Chapter 21 21

Chapter 21 21

Lily's POV

I hardly saw Aiden for the next two weeks. He was consumed with the takeover bid, working infirmarblementally long hours, sleeping in the office more than occasionally. And when he did come home, he was tired and cranky.

I tried to be supportive. Brought him food. Ensured that he had clean clothes there at the office. But I felt useless. This was his life, his fight and I was just an observer.

Aiden forgot about dinner five days before I was to leave for New York. We’d scheduled it a week ago, an opportunity to have some time together before I left. I’d been sitting at the restaurant an hour by myself before I finally gave up and went to his office.

The building had mostly cleared out by ten p.m. I took the elevator to the executive floor and found him sitting in the conference room with his team, surrounded by documents and laptops.

"Aiden?"

He raised his head, perplexed. Then realization. And guilt.
"Lily. God, I'm sorry. I completely forgot."

"I can see that."
“We are being challenged in something that’s very important. Can we reschedule?"

"When? I leave in five days."
"I know. I know. But this is important. If I don’t put a stop to this takeover, I could lose everything.”

"Everything except me, apparently."
The words came out more heatedly than I had meant for them to. His team exchanged uncomfortable glances.

“Can we set up later? Aiden asked, his voice tight.
"Sure. When you have time. If you have time." I turned to leave.

"Lily, don't—"
But I was already walking away.” I heard him call out to me but I didn’t stop. I got to the elevator before the tears started flowing.

This was the life of Aiden Cole. Not the romantic weekends and intimate conversations. But he was waiting while his company came first. “Being abandoned when business got hard.
I came home, and attempted to do some packing. But I couldn't focus. It was nearly two in the morning when I returned to his office. This was something that we needed to discuss and unpack.”

The conference room was cleared at last. I found Aiden in his office, bent over the desk, papers all over the place. He glared up at my creative entrance, but there was tiredness in every sag of his face.

"You came back," he said.

"We need to talk."
"I know. I'm sorry about dinner. This takeover, it's—"

"Consuming you. I know. I can see it." I sat down across from him. "But Aiden, I leave in five days. And instead of being there, spending time together, you can be here. Always here."

"I don't have a choice. If I lose this company—"

"What? Your life is over? You'll have nothing?" I leaned forward. "Aiden, you have me. You have your health. You’re rich even if you lose the company, which most people wouldn’t see voluntarily in a lifetime. "But you're acting as though this is the only thing that’s important.”

"It's not the only thing. But it's important."

"More important than us?"

There was a long pause on the line. “And,” he said, and it felt like a knife. "You don't understand. “Because you’ve never set something up without it being paid for by the taxpayer. You never had to struggle to keep what you built. This company is all I have worked for.”

"And I'm just what? A distraction? Some thing pleasant to have when business is good?

"That's not what I meant."

"Isn't it?" I stood up. “I’ve seen you become this thing that I was afraid of, inch by inch, this week. The cutthroat businessman for whom deals matter more than people. Who comes first for Whom work is all.”

"That's not fair."

"No? Then tell me the last time we had an actual conversation. The last time you came by to ask me about my living situation or how I feel about having to leave. When was the last time you looked at me and really noticed me, not just someone who stands in the background while you save your empire?”
"Lily—"

"I'm going home. Call me when you remember life isn’t just work.”

I hauled ass out before he had a chance to reply. The next few days were a blur of anxious packing. Hannah pitched in, offered to housesit my apartment while I was gone. Marcus phoned and wished me luck.

But Aiden barely contacted me. A few texts. A brief phone call, during which he seemed distracted.

Was I doing the wrong thing, I asked myself. You’re just going to have to trust me that these were jokes and not direct comments about New York but rather ideas expressed by new friends in the spirit of open conversation, which is so easily misinterpreted, they said. Perhaps this was the universe telling me that it would never work out. That our worlds were too far apart.

The day before my flight, I made a choice. I was headed over to Aiden’s office one last time. Tell him I was leaving. See if he even cared.

I got to Cole Tech and took the elevator up. The receptionist beckoned me through, by now familiar with the sight of me. It went toward Aiden’s office, and I paused when I heard shouting.

“You can’t use your private fortune!” Thomas was shouting. "If this fails, you're going to lose everything. Your homes, your investments, everything!",

"I don't give a s---," Aiden's voice came cold. "This company is mine. I built it. I’m not going to let some corporate raiders take it away from me.”

"Even if it bankrupts you?"

"Even then."

I froze from outside of the door. He was willing to risk destroying everything for his company. Everything.

The meeting ended and people began to spill out. Thomas glanced at me and gave me a sad look, as though he knew what I was thinking.

Aiden emerged last. He looked terrible. He hadn't shaved in days. His shirt was wrinkled. Dark circles under his eyes.

"Lily. What are you doing here?"

"I came to say goodbye. My flight leaves tomorrow morning."

"Tomorrow. Right." He dragged his hand through his hair. "Can you push it back? Just a few days? We’ll have all this settled by then and we can—“

"No, Aiden. I can't push it back. The residency starts Monday. They're expecting me."

“Then I’m going to visit you next weekend. We'll have time then."

"Will you? Or will there be a second wave? Another deal?" I crossed my arms. "This is who you are. And I have to decide whether I can live with that.”

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I love you. But I don’t know if love is going to be enough when you’ll always love your company more.”

"That's not true—"

"Isn't it? You've proven it this week. Work comes before everything. Before us. Before me."
"It's temporary. Once this is resolved—"

"There will be something else. Another takeover threat. Another business crisis. This is your life, Aiden. And I don’t know how much room there is in that for me.”

I turned to leave. This time he didn’t bother holding me back.

I went home and cried while finishing packing. Hannah came and found me at midnight sitting there with the key to Aiden’s New York apartment he had left me, sobbing.

"Oh honey," she sighed, gathering me to her.

"I love him. But I’m no match for his empire. I'll always come second."

"Maybe he will see what he is throwing away. Maybe this will be the one to wake him up.”

"Or maybe it won't. Perhaps that’s who he is.”

The next morning I packed up the last of my things and ordered a car to take me to the airport. Just when I was getting up to leave, the phone rang. Another ex, Marcus, from my art school.
“Hey I heard you were coming to New York. My roommate just moved out. You can crash with me until you figure things out.”

"Thanks, Marcus. But Aiden found me an apartment.”

“Are you sure this is what you want to run?” Given everything?"
I examined the key I was holding. “No, no I don’t think so at all.” “I don’t know what to believe anymore.

At the airport, I checked in and received my boarding card. I was on my way to my gate when I felt my phone buzz with a news alert.

“We are breaking Cole Tech stock plunges in takeover showdown. CEO Aiden Cole on Brink of Losing It All as Potential Bankruptcy Looms."

My heart stopped. I opened the article and read Aiden had thrown the spanner in, his entire personal fortune, trying to fight off the takeover. If it didn’t work, he’d lose not only his business but everything he owned.

My phone rang. Aiden.

I stared at the screen. My boarding group was being called by the gate agent. I had to get on that plane. My future was in New York.

But Aiden stood to lose everything. And I still loved him, even after everything.

I stood there rooted to the spot, the phone ringing. The decision I was about to make in the next few seconds would change everything.

I paused to catch my breath, and then decided.