Chapter 33


    *Kat’s POV


    He seems very tensed, meaning whatever he is going to say is not going to be good but we need to


    have a talk. I mean he is not the one to be nervous otherwise I don''t think he will reach where he have.


    He is very confident,posed, on the spot decision maker but calm or to put it simply icy, cold CEO


    who holds powerful aura. So if he is nervous now it means something.


    “Yes, we need to talk." I too took a deep breathe to say, "Let’s start with what the hell is going on? I


    mean you have changed a lot. Looking at me as if I am a stranger?” I began asking so many questions.


    I couldn’t find it in myself to stop me from asking question that have been taunting me in my head for


    weeks.


    He takes a deep breathe which he has been doing a lot after saying we need to talk. He had his head


    down which looks like him having a battle in his head and again with a deep sigh he looks straight to


    my eyes with a determined look in his eyes.


    “I missed you. A lot.” He said.


    “HUH.” I wasn’t expecting for him to say that. He holds my hands in his and scooted closer to me and


    looked at me intently, because the surprise might have been on my face. He kept one of my hands in


    one of his hand and cupped my cheek with his free hand. I leaned into his touch without breaking our


    eye contact. His touches always made me feel giddy.


    “I have never stopped loving you. It’s just I needed to be away from you. I couldn’t let myself be near


    you when I know that I am not right for you. After the death of my parents I just closed myself off. I did


    things I never should have done. Having multiple partners. Used woman, yed with their hearts. Got


    deals from pleasures. Worst of all, avoiding you. Acting as if I never saw you. When, in first ce if


    anyone seeing you for the first time will never forget you.” His eyes held so much guilt which made me


    tear up. But then something caught my attention.


    “When your parents… uh…”


    “died” he said as if it didn’t affect him but little did, he know or he must have forgot that I could see past


    his masked face.


    “Ry-”


    “Don’t. I know what you are thinking and it is true I didn’t get over their death, well if the life I am leading


    now is of any evidence. But I am getting over it and epting the fact that they have gone and I can’t


    do anything. Except get my revenge.” He said thest part at low voice for me not to hear. Though my


    brain suggested me not to ask him on that, I went with my heart,


    “What revenge?”


    “Nothing. Its better if you don’t know about that. Sometimes not knowing the truth won’t hurt you. Its


    safe for you if you don’t know about that.” I had to have a battle with myself to not bother him from


    asking any further on that. I had a feeling that I would very soon know what he is saying.


    “Okay. Anyways what I was about to ask you was, where were you? After we heard the news of their


    demise, we tried to contact you. But all your contacts were cut off. We even gave news saying you


    were missing. You have no idea how worried we were about you. You didn’t have to close yourself off.


    You had us. We thought you at least woulde for the funeral but even for that you weren’t present.


    We tried every method to get you. Calls, mails, letters. Name it we have done it. Though we did file a


    missing case we didn’t get you. Where the hell were you?” I said throwing out all the worries we had on


    him.


    “I knew about the case it was I who diverted the case by bribing, that’s why you couldn’t get me. I did


    hear all the voicemails you and your parents send me but I didn’t answer them. I felt it was right thing to


    do at that time. I don’t know what came over me but I felt cutting all the ties off was the best thing to do.


    I felt being cold, heartless person as they call me, I could grow my father’s business. I felt my emotions


    were my weakness and only if I be emotionless will I be able to thrive in this business game. Little did I


    know how much of a monster I would be if I do that. After doing all those things it was my guilt that


    made me push you away.” He said with tears in his eyes making me teared up.


    “I even did something terrible. I made a man''s business go bankrupt.” That made me very confused


    over the fact if he had changed so much to even go to the length of destroying a family.


    “The man because of the shock even took his life.” He said with so much guilt in his eyes. Suddenly I


    remembered something.


    “What was his name. I mean the man’s?” I asked.


    “Keith Gardener.” He said confused to why I asked that question.


    That made me wipe my eyes and look at him with a smile to which he was more confused. I wouldn’t


    me him. I mean who would smile after hearing that the person in front of you is the reason someone


    died. But I had a reason.


    “Don’t fret over that. That family is grateful to you.”


    “What?”


    “I know you are shocked but that is the fact. I asked his name because I heard a story from my uncle’s


    neighbor. You know uncle Nat right.”


    “Yeah, Nathaniel Colvin your mom’s brother.”


    “Yeah after my parents…” I stopped unable to spell the d word to which he nodded understandingly.


    So, I continued, “Uncle Nat took care of me and I was living in his house. After moving out I used to


    visit him and there I met his neighbors Mrs. Gardener and their children, it was uncle who told me the


    story of her husband suiciding. Though it was a shock they were d because Keith was not a nice


    man, he used to abuse his wife and children after drinking. And it was his drinking that caused his


    business to be on the brink of bankruptcy. Even if you didn’t do anything his business would have gone


    bankrupted. So, it was not your fault.” He nodded understandingly to what I said, but still had doubt.


    “but still I made that 48-year-olddy a widow and those two kids, one of 20 and the other of 18 years


    live without a father.”


    “That may be true but the fact is that Keith did get death threats from his debtors, so your appearance


    was just a coincidence. Not to forget about the fact that you took that already destroyedpany to


    great heights and kept his wife and kids still a shareholder. So, the kids have the power to take over the


    again by coincidence and their hard work they got that money. So basically, you helped the family and


    not destroyed it.” I said and he was so proud and happy, but had an ounce of disbelief in his eyes.


    “How did you know all this?”


    “I researched duh! After I heard from uncle that you were the reason he suicided, something in me told


    that the news was notpletely correct and that made me research. Mrs. Gardener is very happy and


    grateful for you to take over thepany and it was Keith’s cowardness that made him take that


    decision. Anyway, they tried to meet you to express their gratitude but like always you were


    unapproachable. I think you should go meet them. I know that even after me telling you all this you


    won’t be satisfied and will still be doubtful. But when you meet them, it will remove all your doubts.” I


    said to which he nodded.


    Now, I desperately want to remove the sadness filled atmosphere and then I remembered something.


    “When you pushed me away it hurt me terribly and I wanted a revenge for that.” I said with an evil glint


    in my eyes and he looked at me with an amused, confused eyes.


    “Remember my period days where I used to push you away as I felt very angry because I felt it was


    unfair for you boys not to go through these pains.”


    “How could I forget the cute angry kitten days.” He saidughing after hearing my reason. That kitten


    word annoyed me as he used it as a nickname for me when we were kids.


    “Yah whatever and you would irritate me more by getting into bed with me no matter what all things I


    threw at you to note near me, and you would get into bed and cuddle me to sleep.”


    “yahhh, but why are you bringing this up now?” he asked narrowing his eyes.


    “Well whenever you ignored and pushed me away, I remembered those days and I told Jason, your


    chief ountant, that you are having your periods and that I saw the blood in your pants. And Jason


    agreed by saying he felt you had both men and women’s reproductive organs and because of that you


    only scolded men because you were having your periods and wanted to vent your anger on all men.” I


    said and beganughing after seeing his horrified face.


    “It was YOU!!! I fired Jason after I heard that rumor spreading around in the office, forget about one


    floor my entire staff in that building knew it. I thought it might be Jason since he is a ‘F.R.I.E.N.D.S’ fan


    and that rumor was one from it. I forgot about the fact that beside ‘The Vampire diaries’ you also loved


    ‘F.R.I.E.N.D.S’. Everyone from my security to my vice president was looking at me as if I was an alien.


    When girls continued staring me, I neglected it because I thought it was them lusting over me. You


    know how handsome I am.” He said flicking his hair. I scoffed at him. Such a Drama Narcistic Queen.


    He quickly changed his narcistic face to that of disgust. “What made me horrified and disgusted was


    the fact men looked at me. They kept on staring at my pants as if I grew balls. You little brat. It was you


    all along the time.” He said with a yful re and an evil glint in his eyes. I was confused why that evil


    glint was for but that was gone the next second because he started tickling me.


    “Say that you are sorry and that you will be the person to remove that rumor.” He said and tickled me.


    “Noooooo” I saidughing trying to remove his hands.


    “Oh no, you will do it,” he said making me fall on the bed and continued his torture.


    “Ryder... no... stop... it. AHHH…. Nooo…” he got on top of me and continued his tickling.


    “Say sorry and that you will change the rumor.”


    “Okay okay. I am sorry. I will change the rumor.” I said breathless and he stopped his tickling.


    “Why am I sensing that there is more to that?” he asked getting off me. I sat up.


    “If you take Jason back, I will change the rumor after all it was, he who helped me to take my revenge.”


    He kept a pointing finger to his chin showing as if he was thinking but I know this devil has already


    made up his mind.


    “Fine.” He said with sincere face.


    “But there might be a small problem.” I said looking at him with amusement clear in my eyes.


    “What now.” He said exasperated.


    “He is now working in a bar as a bartender. It seems he is loving his new job because he gets all the


    attention from girls. It seems it is not only you that the girls are fangirling on.” I said with a smirk.


    “Well then I am surely going to personally bring him back. Which by the way will be a history. Because


    once an employee is out of mypany he/she no matter how much they touch my leg and beg, will I


    take them back. But Jason can be an exception.”


    “Why is he an exception?” I asked with genuine curiosity.


    “Because of three things. One, if he loves his new job then firing him was no punishment but bringing


    him back will be because then no girls will be fangirling over him.” He said pointing his index finger as


    one.


    “Cruel Ry envious of his employee because Jason is being loved by girls.” I sang.


    “Whatever.” He eyerolled and put out his second finger along with first, “Second, He is an excellent


    employee very good at what he does and that’s the reason why I didn’t cklist him. It is amusing to


    know the nerd man who loved the numbers is now a bartender not to mention that he loves it .” He said


    chuckling.


    “Why? He is good-looking.” I said to which he groaned. “And third?” I changed the topic before he asks


    anything else.


    “Don’t think that I didn’t notice you trying to change the topic. But since I know I am way better looking


    than him I am leaving it.” He said with a smug look that I wanted to smack off him.


    “Narcistic look doesn’t suit you Ry.” I said shaking my head.


    “And I was saying, thirdly, only if he is there will you be able to remove that atrocious rumor of yours.”


    “Yeah Yeah. Thanks.” I said with an eyeroll.


    “Speaking of my employee what is your deal with Alex?” he asked.


    “Nothing much. We had few lunches together, because he is my friend other than Martha, Jason.


    Jealous?” I asked with amused face.


    “Hah in your dreams.” He said trying to remove the jealous off his face to which Iughed more with my


    hands on my stomach.


    After myughter died down, I sat straight and wiped my tears off. And looked at him to see adoration,


    love and something darker. Scared.


    That made me let out a deep sigh as I knew I have to reply to his confession but didn’t know what.


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    What he did was hurting for me. I wanted someone to hold me when I lost my parents and it killed me


    to see him avoiding me. So, do I forgive him? I don’t know. But do I love him? Hell yes.


    “Say something please.” He said after a long silence which I didn’t notice because of the decision


    making going on in my head. I took a deep breathe and exhaled to which I saw his face fell and saw


    that he was preparing himself for the worse.


    “I forgive you.”