Mason


    I didn’t know how bad Mr. Everett’s pulling out of our deal would be. No, I knew, but I never expected it to be that bad. I had no idea until Daniel told me about the impactst night. It was one of the reasons why I needed this coboration to work out.


    Lydia didn’t like him at all. I could tell she was notfortable and couldn’t wait to leave. Right now, Mr ddins had the upper hand, so I had to y it safe.


    This is the reason why I had agreed to all he said and avoided Lydia’s gaze, although her re threatened to put a hole through my head. Immediately after we agreed to take a ten-minute break, I left the room.


    After ending the call I was on with Daniel, I walked back to the room. With Mr. ddin’s reputation, it was not a good idea to leave her with him for long.


    Inhaling sharply, I pushed open the door, not expecting the scene that revealed before me. Mr. ddins had his hand over Lydia, trying to press himself on her.


    Anger rushed into my stomach, and I fist my palm before marching towards them. I reached towards him, but just then, Lydia wiggled out of his hold and turned, her hand immediately colliding with his face.


    A loud p echoed in the room. Mr. ddin’s face fell to the side, and just as he straightened it, another pnded on the same cheeks. “How dare you, filthy bastard,y your hand on me?” Her vein popped up in her head as she spoke.


    She looked feral, nothing like the soft girl who could be pushed around. She was now a grown woman who could stand up for herself whenever she had to.


    She raised her hand again, ready to deliver another p on his cheeks, but Mr. ddins caught her hand this time and pushed her to the side. She steadied herself by holding a wall. He walked towards her to reach her, and that was when I decided I had done enough standing by the sidelines.


    Tworge strides were enough to cover the space between us, “you Motherfucker.” I held on to his hand before it reached her. He paused and turned. I relieved his hand and grabbed hold of his cor. I balled my palm andnded a heavy blow on his face, followed quickly by another.


    Crack!


    Blood tickled down his nose, but that was not enough to satisfy me. He tried to punch me, but I dodged it easily. Holding his cor ced me at an advantage over him.


    One more blow and he was on the floor. “You rotten bastard, how dare you try to put your hand on her?” I grind my teeth, releasing his cor, and I kick him, sending him to the end of the room. He crashed into a chair. I want those hands cut off.


    Lydia was by the side, one hand on her chest as though trying to settle herself. That was enough to traumatise her. Seeing her like that fueled my anger towards ddins, and I matched his.


    I will fucking kill him. He dared to touch my woman. He was trying to get on his feet. A pair of hands wrapped around my waist to stop me from getting closer to him. She shook her head, holding me in ce with her hand.


    “No, please. Let’s just leave.” Lydia’s voice is soft enough to calm me. Maybe it was the friction, her hand around my waist holding me back. I gritted my teeth as I slowly turned around.


    +15


    I know this hug meant nothing, and that given this situation, I shouldn’t be feeling anything, but I had no control over my body. “You won’t get away with this. Both of you.”


    “That would be from behind bars.” She released me and walked to the table to pick up her purse. Although Mr. ddins was standing, he looked weak, his big body wasn’t enough to protect him from the fall or hurt.


    “We’ll see about that.” His voice strained as he spoke. Lydia entwined her hand in mine, and we started walking towards the door, ignoring his remark. “And forget about this deal, you’ve ruined it, just watch me destroy your stupidpany. I won’t forgive you even if youe begging.”


    This made Lydia halt on her step. She turned back, “I’d love to see you try to lift a finger towards my sweat.” She began, “Although I’d advise you to project that energy towards yourpany, cause you may go bankrupt.” It wasn’t an empty threat, not with the intensity her voice carried.


    I pulled her forward, and together we walked out through the door. I didn’t stop walking, not when Daniel and Mia rushed towards us, probably after seeing the look on our faces.


    I opened the car’s door for Lydia, and she stepped in. Walking around it, I sat behind the steering wheel, ignited my engine and drove off. The ride was quiet. I don’t know about Lydia, but I had to teach Mr ddins a lesson. I’d be damned if I allowed him to go around as though he didn’t do anything.


    I pulled up in front of a dessert cafe. Lydia looked around and then turned to me, “Why are we here?” She asked. I unlocked my belt. “Nothing is better than sugar for a sour mood.” The truth is that I felt I didn’t know her as well as I did before, so I didn’t know


    where to take her.


    She didn’t argue or agree; instead, she did the same with her seatbelt, and I took that as an agreement to eat ice cream with me.


    We walked into the cafe together, her in front of me. The sound ofughter from the closest table mixed with the sound of the fridge.


    We soon got a cup of a different vor and found a table. I ced a spoon in my mouth and held it there. Lydia still hasn’t said a word. Her head was down. I brought her here to lift her mood. This was her signature cafe when we were together; she loved the ice cream from here.


    I couldn’t help but wonder if she still remembersing here with me and all the time we spent here. How would it look if I began reminiscing about things with her? Too direct?


    No, she hates walking down memoryne, in her words. It wouldn’t be nice to talk about what just happened either. While I was conternting how to start a conversation with her, she broke the ufortable silence between us.


    “You’re still the same, you still like strawberry vor.” She said. I have never been grateful to her for speaking the way she was right now. “What… yes, I mean…” she smiled, taking a spoon from her vani-voured ice-cream.


    We sat in front of a ss floor-to-ceiling window. “I guess some things never change,” I added, not wanting to return to that


    ufortable silence.


    “About earlier, I’m sorry for leaving. If I hadn’t left, then that would never have happened,” I admitted.


    She didn’t lift her head. She took another spoon and spoke slowly, “It’s fine. Men tend to be stupid all the time, they just need a little reminder to put them back in ce. After today, he won’t be doing this to any other woman.”


    Why did she sound like she was used to this? “Lydia,” I called softly, “I’m sorry.” I apologized, and she raised a brow. I honestly don’t even know what I was apologizing for. I just felt the need to apologize to her. To make her know that someone was behind her.


    12:08 Sun, 24 Aug


    “What are you apologizing for?” She asked.


    ?? ????, 55%


    +15


    “Everything you’ve gone through,” I said, for leaving her life. Yes, my absence made her the woman she is today, but that didn’t change the fact that life may have thrown some curve balls at her, been shitty, and she had to handle it alone.


    I wish I was with her. It’s actually toote to wish. If I couldn’t do it then, nothing is stopping me now.


    I reached out to hold her hand before I could stop myself, “You won’t have to face anything alone now.” I’m back in her life, and as I squeezed her hand gently, I hoped she got the reassurance I was trying to pass.


    She slipped her hand away from my hold. “I don’t know what you are thinking, but…” she inhaled sharply, staring at her ice-cream cup and then at me, “I have forgiven you, but I don’t know what I want from you yet.”


    She has forgiven me. That is what mattered more to me. Warmth spread all over my stomach, and I had to stop myself from hugging her and turning her around.


    “I’m willing to wait till you figure that out.”