74. Worry and Delay

I stared at my resignation letter, which was in my hands right now. My mind was still debating this; on the one hand, I didn’t want to leave this city and continue my life and career at Miracle Law, but on the other hand, I had already said Yes to Rion; if I broke it off now, I felt like a coward. It wasn’t how I wanted revenge; it was too early.

I put the letter back in my desk drawer. There were only two days left, and it was Thursday. I was starting to get panic-stricken. I massaged my temples, suddenly feeling dizzy thinking about my and Rion’s wedding.

“Oh, shit! I’m traumatized,” I grumbled as I grabbed the grape-flavoured gum in my bag and ate it. Gum always calms me down quickly. Lily returned from Mr. Marco’s room. Something had changed in the man’s attitude towards me; suddenly, I was no longer burdened with work and had turned to Lily. I guess Mr. Smith had implemented Rion’s advice the other day, and I felt terrible about this situation.

“No wonder Mr. Marco gets along with you; you two aren’t much different, workaholics and perfectionists,” Lily complained as she sat on her desk chair. Her face showed annoyance and tiredness, so I smiled and said, “You’ll get used to it. Mr Smith is like that too, isn’t he?! It’s just that Mr. Marco is a bit more detailed.” I raised my hand and formed it into a slight pinch; I scrunched my face as I demonstrated the gesture. Lily exhaled, her fingers nimbly typing on the keyboard.

“That’s the problem. I’m not a robot; no one can be as detailed as you. Let me switch places with you: marry your ex-boyfriend who turns out to be a prince heir to the throne and become queen; I can bear a dozen children for him; yes, royal families like fertile women; they like to have many offspring.”

Lily was babbling almost like a steam train with its many long tracks. I exhaled and smiled, then shook my head.

“It’s not that easy, Lily, Rion....”

I’m at a loss to explain Rion to anyone else. There were too many secrets and different things about him for anyone else to know. I shrugged and chewed my gum slowly while thinking.

“Rion has unusual taste in women; he wants a woman who wants to be served,” I said after trying to think of a suitable opinion to describe Rion’s different side from Lily so as not to misunderstand. I saw Lily seem to be thinking about what I said, and I shook my hand and said, “Never mind, never mind. I’ll help you.”

Successfully diverting Lily from talking about Rio, I helped her finish the work from Mr. Marco. At five in the afternoon, I went home alone without Lily and Elma. They were both in a meeting with Mr. Marco. I exhaled loudly in the car, still upset about my resignation from Miracle Law. My cell phone rang, and Rion’s name appeared on the screen.

“Yes, hello,” I greeted as I answered the man’s call.

“Are you home yet? I’m going to your apartment,” Rion said on the other end, making me think momentarily. I needed to be alone.

“I was just about to go home tonight. I’m having Karina stay at my apartment, sorry.”

I bit my tongue after telling that lie. I wanted to organize my thoughts to make a decision. Rion’s presence could be enough to intervene in the decision I was about to make.

“That’s it then, I understand. Have fun, and see you tomorrow.”

I nodded and returned his farewell greeting. It was a good thing Rion understood. I started the engine of my car and left the front yard of the Miracle Law building. Upon arriving at the apartment, I took a short break by lying on the bed before showering and changing my clothes.

“Will I be happy?” I asked myself as I lay on my right side and hugged the bolster pillow. I bit my lip with a feeling of doubt hanging over me. I got up slowly as my stomach tightened. Stroking my belly and looking down at it, I smiled at the thought of this baby’s future. The reason I went through all this was because of this baby.

“Thank you for making Mommy stronger,” I said with a genuine smile. I felt movement in my stomach, which warmed my heart; it was hard to explain; the love was overwhelming.

I took a shower and then changed into my sleeping clothes. After that, I went to the kitchen to cook dinner. As I opened the fridge, I thought of Rion as I looked at the contents of my well-stocked fridge. I slightly regretted why I lied to Rion; otherwise, he could have come and cooked for me. I rolled my eyes and continued cooking.

After eating my sizable dinner, I went to bed after making sure my kitchen was clear of dirty dishes. I could think of it when I was alone but restless. Even so, I forced myself to sleep immediately. Overthinking about the future only made me more restless.

**

“Are you okay?”

Elma’s question surprised me, and I reflexively put my resignation letter back in my desk drawer.

“Ah, oh, yes, I’m fine. How was the meeting? Do you need any help?” I asked, still a bit nervous and trying to change the subject so as not to talk about the anxiety I was feeling. It’s Friday, and I haven’t told Mr. Smith I’m leaving here.

“Not really; Lily and I are getting used to Mr Marco,” Elma replied as she sat back in her chair.

“Did you set the date?”

Elma’s question made me furrow my brow.

“Date?” I asked, wanting to clarify what she meant.

“The date of your wedding,” Elma replied as she turned her chair to face me. My mouth immediately formed an O, and I was still nervous. I must look like a klutz right now.

“No, Rion and I haven’t read the details yet.”

Elma nodded. She returned her chair to its original position and started working on something. I also returned to my original position and started thinking about talking to Rion about my move. I had to postpone it.

During lunch with Rion, I took the opportunity to talk about postponing the move to Cardinia.

“Can we postpone my move? I don’t think I’m fully ready,” I admitted and looked at Rion, who was also looking at me.

“Are you worried?”

It didn’t take long, I nodded.

“About what?” Rion asked again; I, downcast, raised my face to look back at him.

“About the palace, being a queen, and being the wife of a king.”

We were silent for a long time, with Rion enjoying his lunch while I was enjoying mine less because of my anxiety.

“Did you think of any other solutions to our relationship?”

Rion erased the silence between us with his surprising question. If only I could be bold enough to say it, I wanted to marry a man who was a nobody. However, I would sound selfish, like I told Rion to throw away his family and maybe even his identity.

“I have some solutions, but all of them would make me look selfish, so it’s useless.”

Rion placed his hand on top of mine, which was on the table. He grasped it and said, “I don’t want you to regret your decision. I promise I will always be by your side, Amelia.”

My heart was beating more than usual at the promise Rion made. He had said it many times, but this time, it felt different. It was as if it was a promise that he could never break and that I could never escape. Rion smiled, and that smile infected me, but I didn’t enjoy it.

That afternoon, Rion decided to stop by my apartment after work. We drank tea together in the living room and watched a television program. I lay on Rion’s lap while he stroked my hair.

“I’m serious about dating my move.”

I had to discuss it again.

“The date hasn’t been set yet, so it doesn’t matter. Your father must meet my father’s people and Queen Evelyn to set the date.”

I was grateful for Rion, who had somehow changed his mind.

“So my father should go to Cardinia?” I asked; the thought of my father going there made me doubtful because he had already decided not to go there anymore if it wasn’t for urgent matters.

“No, my father and Queen Evelyn are coming to Loxen. I have an important meeting with my father at the office along with the other shareholders, including Samantha.”

This discussion intrigued me. I thought Rion’s company was all hers.

“So, you’re not the current owner of your company?” I asked out of curiosity.

“No, don’t get me wrong. I’m still the biggest shareholder; my father and Samantha are second and third.”

I nodded my head, listening to his brief explanation.

“Why include them?”

“My father likes to rotate his capital with his own family rather than others, while Samantha represents Queen Evelyn’s family. I founded this company for the benefit of my family.”

“So, you own several companies?”

My gaze shifted to Rion to see his reaction. Rion nodded. I was pretty surprised by that—no wonder he could buy anything quickly.

“You want to know?” Rion asked as well as offered. I giggled amusedly at that. Honestly, I didn’t want to know about his company.

“No need; I don’t understand business and being the CEO anyway.”

“How about you also invest in one of my companies?”

I paused for a moment and thought about that rather exciting offer. Instead of wasting my money, I might invest some of it.

“Interesting offer. Do you want to tell me the steps?”

Rion looked at me with his burning amber eyes as he smiled.

“That’s easy, but we’ll discuss this in your bedroom after I’m done with you tonight.”

It didn’t take long. After turning off the television, rion immediately carried me to my bedroom.