake for about five minutes straight now. Are you going to decorate it or should I do the honours."

"I'm fine Jamie. Let me do it."

Jamie looked very concerned.

"Are you sure? You look like you need a break?"

"Why? Because I got my heart broken?" Holly snapped and Jamie flinched at her tone.

"It's not that, it's just that, last time we made a cake you accidentally used salt instead of icing sugar while making the fondant."

Holly sighed as she remembered her costly mistake earlier.

"I told you the labels were mixed up! Anyways I'm totally fine. I can do this!" She said as she rolled up her sleeves and picked up the bowl of buttercream icing.

The smell of beaten eggs suddenly wafted through her nostrils and Holly dropped the bowl

"On a second thought, I can't do this. I have to leave."

She said as she rushed out of the bakery kitchen.

She was going home.

Ryder wasn't the biggest fan of his father. Tobias Bates was ruthless when it came to business and Ryder could never be as cold as his father was. He lacked the ability to be utterly immune to emotions when it came to business. And this was one trait his father held dearly.

"You have to proceed with caution son. I told you that boy was up to no good."

His father said over the phone and Ryder rolled his eyes.

His father never liked Jake. He once mentioned that Jake seemed like he was slippery as an eel. And years after that comment, Ryder was finally seeing the truth in it.

"I'm getting the paperwork ready to fire him."

"No! No! Not yet. If you fire him, he'll know that you're onto him. Gather enough evidence, fire and jail him too."

"Okay. But it's going to be hard not letting him know that I'm on to him. I don't think I can ever look at him and trust him anymore."

"If you want to save that company Ryder, you're going to do exactly as I say. I'll be sending help and don't say no, you need it."

Ryder rolled his eyes. He hated getting help from his father, mostly because his father would rub it back in his face every chance he got. That was one of the reasons why Ryder started his own business, to be financially independent and free from his father's control.

"I'll dig up some more evidence. I just need some time. I just worry that everything is going to come crashing down with Alpha properties before I have enough evidence."

"That's why you need my help, nobody steals from me and gets away with it. Anyways, a friend of mine said he saw you in New Jersey while we were playing golf. Are you looking to expand your business?"

Ryder flinched as the memory of Holly's family flashed before him and he was suddenly aware of the jab of pain in his chest at the mention of New Jersey. The Tiffany bracelet that he had spent hours picking out with an engraving in the silver heart charm.

An engraving that he never told Holly about, he wasn't even sure she had noticed it yet. It was H & R in the middle of an heart.

"No, I was there... Visiting a friend.." He muttered and his father sighed over the phone.

"Don't tell me you still haven't settled down with one woman. Are you still playing the field? You're twenty six, you're too old for that."

"Dad, let's not talk about that for now... I don't really want to talk about that."

"Oh! Is there someone? We should have dinner sometimes when I'm in New York."

"Yea, sure Dad. Later."

Ryder said as he hung up as quickly as he could.

He picked up his phone and scrolled down to Holly's contact, wondering whether or not he should give her a call.

He couldn't really imagine her reaction, but he was sure whatever he tried to say would be met with rebuff.

He knew he shouldn't but he missed her. Even though she must have tricked him and whatever she claimed to have felt for him must have been a lie but damn it to hell Ryder had never felt so sure in his life that he wanted her and needed her badly.

He could imagine himself touching her. Burying himself in the crook of her neck and breathing in her fruit scented mists that always seemed to drive in crazy.

More so, he couldn't get rid of the sight of her naked and splayed before him. He couldn't get rid of the nights they spent together.

Ryder looked down and cursed loudly. He had a hard on just thinking about her.

"Fuck!" He murmured as he looked at himself. He was just going to have to wait it out, because no other woman but Holly would do.