《Her Betrayal》


 01. A Clown?

    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can tolerate that old pig anymore.¡± Kate huffed, speaking of the maths teacher.


    ¡°He really is a pain in the ass.¡± Ace supported her statement. Five of us were standing in the corridor busy talking among ourselves when we were interrupted by a very soft , gentle voice.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡± My eyes fell on a brte. She had a tall and thin frame, her brown hair let loose in waves but what was really captivating was her eyes. Her eyes were a beautiful shade of blue.


    ¡°Can you tell me the way to the office? It¡¯s my first day, so¡­¡± She trailed off looking at Avery, a hopeful smile on her face.


    ¡°And you¡¯re asking your seniors for help ? Risky, isn¡¯t it ? I may just be the biggest bully here.¡± Ace grinned at her. I swear this guy could never stop grinning.


    But the sound of her chuckle took my breath away. Therge and bright smile on her face had me dazed. My lips too were stretched into azy stupid smile and I was literally gawking at her. The way her lips curved up into a smile, the way her hair bounced when she nodded to Ace¡¯s words, everything about her was so mesmerizing. I strangely wanted only me to make her smile like this.


    ¡°Well, I just took the risk.¡± Her voice felt so soothing that I was tempted to hear more of her.


    ¡°I will take you to the office. ¡± I volunteered and for the first time she looked at me. Her eyes roamed about my face . She was taking her own sweet time in checking me out. When her eyes met mine, I smirked , having caught her but instead of being embarrassed, she gave me a shy smile causing my smirk to drop.


    She was so fucking beautiful!


    ¡°I¡¯m sure only telling her the directions to the office will do. You don¡¯t have to take her there.¡± Ace smirked at me teasingly while others looked strangely at me. I normally never really showed any interest in any girl.


    I red at him for his unnecessaryment. I felt her eyes go from my face to Ace¡¯s and then back at me like she was contemting her decision.


    ¡°I think it will be nice.¡± She smiled at me and I unknowingly smiled back.


    ¡°Did he really just smile at her ?¡± Ace gasped. This guy!


    Shooting him a re, I started leading her to the office. I had my hands thrusted inside my pockets, a strange nervousness settling in. Why? I didn¡¯t know. After some seconds she decided to break the ufortable silence between us.


    ¡°Why did he say that? Do you not smile at any girl?¡± I blinked, unsure of what I should say. Now what was I supposed to say? I just shrugged, epting the statement.


    ¡°That means you¡¯re rude.¡± I clicked my tongue in annoyance. This definitely wasn¡¯t the impression I wanted her to have of me.


    ¡°No , Ace just said anything that came to his mind. It¡¯s not like that . I do smile at them- girl ¨C I mean girls. Always.¡± I frowned at myself not knowing what I was even speaking. I always smile at girls!? What am I, a clown ?


    ¡°You always smile at girls? You mean you smile at every girl you see?¡± I halted in my steps and turned to look at her. This was getting worse. Ace really had to screw this up for me !


    ¡°No . Not at all. I mean not always-sometimes. I mean-¡± Her chuckle cut my rumbling off.


    ¡°Rx ! I was kidding. Your face though!¡± I scratched my neck, embarrassed. Why was I so damn nervous? I was eighteen crying out loud!


    ¡°By the way thank you for helping me uhm¡­¡± she trailed off for me to fill in once we were outside the office.


    ¡°Evan. Evan Lewis.¡± I put my hand forward for a shake. She brought her dainty hand forward and shook my hand, shing arge dazzling smile at me.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Braelyn Taylor.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    ¡°Evan? Are you fine?¡± Ryan¡¯s voice broke my chain of thoughts. I hadn¡¯t realised when I had zoned him off.


    ¡°Yeah. Absolutely.¡± I poured the whiskey in the ss . Bringing it to my lips, I gulped it down, the liquor burning its way down.


    ¡°Are you sure you want this ? Do you really want to see her?¡± He looked at me with furrowed eyebrows, skeptical of my decision.


    ¡°Of course I am. And I ain¡¯t taking over apany for her. She is not that important to me.¡±  I chugged down the rest of the drink before mming the ss on the counter.


    ¡°Sure. Whatever you say.¡± I couldn¡¯t care less about the sarcastic tone of his words, not now at least when I was high on past memories, hurt and past betrayal.

 02. He鈥檚 Back?

    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    I stirred in my sleep as I felt someone shake me. Groaning, I swatted the hand away from me before stuffing my face again in the pillow.


    ¡± Sis, get up. Now!¡± Brielle¡¯s voice reached my ears.


    ¡± No. Go away !¡± I mumbled into the pillow. I was never a morning person, in fact I hate mornings.


    ¡± You¡¯re going to bete for your office.¡± As soon as the words registered in my mind, I sprang up to sit on my bed, my head immediately snapping towards the clock on the bedside table which showed 7 : 30.


    ¡± Shit ! Shit ! I am going to bete.¡± I kicked off the cover before jumping out of the bed. I hurried into the bathroom toplete my daily routine. After taking a quick shower, I wrapped a towel around me and rummaged through my wardrobe for work clothes but as usual I was having a hard time find anything appropriate.


    Don¡¯t get me wrong. I was not running out of clothes . I just don¡¯t find anything when I need it.


    ¡± Your breakfast is in the kitchen.¡± I poked my head out of the closet to raise a brow at my sister .


    ¡± Don¡¯t give me that look. I can cook, okay? ¡± She crossed her arms in front of her chest getting defensive.


    ¡± You sure can.¡± I raised my hands in mock surrender , her previous cooking conquests swirling in my head. Most of them were disasters.


    Brielle is my sister. After the death of our parents, she has be my responsibility and my only family. Although she is an adult and is in the final year of college , she is still my little sister. I wouldn¡¯t hesitate to give up everything if it is to protect her.


    Finally I pulled out avender blouse with a ck pencil skirt. Brushing my hair into a ponytail , I slipped into my ck heels.


    Shoving a piece of toast in my mouth and gulping it down with a cup of tea, I ran out of the house.


    Getting into my car, I drove off to the office.


    ¡­¡­..


    ¡± Howe I didn¡¯t know that we are going to have a new boss ?¡± I asked before taking a bite of the sandwich. Just a few minutes earlier I had learnt that White Enterprises had been bought over and we were going to have another boss.


    ¡± That¡¯s because darling, you live under a rock.¡± Cora grinned to which I yfully rolled my eyes.


    ¡± He is taking over from theing week.¡± Austin filled me in to which I nodded. Cora and Austin are the two of my closest friends. They have been with me through thick and thin. I sometimes feel guilty not telling them about my entire life but some things are better off that way, unspoken of.


    ¡± Well who¡¯s this new boss?¡± I asked, waiting for either of them to answer. This question seemingly excited Cora a bit too much. She sat up straighter and put her hands on the table, her eyes widening with the look one has when she is about to share an important gossip with you.


    ¡± Brae, you won¡¯t believe , he¡¯s so hot! I just googled him and bless my heart , he is the typical handsome billionaire boss tha-¡±


    ¡± Cora , name !¡± I looked at her amused at her rumbling and Austin mirrored my reaction. She gave me a sheepish smile.


    ¡± Evan Lewis. ¡± I froze at Austin¡¯s words, all amusement draining out of me. Evan Lewis. He can¡¯t be the same Evan Lewis right ? There can be many more Evan Lewis¡¯ but then not many of them match the description Cora gave and not many of them will be able to buy apany as huge as White Enterprises.


    I knew it was him. It had to be. But I was not able to ept it . I just wasn¡¯t ready for this. Not now, after three years. I wondered if I would ever be able to face him. I was broken out of my thoughts by Austin.


    ¡± You okay ?¡± I blinked multiple times before nodding my head at the concerned faces of my friends.


    ¡± Yeah , absolutely, why not ? Totally fine.¡± I ended with a nervous chuckle. Both of them looked at me weirdly before hesitantly nodding.


    For the rest of the lunch break I zoned them out , lost in my train of mixed up thoughts. I never thought I would have to face him again in my life although somewhere I hoped to, but now I was far from feeling fine at the news of his arrival.


    There have hardly been days when his face didn¡¯t pop up in my head. But I never craved to meet him. I couldn¡¯t, literally couldn¡¯t. What would I tell him? Would he even spare a minute for me ? Obviously he wouldn¡¯t.


    Why would he, after what I had done with him ?


    Just when I thought I could move on and lead a happy life , he was to take over in just a week and be my boss. I sighed out of frustration.


    ¡­¡­..


    ¡± Sis , don¡¯t you think it¡¯s pretty boring to stare off at the wall for fifteenplete minutes?¡± I turned my head to look at Bri who kept her gaze fixed on the wall with the same serious expression that of mine. I stared at her face before chuckling. She joined me as well. She could always make me smile , whatever the situation maybe.


    ¡± But seriously Brae , what happened? Why are you so upset? ¡± She looked at me with concern-filled eyes. I walked past her into the kitchen.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    ¡± Nothing happened. What did you do all day? Weren¡¯t you supposed to go out with Ashley?¡± I tried diverting the topic as I looked for I don¡¯t know what in the fridge. When she didn¡¯t reply for some minutes, I looked up to see her looking at me with a serious face with her arms across her chest.


    ¡± Okay fine.¡± I sighed knowing that she wouldn¡¯t let it pass until I tell her. She pulled me out to sit down at the table before staring at my face expectantly.


    ¡± He ising back.¡± I let out. Bri scrunched up her nose in confusion before her eyes widened like she was dreading her guess.


    ¡± He ? You mean Evan ?¡± She asked in shock to which I nodded.


    ¡± Yes , I mean Evan Lewis.¡± I massaged the temple of my forehead. She kept looking at me for a whole minute before speaking.


    ¡± Wow !¡± She still looked in shock, blinking.


    ¡± Wow ? Seriously? I am so confused about the situation. I am even considering resigning and you are saying ¡®wow¡¯?¡± My voice came out harsher than necessary. Realising she didn¡¯t even deserve it , I opened my mouth to apologise but she cut me off.


    ¡± You don¡¯t have to. I understand that you are stressed with the situation but , I don¡¯t think you should resign. Can you not have a talk with him ?¡± I looked at her like she had two heads.


    ¡± Have you gone nuts? You think he would listen to me after everything? I can¡¯t imagine facing him, let alone talk.¡± I breathed out trying to calm myself down.


    ¡± Okay , okay rx. Don¡¯t overstress yourself. We will talk about thister. Let¡¯s sleep now. ¡± Running a hand through my hair, I nodded at her . Let¡¯s see what awaits me.


    A week till I see him again.

 03. Pretty Please!

    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    And that was it. It was the day when Evan would be joining. The day I had been dreading since a week. The name of thepany had been changed from White Enterprises to Lewis Industries, showing how real the situation was. Honestly, me and Bri never talked about this again as promised. It was like we happily ignored the topic in our head.


    As the days kept pasing, people were talking more about the new boss , sharing whatever information they could gather about him. William Lewis had taken his retirement and his sons Evan and Ryan Lewis had taken over his businesses. The tabloids said that Lewis Industries had reached new heights under the young Lewis. They have also been in the news for being the two most eligible bachelors with their sess and good looks.


    Ryan¡­ I was really close to him. He was the annoying best friend who could make you smile in the toughest of situations and understand your concerns. Together we used to pull the stupidest of the pranks on Evan andugh at his expense. After that day, with everything else , I lost a friend as well. Though he had tried contacting him, I cut him off my life. I couldn¡¯t bear having any connection with any of the people rted to him but here he was , taking over as my new boss. So much for trying to avoid him!


    Pushing away all the negative thoughts for the moment, I rubbed my sweaty hands on my skirt before lifting myself off my table to get outside. Everyone was to assemble to greet the new boss.


    I had dressed up in the dullest pair of clothes to avoid attracting attention and kept my hair down. I knew this was stupid and I couldn¡¯t hide for long but thest desperate measure as they say.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­


    They were murmuring all around as we waited for the boss whose car had just arrived. Everyone quietened as some distinct footsteps were heard.


    Soon the new boss made his entrance. I didn¡¯t have the courage to look up at his face. This was like a nightmare which I was going to leave.


    ¡± Wee Sir.¡± Sasha, the head of the HR department gave him a bouquet of flowers. I assumed  he just nodded as I didn¡¯t hear him reply.


    ¡± Everyone meet our new boss, Mr. Evan Lewis.¡± Sasha announced.


    ¡± Good morning everyone.¡± I shivered at his deep masculine voice. I could always recognise this voice , one that I had grown ustomed to so much at a time.  Hearing him after so many years felt surreal.


    I don¡¯t know why I couldn¡¯t control it but I looked up. It was as if before my brain could warn me, I snapped my head up and my eyes immediately met with his steel grey ones. He was already looking at my face. As our gazes locked I felt a jolt of electricity pass through me.


    His face was void of any emotions but the intensity of his gaze was such that it could have anyone cowering to him. He looked more intimidating and colder than ever. It was like he was trying to pierce through me with his stare. I broke the contact and looked away. My heart was thumping so loudly against my chest.


    ¡± I anticipate working with you all and look forward to taking this organization to greater heights with our collective efforts. Thank you everyone. You may resume working.¡± He spoke , his voice full of authority and amanding aura.


    I didn¡¯t dare look up again when he walked past me into his cabin.


    ¡± He is so damn hot! I can¡¯t believe I am going to see him everyday from now on!¡± Cora sped her hands in excitement.


    ¡± I can¡¯t believe it as well.¡± I mumbled softly, not meant for anyone to hear.


    ¡± Did you say something?¡± I looked at Austin¡¯s confused face before shaking my head.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡± No , let¡¯s get back to work.¡± I walked back to my seat with my mind somewhere else , on someone.


    Evan¡¯s POV


    Braelyn Taylor. The one girl who had my heart , the girl who didn¡¯t mind breaking it into pieces . The girl I hate with passion.


    I expected to see her at the office. Yes , I wasn¡¯t shocked to see her working there. We were considering buying thispany when I learnt from Ryan that she works here. Instantly making up my mind , I signed the papers and took over the White Enterprises.


    When I walked in first, my eyes roamed about looking for her and ultimately stopped at one particr figure. Among many employees, there stood a girl in mute coloured clothes and her face downwards. I could feel that she was the one, Brae. I still wanted her to look up but it seemed like she was trying hard not to.


    After the HR head introduced me, I wished the employees good morning, keeping my eyes fixed on her. As if my voice snapped something inside her and she looked up.


    When our eyes met , I felt a shiver pass through me. That face , that same beautiful face, her brown hair hanging in waves but behind that was a pathetic woman , a bloody gold digger. I looked intently into her blue eyes, maintaining a poker face. Over the years , if anything I have mastered, it is to hide my emotions.


    She broke eye contact and looked nervous. Good , she should be . I went on to address everyone and spoke a few words before getting to my cabin.


    A knock on my door interrupted my thoughts.


    ¡± Come in.¡± Sasha walked in.


    ¡± Sir you requested me ? ¡± I nodded.


    ¡± Yes , I will require a personal assistant to help me with everything.¡±


    ¡± Yes Sir, that can be arranged. I will put up the news of a job vacancy and required qualifications on thepany website and shortlist the candi-¡± I raised my hand to cut her off.


    ¡± No , that will take a lot of time. Besides, I want someone efficient and smart to assist me. I don¡¯t have the time to interview different applicants now.¡± She waited for me to continue.


    ¡± I want someone among the employees to do the job. Bring me the files of the employees whom you think are efficient.¡±


    ¡± Okay Sir. I will take your leave.¡± She walked out and closed the door behind her.


    Just then my phone rang in my pocket. I fetched it out to see the name on it and instantly a smile broke out on my face.


    ¡± Kat-¡± I was cut off even before I could start.


    ¡± You idiot! You didn¡¯t bother calling me once after you came back. Are you so busy that you couldn¡¯t call me even ? I can¡¯t believe you forgot me just like that.¡± She ended with a sad voice. I wonder how more dramatic she can be.


    ¡± Done with your drama? Will you let me speak ?¡± I asked.


    ¡± Nope. You will speak, but when we meet today in the evening.¡±


    ¡± Evening? I can¡¯t Kate. I have some-¡± She cut me off before I could reject.


    ¡± No , I ain¡¯t taking a no for an answer. Come on Evan, I am leaving tomorrow for France. ¡±


    ¡± Uhm¡­¡±


    ¡± Please , pretty please!¡± I could imagine the puppy eyes she would pull out.


    ¡± Okay , tell me the ce.¡± I heard a knock on my door.


    ¡± The usual.¡±


    ¡± I will see you today then. Got to go now.¡±


    ¡± Yeah , see you.¡± I put my phone down before responding.


    ¡± Come in.¡± It was again Sasha with all the files. I gestured to her to keep them on the table.


    After she left, I started going through the files. The second file had her name.


    ¡± Braelyn Taylor !¡± I looked through the file and her qualifications. I didn¡¯t bother looking at the other files because my mind was already made up. I smirked at the thought.

 04. Married?

    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    ¡°Braelyn , Mr. Lewis had called you in his office.¡± I snapped my head up to look at Sasha .


    ¡± Mr. Lewis ? Why ?¡± The expression of pure horror was evident in my face judging the words she said next.


    ¡± Why are you looking like that? I am sure he had his meal and won¡¯t eat you up unless you hurry up. I bet I wouldn¡¯t see any other girl so horrified at the mention of his name.¡± She walked away mumbling thest part to herself. Obviously, any girl would be delighted at the name of the handsome Evan Lewis but it wasn¡¯t so easy for me.


    After having a small prep talk with myself, I got up to go to his cabin.


    When in front of his cabin , I could feel my hands getting sweaty. With a lot of self-convincing, I knocked on the door.


    ¡± Come in.¡± I heard his gruff voice. Twisting the knob, I walked in. He was looking at hisptop screen without even bothering to look up.


    ¡± Sir, you called for me?¡± I asked in a soft voice but he still didn¡¯t acknowledge me. I knew he was intentionally doing it.


    ¡± Sir.¡± I raised my voice a bit more. He finally looked up.


    ¡± Ah! Ms. Taylor, please take a seat.¡± Avoiding the taunting tone in his voice , I took small steps towards his desk.


    ¡± I don¡¯t have all the time in the world for you. Walk fast.¡± I flinched at his sudden rise in voice . Walking hurriedly, I took a seat.


    He leaned back on his chair , keeping his eyes fixed on me. He didn¡¯t even say anything and just kept staring. I felt intimidated under his heated stare and squirmed in my seat.


    ¡± Sir ?¡± He suddenly put  his arms on the desk and pushed his upper body forward against it.


    ¡± Ms. Taylor, are you married ?¡± I was shocked as I clearly didn¡¯t expect such a question.


    ¡± No.¡± The word automatically flew out of my mouth. He raised a brow at me.


    ¡± No ? Why ? Was it your rich boyfriend this time who left you at the altar?¡± I inhaled sharply, feeling the bitterness of the words.


    ¡± Or is it again you ? Did you find someone even richer , Ms. Taylor?¡± He was mocking me.  I blinked away the tears epting the pain his words had to offer. His face was expressionless but anger and heart shone in his eyes. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I opened my mouth to speak.


    ¡± Mr. Lewis , I would request you to ask questions rted to my job only.¡± I protested which apparently fell to deaf ears. He stood up and walked round his table to stop in front of me.


    ¡± If I tell you that right now I am among the top ten richest men in the world, will youe running back to me?¡± He bent down holding the arms of the chair and looking straight into my eyes, his minty breath hitting my face.


    ¡°M-Mr. Lewis.¡± I stuttered as I felt my heart thumping out of anxiety. The close proximity wasn¡¯t helping either. I pushed myself back against the chair as much as possible.


    ¡± Tell me , will you make fake confessions of love, marry me , take fake vows of love ? Will you , Ms. Taylor?¡± Clenching my eyes shut , I let a few drops leave my eyes. The zing anger in his eyes , the usations against me in them was too much to bear for me. It literally hurt to look into his eyes that were burning with hatred.


    ¡± Here we go! Fake tears now . Pathetic!¡± He moved away and spat with so much disgust that more tears made their way out. I quickly wiped away the tears and stood up to leave.


    ¡± Did I say you could leave?¡± I halted in my steps . Taking a deep breath, I turned back.


    ¡± I had asked Sasha to give me the names of some efficient employees . She has given me your file and I must say I am pretty impressed. ¡±


    ¡± Thank you , Mr. Lewis.¡± I meekly added.


    ¡± So¡­ Ms. Taylor,  I am appointing you as my personal assistant .¡± My head snapped towards him in an instant. He thrusted his hands in the pocket of his pants, looking at me.


    ¡± Personal assistant?¡± I blinked multiple times to make sure I was hearing it right. He didn¡¯t reply , looking bored.


    ¡± S-someone else can do it. P-Please.¡± I requested in an attempt to save myself from this situation. It will be a nightmare to be the personal assistant to the man who hates me with passion.


    ¡± Last time I checked, I was the boss. Don¡¯t bother deciding for me, Ms. Taylor.¡± I immediately shut up and nodded , keeping my head down.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡± You will have your cabin beside mine. You have to manage my schedule, make appointments, prepare the conference room whenever necessary, check my emails and forward only the important ones to me and¡­ be here by 8 in the morning with my coffee.¡± His words held a dominance in them.


    ¡± Yes Mr. Lewis.¡± Wanting to end this meeting as soon as possible, I replied.


    ¡± Now please see yourself out.¡± He sounded impatient. Not wanting to face his wrath anymore, I scurried out of his cabin.


    ¡­¡­..


    Evan¡¯s POV


    I heard a soft knock on my door. There was only one person whom I was expecting right now. I asked her toe in


    ¡± Sir, you called for me?¡± A barely audible voice spoke. I was tempted to look up but then I wanted to make her more tense than she already was.


    ¡± Sir.¡± She raised her voice a bit more when I finally decided to look up.


    ¡± Ah! Ms. Taylor, please take a seat.¡± I spoke in a mocking tone. She started taking small steps towards me which was irritating me.


    ¡± I don¡¯t have all the time in the world for you, Ms. Taylor. Walk fast.¡± I noticed her flinch at my sudden rise in voice . Walking hurriedly, she took a seat opposite me.


    I leaned back on my chair , keeping my eyes fixed on her.  Looking at her face made me visualise everything. The memories were as fresh as we¡¯re from yesterday.   The face which once was my world, I always wanted to see the beautiful smile on her face but she crushed those feelings. She threw whatever we had in mes. Now I want nothing more than to see pain in her face. In thest three years , each time she came to my mind, her betrayal overpowered our sweet memories in my mind.


    ¡± Sir ?¡± Her soft voice broke my chain of thoughts. I put my hands on the desk and pushed myself forward against it.


    ¡± Ms. Taylor, are you married ?¡± She looked shocked by this question.


    ¡± No.¡± The response came quicker than I had expected.


    ¡± No ? Why ? Was it your rich boyfriend this time who left you at the altar?¡± She took a sharp breath at the hint of the question.


    ¡± Or is it again you ? Did you find someone even richer , Ms. Taylor?¡± I was purely disgusted by the thought alone but nothing was impossible for her. She had done it once and may very well repeat it. She took time before speaking.


    ¡± Mr. Lewis , I would request you to ask questions rted to my job only.¡± I knew whatever I was asking was unprofessional but who cares? I wanted to know. I stood up from my seat and rounded the table to stand in front of her.


    ¡± If I tell you that right now I am among the top ten richest men in the world, will youe running back to me?¡± I bent down and held the arms of the chair , caging her in. I looked straight into her eyes, our face close enough for my breath to hit her face.


    ¡°M-Mr. Lewis.¡± She stuttered , while her chest rose and fell out of nervousness. She was definitely affected by our close proximity. Hell , I was too but I was better in not showing it. She shrunk back more into the chair.


    ¡± Tell me , will you make fake confessions of love, marry me , take fake vows of love ? Will you ?¡± She clenched her eyes and was not able to bear anymore. When I saw the tears rolling down her cheeks, something inside me stirred. I was strangely not satisfied with the view but I should have been. It was so frustrating.


    ¡± Here we go! Fake tears now . Pathetic!¡± I moved away and spat those words before I could get confused in my head. I turned my back to her and ran a hand on my face. Hearing footsteps behind me, I looked back to see her leaving my cabin.


    ¡± Did I say you could leave?¡± She halted in her steps before turning around.


    ¡± I had asked Sasha to give me the names of some efficient employees . She has given me your file and I must say I am pretty impressed. ¡± I paused.


    ¡± Thank you , Mr. Lewis.¡± She spoke softly.


    ¡± So¡­ Ms. Taylor,  I am appointing you as my personal assistant .¡± Her head snapped towards me so fast that I wondered if her neck was broken. Her face held absolute horror and I liked every bit of her fear. She should be scared knowing what she should be expecting since I was here now.


    ¡± Personal assistant?¡± She blinked multiple times to make sure that she was hearing it right. I have a bored expression not bothering to reply.


    ¡± S-someone else can do it. P-Please.¡± I heard her meek protest , a desperate try to save herself but I had made up my mind.


    ¡± Last time I checked, I was the boss. Don¡¯t bother deciding for me, Ms. Taylor.¡± She immediately shut up and nodded , keeping her head down.


    I quickly exined what jobs she had as my personal assistant. She agreed quickly, most probably wanting to be out of here as soon as possible.


    ¡± Now please see yourself out.¡± I couldn¡¯t control my temper when she was around and thest thing I wanted was for her to jumble up my thoughts.

 05. You Know Why.

    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    ¡± I. Don¡¯t. Love. You. Evan. Lewis.¡± I looked straight into his eyes and spoke.


    ¡± Why?¡± He whispered faintly.


    ¡±  I found someone else.¡±


    I sat up gasping for air, the words ringing in my ears. I put my hands to cover my ears and shook my head to push away those voices.


    ¡°I. Don¡¯t. Love. You.¡±


    ¡± I found someone else.¡±


    ¡± Why?¡±


    ¡± I. Don¡¯t. Love. You. Evan. Lewis.¡±


    ¡± I found someone else.¡±


    ¡± Why?¡±


    ¡± I found someone else.¡±


    The voice kept echoing.


    The lights in the room lit up before I felt Bri hugging me.


    ¡± Breath Sis, breath. It¡¯s okay. Everything¡¯s fine. ¡± I hugged her back seekingfort from the embrace .


    ¡± It¡¯s not fine. Nothing is fine. I hurt him so bad Bri . I still hear our voices. Bri I can¡¯t I-¡± I cut myself off to breath. I felt suffocated with the memories in my mind, the voices in my head. I wanted to erase them all, wipe them off, but I couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Ssh Brae , rx.¡± She rubbed my back, calming me down. After a few minutes I pulled back and wiped the tears with the back of my hands.


    ¡± Now tell me what happened? Why this dream suddenly? It has been years since youst dreamt about it? ¡± She was drawing soothing circles on my back with her fingers


    ¡± Evan. He called me in his office a-and-¡± my voice cracked. She squeezed my shoulders to provide some kind offort.


    ¡± He asked me if I-I have found s-someone even r-richer and left my b-boyfriend again. He even asked that if-if I know that Evan is now one of the r-richest men on Earth, would I run back to him and fake m-my love for h-him.¡± I broke down into sobs.


    ¡± Oh Brae!¡± She again took me in a hug.


    ¡± W-When he was speak-king , the hurt , the b-betrayal shone in his eyes. He hasn¡¯t forgotten anything, Bri. He spat each word with so much d-disgust like he was pained at the s-sight of me.¡± I tightened my arms around her , trying to relieve a bit of the pain that was consuming me from inside and I don¡¯t know when I fell asleep like that in her arms , crying my heart out.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    I hurried up the stairs to make his coffee. Having prepared his coffee, I walked up to his cabin and knocked.


    ¡± Come in.¡± Pushing open the door, I walked in. Evan was sitting in his chair with his chin resting on his intertwined hands. He was watching over my movements like a hawk. I put the coffee down on his desk.


    He took a sip of the coffee , keeping his gaze fixed on me all the while. Clicking his tongue in annoyance he put the cup down.


    ¡± This is the worst coffee i¡¯ve ever tasted. Make it again.¡± I flinched at his tone. Taking the cup in my hand , I rushed out to make a new cup. He again sent me back saying that the coffee was cold. By the time I arrived at his door, I waspletely tired. I avoided using elevators at any cost as I was a bit ustrophobic and using the stairs to reach the fifth floor and down a couple of times had me worn out at the very beginning of the day.


    ¡± I don¡¯t want it anymore.¡± I looked at his face in disbelief. My feet were literally paining and he didn¡¯t want the coffee! I took a deep breath to calm myself down.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    ¡± Would it be all , Mr. Lewis?¡± I kept my tone professional.


    ¡± Yes, leave.¡± He went back to looking at theptop screen.


    After disposing off the cup , I was about to go to my cabin when I met Austin and Cora.


    ¡± What¡¯s up Brae , you already look tired?¡±


    ¡± I am. I had to get his coffee three times before he finally decided that he didn¡¯t want it anymore.¡± I sighed at the end.


    ¡± What an ass!¡± Austin muttered in an annoyed tone.


    ¡± A sexy one.¡± I gave a tight lipped smile at Cora¡¯sment.


    ¡­¡­¡­.


    The whole day and the next few weeks proved to be extremely hectic for me. Evan made me walk up and down the stairs for the slightest of things. My feet were covered by blisters. I had switched from heels to pumps and ts.


    I served the pasta in two dishes that I had cooked , when Bri came out of the shower.


    ¡± How was your day?¡± I gave the te to her before sitting beside her.


    ¡± Just the usual. You tell me. How is it going as his assistant?¡± I sighed and shook my head at her.


    ¡± That bad?¡± She looked at me sympathetically.


    ¡± It¡¯s okay, I am already looking for a job elsewhere.¡± I smiled at her before we resumed eating.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­


    ¡± Ms. Taylor.¡± Evan addressed me calmly just as I entered his cabin. But before I could concentrate on him, my eyesnded on another figure sitting opposite to Evan.


    Ryan¡­


    I gulped hard, all the memoriesing back.


    He still looked the same , his brown hair messily styled and his simr grey eyes looking back at me . What surprised me was that his eyes didn¡¯t hold those same usations that his brother¡¯s did. Looking at him , I could still trace my best friend, the one whoughed with me and supported me in everything.


    ¡± What time is it now ?¡± Evan¡¯s voice broke my trance. He looked at the clock and I followed suit. Bringing his gaze back on me, he raised his perfectly shaped eyebrow.


    ¡± Five minutes past eight.¡± I said in a measured , low voice. It hasn¡¯t hard to understand what he was getting at.


    ¡± And when exactly are you supposed to report , Ms. Taylor?¡± His intense stare voice made me really  nervous.


    ¡± I am extremely sorry Mr. Lewis. It won¡¯t-¡± He cut me off.


    ¡°What did I ask you, Ms Taylor?¡± His tone was too cold forfort. I inhaled deeply before replying.


    ¡± I am supposed to be here at eight.¡± He nodded mockingly as if surprised that I knew the answer. Standing up , he came around to stand in front of me. Instinctively Ryan stood up as if expecting something bad to happen.


    Evan grabbed my wrist and thrusted a few hundred dors in my hand. I looked confused at the money in my hand and then back at his face.


    ¡± Buy yourself a watch so that you know toe in time from now onwards. Let me tell you that I honestly hate people who are unpunctual and irresponsible.¡± Saying this, he walked past me out of his cabin while I stood there, utterly humiliated by my boss.


    I didn¡¯t dare look up at Ryan. This humiliation was enough for a day .


    Wiping the tears that spilled out of my eyes, I walked to his desk and put the money down and turned to walk away.


    ¡°Brae.¡± Ryan¡¯s voice stopped me in my steps. I slowly turned towards him expecting to see him smirking at me while his face held a strange emotion.


    His next action took me by shock. He stalked forward and engulfed me in a hug. I was too shocked to react as I stood there with my arms by my side.


    ¡± I missed you.¡± My eyes immediately moistened at this. I didn¡¯t know how he could miss me after what I did but I couldn¡¯t care less. He used to be one of the closest people to me , my best friend and I would be a damn liar if I say I didn¡¯t miss him, the warmth in his hugs. Recovering from my shock I wrapped my hands around him.


    ¡± I missed you too Ry.¡± Being in his embrace reminded me of every single memory of the past. Tears made their way out as I held him closer.


    ¡± Why didn¡¯t you answer my calls?¡± He asked with his face stuffed in my hair.


    ¡± You know why.¡± I mumbled. He immediately pulled back and held me by my shoulder.


    ¡°No Brae, I don¡¯t. I really don¡¯t know why my best friend never really cared to call me , talk to me in three fucking years. Tell me Brae.¡± He was breathing hard, his eyes reflected the pain. At that moment, I felt so guilty for abandoning him but what else could I have done!


    ¡± I am sorry, but-but I couldn¡¯t . Not after what I did to Evan. I am sorry Ry.¡± I whispered as the teardrops fell off my eyes.


    ¡°What did you do to Evan , Brae?¡± I Was getting anxious under his intense stare. Fiddling with my hands, I quickly looked away.


    ¡°Look at me Brae.¡± His fingers went under my chin and lifted my face up to meet his eyes.


    ¡± You can lie to everyone Brae, but not to me. I would never believe the bullshit you fed Evan with, on the day of your wedding. Never.¡± His stare was one of confidence and determination. I gulped hard at his words.  Why wouldn¡¯t he believe when everyone else did?


    He released his hold on me allowing me to walk out of the room , still hung up on thetest conversation.

 06. Try Me.

    Evan¡¯s POV


    Somewhere, I felt a bit bad for treating her like that. I knew she felt humiliated as it was a blow to her self respect but I couldn¡¯t control my temper around her. Whenever she is in sight, I remember everything she did to me.


    ¡°Does he consider you more important than himself? What does he have to give you that I don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡± Money.¡±


    ¡± What ?¡±


    ¡± Money Evan. Your business is in a poor condition and as bad it may sound, it is going to go further down at this rate. Money is important for a secured life and I want to live a peaceful, secured life Evan, one that he would be able to provide. I can¡¯t spend my days in uncertainty.¡±


    I fisted my hands and took deep breaths to control the anger rising in me.


    I will make you pay Braelyn Taylor.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    I was about to enter her cabin when I heard her speaking over the phone.


    ¡± I know, don¡¯t worry Bri.¡± I instantly remembered Brielle, Brae¡¯s sister. ording to my calctions she most probably was in her college.


    ¡°¡­. yeah, I am looking for a job elsewhere.¡± I raised my eyebrows at that. Poor soul , she thought she could resign and get a job somewhere else? Uh huh.


    ¡± I am sure I will find something, Bri.¡± I didn¡¯t wait for her to finish the conversation as I barged in without knocking.


    ¡± Are you sure Ms. Taylor?¡± She looked startled by my sudden interruption. She kept her phone down before looking at me.


    ¡± Mr. Lewis, you should have knocked on the door.¡± I raised a brow at her to which she huffed and looked away.


    ¡± So Ms. Taylor, as I was asking, are you sure you are going to get a job somewhere else?¡± Her forehead creased in confusion.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡± What do you mean ?¡±


    ¡± You can¡¯t leave this job.¡± She looked pissed at my statement.


    ¡± You can¡¯t decide that, Mr. Lewis.¡± She was trying hard to control her anger.


    ¡± We¡¯ll go ahead and resign . Just know that one call from me and you won¡¯t get a job in any respectable firm. ¡± She gasped at my words.


    ¡± I am sure you have to support your expenses and not to forget your sister is dependent on you. Wonder how she will continue with her college if you don¡¯t have a job!¡± Her face hung open with shock.


    ¡± You wouldn¡¯t.¡± She spoke like she was reassuring herself.


    ¡± Try me.¡± I spoke with a challenging look on my face. She was seething, drawing in deep breaths.


    ¡± Well, Ms. Taylor, here are some files. I want you to go through them and prepare a report .¡± I roughly ced them on her desk.


    ¡± But I am already working on one project. I am yet toplete -¡± I cut her off.


    ¡± You¡¯re no longer doing it. It has been transferred to someone else.¡± Her eyes widened in shock.


    ¡± I had worked so hard on that project. You can¡¯t do that.¡± She tried sounding firm while I crossed my arms against my chest.


    ¡± Are you challenging me, Ms. Taylor?¡± She seemed beyond frustrated. Shutting her eyes tightly, she looked away and sighed , exasperated.


    ¡± Now , as I was saying. I want this report to be ready by today itself.¡± I wondered how many times she was going to give me that shocked expression in a single day.


    ¡± There is so much work. How can I-¡± I again cut her off for the third time in a day.


    ¡± How does it concern me , Ms. Taylor? You can decide how you¡¯re going to finish it but it should be on my desk before you leave or you are fired.¡± Saying that I walked out of her room.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    I was frustrated with my luck.  He won¡¯t let me resign because he wants to torture me. I too didn¡¯t have another option. My job supported us . This was my fate. Be constantly in the presence of the man I have never gotten over and receive all the insults and tortured he inflicts upon me.


    Cursing my luck , I opened the files and got started with the humongous amount of work that he had assigned me with. I was very careful with the report because I knew he would throw it out of the window if he finds so much as a single fault.


    I couldn¡¯t get up even for a few minutes, much less a lunch break. I was surviving on a cup of coffee I had in the morning.


    At nearly eight , I was done with the report.  Organizing everything, I finally got up . My back was aching and my feet felt numb. The exhaustion due to starving was kicking in.


    I knocked on the door to his cabin when I heard a gruff e in¡¯.


    ¡± Why are you still in the office Ms. Taylor?¡± He got up from his seat, looking genuinely confused as if he hadn¡¯t demanded for the report to bepleted by today. I mentally rolled my eyes.


    ¡± The report.¡± I kept the files on his desk and walked back but before I could take more than two steps, I was unsteady on my feet. Immediately one hand wrapped around my waist steadying me and another held my shoulder firmly.


    ¡± Are you not well , Ms. Taylor?¡± His voice sounded concerned but I didn¡¯t want my hopes to get high. I closed my eyes for a longer second before opening them.


    ¡± Just a bit dizzy.¡± When I turned my face, his face was inches away from mine. I was getting lost in his grey eyes that were piercing through mine. A shiver passed through me at our proximity. His cologne was making me feel intoxicated. What I found scary was that even after so many years only he was the only one who could make me feel like this. I moved out of his hold before I could lose my senses.


    ¡± Should we see a doctor?¡± I looked at him strangely. How was he all of a sudden acting concerned?


    ¡± No , I will eat something and I will be fine.¡± I said in a dismissive tone.


    ¡± What does that mean? Did you skip your lunch ?¡± Irritation filled me at his words.


    ¡± How does it concern you ?¡± I used the same tone that he had used earlier. He gritted his teeth in annoyance.


    ¡± Why did you skip your lunch?¡± This time I was pissed. He was acting as if he really didn¡¯t know.


    ¡± This report. That¡¯s why. I had toplete it by today, right ? I couldn¡¯t afford to notplete it and get fired , could I ?¡± If I wasn¡¯t hallucinating, I saw guilt sh in his eyes before heposed himself.


    ¡± Right. Nowe with me, I will drop you off.¡± He went back to his desk to take his belongings.


    ¡± That won¡¯t be required, Mr. Lewis. I¡¯ll manage.¡±


    ¡± Are you going to drive in this state?¡± He mockingly asked.


    ¡± I will get a cab.¡± I started walking out of his cabin. I heard his footsteps behind me. I couldn¡¯t bear being alone in the car with him. Just then, I saw Austin leaving the building.


    ¡± Austin..¡± He looked back , surprised to see me here .


    ¡± Brae? What are you doing here thiste?¡± It was my first time that I had stayed till eight.


    ¡± Had toplete some work. Can you drop me off at my ce? ¡± I asked him.


    ¡± Yeah sure, but you never ask for a drop. Are you fine?¡± He ced a hand on my arm .


    ¡± Yes I am fine, just a bit tired.¡± I smiled at him and we settled down in his car. As I turned to fix the seat belt , I saw Evan standing there , his jaw clenched , his eyes staring directly into mine.


    Maybe it was a foolish move to refuse his offer. He looked angry but why? He wouldn¡¯t want me to be in the same car as him right ? I kept looking at him when Austin drove out of the car park.

 07. I鈥檒l Manage.

    Evan¡¯s POV


    I was just wrapping up thest of my work when I heard a knock on my door. Braelyn walked in with some files in her hand. I looked at the clock to make sure it was five past eight.


    ¡°Why are you still in the office Ms. Taylor?¡± I got up from my seat . She faintly raised a brow at my question as if I was stupid to ask that.


    ¡± The report.¡± Saying this , she kept the files on my desk and I immediately remembered the work I had given her. I was surprised that she really finished the work. I saw her walking back but before she could take more than two steps, she swayed , her eyes dropping. I immediately wrapped one arm around her waist and another on her shoulder to steady her.


    ¡± Are you not well , Ms. Taylor?¡± My voice gave out the concern that I didn¡¯t want to show.


    ¡± Just a bit dizzy.¡± Came her reply before she turned her face towards me. Our faces were really close , our breaths mingling with each other. The sweet fragrance of her hair filling my nostrils. I dreaded that the realization that this was the only woman who had the ability to intoxicate me like this was growing stronger. Suddenly she pulled away, creating a respectable distance between us.


    ¡± Should we see a doctor?¡± The words flew out of my mouth on their own.


    ¡± No , I will eat something and I will be fine.¡± My forehead creased at her words. Does that mean she skipped her lunch?


    ¡± What does that mean? Did you skip your lunch ?¡±  I voiced my question.


    ¡± How does it concern you ?¡± I was growing annoyed with each passing second. I couldn¡¯t find a possible reason for skipping lunch.


    ¡± Why did you skip your lunch?¡± From her facial expressions she looked pissed , wondering why.


    ¡± This report. That¡¯s why. I had toplete it by today, right ? I couldn¡¯t afford to notplete it and get fired , could I ?¡± She used my words in a taunting tone. Guilt consumed me realising that I was responsible for her condition. Of course I had told her to finish the work by today but honestly I wasn¡¯t expecting her toplete such a huge amount of work. I quicklyposed myself.


    ¡± Right. Nowe with me, I will drop you off.¡± I walked back to my desk to collect my things before leaving.


    ¡± That won¡¯t be required, Mr. Lewis. I¡¯ll manage.¡±  I pressed my lips together and slowly turned to look at her.


    ¡± Are you going to drive in this state?¡± I mockingly asked. She was stupid if she thought she would drive in this state.


    ¡± I will get a cab.¡± She immediately started walking out of the cabin. I followed but before I could reach her , she was already talking to some guy named Austin. She even asked him to drop her off at her ce.


    Who was this guy and how was Brae sofortable with him? If I wasn¡¯t pissed earlier, I was seething right now seeing that guy touch her arm. I fisted my hands and kept looking at them . After a short conversation she got inside his car and left.


    I didn¡¯t know why I was feeling this uncontroble rage on seeing her with another guy.  This unfiltered jealousy coursed through me but it wasn¡¯t supposed to be like this. I wasn¡¯t supposed to feel anything for her. I had moved on already, or¡­¡­.. did I? Was it still possible that I felt something for her even after everything she did to me?


    .


    .


    .


    shbackPublished by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡± I haven¡¯t seen you this excited in my whole life.¡± Ryan looked at me amused. I rolled my eyes at him but couldn¡¯t control the smile that was etched on my face. I was honestly extremely excited. I was getting married to Braelyn Taylor, the woman who had captured my heart, the only girl my eyes ever searched for, my Brae.


    My father came forward and held me by my shoulders.


    ¡± Son, this is really a special day for not only you but for all of us. Braelyn is bing a part of our family. She is a lovely woman. I trust  you to always keep her happy and be the husband she deserves.¡± I smiled remembering Dad¡¯s words earlier this morning.


    I and Brae met in high school. I was a senior to her . I still remember the day I first saw her. My attraction towards her was instant and eventually we fell in love. After losing her parents to the horrible crash, she grew extremely close to my parents. Both Mom and Dad love her immensely. And Ryan? He and Brae are the best of friends always joking around, ying pranks and having each other¡¯s back.


    I straightened up hearing the music y. My eyes were trained on the entrance through which she will walk in at any moment. I had never been so nervous my whole life as I was anticipating her entrance and then it happened.


    I saw her entering with her hand linked with Dad¡¯s but my eyes were struck at her. She looked ethereal in that white dress . I was grinning like a mad man who was unable to hold my excitement.


    She nervously raised her head a few times to look at everyone. When her eyes met mine, she quickly looked down. Was she getting shy? I chuckled at my own thoughts.


    They soon covered the distance and Dad gave her hand in mine before patting my shoulder.


    ¡± Look well after my sister or I will personally hunt you down and have your head.¡± I gave out a chuckle at the threat that came from Brielle, standing behind Brae.


    ¡± I would always look after her. You have my word.¡± I assured Brielle. I felt she deserved this assurance being her sister.


    Stood in front of me looking as gorgeous as ever was the love of my life. She raised her head once to look at me and then quickly looked away. Feeling that she was nervous, I drew soothing circles on her knuckles.


    ¡°Dear beloved, we are gathered here today in the sight of God to join this man, and this woman in holy matrimony¡± The priest started the ceremony.


    ¡± Evan Henry Lewis, have youe here to enter into Marriage without coercion, freely and wholeheartedly?¡±


    ¡± I have.¡± I spoke almost immediately as my excitement had no bounds.


    ¡± Braelyn Sabe Taylor, have youe here to enter into Marriage without coercion, freely and wholeheartedly?¡±


    Seconds passed but her answer didn¡¯te.  She was looking elsewhere, her face looked troubled. I squeezed her hands , worried at why she was so nervous.


    Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath before her lips parted to answer.


    ¡± I-I can¡¯t.¡±

 08. Someone Else?

    ¡°I-I can¡¯t.¡± She let out. The church became ufortably quiet.


    ¡°Brae?¡± I was genuinely confused, her words not registering in my mind. She pulled her hands out of mine.


    ¡°E-Evan, I c-can¡¯t marry you. I am s-sorry.¡± She stuttered. The church broke down into murmurs. I couldn¡¯t understand what had I done so wrong to make her so angry that she was saying all this. I walked closer, putting my hands out for her but she  took two steps back.


    ¡°Brae, what happened? Tell me what¡¯s bothering you? Whatever it is, we can solve it . Please calm down baby.¡± I knew whatever it was , we could solve it by talking.


    ¡°No, Evan, I can¡¯t do this. I am sorry. I can¡¯t.¡± She stepped down and started walking out . I too stepped down after her. Holding her by her arm , I yanked her back.


    ¡°Brae, what is wrong with you? Why are you doing this?¡± I was frustrated with her behaviour. She never behaved so irrationally. Whatever she was doing wasn¡¯t funny at all.


    ¡°Evan-¡± I cut her off.


    ¡°Okay, okay listen, if you¡¯re upset with me, tell me what have I done wrong, I will correct it. We can solve it baby. Please don¡¯t walk away.¡± I pleaded with her.


    ¡°No we can¡¯t Evan! It¡¯s over.¡± A wave of shock passed over me at how easily she could say those words.


    ¡°How can you say that Brae ? Nothing is over between us. It can¡¯t be.¡± The thought alone was causing an immense pain in my heart .


    ¡°It is Evan. It is.¡± Struggling her way out of my arms , she started walking out at a faster pace, but I still couldn¡¯t give up. I wasn¡¯t ready to let her go. She was out of the church when I gripped her wrist. She stopped walking but didn¡¯t turn.


    ¡°Be¡­¡± I whispered. I felt her freeze at that.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    My voice was shaky. It felt like I was in a nightmare and was on the verge of crying.


    ¡°I love you.¡± It came out as a plea from my mouth . The thought of living with her was so scary for me that I was ready to beg her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± I felt my heart break into a million pieces. How could she even say that?


    ¡°You¡¯re lying, Be.¡± My grip on her wrist tightened.


    ¡°No I am not.¡±


    ¡°Yes you are! Look into my eyes and say that you don¡¯t love me.¡± I shouted. I was sure that she wouldn¡¯t be able to say those words once she would look into my eyes.


    ¡°Say it Be, say that you don¡¯t love me. Look at me and say it.¡± A painful second passed before she turned around and looked emotionlessly in my eyes.


    ¡°I. Don¡¯t. Love. You. Evan. Lewis.¡± She did it. She said those words looking into my eyes and crushed my heart.


    ¡°Why?¡± My voice was full of despair. The agony in my heart was increasing with each passing second, as if someone was gripping my heart and squeezing it. She looked conflicted for a second beforeposing herself.


    ¡°I found someone else.¡± I was horrified at her statement. Someone else ? How could she find someone else when she had always been the only one for me? I felt that I could pinch myself and wake up from this nightmare and it would be my wedding day when Brae would look lovingly at me.


    ¡°Someone e-else ?¡± I gulped painfully.


    ¡°Yes and I love him.¡± Extreme anger reced the pain in me. She just said love. I clenched my jaws and fists, trying not to do something wrong.


    ¡°You don¡¯t love me but you love him ? Why ? Does he love you more than me ? Tell me, does he ?¡± I took a menacing step towards her. The thought alone made me see red.


    ¡°Does he consider you more important than himself? What does he have to give you that I don¡¯t?¡± I shouted the end part with angry tears rolling down my cheeks. I was hurt, extremely hurt. But I knew that even after all this if she says that this wasn¡¯t true, I would believe her in a second.


    ¡°Money.¡± She spat. I looked at her in disbelief. Did she just say money?


    ¡°What?¡± I whispered in a barely audible voice.


    ¡°Money, Evan. Your business is in a poor condition and as bad it may sound, it is going to go further down at this rate. Money is important for a secured life and I want to live a peaceful, secured life Evan, one that he can provide. I can¡¯t spend days in uncertainty.¡± This was thest thing I had expected Brae to ever say. Yes , our business was a bit down because of some losses but we had never talked about this.


    ¡°It¡¯s not true. It can¡¯t be true. You ¨C You were never after money, Brae. This is not you speaking.¡± I was still in denial , in spite of the truth being clear . I couldn¡¯t bring myself to believe that she was after my money.


    ¡°It¡¯s true Evan.¡± Her deration left me devastated. I was angry at everyone around me and most at myself for not recognising her, her true self.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this to me, Be, don¡¯t do this.¡± Faint whispers left my mouth. A strange hollowness had filled my heart.


    I saw her running to her car and driving off, discarding me as if I was the least valuable thing in her life ever.


    I didn¡¯t for how long I was staring at the road before I felt a hand on my shoulder. Ryan had a sympathetic look on his face. I looked back at today¡¯s incident, my fate and couldn¡¯t help theughter that left my mouth.


    ¡°Life¡¯s funny isn¡¯t it Ryan? Some minutes ago I was about to get married and was excited like a fucking kid on Christmas and now my bride had left me at the altar for someone else with money, lots of money , security, certainty.¡± I bit my lips while tears freely left my eyes.


    ¡°Evan, calm down.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what she said? She said that marrying me will make her life uncertain. She won¡¯t have bloody security in her life.¡± I shouted and pulled my hair in frustration and extreme grief.


    Ryan pulled me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around him and hung onto him like he was thest straw , thest hope of life. Clenching my eyes in anguish, I cried but the pain refused to lessen. The feeling of destion, hurt and bitterness was clenching my heart.

 09. That鈥檚 Enough!

    The memories were still as fresh in my mind as if it was just yesterday. I lived in denial for days before finally I made up my mind to move on. I took over my Dad¡¯s business. I worked day and night and we were able to im back all the losses ourpany had. Ryan and I worked our asses off and bought new shares, signed many contracts with multiplepanies and brought The Lewis Industries to this position.


    I channelized all my anger into determination to work harder but the hurt she caused, never seemed to lessen.


    Although she shattered my heart into bits , I still hoped that she would call someday and tell me how she never meant any of those words, how much she loved me, I hoped but she never did.


    My parents? They never really spoke much about it. My Dad and Mom used to absolutely adore Brae and I am sure they must have been hurt a lot but whatever it is they never expressed a lot. In fact no one spoke much about the incident and the reason was me. I would blow off anytime the topic was addressed. Ryan had tried speaking about it sometimes but eventually gave up.


    That unspoken incident remained with me, hurting me, burning me up from inside. Whenever she is around me I get reminded of her betrayal, her ugly mentality but again I never felt the same thing for any girl what I felt for her.


    If I wanted I could have destroyed her with a snap of my fingers, left her penniless but I can¡¯t. I wanted to see her in pain but a teardrop from her eyes is all it takes to make me feel guilty of hurting her.


    I smacked my lips , annoyed at my own self. I thought I coulde and make her life miserable. Instead I am the one who is left confused and frustrated.


    No, I couldn¡¯t go soft on her. She wouldn¡¯t hesitate to take advantage of my kindness at the first chance she gets. I wouldn¡¯t allow that. Not this time.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    ¡± Ms. Taylor would exin to you the rest of the details.¡± I straightened up and opened the presentations , highlighting the important points and exining every detail. By the end of it, the clients looked satisfied. Ryan too had a proud look on his face. I smiled at him a little.


    ¡± Well , we are ready to sign the deal. We really liked the presentation. I must say that Ms. Taylor is a great assistant to you Mr. Lewis.¡± I offered them a polite smile. I had spent days and nights working on this project and I was d that my hard work was appreciated.


    ¡± I beg to differ. I am surprised that she could handle it, most probably one of her firsts.¡± His words rang in the conference room. I felt everyone¡¯s eyes one me. My cheeks heated up with embarrassment, tears pooling in my eyes. I hung my head low, avoiding all their stares .


    It must have been my imagination that he cared when I felt dizzy. He was the same cold hearted man who was ready to throw insults at me and abash me at any instant.


    As the meeting came to an end and I too started walking out to avoid talking to Evan, knowing that he would do anything to humiliate me.


    ¡± Ms. Taylor.¡± He stopped me before I could leave. I turned back but didn¡¯t lift my eyes , not wanting him to see my tears.


    ¡± I have a lunch meeting at 1. I want you to work on ourst project and draft out a report before I am back .¡± I nodded before walking out. I harshly wiped the tears that left my eyes. Before I could walk into my cabin, a voice stopped me.


    ¡± Ms. Taylor.¡± The man who stood before me was present in the conference. He was a fairly handsome guy with blonde hair. He looked at my face sympathetically, most probably noticing my moist eyes.


    ¡± I¡¯m sorry for what happened back in there.¡± I shook my head at him.


    ¡± It¡¯s not your fault.¡± I hugged the files closer to my chest , calming my breaths.


    ¡± But honestly , a beautiful woman like you didn¡¯t deserve such harsh words. You really are an excellent assistant.¡± I forced a smile on my face. He was really being nice , just that I wasn¡¯t in the mood.


    ¡± Thank you for your kind words.¡± He nodded his head.


    ¡± You¡¯re most wee. Can I know your name ?¡± Before I could open my mouth , a familiar voice was heard.


    ¡± Mr. Walker, it was a pleasure doing business with you. Is there anything you need help with? My secretary will assist you.¡± He spoke looking straight at him. I was anxious about his words not knowing where he was going to attack.


    ¡± Well thank you Mr. Lewis. We will meet again.¡± He nodded at Mr. Walker. He fixed his gaze at me. After Mr. Walker was out of sight , he spoke.


    ¡± Ms. Taylor, I am sure I just gave you work toplete.¡± I gulped at his menacing re. Nodding I spoke.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    ¡± I was just-¡±


    ¡± Let me make something very clear Ms. Taylor, I pay you to work for me , not to flirt with our clients. If you fail to behave professionally then you can dly see yourself out of this building. ¡± I never felt so embarrassed in my whole life. The whole office was there as the audience when he threw those insults at me.


    I dug my nails in my palm and bit my lips to stop them from trembling but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to defend . It was useless to argue because this was not because I spoke to our client but because of what happened three years ago. If he wishes he can just destroy my whole existence in just minutes.


    ¡± Do I make myself clear?¡± I flinched at his loud voice but nevertheless nodded.


    ¡± Evan, that¡¯s enough.¡± Ryan¡¯s voice boomed but I couldn¡¯t make out their facial expressions. My vision waspletely blurred with tears.


    ¡± I don¡¯t want anyone in my cabin.¡± Those were Evan¡¯sst words before his footsteps died. The whole floor broke into whispers and murmurs. Realising that I just became thetest topic of office gossip, I hurried out of there. Once I was inside my cabin, my control broke. Covering my mouth with the palm of my hand , I silently sobbed. After a few minutes , Iposed myself and went back to work else he would get another reason to humiliate me.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­


    ¡± Come on, it¡¯s lunch break. You can¡¯t go on skipping your meals.¡± Cora and Austin dragged me out to the canteen. Just on entering, I could feel the nces being thrown at me.


    ¡± Don¡¯t let them bother you, okay?¡± I nodded at Austin and sighed.


    Getting our orders , we sat down at a table. I was quietly munching on my sandwich while they kept up the conversation.


    ¡± Isn¡¯t that ¡®The Braelyn Taylor¡¯ ?¡± There stood Stephie with one hand on her hip and a mocking smile on her face. From day one , she strongly disliked me. She had a huge crush on Austin but Austin is not at all interested in her and she thinks that I am the reason that Austin doesn¡¯t look at


    Talia who stood beside her , mirrored her expression. She was one brainless idiot. Her only purpose was to follow her ¡®best friend¡¯ Stephie in whatever she just does.


    My appetite was lost just by looking at their faces . Putting down my sandwich I wiped my hands.


    ¡± Poor girl was really humiliated today.¡± Stephie made a fake sad face. I quickly grabbed Cora¡¯s hand that was clenched into a fist because I knew for a reason that she wouldn¡¯t hesitate coliding that fist with Stephie¡¯s face.


    ¡± Wonder why Mr. Lewis blowed up like that on her face! This never happened with anyone else.¡± Talia delivered her well rehearsed lines.


    ¡± Oh they all were present in the conference room. Maybe our poor Brae was trying too hard to get into his pants and Mr. Lewis got irritated.¡± The whole canteen snickered along with them. Just when I thought I couldn¡¯t be more degraded, Stephie just made me feel more low.


    ¡°Or maybe she behaved the same with Mr. Lewis.¡± Someone added from behind me.


    This time I couldn¡¯t control myself from crying in public. I had lost whatever self-control I had and the tears rolled down on their own ord.


    ¡± Just shut up. How can you speak so ill about someone? ¡± Cora shouted, trying to save my nearly non-existent respect.


    ¡± Oh I bet Mr. Lewis will agree.¡± Stephie¡¯sment encouraged the snickerings and murmurings.


    ¡± Is it ? Then how about I take you to him and see if he agrees it not?¡± From the voice, I knew it was Ryan but I didn¡¯t dare look up. I was to mortified to look at anyone, scared to find the same disrespect or pity in their eyes.


    ¡± Mr. Lewis ¨C uhh ¨C we were just-¡± Stephie¡¯s stuttering was cut off by him.


    ¡± Leave ! Right now.¡± The authority in his voice had the full canteen silenced.


    Both of them scurried out before Ryan bent down toe to my level.


    ¡± Brae.¡± Holding my hands in his, he softly called. I raised my face and looked at him through my tears. He wiped my tears with the pad of his thumb.


    ¡± Go home and take some rest.¡± I wanted nothing more than to hear those words but I didn¡¯t want to risk my job. Going home without telling him would be the greatest excuse for him to fire me.


    ¡± I can¡¯t. Evan ¡­¡± I trailed off.


    ¡± He won¡¯t fire you. I won¡¯t let him.¡± I wanted to run off at that moment and hide myself under my nket but I still wasn¡¯t sure. He saw the uncertainty in my eyes.


    ¡± Do you trust me?¡± Do I ? I couldn¡¯t trust anyone easily after that day but Ryan was different. If he still wanted to trust me after everything I did, then why can¡¯t I.


    ¡± I do.¡± I faintly whispered causing him to smile.


    ¡± Then go home.¡± I nodded my head. I needed to.

 10. Moved on?

    Evan¡¯s POV


    The look on her face when I demeaned her and her working ability in the conference room, somewhere made me feel guilty. Whatever I said was a damn lie. She was one of the most hard-working, smart and efficient employees but I wouldn¡¯t say that. I quickly pushed away any kind of remorse that was trying to dig it¡¯s way in.


    She sat silently for the rest of the meeting, her eyes fixed on her fiddling fingers.


    Before she could leave the room, I burdened her with some more work. I didn¡¯t want to lose my mind thinking about her . The slightest movements confused my head.


    Taking my zer off, I exited the room and started walking towards my cabin but the scene in front of me boiled my blood. Brae stood there talking to Mr. Walker. He was a reputed pervert and didn¡¯t mind hitting on any and every beautiful woman. Coming closer, I heard him saying how a beautiful woman like her didn¡¯t deserve such harsh words. I felt like smashing his head on the wall.


    I cut Brae off before she could give her name. I gritted my teeth , not allowing my patience to seep out of my system but once I looked at her face , I lost my calm.


    She stood there looking like an innocent scared kitten. Was she so naive that she couldn¡¯t perceive the intentions of the people around her?


    Naive, my ass! A big pretense is all it has ever been.


    When I spoke , I thought those were the rightest words to say but the pain on her face crushed my heart. I knew I had totally degraded her self respect by questioning her professionalism. I had aplished my mission, I had squashed her, made her feel cheap and humiliated but why wasn¡¯t I happy ? Looking at her tears, why didn¡¯t satisfaction course through me?


    I was frustrated with everything and needed some time for myself.


    ¡°What is your problem man?¡± Ryan barged into the cabin. I looked up to see him seething at me. Not this now!


    ¡± I think I said that I don¡¯t want to see anyone.¡±  I rubbed the temple of my forehead with my fingers.


    ¡± And you think I care? ¡± He banged his hand on the desk.


    ¡± Ryan, can you not shout ? What is it?¡±


    ¡± You¡¯re asking me what is it? Are you stupid or what? How can you humiliate Brae like that in front of everyone?¡± Ryan normally doesn¡¯t get angry easily. To see him so concerned about Brae and shouting for her was irritating me.


    ¡± I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡± I opened myptop only for it to be mmed shut the next moment by Ryan.


    ¡± You have to. You can¡¯t humiliate her like that and run away.¡± I banged my palm on the table and shot up.


    ¡± And what about her? Didn¡¯t she do the same ? Didn¡¯t she shame me, humiliate me in front of everyone and run away?¡± I shouted.


    ¡± What is it about, Evan? You only said you had moved on. Then why does it still affect you? Why are your actions based on that incident?¡± I clenched my jaws in anger. Anger on the fact that I didn¡¯t have the answer myself.


    ¡± Ryan, leave !¡± I gritted out.


    ¡± Do you know what you have done? You had just made her the biggest topic of gossip for the whole office. You have given everyone the license to humiliate her.¡± I stared at Ryan who was breathing hard by now.


    ¡± Can you make yourself clear ?¡± He turned his head away for a second , his lips pressed against each other in frustration.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡± Two of the employees just abashed her in front of the whole canteen saying that today morning you exploded because  Brae was trying hard to get into the pants of either Mr. Walker or more evidently yours.¡± My jaws ticked, enraged at the thought itself.


    ¡± Don¡¯t dare make that face. It¡¯s no one but you who is responsible for this. You are the one who tarnished her image in front of everyone.¡± Blinded by my rage I didn¡¯t realise that I had questioned her character in front of the whole office. I felt remorse no matter how hard I tried not to. I wanted to hurt her and I did but that brought me  anything but satisfaction.


    ¡± You should have seen her face when the whole canteen wasughing at her expense. She apparently wanted the ground to swallow her up.¡± The guilt hit me like a truck. I never wanted everyone around her to humiliate her, degrade her but  the damage was done and I was the one who did it.


    ¡°I never saw her more crushed but I am sure you would have enjoyed the view. You would have been absolutely pleased to see her in so much pain.¡± I gritted my teeth trying to control my anger. Breaking her down was not my intention but I had gone too far with it.


    ¡± I should have filmed a video. You would have loved  it , no?¡± He was trying to hurt me with his words and it was working. I felt pathetic about myself.


    ¡± Ryan just stop it okay? Why don¡¯t you understand that I am in pain too?¡± I went and stood in front of the ss wall thinking of nothing specifically. So many thoughts were running in my mind that I felt like at any time it would explode.


    ¡± Evan.¡± Ryan came and stood beside me looking out as well. We stood beside each other silently lost in our own thoughts.


    ¡± Have you really moved on?¡± He asked me just the question, the answer to which I was hunting for. A thick silence prevailed between us before I answered.


    ¡± I think not.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    For the past fifteen minutes I had been sitting in my car outside Brae¡¯s house. Coming to this ce brought back so many memories of our past¡­


    ¡± Evan ? What are you doing here?¡± Brae came out, zipping up the jacket around her.


    ¡± I never left?¡± I straightened up.


    ¡± What does that mean? Were you here all night ?¡± Her eyebrows furrowed in an expression that she hoped to be wrong but she wasn¡¯t. I pressed my lips together and gave a small nod causing her eyes to widen.


    ¡± Evan , are you stupid or what? How can you spend the whole night here?¡± She stared at me like she was mortified. I circled my hands around her waist and caged her between me and the car.


    ¡± I am. I am stupidly in love with you.¡± The rose tinge on her cheeks was prominent and she was trying hard not to smile.


    ¡± Evan, be serious.¡± The smile threatening to fall on her lips.


    ¡± I am serious Be, You were upset with me and I wanted to talk-¡± She cut me off.


    ¡± And I told you I didn¡¯t want to talk-¡± This time I cut her off.


    ¡± Then, you said you didn¡¯t want to talkst night but we can talk right now.¡± She huffed looking like an annoyed kid.


    ¡± That doesn¡¯t rify why you were here all night.¡± She put her palms on my chest lightly.


    ¡± I wouldn¡¯t have been able to rest unless I persuade you to forgive me. So¡­ I decided that I will spend the night here and the first thing in the morning will be speaking to you.¡± I tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.


    ¡± I don¡¯t know what to do with you.¡± She whispered looking deep into my eyes.


    ¡± You can do anything you want with me. I¡¯m all yours but for starters, can you forgive me?¡± I don¡¯t know why we were whispering to each other in the middle of the empty street but whatever it was, it felt special.


    She nodded at me before getting on her tippy toes and attaching her lips to mine.

 11. Not His Fault.

    Evan¡¯s POV


    I closed my eyes tightly to relieve the pain that was resurfacing in me. We used to spend a lot of time here in her house and I wasn¡¯t sure how easy it would be for me toe back here. Finally making up my mind I came out and locked the car before pressing the bell.


    A few secondster the door opened.


    ¡°Evan?¡± Brillie looked shocked to find me at the door.


    ¡°Brielle.¡± I acknowledged with a curt nod.


    ¡°Where is Braelyn?¡± She bit her lip, seemingly unsure .


    ¡°She isn¡¯t feeling good. Maybe she will see you tomorrow?¡± There was a hint of worry in her eyes, like she didn¡¯t want me here . Most probably Brae had told her everything about today.


    ¡°No, I want to see her now. Can Ie in?¡± I was determined.


    ¡°Uhh sure. Come in.¡± She hesitantly moved away, allowing me to pass . I took a quick nce at the living room. Everything looked nearly the same as I saw itst time.


    ¡°Where is she?¡± My eyesnded back on Brielle. She had a look of nervousness on her face, not sure of the words that she was about to let out.


    ¡°In her room. She hasn¡¯te out since she came back from the office. I couldn¡¯t even make her eat anything. Please don¡¯t hurt her anymore. It wasn¡¯t her fault.¡± She mumbled thest part to herself. I felt miserable that she thought I came to hurt Brae more.


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Giving a short assurance, I started walking upstairs. Everything about this house was ufortably familiar to me . As I reached her room, the door was closed but not locked. Pushing open the door I entered .


    Brae was sitting at the head of the bed with her knees folded up to her chest and she was tightly hugging a pillow.


    ¡°Bri- leave please. I told you to leave me alone.¡± Her muffled voice came out.


    ¡°Brae?¡± She stilled for a moment before her head snapped up to look at me. One look at her face and my heart lurched. She stared at me with her bloodshot eyes, puffy from crying. Her face was red and she looked disoriented. The weight of guilt on me increased manifold times.


    ¡°Mr. Lewis?¡± Aggressively wiping her face, she immediately stood up but her feet gave away. I held her securely by her waist before she couldnd on the floor.


    I sat down on the bed and pulled her beside me. She struggled a bit to get away but gave up realising that I wouldn¡¯t listen. She put her head on my shoulder and moaned in what seemed like pain.


    ¡°Are you fine?¡± I asked softly.


    ¡°My head and my stomach¡­ it hurts.¡± She mumbled in a sleepy voice. I sighed.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you have anything?¡± Of course it would hurt if she wouldn¡¯t have any food.


    ¡°I had enough for a day. Lost my appetite.¡± Her words stabbed my heart with remorse. How much hurt did I cause her?


    ¡°Brae, I am sorry. I shouldn¡¯t have said those words. I am-¡± She cut me off.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± I stared off at the wall confused by what she said. Okay? How can it be okay?


    ¡°What? Are you not angry with me?¡± I publicly humiliated her, questioned her work ethics and she just couldn¡¯t be okay with it?


    ¡°I can¡¯t get angry with you, Evan. After all you¡¯re not behind this condition of mine.¡± I was even more confused. Definitely I was the one who caused this hurt to her.


    ¡°What are you saying Brae? Of course I am the one to me.¡± I argued to which she weakly smiled and shook her head. Her face looked tired yet I found her beautiful, her deep blue eyes having a calming effect.


    She too was staring at me, matching my intense gaze. Lost in our little staringpetition, we unknowingly had inched closer until our lips were almost touching. As my lips brushed against her¡¯s, I felt a jolt of electricity pass through me. She must have felt the same as I noticed her shiver.


    I was still staring into her eyes when our lips met. After she closed her eyes, I closed mine, getting lost in bliss. She was gripping my shirt with one hand , the other being around my waist. I brought one hand up to hold the nape of her neck while the other was secured around her waist.


    Our lips moulded against each other, moving slowly. I felt things that had be foreign to me. Only a mere touch of her had the capacity to make me feel alive, only her soft lips could make my senses go haywire.


    Feeling the need to breathe, we broke the kiss. She quickly looked away, her breathing in pants.


    We sat inplete silence before I heard her soft snores. Pushing a hair out of her face, I smiled seeing her sleep on me. This moment was strangely special. I felt at peace. This moment made me realise that I would never be able to get over this one woman, no matter what happens.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    ¡°Brae, wake up. Brae?¡± I peeled one eye open to see Evan sitting beside me while I was lying down on the bed.


    ¡°I slept.¡± I stated, embarrassed.


    ¡°Yes, you were exhausted but I had to wake you up. You need to eat or you will faint now.¡± He brought a spoonful of soup from the bowl to my lips.


    He kept feeding me while I stared at his face. The face which meant the world to me. Deep down I knew I had never moved on from him and I never would. He was the only man I would ever crave for.


    When we kissed, I could feel a lost part of mine, a sense that I had lost. His touch brought it back, his kiss could make me feel the life in me.


    I observed his face concentrated on the soup. He came to my house, took care of me. He was being nice but I couldn¡¯t get used to his sweet side. I feared that he would go back to being the cold man he had be.


    Once he was done feeding the soup, gathering a lot of courage, I asked the one question that was pestering my mind.


    ¡°Evan, are you-are you going to, I mean, this thing is only for today right?¡± His jaw clenched and his entire demeanor changed.


    Great! I had to bring this up now only. Way to ruin moments!


    ¡°I won¡¯t hurt again, if that¡¯s what you are asking. When I said I am sorry, I meant it.¡± Saying this, he stood up and just left. I kept staring at the door reying today¡¯s events in my mind.


    He was shocked when I said that it wasn¡¯t his fault and I wasn¡¯t angry at him but it was true. I could never be angry at him for whatever he was doing. If I was in his position, maybe I would have behaved more aggressively. It hurts, it hurts so much that we havee to this position where a civil conversation between us was nearly impossible but then it wasn¡¯t our fault. It wasn¡¯t.

 12. Evan.

    shback


    ¡°You look so beautiful Sis! You look like a princess.¡± Bri gushed at me as she looked at me through the mirror. I myself was overwhelmed with my final wedding look. It was a pearl whitece dress with a plunging neckline. The hair was done in a beautiful messy updo and my face had neutral makeup.


    ¡°I know right?¡± I smiled widely at her, causing her tough.


    ¡°I am anticipating Evan¡¯s face when he sees you. You will just blow his mind off.¡± She sped her hands together in excitement.


    ¡°Agreed.¡± Both of us turned to look at Kate who just entered, looking beautiful in a blush pink dress. She was a very close friend to Evan and me. I met her in college where she was my senior.


    ¡°You are going to take his breath away looking like this.¡± I blushed hard causing them to tease me a bit more.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Can we talk for a few minutes ?¡± Kate asked, looking at me. I nodded my head .


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you guys to it and go check if everything is ready.¡± Bri closed the door behind her. I looked at Kate¡¯s  face for her to speak but she didn¡¯t. Instead she handed her phone to me.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I furrowed my eyebrows while she gestured to me to look at the phone.


    ¡°y the video.¡± As I pressed the y button, the video showed Bri standing in a room opposite a man who was seated on a sofa. Suddenly, she rushed towards a chest of drawers and took out a gun. My grip on the phone unknowingly tightened.


    I didn¡¯t even have the ability toprehend what happened in the next few minutes. The man tried to convince her, she slowly picked up an envelope from the table and shot him. My hands trembled , my breathsing out in pants.


    ¡°Wh-why will she do it ? Why will she kill someone?¡± I kept staring at the now paused video. Kate came and took the phone away from me.


    ¡°Because your stupid sister had signed a contract with a stripper club and she had to leave with that man that very moment for her job. Of course she didn¡¯t want to but had no choice and finally this seemed to be the way out for her.¡± She shrugged her shoulders.


    ¡°Why will she sign the contract with a stripper club? I don¡¯t believe it.¡± Why on earth will Brae sign to be a stripper?


    ¡°Well , what do you think there was in the envelope?¡± I gulped painfully trying to get a grip of reality. My sister had actually killed someone?


    ¡°Is he- is -¡± I stuttered out of nervousness.


    ¡°Dead? No , he is alive.¡± I released the breath that I didn¡¯t know I was holding.


    ¡°But¡­ ¡± I felt this ¡®but¡¯ wasn¡¯t going to do any good.


    ¡°He wishes to bring this video to the police and ce charges of theft and attempt to murder on Brielle.¡± My eyes widened at that. Charges?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I know him and I stopped him from doing it.¡± I closed my eyes to control my palpitating heart. Having a friend like Kate was really a matter of luck.


    ¡°I will never be able to thank you enough-¡± My words of gratitude were cut short.


    ¡°I expect something in return and that is most definitely not your thanks.¡± Her words sounded harsh and cold.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± I skeptically asked.


    ¡°Evan.¡± I was confused, literally extremely confused. What does that even mean?


    ¡°What ? What do you mean?¡± I expressed my confusion.


    ¡°What I mean is very simple. You¡¯re going to reject him in front of everyone and leave him at the altar.¡± She said without missing a beat while I stared at her wide-eyed. She couldn¡¯t be serious!


    ¡°This is a joke right?¡± I tried forcing a smile on my face but she didn¡¯t smile back.


    ¡°Thest thing I want to do now is to joke with you.¡± I couldn¡¯t believe my ears. How could she even say that?


    ¡°Are you even in your right mind? I won¡¯t do it.¡± I spoke once I had recovered from the shock.


    ¡°Well, then be ready to see your little sister behind the bars but that apparently doesn¡¯t concern you right ?¡± Sarcasm dripped from her words while I was far from finding anything funny.


    ¡°Why are you doing this? Evan is your best friend. Then why are you doing this to him?  Why Kate?¡± My eyes were stinging with tears.


    ¡°Because I love him. I fucking love him but the only girl he ever looks for is you.¡± To say I was shocked at her deration was an understatement. She loved Evan? From her actions, I could have never made out what she feels for Evan.


    ¡°Shocked? That¡¯s the truth . I used to love him since our first year in college but he never understood. He never looked at girls and I thought I would give him some time but then you came. You came in and he started behaving like he was under your spell. The way he looked at you, smiled at you; I wanted him to look at me, smile at me like that but he didn¡¯t.¡± She snarled at me.


    ¡°Because he loves me!¡± I cried out.


    ¡°That¡¯s why. That¡¯s why I want you to leave him, break him into pieces, hurt him to the extent that he would hate to even think of you.¡± Tears freely rolled down my cheeks at the thought. I couldn¡¯t imagine being hated by the man whom I was about to marry, whom I love with every cell in my being.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t do this, I can¡¯t. I really love him. I c-can¡¯t do this to him.¡± I choked on my tears.


    ¡°Then let your sister rot in jail.¡± The feeling of helplessness was strangling me.


    ¡°You leave Evan, your sister is saved . You don¡¯t, your sister¡¯s life is destroyed forever. You¡¯re smart enough to make the right decision.¡± She whispered in my ears before standing up and walking towards the door. For some reason, she stopped and turned back again.


    ¡°And one more thing, if Evan learns about this, Bri goes to jail.¡± With that she left the room with every bit of my sanity, my happiness and my chance at a happy life with the man of my dreams.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    ¡°Brae ,e on, it¡¯s time.¡± I saw the beautiful smile on William¡¯s face turn into a frown. He rushed in.


    ¡°Were you crying Brae? What happened?¡± I opened my mouth a few times but no words came out.


    ¡°Ohe on Pumpkin, don¡¯t be so sad. You aren¡¯t flying away to another country. You can always meet your sister, you know? Come on, cheer up now.¡± I kept looking at his jovial face, his eyes full of happiness. It would kill me to hurt all these people who have loved me so much but I had to save this stupid sister of mine.

 13. Bella.

    I couldn¡¯t imagine how hurt Evan would be with this decision. I was torn between the two most important people in my life.


    I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn¡¯t notice when I was in front of the door. William linked his hand with mine and passed me an encouraging smile.


    The song started ying which was my cue to enter. The gate opened , giving a clear view of the altar. We started walking down the aisle. I saw the smiling faces of all the guests. Victoria stood there with arge smile stered on her face. My heart broke a bit more each time I saw everyone¡¯s happy faces. Everyone was happy except me. The increasing agony in my heart was bing unbearable and my eyes fell on Kate. She was staring right back at me with a smirk on her face.


    When I looked up at Evan¡¯s face, I felt a stab of pain in my heart. He had his gorgeous smile on his face, looking directly at me. He looked like he couldn¡¯t have been happier in his life. Not being able to look at his face anymore I put my head down and walked to the end of the aisle. Ryan, who was Evan¡¯s bestman, passed me arge smile and my eyes finally fell on Bri. She put her thumb up , a wide encouraging smile stered on her face and at that moment I realised I had to do it. I had to protect her at any cost, be it by sacrificing my own happiness, I had to. I couldn¡¯t give up on her for anything. She deserved all the happiness in the world.


    William gave me a hand in Evan¡¯s and patted his shoulder before standing beside his wife.


    ¡°Look well after my sister or I will personally hunt you down and have your head.¡±Bri threatened from behind me causing Evan to  give out a chuckle .


    ¡°I would always look after her. You have my word.¡± He assured Bri, causing my heart to clench with grief.


    I stood opposite Evan, my hands in his. I felt suffocated with the weight on my heart. Evan drew soft patterns on my knuckles to calm me down, most probably noticing my nervousness.


    ¡°Dear beloved, we are gathered here today in the sight of God to join this man, and this woman in holy matrimony¡± My heart started beating at a faster rate as the priest started the ceremony.


    ¡°Evan Henry Lewis, have youe here to enter into marriage without coercion, freely and wholeheartedly?¡±


    ¡°I have.¡± His response was immediate.


    ¡°Braelyn Sabe Taylor, have youe here to enter into Marriage without coercion, freely and wholeheartedly?¡±


    The whole church was met with silence. Bri was looking at me with an expectant smile. I looked at Kate , pleading with my eyes to not ruin this for us only to get back an evil smirk as a response. I felt Evan squeeze my hands , a slightly worried expression on his face.


    That was it. Now I had to do this. For Bri, for my little sister. For my parents. I had to do this. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath. I¡¯m sorry Evan.


    ¡°I-I can¡¯t.¡± I let out and the whole church was deadly silent.


    ¡°Brae?¡± Evan¡¯s face was morphed into one of confusion. I pulled my hands out of his.


    ¡°E-Evan, I c-can¡¯t marry you. I am s-sorry.¡± The church broke down into murmurs. I bit my lips to stop myself from crying. Evan came closer, putting his hands forward but I took two steps back. I couldn¡¯t bear to be close to him when I had to do it.


    ¡°Brae, what happened? Tell me what¡¯s bothering you? Whatever it is, we can solve it. Please calm down baby.¡± He tried but this wasn¡¯t something we could have solved.


    ¡°No, Evan, I can¡¯t do this. I am sorry. I can¡¯t.¡± I stepped down and started walking out when I was suddenly yanked back by my arms.


    ¡°Brae, what is wrong with you? Why are you doing this?¡± He looked at me frustrated.


    ¡°Evan-¡± He cut me off.


    ¡°Okay, okay listen, if you¡¯re upset with me, tell me what have I done wrong, I will correct it. We can solve it baby. Please don¡¯t walk away.¡± My heart lurched at causing him so much pain but I was helpless.


    ¡°No we can¡¯t Evan! It¡¯s over. ¡± It was hard to keep my faceposed when I wanted to sit down and beat my hands on the ground, releasing my frustrations.


    ¡°How can you say that Brae ? Nothing is over between us. It can¡¯t be.¡± He furiously shook his head.


    ¡°It is Evan. It is.¡± I struggled out of his grip and walked out . I heard his footsteps behind me and I was trying to escape. I was out of the church when he gripped my wrist, stopping me.  I clenched my eyes shut , cursing him for making it even more difficult than it already was.


    ¡°Be¡­¡± I inhaled sharply at that, memories flooding my mind.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like Be.¡± I whined as he sat in the grass and Iy on the ground with my head on hisp.


    ¡°But I like to call you Be.¡± He said tucking a loose hair behind my ear.


    ¡°Why?¡± I sat up to look at his face. He smiled at me and leaned forward.


    ¡°Because it suits you. Be means beautiful and you¡¯re the most beautiful woman to me.¡± He stared deep into my eyes, his eyes guaranteed the sincerity behind his words.


    ¡°Be.¡± I tasted the name on my lips , somewhat liking it a bit now.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Be.¡± He repeated after me , kissing the top of my head.


    My eyes were stinging with tears. From his voice I knew he was on the verge of crying. I was not strong enough to look at his face.


    ¡°I love you.¡± It came out as a plea from his mouth. To hear the man I love so much so broken and dejected was piercing my heart but I couldn¡¯t get weak at this point.


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±  I never knew I could say that I didn¡¯t love him when he was my everything.


    ¡°You¡¯re lying, Be.¡± His grip on my wrist tightened.


    ¡°No I am not.¡± I gritted through my teeth.


    ¡°Yes you are! Look into my eyes and say that you don¡¯t love me.¡± I froze at that. How could I even lie facing him?


    ¡°Say it Be, say that you don¡¯t love me. Look at me and say it.¡± I took deep breaths. I had to do this. Turning back I looked right into his eyes and said it. The most dreadful words of my life.


    ¡°I. Don¡¯t. Love. You. Evan. Lewis.¡± My heart constricted at the look on Evan¡¯s face. He had a look of pure shock, hurt and pain. His eyes glistened and he was trying hard to keep it in.


    ¡°Why?¡± The pain behind that single word shook me. I  wanted to hold him in my arms and tell him how much I love him, that this wasn¡¯t true but I couldn¡¯t. My hands were tied. I didn¡¯t know the answer to his question. I desperately wanted to escape this nightmare and I spoke what I thought was right for him.


    ¡°I found someone else.¡± The look of horror on his face was intolerable but I had to do this for him. I knew it hurt him a lot but this will help him move on in his life. His hold on my hand loosened.


    ¡°Someone e-else?¡± He gulped painfully.


    ¡°Yes and I love him.¡± He clenched his jaws and fists, a look of rage overtook his features.


    ¡°You don¡¯t love me but you love him ? Why? Does he love you more than me ? Tell me, does he ?¡± He took a menacing step towards me.


    ¡°Does he consider you more important than himself? What does he have to give you that I don¡¯t?¡± He shouted the end part with angry tears rolling down his cheeks.


    ¡°Money.¡± I spat. His angry expression changed in an instant into one of disbelief.


    ¡°What ?¡± He whispered, his voice barely audible.


    ¡°Money, Evan. Your business is in a poor condition and as bad it may sound, it is going to go further down at this rate. Money is important for a secured life and I want to live a peaceful, secured life Evan, one that he can provide. I can¡¯t spend my days in uncertainty.¡± Evan looked devastated at myst sentence. I was inches away from breaking down in front of everyone but I kept reminding myself why I was doing all these.


    ¡°It¡¯s not true. It can¡¯t be true. You ¨C You were never after money, Brae. This is not you speaking.¡± I fisted my hands to keep my emotions in. ¡®For him. For Bri¡¯ I chanted in my mind.


    ¡°It¡¯s true Evan. ¡± At that point, I didn¡¯t know myself. I didn¡¯t know that I could hurt him so much.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this to me, Be, don¡¯t do this.¡± Faint whispers left his mouth. Before I would lose control over my emotions, I started running, never to turn back.


    The cold air hit my face and the tears flowed down my cheeks freely. I kept running until I reached my car. I looked back to see him staring back with helplessness and destion in his eyes, fat tears escaping his eyes.


    ¡°I love you E-Evan. I l-love you s-so m-much.¡± I mumbled to myself before driving off to my house.

 14. A Set Up?

    Chapter- 14


    ¡°Brae, what was that ?¡± I heard Bri burst in through the door. I wiped away my tears and walked past her into the kitchen with her following me.


    ¡°I want answers, Brae. How can you leave Evan at the altar in front of everyone?¡± I put the bottle of water down before taking a deep breath. I was already angry at Bri but didn¡¯t want to shout at her.


    ¡°That was the only option I had.¡± I let out a vague answer. I didn¡¯t want to discuss anything at that moment.


    ¡°What are you saying? For what reason in the world would you do that to him?¡± My self-control broke when she shouted at me.


    ¡°For you. I did it for you. To save your stupid ass.¡± I yelled back.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She looked confused and that was pissing me off even more.


    ¡°Why did you sign the contract for a stripper¡¯s job ?¡± I gritted through my teeth and saw the colour fade from her eyes.


    ¡°H-how do you¡­¡± She was stuttering. Was she asking how did I know when she was the one who should have told me about it?


    ¡°What ? How do I know?¡­ Kate! Kate showed me your signature on it.¡± I snarled. I haven¡¯t spoken like that to Brae in my life but I was beyond frustrated to care for any damn thing in the world.


    ¡°Brae-¡± I cut her off.


    ¡°Why do you do things from where you can¡¯t get out, where you have to shoot someone?¡± Her face changed into a shocked one.


    ¡°What are you saying Brae, I didn¡¯t shoot anyone-¡± I gritted my teeth to control the anger rising in me. I put up my hand to cut her off.


    ¡°Don¡¯t! Don¡¯t lie to me Bri. I have seen the video. I saw you shooting him.¡± Saying this I sat down on the sofa. She made a helpless face and pressed her lips together.


    ¡°For God¡¯s sake Brae, I didn¡¯t- okay you saw me shooting him? Just tell me what did you see in the video?¡± I looked at her pleading eyes and decided to do as she said. She came and sat down beside me.


    ¡°You were there standing opposite to a man and then you suddenly rushed to a chest of drawers and picked up a gun. Pointing it at him, you took an envelope from the desk and shot him before rushing out.¡±


    ¡°What the ¨C ¡± Her mouth was hanging open with shock. She shot up out of excitement and started pacing around the room.


    ¡°I never shot him. I will tell you what happened.¡± She came and sat down.


    ¡°As you know, a few days back I took a part time job at a cafe. The manager has asked me to sign a contract for it. That day whose video you saw, I was called in a smaller office room in the cafe. On entering I saw two men talking to each other. First one gave a gun to the other and from their talks I could make out that the gun was for shooting in the ranches.


    The second rough looking man put the gun away in the drawer before the former left the room.


    After that he told me that I had to go with him right then and start my job as a stripper at some club. Obviously I refused to believe that I had signed any such contract. He then took out a contract from an envelope and showed me the signature but didn¡¯t give me the papers saying that he didn¡¯t trust me and he had only the original with him. He convinced me that I was tricked into signing the stripper contract in ce of the other one as I didn¡¯t read before signing.


    I begged him but he wouldn¡¯t let me go. So I did what came to my mind. I took that gun out of the drawer and pointed the gun at him. I picked up that envelope but I never pressed the trigger. I  walked till the door, keeping the gun pointed at him and once I was out of the door, I threw the gun in and closed the door behind me.¡± There was such a long deafening silence after shepleted her story.


    ¡°Y-you didn¡¯t sh-shoot him?¡± I stuttered the sentence out. All this was so much to take in.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    ¡°No Sis, tell me why will I shoot him once I have the envelope with me?¡± Her words made sense.


    ¡°How can you be so stupid to sign a wrong contract? Why wouldn¡¯t you read it before signing it?¡± I snapped at her, frustration dripping from my tone.


    ¡°Okay I agree I didn¡¯t read before signing the contract but I didn¡¯t sign the wrong contract.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I felt like my brain would explode at any moment.


    ¡°My signature on the stripper contract was forged.¡± Silence. There was pure silence before realisation slowly sunk in.


    ¡°This was a set up? Oh my God, this was all a set up!¡± I felt like I was robbed of my life.


    ¡°Set up ? What are you talking about?¡± She looked confused, trying to connect the dots inside her head.


    ¡°This contract fiasco, this edited video , everything. Everything was set up to ruin our wedding.¡± I ran my hands through my hair as I felt restless.


    ¡°Brae , I don¡¯t understand. What does this have to do with your wedding?¡± I looked at Bri and bit my lips trying to calm the turbulence inside my heart.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to tell Evan everything?¡± I shook my head disappointedly. I couldn¡¯t believe that I just destroyed my happiness with my own stupid brain.


    ¡°Why would he believe me? After I hurt him like that, he would never believe me.¡± Sighing, Bri scooted closer to me before cing a hand on my shoulder.


    ¡°But you need to try. You can¡¯t give up like that assuming things on your own.¡± I looked at her hesitantly in response to which she squeezed my shoulder.


    ¡°Go to him once and tell him everything. Let him decide if he wants to believe you.¡± I looked at the clock showing one in the morning. Nodding, I got up. I brushed my hair and grabbed my coat and car keys before leaving the house.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­


    ¡°Rx. Everything will be fine. Just press the bell and tell him everything. It will be fine.¡± Prepping myself, I spoke to the security and they let me in.


    The door opened and I clenched my eyes shut out of nervousness.


    ¡°Listen , before you kick me out I just-¡± I was cut off.


    ¡°What do you need here?¡± I peeled my eyes open to look at Victoria standing in front of me, her arms folded against her chest. I hadn¡¯t seen her expressions this cold ever.


    ¡°Uhm Hello Victoria!¡± I fiddled with my fingers nervously.


    ¡°I¡¯m definitely not interested in your pleasantries after you left my son at the altar. Why are you even here?¡± I flinched when she yelled those harsh words at me.


    ¡°I-I wanted to speak to him once.¡±  When I raised my head to look at her, she was seething.


    ¡°Why ? Haven¡¯t you hurt him enough? Or is there more left?¡± She snarled at me. I was taken aback by her tone because she had been the sweetestdy I have ever seen but nobody could me her. Maybe this was how much a child¡¯s pain can change his mother.


    ¡°Victoria, I know you are upset with me but I need to talk to him once , please just let me-¡± She harshly cut me off.


    ¡°No. You aren¡¯t meeting him. Not now, not ever. Whom will you talk to huh? Evan who is not even in his senses?¡± I was confused about that. Not in his senses?


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked.


    ¡°He was busy drinking down his pain and came homepletely wasted.¡± I gulped hard, my heart clenching for him. He was drinking down his heartbreak.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen him like this ever and all this is just because of you. He loved you and you? You crushed his heart and threw him away.¡± She snarled at me. Every word of her had the power to stab me.


    ¡°You have done enough damage. Now you¡¯re going to leave and if you have even the slightest bit of humanity in yourself then don¡¯t ever show your face to him or us.¡± By the end of it a few tear drops were escaping her eyes. I felt extremely guilty for hurting these people, the only few people who were the closest to a family for me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I hung my head low in shame and without arguing further, left the house. I couldn¡¯t wait to see the same hatred in the eyes of William and Ryan too

 15. Talk?

    Evan¡¯s POV


    ¡°Damn it.¡± I threw the bottle on the floor which shattered into a million pieces.


    ¡°Woah! Rx man! Who shoved a stick up your ass huh?¡± Skipping through the ss shreds, Ryan climbed up and sat on the kitchen counter.


    ¡°So , why did you call? I was busy.¡± He poured himself a ss of water.


    ¡°Busy as in?¡± I raised my eyebrows at him.


    ¡°Busy as in you don¡¯t need to know.¡± He passed a sarcastic grin causing me to roll my eyes.


    ¡°Tell me why did you call?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t think properly anymore. I will be mad.¡± I spoke as I kept pacing about the room.


    ¡°You mean, you weren¡¯t already?¡± I stopped walking to give him a murderous re. Inching closer to him I put my finger up while speaking to him.


    ¡°Be serious Ryan. It¡¯s very important.¡± I said in a low voice. He brought his face closer and with wide eyes spoke.


    ¡°Well what is so important?¡± He whispered back mockingly making me realise that I was whispering too like there were other people in the room. Rolling my eyes at him, I moved away before resuming my walk.


    ¡°Everything¡¯s so confused inside my head that I don¡¯t even know where to start from.¡±


    ¡°From the start?¡± I clicked my tongue in annoyance.


    ¡°Just shut up and listen to me.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I will but first stop pacing about like a stupid lion and sit calmly, will you?¡± I pulled a chair and sat down opposite him.


    ¡°Now speak.¡± He pped his hands in fake excitement. Nevertheless I ignored his antics and decided to speak.


    ¡°So today, I went to Brae¡¯s ce-¡± I was cut off by a now very serious looking Ryan.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you insulted her more! I will have your head, I am telling you.¡± He threatened, sitting straight.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t. I did no such thing. Will you listen to me patiently?¡± I asked, annoyed to be cut off.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Okay, go on.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    ¡°You are saying you fed fer with your own fucking hands? And you two actually kissed?¡± He asked dumbly, like he was trying to grasp the situation.


    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know why. Okay i said I¡¯m not over her but that doesn¡¯t mean I will do all this. I don¡¯t know why I care so much? Why do I feel this unnerving guilt for hurting her, why I feel hurt everytime she cries? Fucking why?¡± I frustratedly threw my hands in the air.


    ¡°When we kissed today I felt- it ¨C it was special, strangelyfortable, it felt correct. I couldn¡¯t feel any awkwardness or regret. In fact I liked every moment of it but I shouldn¡¯t have. It¡¯s not normal. She left me at the altar for crying out loud.¡± A mixture of emotions were storming me. I was angry at the memory of our past, at Brae, frustrated at myself for being so pathetically confused and irritated at Ryan who kept on staring like a pig. Sighing I put my head in my hands and closed my eyes.


    ¡°Wow!¡± I raised my face up  to look at Ryan who was staring off dreamily into space.


    ¡°Wow? Seriously? ¡± I looked at him as if he was stupid. After all I said , he let out a ¡®wow¡¯?


    ¡°No, I am just shocked. I mean I knew that this was gonna happen sooner orter but still..¡± He trailed off his face holding a happy yet shocked expression.


    ¡°What do you mean by knowing it?¡± I scrunched up my nose.


    ¡°See, this was bound to happen. I mean look at both of you. You haven¡¯t moved on. Neither has she. She is still struck on you. So¡­¡± He trailed off shrugging like he said the most logical thing on Earth.


    ¡°She ? Struck on me? That¡¯s some real bullshit.¡± I shook my head, feeling the hurt of my own words. It hurt that she didn¡¯t love me.


    ¡°You feel so?¡± Ryan folded his arms against his chest.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to feel. If you actually forgot, let me remind you, she left me. She loved someone else. Why would she do that if she felt for me?¡± He clicked his tongue , shaking his head.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for your reasoning. I asked, what do you feel?¡±


    ¡°She said those words loud and clear. It doesn¡¯t matter what I feel.¡± I huffed out loudly.


    ¡°It does. It does matter. If you had trusted in your feelings you would have known she still loves you.¡± I scoffed at his words.


    ¡°You don¡¯t trust it, right ? Then tell me why wasn¡¯t she angry at you for what you did today? If you believe that she had no feelings then she probably wouldn¡¯t have said it out of guilt for what she did five years back. Then why?¡± He looked at me as if hopeful that he had sessfully made me understand everything but my statement filled his face with disappointment.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why.¡± I shrugged , creasing my forehead in an attempt to make out what he was hinting at.


    ¡°Because Brae had and till date has feelings for you. She is guilty of hurting you, she can¡¯t bring herself to me you.¡± His words did make a lot of sense but the only thing that didn¡¯t sit well with it was Brae¡¯s actions.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. If she loved me , then why did she leave me back then? Money? Was it the only important thing for her?¡± I swear I never felt so messed up in my head in my whole life.


    ¡°I swear you¡¯re the stupidest man I have evere across. I never understood how you could believe her dumb lies. She spoke about money, a rich boyfriend, secured life, where are they? Have you seen her walking around dressed like a million dors? And thest time I checked she wasn¡¯t living in a pce either.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. I haven¡¯t even seen her rich boyfriend she had spoken of. But ¨C but why will she lie ? What was the need?¡± I racked my brain for a single possible reason but found none.


    ¡°You have to get your answers from her. Confront her. Do whatever you need to . Just do it.¡± He was right. I had to confront her, find out what she was hiding from me.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    Seeing Evan enter his cabin, I immediately started following him. From his gruff angry voice I couldn¡¯t expect my day to be peachy. Maybe his caring side is gone again.


    ¡°Mr. Lewis, should I tell you about your schedule for today?¡± Instead of responding he stared at my face as if he was trying to see through me. I cautiously looked at him. God knew what n he had in mind!


    ¡°Should we talk?¡± I was skeptical of the ¡®talk¡¯. Nheless, I nodded.


    ¡°About what ?¡± I asked, careful not to overstep any boundary.


    ¡°About what happened three years back.¡± A dead silence prevailed in the room. He wanted to talk about the past after all these days?


    ¡°There is nothing to talk about.¡± I kept a poker face hiding my inner turmoil.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t?¡± I shook my head.


    I refused to answer at all. Honestly I was conflicted. I wanted to tell him everything, say that I had always loved him but Victoria¡¯s words rang in my ears .


    ¡°You have done enough damage. Now you¡¯re going to leave and if you have even the slightest bit of humanity in yourself then don¡¯t ever show your face to him or us.¡±


    ¡°Fine, you don¡¯t talk. I will.¡±  He gestured to me to take a seat opposite him. Hesitantly I did.

 16. Kate.

    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    ¡°Our wedding day, you know it was the most awaited day of my life. I was excited like a fucking kid on Christmas but then everything changed in just a few minutes.¡± He smiled sadly.


    ¡°That pain was too much for me. I felt as if my heart was being ripped out of my chest. I drank, drank madly to numb the pain but the more I drank I felt I was getting more drowned in grief , an unparalleled emptiness.¡± I wanted to hold him, console him but I couldn¡¯t. The fact that he went through so much pain because of my stupidity, twisted my heart.


    ¡°To get away from all this I immersed myself in work, a lot of work. I didn¡¯t care for anything else other than thepany, your words burning in my mind. I worked day and night to im back all our losses. In these three years we covered every loss, bought shares inpanies all over the world. I wanted to make you swallow your own words.


    I tried everything to forget you, your voice, your smiling face but I failed. There wasn¡¯t a day I didn¡¯t miss you but everytime I remembered our memories, the times we had spent together, my heart filled with an unfiltered amount of rage. Eventually I lost contact with all my friends, I became alone. There were times when I used to feel depressed, and didn¡¯t want toe out of my room. I only had Kate and Ryan with me at that time. ¡± I inhaled sharply at that.


    ¡°I only had Kate and Ryan with me at that time.¡±


    ¡°They helped me to carry on with my life , provided me with emotional support and always had my back.¡± I felt likeughing out at our condition. Evan thinks Kate was one of the biggest supporters when he was distressed, the same Kate who was the cause of it, the one who split us apart.


    Whatever thoughts I had of confessing everything to him, died in my mind. He would never in a lifetime believe me if I used Kate. It¡¯s known that people grow closer at the time of misery and Kate pretended to be his biggest well-wisher at such a time. How could I even make him believe that Kate was not what he thinks?


    The memories of the past are already so painful and I didn¡¯t want to mess it up further. He would consider me a liar if I tell him everything and I wouldn¡¯t be able to bear any more usations. Iposed myself before speaking.


    ¡°With all due respect, why are you telling me all this Mr. Lewis?¡± I saw his jaws clench, highlighting his sharp jawline. I knew it was rude and extremely insensitive to say this but I had no option. For a second hurt shed in his eyes before they went back to normal.


    ¡°I had suffered so much Brae but today I want the reason. Why did I suffer so much? Why did you leave me back then?¡± I kept changing my weight from one feet to another out of nervousness.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for all you had to go through but there is nothing new to speak about this topic.¡± I kept a poker face, my voice cold.


    ¡°Brae -¡± I cut him off abruptly.


    ¡°You have a meeting with the German clients in an hour. If you let me, I would have the conference room prepared.¡±


    Keeping his jaws clenched, he nodded at me. I quickly opened the door and left his cabin.


    Entering my room, I kept my belongings on the table and closed my eyes to calm my erratic breathing. Everything the past us brought into discussion I experience this indescribable feeling. It¡¯s like I want to speak my heart out, let everyone know what happened but again uttering even a single word about it seems difficult and suffocating.


    Even though I wanted to, I knew it would be useless to talk to Evan about our past. Anyone in his ce would never believe me. Maybe this secret will stay with me forever, maybe some things are better this way, unspoken of.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Evan¡¯s POV


    ¡°How can she act like this?¡± I muttered looking at the broken pieces of the pen stand that hadnded on the floor facing my anger. Her cold, indifferent attitude was unnerving.


    Was I trying too much to read in between the lines? Maybe there is nothing more to the story than what is known. But then Ryan¡¯s points stand clear , asking for proper justification. Was she hiding something from me ?


    I pulled out my phone and called a number.


    ¡°Hello!¡±


    ¡°Braelyn Taylor. I want you to find out every single thing that has happened in her life in the past three years. I¡¯m sending you some details about her and I want the information as soon as possible.¡±


    ¡°On it.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Max.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Have a nice day Sir.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, you too.¡± I hung up my phone.


    I knew it wasn¡¯t right to run a background check on her but I had questions, questions that required answers and I was going to get it, by hook or crook.


    ¡­¡­.


    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    ¡°Ms. Davis, the deal with The Knight Industries is off and they haven¡¯t taken the news well. I want you to take care of any false reasons or rumours regarding the case.¡± I looked at Evan , speaking to the public rtions head. Afterst Friday¡¯s incidents, Evan hasn¡¯t been mean to me or made me work my ass off but then it was only the first day after that and only a few hours have gone. I saw him turn to get into his cabin when a high pitch voice interrupted.


    ¡°Evan!¡± My eyes immediately snapped towards the figure dressed in the costliest of things and sporting a big smile. Kate.


    She rushed towards Evan and crushed him with a tight hug who dly reciprocated. At this scene, the whole floor broke into murmurs while I stood rooted in my ce. Seeing Kate after so many years felt surreal. After that day I hadn¡¯t seen her ever up till now when she was hugging Evan.


    I hadn¡¯t felt this uncontroble amount of rage in my life that I felt at the moment. She broke us apart , brought us to the point where it is difficult to even be civil to each other and now she is embracing Evan like she is his greatest friend.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Her eyes roamed about the whole floor before theynded on me, causing her smile to fade away. Instead of guilt, her face had an expression of shock.


    ¡°Braelyn?¡± She spat my name. I clenched my jaws in anger. After all she did, she called my name like I was supposed to be anywhere else but here. Everyone on the floor was now looking at my face to draw a conclusion on how she knew me.


    ¡°Kate.¡± I gritted her name through my teeth.


    ¡°Come with me to my cabin. We¡¯ll talk.¡± Evan pulled her by her arm and got into his cabin. I felt a certain uneasiness on seeing them this close. Sighing, I turned to go back to my cabin when I saw everyone¡¯s stare fixed on me.


    ¡°What ? What do you want?¡± I was irritated. Normally I don¡¯t speak like this even if they are gossiping about me but today I was seething. The sight of Kate itself was toxic.


    ¡°Brae, are you fine?¡± Cora put a hand on my shoulder.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Who was it ? I mean how do you know her?¡±


    ¡°Katherine Smith. She was my senior in college.¡± Even her name felt bitter on my tongue.


    ¡°And Mr. Lewis?¡± Austin looked at me like he knew there was something more to be known and he was right.


    ¡°Yeah, he too. They were in the same batch.¡± I said, sounding bored but that little piece of information was definitely exciting to Cora.


    ¡°Wait WHAT!?¡± Cora¡¯s over dramatic shriek had everyone¡¯s eyes on us.


    ¡°Stop yelling!¡± I hissed.


    ¡°You mean you know Evan Lewis from your college days?¡± Though she toned down, her expression didn¡¯t falter. I nodded knowing what was there toe.


    ¡°Tell me how he was back then. He must have been the popr guy. Was he a sweet charmer kind of guy or the hot bad boy?¡± I just rolled my eyes at her.


    ¡°See youter.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I wanted to know!¡± I heard her whine while I was on my way to my cabin.

 17. Just Talk?

    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    ¡°Wait, I wanted to know!¡± I heard her whine while I was on my way to my cabin.


    Taking the report that I was supposed topletest Friday, I went to his room. I prepared myself to not be affected by Kate¡¯s presence and do anything stupid.


    As I stood outside their room, I heard them speak.


    ¡°Leave it.¡±


    ¡°No Evan. She doesn¡¯t deserve to be here. You should just kick her out of the office and make sure she doesn¡¯t get a job anywhere else.¡± I gritted my teeth, trying not to explode. At the moment I wanted nothing more than to bang her head on a wall.


    ¡°Kate , I said leave it. I will handle it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, like you didst time. Evan I don¡¯t want her hurting you anymore.¡± Me hurting him? It was she who hurt him for her so-called love.


    ¡°Can we not talk about it?¡± Evan¡¯s voice sounded like he was on the edge .


    ¡°But -¡±


    ¡°Please Kate.¡± Evan¡¯s firm voice cut her argument.


    ¡°Okay , just know that-¡± She cut herself off as I knocked on the door and entered. I felt her eyes on me as I walked to Evan¡¯s desk.


    ¡°Braelyn, won¡¯t you greet? We met after so long.¡± I didn¡¯t answer her. Keeping my mouth shut, I kept the file on Evan¡¯s desk.


    ¡°The report you hadst day asked for.¡± He nodded once in acknowledgement.


    ¡°Fair enough! You¡¯re ignoring me but I have one question to ask.¡±


    ¡°Kate.¡± Evan called in a warning tone.


    ¡°What ? I just wanted to know why she is working here. I mean, she has her ¡®rich boyfriend¡¯ and she still works for you. Why?¡± I saw Evan clicking his tongue in annoyance before looking away. Whatever self control I had was worn out.


    ¡°Ms. Katherine, I had provided my credentials, passed the interview and got the job with my own merits and that¡¯s why I¡¯m working here. If you have any other questions, you can dly shut your mouth.¡± I paused and took a step towards her when my eyes were at the level of her¡¯s.


    ¡°Because you¡­ are the bloodyst person on Earth to whom I¡¯m going to exin my fucking life.¡± I couldn¡¯t let out a fraction of the rage I was feeling inside through those words. I wanted to tear her apart for reappearing and behaving like nothing had ever happened after she separated us.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t supposed to talk like this to my guest, Ms. Taylor.¡± I snapped my head towards him in an instant.


    ¡°You¡¯re guest isn¡¯t supposed to show interest in my personal life, Mr. Lewis.¡± I spoke looking directly into his eyes. He thrusted his hands and matched my gaze. I was feeling my anger rise with every second. Turning away I took a deep breath to calm myself.


    ¡°With your permission, I would leave.¡± He nodded and I quickly strode out.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    I was sending all the invites for thepany¡¯s annual function through mails when the door to my cabin opened. I raised my head to see Kateing in which immediately piqued me.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you to enter.¡± I had never been this harsh to anyone in my entire life but everything about her annoyed me to no extent.


    ¡°Oh Brae! Don¡¯t be so rude. I came to talk to you.¡± She faked an innocent look.


    ¡°Well whatever you have to say doesn¡¯t interest me and this is the most polite I will ever be to you.¡± I spat those words.


    ¡°I would think twice before speaking like that if I were you.¡± I mmed my pen on the desk before getting up.


    ¡°Or what? What will you do huh?¡± I took menacing steps towards her.


    ¡°Oh honey, I can do a lot of things but you already know that.¡± She blinked her eyes dramatically at me.


    ¡°Yeah, like plotting cheap ns?¡± I faked admiration.


    ¡°Yeah, like the one you fell for.¡± She smirked at me.


    ¡°And now see you are out of his life and I¡¯m in it.¡± She purely looked like the evil viin.


    ¡°What if I tell him everything?¡± She chuckled evilly.


    ¡°Funny that you think he will believe you over me. ¡± No shit! I knew it but hearing it from her mouth pricked my heart.


    ¡°In his eyes you¡¯re just a gold digging whore and I am the one girl who was there beside him in his tough times.¡± I gritted my teeth trying not to pounce on her at any moment.


    ¡°Besides, you know me well enough not to do that.¡± She looked at me in a challenging manner.


    ¡°Why what can you do? Frame another lie?¡± I snarled.


    ¡°Uh huh, maybe frame you or your sister this time. Don¡¯t forget that I am powerful enough to do that.¡± I looked at her in disgust.


    ¡°How lower can you stoop ?¡± She shrugged at me.


    ¡°More than you can imagine, sweetheart. So make sure you don¡¯t open your pretty little mouth to Evan or your sister¡¯s life is going to be ruined.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re fucking disgusting.¡± I spat at her.


    ¡°Watch your mouth, honey.¡± She waved her hand dramatically and left the room.


    I felt this immense need to smack someone, to break everything around. I haven¡¯t felt this much anger in my life.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    Evan¡¯s POV


    ¡°Come with me to my cabin. We¡¯ll talk.¡± I pulled Kate to my cabin, apprehensive that she might insult Brae in front of everyone.


    ¡°Can you tell me what she is doing here?¡± She demanded once I closed the door behind her.


    ¡°She works here.¡± I moved to my seat.


    ¡°What does that mean, Evan?¡± She asked me, shocked.


    ¡°Have a seat first. I will order something for you.¡± I was about to pick up my phone when she sat opposite me.


    ¡°No, first tell me why is she working here where you¡¯re the boss. Why don¡¯t you kick her out already?¡± She spoke irritatedly.


    Back in the past when drowning myself in work was the only escape for me, to get away from all the pain , I lost contact with all of my friends except for Kate and it¡¯s because of her that I still have a friend. She was the one who kept contact, spending days at my house, cheering me up and providing me with emotional support when I was depressed.


    She absolutely loathes Brae for what she did .


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that .¡± I massaged my forehead with my fingers. I knew it would be difficult to make her understand.


    ¡°Why? Why can¡¯t you do that when you are the boss? Don¡¯t tell me she is already weaving her way back into your heart.¡±


    Yes. ¡°It¡¯s nothing like that.¡±


    ¡°Then what is it like Evan?¡±


    ¡°Leave it.¡± I looked away.


    ¡°No Evan. She doesn¡¯t deserve to be here. You should just kick her out of the office and make sure she doesn¡¯t get a job anywhere else.¡± I felt uneasy at that thought when I threatened Brae to do it a few days back.


    ¡°Kate, I said leave it. I will handle it.¡± I understood her concern as a friend but I knew she wouldn¡¯t understand my hesitation at the moment. So I decided to not tell her about my suspicions regarding Brae.


    ¡°Yes, like you didst time. Evan I don¡¯t want her hurting you anymore.¡± I really had no answer to that. Brae hurt me. She truly did.


    ¡°Can we not talk about it?¡± My voice came out impatiently.


    ¡°But -¡± I cut her off.


    ¡°Please Kate.¡± I spoke in a firm voice which seemed to do the work.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Okay , just know that-¡± She cut herself off as someone knocked on the door. Secondster Brae entered. Kate¡¯s gaze was fixed on her as she walked up to my desk.


    ¡°Braelyn, won¡¯t you greet? We met after so long.¡± Brae didn¡¯t answer her. Quietly she kept the file in her hand on my desk.


    ¡°The report you hadst day asked for.¡± I nodded once in acknowledgement. After that day¡¯s incident , I hadn¡¯t expected her toplete it so first but when ites to her workmitments she is very responsible.


    ¡°Fair enough! You¡¯re ignoring me but I have one question to ask.¡± I dreaded Kate¡¯s words. She was surely going to insult Brae . She was already having some bad timestely and I don¡¯t know, I just didn¡¯t want her to get more insulted.


    ¡°Kate.¡± I called in a warning tone.


    ¡°What ? I just wanted to know why she is working here. I mean, she has her ¡®rich boyfriend¡¯ and she still works for you. Why ?¡± I clicked my tongue in annoyance before looking away.


    ¡°Ms. Katherine, I had provided my credentials, passed the interview and got the job with my own merits and that¡¯s why I¡¯m working here. If you have any other questions, you can dly shut your mouth.¡± I was shocked at Brae¡¯s response. This was the first time in all these days that I saw her talk back. She  paused and took a step towards Kate .


    ¡°Because you¡­ are the bloodyst person on Earth to whom I¡¯m going to exin my fucking life.¡± She looked like she was breathing fire. It was as if she wasn¡¯t satisfied yet and wanted to say a lot more.  She never used to curse except for when she was seriously mad.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t supposed to talk like this to my guest, Ms. Taylor.¡± Her head snapped towards me in an instant.


    ¡°You¡¯re guest isn¡¯t supposed to show interest in my personal life, Mr. Lewis.¡± She spoke looking directly into my eyes. There was this unfiltered amount of anger in her eyes. I thrusted my hands and looked back at her , matching the gaze. I knew this wasn¡¯t her normal behaviour. She valued her job a lot  to behave so recklessly. Turning away she clenched her eyes shut and took a deep breath to calm herself down.


    ¡°With your permission, I would leave.¡± She left the room as soon as I nodded while I kept looking at her retreating figure.


    ¡°Did you see how she spoke to me ?¡± Kate gritted her teeth. I sighed.


    ¡°I did.¡±

 18. Do It!

    Evan¡¯s POV


    A few minutes after Kate left, I walked into Brae¡¯s cabin. Entering, I saw her sitting on the desk with her head in her hands. She was gripping her hair in her hand.


    ¡°Ms. Taylor.¡± On seeing me she straightened up but there was a ckness in her movement as if she was exhausted.


    ¡°Here are some files. I want these to be done within two days. And on Sunday, you¡¯reing with me for lunch.¡±


    ¡°Is it a lunch meeting?¡± She asked.


    ¡°No. Only you¡¯reing.¡± I said.


    ¡°I need to work on these files on the weekend toplete it by Monday. I won¡¯t be able toe.¡± I rolled my eyes. Of course she wasing. I wanted to talk to her .


    ¡°So, You¡¯re going to manage your schedule ande.¡± I ordered in a bossy tone.


    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± She gritted through her teeth.


    ¡°Are you disobeying me Ms. Taylor? Have you forgotten that I am your boss?¡± I folded my hands across my chest and this seemed to snap her patience.


    ¡°No I haven¡¯t. I know you are my boss and I am still saying I won¡¯t be able toe.¡± I raised my eyebrows at her. She continued with her speech.


    ¡°What will you do? Fire me because I am trying toplete my work instead of going on a lunch with my boss? Do it. Make sure that I don¡¯t get a job anywhere else on this damn ? Do it. Do whatever you bloody can!¡± My eyebrows creased at her sudden outburst. This was the second time in a day that her anger seemed to go out of her control.


    ¡°Brae?¡± I called but she was nowhere nearing to her senses.


    ¡°Whoever you look at is giving threats. That¡¯s what you are good at! Giving threats. Do it. Do everything you can to make my existence difficult! ¡± This time I was seriously worried. Angry tears were rolling down her cheeks. Her face looked like she was about to break at any moment.


    ¡°Okay, just calm down.¡± I tried taking a step closer to her while she moved two steps back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t. Don¡¯t show me like you care. No damn one cares. What did you think ? You¡¯re going to threaten me about my job and I-I am going to b-beg you? I won¡¯t. I bloody won¡¯t! I-¡± She cut herself off, her breathing out in pants, her hands shivering. Why was she so agitated? I quickly held her arms and brought her closer.


    ¡°No.¡± She tried taking out her arm from my hold.


    ¡°Brae,e here.¡± Putting my hand at the back of her head I pulled her in for a hug.


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± She put her head on my shoulder.


    ¡°Ssh. Calm down. You don¡¯t have to do anything. Just calm down.¡± Her shaky hands clutched my shirt for support. I repeatedly stroked her hair to soothe her down. After some minutes I supported her to the chair and made her sit.


    ¡°Here, take it.¡± I brought a ss of water to her lips. When she was finally a bit calmer, I decided to speak.


    ¡°Do you want to talk about anything? What made you so excited? ¡± I kept my voice as soft as possible. She immediately shook her head.


    ¡°No, nothing. I¡¯m fine.¡± She was anything but fine a minute ago and the question of what was the reason behind it was guing my mind. I have been harsher towards her previously but she hadn¡¯t even whined. So this reaction of her¡¯s was not normal. Nevertheless I kept my curiosity aside for the time being.


    ¡°Well I think you should go home today.¡±


    ¡°Even on thest day, I went home early. I can¡¯t go home early everyday in front of everyone.¡± She nervously fiddled with her fingers.


    ¡°You can because I am asking you to. Nobody else has a say in it, yeah?¡±  She nodded meekly.


    ¡°Come, I¡¯ll take you home.¡± As soon as I said those words she protested.


    ¡°No!¡± My eyebrows furrowed at her perplexed reaction.


    ¡°I mean I will manage alone.¡± Sheposed herself. I sighed thinking that she must be wanting to be alone. I didn¡¯t push her further.


    ¡°Fine , my driver will take you and this isn¡¯t up for discussion.¡± I cut her off as she opened her mouth to protest.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    ¡°Oh God! How can I be so stupid?¡±  Realisation hit me hard as I stood under the shower.


    I had shouted at Evan, my boss and asked him to fire me and do whatever he wished to.


    I had never lost control over my anger like this. On top of that I cursed. This could have cost me my job. It¡¯s strange how Evan helped me to calm down instead of throwing me out of the office. But I had no control over what I did at that moment. I felt crushed under huge pressure, I felt suffocated and frustration got the better of me.


    Coming out of the shower, I put on some clothes . For nearly an hour I was sitting in front of my phone contemting whether to call Evan or not. Finally gathering some courage, I did it.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Brae.¡± He picked up the third ring.


    ¡°Uhmm Hello.¡± I nervously let out.


    ¡°What happened? Are you fine?¡± His words tugged at my heart. Was he concerned for me?


    ¡°No, I am fine. Actually I called uhh about today morning.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to talk about what happened?¡± I wanted to but I couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°No, I called to apologise. It was highly unprofessional of me to burst at you like that. I am extremely sorry for my ipetence. I shouldn¡¯t have let my personal reasons affect my professional ethics. I promise to never-¡± I was cut off by him.


    ¡°Shut up.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure of what I heard.


    ¡°Huh?¡± My confusion came out in my question.


    ¡°Breathe, Ms. Taylor.¡± He sounded amused by my mini rant.


    ¡°Right, I¡¯m sorry.¡± I said embarrassed.


    ¡°You can do something else instead of apologising.¡± One of my eyebrows rose on its ord.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked skeptically.


    ¡°Lunch on Sunday.¡± I wanted to say yes but I couldn¡¯t afford to get close to Evan.


    ¡°Uh huh, maybe frame you or your sister this time . Don¡¯t forget that I am powerful enough to do that.¡±  Kate¡¯s threat rang in my ears.


    ¡°I seriously can¡¯t. Else I won¡¯t be able toplete the work by Monday.¡± It was true though.


    ¡°I can always extend the deadline till Tuesday.¡± I bit my lips. Every part of me wanted to go on lunch with him. It was neither a date nor a formal meeting. I don¡¯t know what it was going to be but still I wanted to go. Maybe for thest time.


    ¡°Okay.¡± I said, clearing my doubts.


    ¡°Great. I will pick you up at twelve. See you then.¡± I listened to him while ying with my nails.


    ¡°See you.¡± I hung up the phone but kept looking at the screen. The feeling was simr to when I called him for the first time in our college days. That day I kept staring at the phone for hours. I sadly smiled thinking that it was one of thest.

 19. The Lunch.

    Evan¡¯s POV


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± She asked as soon as she settled in the car.


    ¡°Well, hello to you too. ¡± She smiled sheepishly at me, a faint smile touching my lips too.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see once we reach.¡± The rest of the ride fell in afortable silence. She was absent-mindedly looking out of the window. Once I parked the car at the restaurant, she came out of her trance and immediately I saw her freeze. I opened her side of her door.


    ¡°Shall we?¡± She looked startled for a second before nodding slowly and putting her hand in mine. I led her in.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She softly said as I pulled the chair for her. I nodded and sat myself down opposite her. She looked ufortable sitting here. Earlier when we were dating, I had brought her here a lot of times. In fact she used to love this ce. I had decided oning here to see if she was affected even a bit and from her looks she was.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think we wereing here.¡± I mentally smirked at her words.


    ¡°Why what¡¯s wrong here? You used to love this ce . ¡± I spoke, putting up an innocent face. She passed me a tight lipped smile and an awkward nod.


    ¡°Would you like to order?¡± A waiter came up. I ordered a steak with mashed potatoes while she took fish and chips and sparkling water. My gaze was intently fixed on her while her¡¯s was on the table with asional nces at me. She tapped her fingers on the table till the food arrived.


    ¡°It¡¯s Sunday and we are the only people in the restaurant. I wonder why?¡± She spoke, putting the chips in her mouth.


    ¡°That¡¯s because it is reserved.¡± Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion before her eyes widened.


    ¡°You booked the whole restaurant? That¡¯s such a waste of money!¡± she stopped abruptly and quickly stole a nce of my face. Her face turned slightly pink once she witnessed the amused expression on my face.


    ¡°Yeah, I know. You¡¯re a billionaire and all. That sounds stupid to you.¡± The pink tinge on her cheeks were making her look beautiful but what captured my attention was something else. She wasn¡¯t ted that I had reserved the whole restaurant for her. Instead her first reaction showed that it seemed stupid to her to spend so much . I smiled seeing a bit of the old Brae in her, my sweet selfless Brae.


    ¡°So you wanted to say something?¡± She asked almost at the end of the lunch.


    ¡°Yes, I have an important question.¡±


    ¡°Okay?¡±


    ¡°Why did you leave me Brae?¡± Her shoulders stiffened at once . Blinking multiple times, sheposed herself.


    ¡°I told you I have nothing to say about this.¡± She was avoiding making eye contact with me.


    ¡°You said you didn¡¯t want to speak about your personal life at your workce. I am sure we can talk here.¡± I cocked my head  and stared at her. She pressed her lips together.


    ¡°It was nice having lunch with you Mr. Lewis. I would take your leave.¡± She stood up and so did I. I gripped her by her arm, preventing her from escaping.


    ¡°Stop running Brae. Why can¡¯t you tell me the truth?¡± She took a deep breath and pulled her hand away from mine.


    ¡°Because there¡¯s nothing left to say Evan. I said whatever I had to three years back. I don¡¯t even understand what you want to know even.¡± I was so tired of her pretend to not understand anything.


    ¡°The truth. I want the truth.¡±


    ¡°It was the truth. Whatever I said was true.¡±


    ¡°You lied.¡± I gritted through my teeth. Patience was never my strong forte.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± Her voice gave way to her faltering confidence.


    ¡°How about the truth about your boyfriend?¡± She immediately froze in my hold. Her face paled, she blinked, unable toe up with an answer.


    ¡°Where is he Brae? Your rich sessful boyfriend? Why hasn¡¯t anyone seen him, Brae?¡± Clenching her jaws, she looked away.


    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    ¡°I will tell you why. Because there was no one as such in the first ce. Just a fictitious character, supporting your story.¡± I exhaled deeply, clenching my eyes shut. He can¡¯t find out. God why?


    ¡°We broke up.¡± I lied straight through my teeth.


    ¡°Don¡¯t Brae. Don¡¯t lie anymore. There wasn¡¯t any existence of a man in your life in these years.¡± I cursed my poor luck. Why couldn¡¯t anything be easy in my life? In fact I was the one to me. I shouldn¡¯t havee here. He had the whole restaurant reserved to talk about this outside work and I walked straight into his trap.


    ¡°So you ran a background check on me? He just looked on, giving me my answer.


    ¡°Incredible!¡± I sarcastically smiled.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t speak. I had to.¡± Yes of course you had to make it more difficult for me. Damn it!


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to. You didn¡¯t have to show so much interest in my life. You just had to leave me alone.¡± I yelled, frustration getting at me.


    ¡°Of course. You left me telling a story which seems to be all bullshit now. I was left heart broken, without a purpose. Everyday seemed more difficult than the previous without you. I couldn¡¯t forget you no matter what and you are saying I had to leave you alone?¡± He too shouted, the pain evident and raw in his voice. My heart clenched at the depth of the sorrow, the hurt in his words.


    ¡°I want answers.¡± I so wanted to give into his demands but I was helpless. The familiar feeling was once again engulfing me. Once again I was helpless, feeding him lies while he desperately asked for answers.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any answer to give you. Why are you so fixated on the past?¡± I exasperated, not at him but with the situation we were in.


    ¡°You were never my past.¡± I couldn¡¯t help the shiver that passed through me when he yanked me closer by my arm. ¡®Neither were you¡¯, I wanted to say. Why did you have to make it harder for me Evan?


    ¡°Evan please. Just leave me.¡± I pulled my hand out of his hold . While leaving, I couldn¡¯t turn back to look at him. Our life was just running in circles. Threats, lies and hurt.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    ¡°Brae!¡±


    ¡°Ryan.¡± I stopped and smiled at him.


    ¡°I asked you to call me but you never did.¡± He gave me an using look. Honestly I was afraid to call him. Avoiding any contact with Evan directly or indirectly seemed the most right decision to me.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Ryan. I have been extremely busy for thest few days.¡± It was actually true. From sending the invites to deciding on the food, I was supposed to do everything.


    ¡°Well, you really look stressed.¡± He nodded to himself as if approving my excuse.


    ¡°I am. Making all the arrangements for the  annual function are really wearing me out.¡± I shook my head tiredly.


    ¡°It¡¯s on this weekend right?¡± I nodded to him.


    ¡°So are you done?¡±


    ¡°Uh huh. I was going to look at the venues. Do you want toe, maybe help me in choosing the venue and the decorations?¡± I put my hands on my waist waiting for his answer.


    ¡°dly.¡± He grinned, causing my lips to curve up into a small smile.


    ¡°Evan!¡± I closed my eyes and exhaled at the voice of the bitch. Evan turned back and immediately a smile spread across his face.


    ¡°Kate, howe you are here?¡± He sounded like he was pleasantly surprised.


    ¡°Because she has got no other job.¡± I muttered under my breath.


    ¡°Just thought we could go out for lunch.¡± My eyebrows raised on their own . I was gripping the brochure in my hand hard enough for them to crumble.


    ¡°Sure, why not?¡± I rolled my eyes at Evan¡¯s eager response.


    ¡°Why not?¡± I mumbled to myself while smiling sarcastically. Jealousy coursed through me at the thought of them having lunch together.


    ¡°Evan.¡± Ryan shouted, sprinting off to him.


    ¡°Yes?¡± As soon as Evan¡¯s eyes connected with mine, I looked away.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    ¡°I heard you¡¯re going out for lunch.¡± I impatiently tapped my foot on the floor.


    ¡°And?¡± Well I wasn¡¯t the only impatient one. Obviously his date with Kate couldn¡¯t be dyed!


    ¡°We are going to look at the venue for the annual function. I think you shoulde with us and then we can go for lunch.¡± My eyes widened at Ryan¡¯s words. Was he seriously out of his mind?


    ¡°No no, I will manage. You go for your lunch.¡± I fake smiled at both of them while Kate red at me. Easy bitch!


    ¡°Come on Brae, it¡¯s not that big a deal.¡± I felt like I would have buried Ryan six feet under at the first chance I would get.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you need toe. It¡¯s going to take some time. I will go alone.¡± I red at Ryan but kept my voice sweet, warning him to not contradict me.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, we will go . We have time.¡± Although Evan intervened, he didn¡¯t look too convinced himself but arguing with him was thest wish on my bucket list.


    ¡°Nice!¡± I gritted at Ryan.

 20. You Like It?

    Evan¡¯s POV


    ¡°Wait up man.¡± Ryan pulled me aside.


    ¡°Listen, you¡¯re going to do just as I ask you to.¡± He said with a mischievous smile on his face


    ¡°I won¡¯t. I already agreed to this because you gestured to. Now I want to know what you are up to before I take another step.¡± I could never trust him and his ns.


    ¡°Fine, I will tell you. You said you aren¡¯t sure of Brae¡¯s feelings for you right ?¡± He asked, referring to the talk I had with him after that lunch.


    ¡°Did you guys kiss and makeup?¡± Ryan sped his hands, faking excitement like a high school girl. I threw the pen in my hand at him.


    ¡°Ouchh. So that definitely didn¡¯t go well.¡± He said rubbing his arm.


    ¡°No it didn¡¯t.¡± I banged my palm on the desk.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t make her utter a single word. She just wanted to run away. There is something that she is hiding. But¡­¡±


    ¡°But ?¡±


    ¡°Then again I was wondering if there is nothing like we are thinking. Maybe she didn¡¯t like me anymore and at that time made up the story, the excuse of a rich boyfriend and all that shit.¡±Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°Yeah and the realisation hit her like a truck when the church was asking for her consent in the marriage.¡± He spoke, sarcasm dripping from his words.


    ¡°It could have been the case. You never know. But still I can¡¯t, I am not ready to just give up on her. I just don¡¯t want to let her go.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t. Don¡¯t let her go.¡±


    ¡°I do get the desired reactions from her sometimes but her words, the way she says makes me sometimes feel like I am forcing myself in her life.¡±


    ¡°Evan , be practical. If she is trying to hide something she is going to act. She has to make you believe her story.¡±


    ¡°I know. I know.¡± I murmured. I couldn¡¯t just give up like that.


    ¡°Yes. So ?¡± I tilted my head to the side in confusion.


    ¡°So I can clear your doubts.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± I asked.


    ¡°She is jealous of Kate.¡± I looked at him like he had two heads. Why will she be jealous of Kate? She knew we were friends from a young age.


    ¡°Jealous of Kate? Why on Earth?¡± I scoffed and looked away.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know but she is jealous. She was mimicking you, mumbling under her breath when you two were nning your lunch.¡± What ? This sounds so like her. Back in those days, whenever a girl would talk to me or show a bit of interest in me, she would get jealous and mimic her.


    ¡°Ryan.¡± I sarcastically shook my head in denial because false hopes fucking hurt.


    ¡°Believe me. Fine, don¡¯t believe me. Just do as I say and you can see it for yourself.¡± He said like he had hatched a genius n.


    ¡°Like ? What should I do?¡± I massaged my forehead before asking.


    ¡°Like you will ask Kate to get into the passenger¡¯s seat.¡± I chuckled humorlessly and nodded. I couldn¡¯t believe that I agreed to this but I wouldn¡¯t lie that I didn¡¯t want to confirm Brae¡¯s feelings for me.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­


    ¡°We are taking my car.¡± All of them nodded but Brae seemed a bit ufortable.


    ¡°Kate , sit in the front.¡± I even managed a small smile.


    ¡°Sure Evan.¡± Kate smiled widely at me. From the corner of my eye I thought I saw Brae raise a brow.


    After all of them were settled , I drove off.


    ¡°Where are we going first?¡±


    ¡°I think we should go to the venue first. The decor is yet to be decided.¡±


    ¡°Kate can decide where we should go.¡± Through the rear-view mirror, I saw Brae looking at me incredulously while Ryan was amusedly staring at her.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the restaurant first. I am really very hungry.¡± I smiled at Kate adoringly. Well she was special to me but I never really looked at her like that. All credit goes to Ryan that I was discovering my skills in acting.


    For the rest of the ride, Kate kept speaking about anything and everything while we just listened, with me stealing asional nces of Brae.


    As soon as the car was parked, Brae sprinted out as if she couldn¡¯t bear staying inside for another moment.


    Ryan and Brae sat opposite me and Kate. We ced our orders.


    ¡°Are you really eating that? I mean that¡¯s so many calories.¡± She made a disgusted face. I frowned at that and looked at Brae¡¯s face. I mean that was an unnecessaryment but maybe Kate¡¯s resentment towards Brae provoked her. Brae sighed before putting her fork down and looking at Kate.


    ¡°Well it satisfies my taste buds. I prefer a little unhealthy food and a happy mind over a model-like figure.¡± Though she smiled sweetly at her, her voice brought out the hostility.


    Staring up at Ryan, I saw him stabbing the piece of carrot not even bothering to hide his smile.


    ¡­¡­.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the other ce before deciding. From what I saw on their website, it looked better than this one.¡±


    Brae suggested and Ryan nodded agreeing.


    ¡°No we don¡¯t need to. This is fine.¡± Kate objected. With her hand on her waist, she looked around.


    ¡°Still we should have a look at that one once to choose the better one.¡± She muttered looking at her phone.


    ¡°I like this already.¡± At Kate¡¯s words, Brae stopped whatever she was doing before looking up and casting her an incredulous look.


    ¡°¡®You¡¯ like it? But it is not your wedding reception venue that we are looking for. ¡± She emphasized on ¡®you¡¯, irritation evident on her face. Ryan was trying hard to not snicker.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. When I get married, I won¡¯t burden you with the responsibility of choosing the venue.¡± Her voice sounded venomous.


    ¡°I am tired. I don¡¯t want to go anywhere else.¡± Brae rolled her eyes at Kate. Looking at Ryan I saw him gesturing to me to continue with our act.


    ¡°Very well you can go back. I will go -¡± I cut her off.


    ¡°No need. If Kate likes this venue, let it be the one.¡± Brae looked at me like she was seeing an alien. I saw her fists clenching. She was taking deep breaths trying to control her anger.


    ¡°Oh Evan , you¡¯re so sweet.¡± I smiled back at Kate but from my peripheral vision I saw Brae making faces. I smirked, liking this side of Brae.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    ¡°You can look at these options and choose. We will decorate ordingly.¡±


    ¡°This one will look good.¡± Brae pointed at a peach, silver and grey theme.


    ¡°No, this is better.¡± I looked back at Ryan, tired of this continuous contradiction but Ryan signalled me to continue.


    I stepped forward looking at their choices. Kate was preferring a purple and pink decoration. Honestly Brae¡¯s choice was far better than Kate¡¯s but¡­. I did what I had been doing till now.


    ¡°This will be the one.¡± I said choosing the purple one. Honestly, I felt bad this time but I did this for a reason which I was half aware of.


    ¡°Incredible.¡± Brae mockingly praised. She looked frustrated.


    ¡°I think Kate has an excellent choice in almost everything because Mr. Lewis loves everything she chooses.¡± I was amused by her expressions. There was a smile on her lips but her eyes were ring at me. I nodded, agreeing to her.


    ¡°Excellent, so I will leave you guys to it.¡± She stormed out.

 21. I Heard You

    ¡°Excellent, so I will leave you guys to it.¡± She stormed out.


    ¡°I will go and look.¡± Ryan said, running after her.


    ¡°Good that she went away.¡±


    ¡°Kate.¡± I called, requesting her to be a bit considerate.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    ¡°Stupid people. Waste of time. That¡¯s all it is.¡± I spoke and agreed to myself as well because clearly others were busy agreeing to that bitchy witch.


    ¡°Brae!¡± Ignoring Ryan¡¯s voice, I kept walking.


    ¡°Brae , wait. Will you?¡± I clicked my tongue in annoyance.


    ¡°What Ryan ? What?¡± I was irritated by everyone, especially him for bringing those two along.


    ¡°We came together and we will go that way only. Come inside.¡± I sarcastically nodded my head.


    ¡°For what? To listen to her stupid tantrums, how she is tired by just eating and sitting in the car? Or should I smile at Evan praising her ¡°excellent¡± choices? ¡± I widened my eyes trying to show him the gravity of the problem.


    ¡°Brae-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all because of you.¡± I pointed my finger towards him.


    ¡°What did I do?¡± He acted surprised and I wanted nothing more than to bang his head against the nearest wall.


    ¡°I should have never asked you toe with me. Who told you to pull them along? I could have done a better job if I was alone.¡± I took a deep breath but still I wasn¡¯t calm.


    ¡°All she does is make the stupidest of choices and Evan? Let¡¯s not even talk about him. He is agreeing to everything she says like a blind puppy. ¡± My breathing was hard because of my rant.


    ¡°Breathe Ms. Taylor.¡± My eyes snapped towards Evan. I failed to notice him standing behind Ryan with an amused expression.


    ¡°I will leave.¡± Ryan left with a grin on his face. I wanted to kill him for leaving me here with him.


    ¡°So you think I am behaving like a blind puppy?¡± Now what would I say? What would I say? ¡®Damn right ! I said that.¡¯ or ¡®No I didn¡¯t, you¡¯re dreaming.¡¯?


    ¡°Uhm actually I was just-¡±  He cut me off.


    ¡°I heard you Ms. Taylor.¡± His hands were thrusted in his pocket.


    ¡°Then why ask?¡± I mumbled to myself praying that he didn¡¯t listen but apparently he did.


    ¡°You got a smart mouth, Ms. Taylor.¡± He fakely appreciated me.


    ¡°And a smart choice too. Instead of agreeing to whatever she says you could have decided what was actually better. ¡± I huffed. I didn¡¯t know if it was my ego speaking or my jealousy. When he was silent for a long time, I looked up at his face to see him staring intently at me.


    He took a daring step towards me and tucked a few loose strands of hair behind my ears. My anger and frustration melted, just like that and I was lost in his eyes, his steel grey eyes.


    ¡°Are you jealous, Brae?¡± I didn¡¯t even realise when I unconsciously nodded to him. When his lips curved up into a smirk, I snapped out of my trance.


    ¡°Get away. What are these tricks Evan?¡± I asked, folding my arms across my chest. He was seducing me into confessing everything to him but I won¡¯t. I can¡¯t.


    ¡°Can I know why you are jealous?¡± He asked, looking smug.


    ¡°No. You can¡¯t. Because I am not jealous of Kate or in fact anyone.¡± I threw my hands up in the air. How mature of me!


    ¡°But you just admitted.¡± He grinned. I was almost melting at his beautiful grin, almost.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± I straight out denied.


    ¡°You did, Brae.¡± He too folded his arms against his chest causing his muscles to bulge out and again I had to try hard to keep myselfposed. A single guy with so many distracting features. Ugh!


    ¡°uh huh.¡±


    ¡°Huh huh¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I just did it ¨C I wasn¡¯t thinking.¡± I made up. This was the thing I was doing the most these days. Cooking up lies.


    ¡°Lies, lies! How many more lies Brae?¡± I wanted to curse him for knowing me this well.


    ¡°What is it Evan ? What are you trying to do? I am clearly saying it. I am not jealous.¡± I was exasperated.


    ¡°Whatever lets you sleep at night.¡± I rolled my eyes at him and his stupid smirk but before I could leave the ce, he held me back my arms.


    ¡°You¡¯reing with us.¡± I furrowed my eyebrows at him.


    ¡°No. I-¡±


    ¡°I said it . So you¡¯reing.¡± He said with a finality in his tone.


    ¡°What¡¯s with thesemands?¡± Well he didn¡¯t bother replying and dragged me inside. Bossy bastard!


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Evan¡¯s POV


    ¡°Did you see her?¡± I asked Ryan , my eyes searching for Brae.


    ¡°Nope. She hasn¡¯te yet.¡±


    ¡°I wonder why.¡± I murmured under my breath.


    ¡°Impatient are we?¡± He teasingly smiled before snickering when I saw an irritated Kat approaching us.


    ¡°Evan, did you notice the decorations are different from what we chose? We had asked for the purple and pink theme while they are having this stupid peach and whatever colours.¡± Kate huffed while Ryan pressed his lips together to stop a smile.


    ¡°What¡¯s done is done. Let it be.¡± I smiled at her.


    ¡°But they were supposed to follow our instructions Evan. We should talk to the management.¡± She was about to walk away toin.


    ¡°Kate, Kate.¡± I held her back by her arm.


    ¡°They asked me before doing it.¡± She furrowed her brows, asking to exin further.


    ¡°Uhm actually they called me telling me that they weren¡¯t having all the supplies for that theme and insisted on having this one. So I agreed.¡± I myself wasn¡¯t convinced by my story. Ryan coughed to cover hisughter.


    ¡°Okay then.¡± She looked convinced with my poor excuse of a lie.


    ¡°I¡¯lle.¡± She excused herself to receive a call. I looked at Ryan who was smiling at me teasingly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t. Don¡¯t start.¡± He raised his hands up in mock surrender. My eyes roamed everywhere before theynded on Brae who was just entering the hall.


    I stopped dead in my movements, taking in her appearance. She looked beautiful in a thigh slit shimmery copper bodycon dress, her brown waves let loose. With minimal jewelry and makeup , she managed to look absolutely gorgeous.


    ¡°Close your mouth, brother.¡± I tore my gaze away from her and red at Ryan causing him to chuckle. It was time for my speech. After that the promotions were awarded to the employees. Finally after all these were done, I walked back to Ryan and Brae standing together.


    ¡°Where is Kate?¡± I asked .


    ¡°She had to go back for some urgent work.¡± Ryan answered while Brae looked away disinterested.


    ¡°Brae.¡± I acknowledged realising she wouldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Hi.¡± A meek greeting escaped her mouth. She was trying hard not to make eye contact.


    ¡°I will go and say hi to them.¡± Saying this , Ryan hurried away leaving us alone. My gaze was intently fixed on her which seemingly made her nervous as she kept shifting her weight from one feet to another.


    ¡°You look beautiful.¡± She shyly turned her eyes up and met them with mine.


    ¡°Thank you. You look good as well.¡± Sheplimented back.


    ¡°I know.¡± My cocky answer led her to roll her eyes at me.


    ¡°So howe the decorations are what you and your beloved Kate chose?¡± She asked, looking all round the hall.


    ¡°You look good when you¡¯re jealous.¡± Her head snapped back towards me, a slight pink tinge on her cheeks.


    ¡°Thank you but you¡¯re mistaken. I am not jealous.¡± I smirked at her strong defense.


    ¡°Huh huh?¡± I raised my brow.


    ¡°Huh huh.¡± She challengingly looked back. I took one step closer to her.


    ¡°It seems to me otherwise.¡± I moved closer, invading her space.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help that.¡± She bit her lips out of nervousness.


    ¡°Brae-¡±This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Mr. Lewis.¡± I inwardly cursed that idiot who interrupted us.

 22. Club?

    Evan¡¯s POV


    ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± That stupid John stood there with a stupid smile on his face.


    ¡°Same here, Mr. Walker.¡± I forced a tight lipped smile.


    ¡°Can I have a dance with the lovelydy?¡± He looked at Brae.


    ¡°No.¡± My response was immediate. Of course I wasn¡¯t supposed to answer but that didn¡¯t mean I wouldn¡¯t.


    ¡°I mean she said she wasn¡¯t feeling well.¡± I made up and smiled sweetly at Brae, daring her to disagree. She smiled back even more sweetly.


    ¡°But now I feel better.¡± She blinked her eyes,  before turning towards John.


    ¡°I would love to dance with you, Mr. Walker.¡±  That stupid grinned like he got his Christmas gift. How I wanted to choke him to death!


    ¡°I am honoured. Call me John, please.¡± She sweetly smiled at him and took his hand. He led her to the middle of the dance floor.


    I took a drink from the waiter and gulped it down in a go. I felt a burning sensation down my throat.


    Seeing them dance together made me extremely restless. I was in jealous, jealous of them dancing so close to each other. I tried being calm for a long time till my patience snapped.


    I walked up to them and patted on John¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°I would like to steal her for a dance.¡± My tone was anything but of request. He hesitantly nodded and stepped aside. I held Brae¡¯s hand and wrapping one hand around her waist brought her closer to me.


    ¡°You should ask thedy if she wants to dance with you.¡± I raised a brow at her.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Would you have not preferred dancing with me?¡± I asked as we moved to the rhythm of the music.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± She tilted her head causing me to smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep that in mind next time.¡± I brought my face closer to her hair, her gentle fragrance filling my nostrils. The smell of her hair used to be one of my favourite things and the addiction didn¡¯t fade away.


    shback


    ¡°Evan, what are you doing?¡± She furrowed her eyebrows as Iy with my face in her hair, the sweet vani fragrance filling my nostrils.


    ¡°Smelling your hair?¡± I tightened my grip on her waist as wey tired out by our early morning love making.


    ¡°What?¡± She kept drawing imaginary patterns on my hand.


    ¡°Your hair. It smells so good, I feel like I could get lost.¡± I smiled to myself.


    ¡°Oh I was thinking of cutting off my hair. Shoulder length would look good on me, right?¡± I immediately raised my head to look at her of she was joking bit she looked serious.


    ¡°You won¡¯t.¡± I furrowed my eyebrows.


    ¡°Evan, it will look good.¡± I shook my head in disagreement.


    ¡°You already look beautiful in your long wavy brown hair.¡±  She didn¡¯t look convinced with my argument.


    ¡°But-¡±


    ¡°For me?¡± I gave her the best puppy eyes that I could pull off which seemingly worked. She huffed , her lips drawn in a small pout.


    ¡°Okay fine. For you.¡± I kissed her cheek before stuffing my face once again in her hair.¡±


    ¡°Evan?¡± Her sweet voice broke my trance.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± I responded by keeping my eyes closed.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± I pulled back to look into her eyes.


    ¡°Your hair. It smells nice.¡± She looked at me and gulped. I saw a lot of emotions pass through her eyes. For this one moment, she couldn¡¯t hide them from me.


    We stopped dancing as the song ended but stood there still , in each other¡¯s hold.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    ¡°I seriously don¡¯t understand. At one moment she stared at me like she was reliving our old memories, like all this actually meant something to her and the next moment she ran away like my touch was burning her.¡±


    ¡°What is it that she is still hiding from everyone even after three years?¡± Ryan absent-mindedly tapped the floor with his foot.


    ¡°At this moment I don¡¯t even know if she is acting or if this is the reality. All this is so damn frustrating!¡± I frustratedly raked a hand through my hair.


    ¡°Calm down, brother. ¡±


    ¡°Heard of the new club that opened recently? Let¡¯s go there tonight. It will take your mind off things.¡± He stood up and put on his jacket. My lips stretched into a slight frown.


    ¡°Stop looking at my face and get up.¡± He slid the key towards me.


    ¡­¡­¡­..


    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    ¡°You¡¯re in?¡± Cora¡¯s voice broke my trance.


    ¡°For?¡±  I raised my eyebrows at Cora saying that I had no idea of what she was speaking of.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t listening to me?¡± She made the face of a hurt puppy. I yfully rolled my eyes at her over dramatic antics.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. What is it?¡±


    ¡°We were nning to go to the club tonight. Are you in for it ?¡± Honestly I needed this. I wanted to rx and let out all my stress.


    ¡°Yup!¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    ¡°Does this look good?¡± I looked at Bri through the mirror and back at myself. She shook her head in disapproval. I huffed and threw the dress on the bed. She went to the closet and rummaged through the dresses.


    ¡°Try this.¡± She came back with a backless shiny crop top and ck mini skirt. I had bought it some two years back but didn¡¯t wear it somehow. I took it from her hands and put it on.


    ¡°This is the one. You look so hot in this!¡± She gushed while I smiled at her. She was wearing a metallic green dress , giving clear view to her long milky legs. Cora and Austin were more than fine to have Bri with us.


    ¡°We have to hurry up. Austin wille any moment to pick us up.¡±


    Evan¡¯s POV


    ¡°One rum and coke, and one whiskey sour please.¡± The bartender served our drinks.


    ¡°So do you feel a bit better?¡± I looked at Ryan who was offering me a faint encouraging smile.


    ¡°Honestly, no. She is always on my mind. Whatever I do, I can¡¯t stop thinking about her.¡±  He patted my shoulder to cheer me up. Sipping on my drink, I looked around and my eyes got struck on a group of people entering. Initially I wondered how drunk I was when I saw Brae in a shiny crop top and a mini ck skirt but then I saw her friends and her sister with her, making me realise that I wasn¡¯t hallucinating.


    ¡°Brae is here!? And I have seen that girl in the office but who is the other girl in green? She looks so familiar.¡± He furrowed his eyebrows.


    ¡°Brielle.¡± I answered by keeping my eyes fixed on Brae.


    ¡°Brielle as in Brae¡¯s sister ?¡± He sounded surprised by the piece of information.


    ¡°The one.¡± I kept looking at her. All of the girls giggled at something Austin said. The fact that Brae was more rxed around him than me made me want to kick him out of the club.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that guy.¡± Ryan¡¯s voice reached my ears


    ¡°Me neither.¡± I immediately agreed but then turned to look at him.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you like him?¡± My eyebrows drew together in confusion.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you like him?¡± He fired back.


    ¡°Because he is close to Brae. But what¡¯s your reason?¡±


    ¡°Uhm I don¡¯t know. ¡± I looked strangely at him but nevertheless turned my attention back to Brae. She sipped on her drink before her eyes roamed about like she could sense the stare on her. She finally looked at me and her eyes widened. Looking at her, the whole group turned towards us and everyone looked pretty shocked.


    They talked among themselves before they went back to their own talks but Brae and Brielle looked stiffer and more conscious than before. After some time Cora and Brielle left for the dancefloor leaving Brae with Austin. They were joking, smiling andughing without a care in the world and my hands gripped the ss in my hand tighter.


    ¡°Keep the drinksing.¡± I gulped it down, the liquor burning my throat.


    ¡°Woah! Easy brother.¡± Without even looking at Ryan, I took another nce at them. Their close proximity was affecting me more than I had imagined. I saw Brae leaning forward and speaking in Austin¡¯s ears causing me to inhale sharply. Jealousy coursed through me like burningva.


    ¡°Funny that I came here to take my mind off her , to let out stress.¡±  I gulped down my sses, trying to suppress God knows what! Ryan just shook his head to himself.

 23. Maybe.

    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    Seeing him here was thest of my expectations. From the moment we entered the club, I could feel someone¡¯s gaze on me. When my eyes met with Evan, I for a second thought that I was imagining things.


    Looking around I saw most of the girl¡¯s eyes on him and Ryan, well of course they were indeed sights to look at but the jealousy in me wasn¡¯t letting me think rationally.


    We ordered tequ sunrise shots. I gulped one down and closed my eyes at the burning sensation.


    Looking back at Evan, I saw a girl standing beside him. She was touching his hand with her long fingers and the most irritating part was that he wasn¡¯t stopping her. He was looking at her while she kept flirtatiously smiling at him.


    I gritted my teeth in annoyance. How I wanted to pull her eyes out of her socket for winking at him. I downed shots after shots trying to chase away the burning feeling in my heart.


    ¡°Slow down, Sis.¡± Bri¡¯s cautious voice rang in my ears but the jealousy wasn¡¯t letting me be sane.


    ¡°Yo Bitch! That¡¯s the spirit. Why slow down? We came to let loose. ¡± Cora excitedly said.


    ¡°We came to rx .¡± Austin argued.


    ¡°That¡¯s the same thing.¡± They kept bickering while I zoned them out , lost in my thoughts of one person. This time when I looked at him, he was staring at mepletely ignoring the flirty bitch but his stare wasn¡¯t as intense as it was moments before.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    ¡°You look really hot Brae! If I weren¡¯t straight I would have surely banged that ass.¡± Iughed at Cora¡¯s words, the alcohol kicking in.


    ¡°You think I am hot?¡± I asked dramatically, putting a hand on my heart.


    ¡°Huh huh.¡± She nodded big.


    ¡°Well you think damn right.¡± We giggled at that. I felt like I was on cloud nine, free from all the stress. As I was about to grab another ss, Bri pushed it away.


    ¡°No more.¡± I furrowed my eyebrows at her.


    ¡°You know I am the elder one. I don¡¯t have to listen to you.¡± I smiled smugly as if I won the biggest argument.


    ¡°Well you have to. No more drinks tonight.¡± I pouted, feeling sad and emotional that not even my own sister listened to me. I really was drunk!


    In an attempt to steal a nce of Evan, my eyes directly met his that were looking straight at me. It felt like I had lost the will to look away.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Dance? It¡¯s our favourite song.¡± I broke my eye contact with Evan to look at Cora who tugging at my hand.


    ¡°Let¡¯s dance.¡± I cheered, making our way to the dance floor. Pushing our way past the sweaty bodies we got to an empty space and started dancing. I closed my eyes , swaying my hips freely to the rhythm of the music. A blonde guy, about six feet tall with fairly handsome features approached me for a dance. Cora raised her hands in a thumbs-up before getting busy dancing with some guy.


    I knew Evan was looking at me but I couldn¡¯t care less. I could dance with whoever I wanted to just like he could flirt with the woman of his choice. I turned back so that my back was facing the guy while we danced to the song. His hands were ced on my hips.


    Suddenly his body was pulled away and a different pair of hands came around my waist from my back and weirdly I didn¡¯t feel scared or vited in his hold. Cora was too busy dancing with some guy to look at me. I leaned against the muscr chest behind me, a familiar cologne filling my nostrils. His hands roamed around my waist, feeling everywhere. His touch seemed unduly familiar but I couldn¡¯t pinpoint who. I was too drunk to think hard and danced without a care of who that man was but strangely I felt safe in his arms. I started grinding my hips against him, causing him to let out a soft groan.


    ¡°Did you know it was me?¡± The man¡¯s voice rang out. Evan. This was why I wasn¡¯t getting those creepy vibes.


    ¡°No.¡± As soon as I answered, he spun me around and pulled me close to the extent that his hard-on was pressed against me. I shivered at the feeling.


    ¡°So you would have danced like that with any random guy?¡± He rasped out. When I looked back, his prominent jawline was the first thing that came to my mind.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± It wasn¡¯t true though. I doubt I would have felt thisfortable if it was anyone else other than Evan. My response caused his hands around my waist to tighten. He inhaled and exhaled deeply trying to keep his anger in check.


    Bringing his head forth he nted a kiss on my corbone. That single kiss felt so deep, so intimate yet strangelyfortable. His lips moved up my neck leaving behind a trail of soft kisses. I closed my eyes in response , tilting my head to give him more ess.


    ¡°Nobody but me touches you.¡± He whispered in his husky dominant voice before kissing my earlobe. A faint moan escaped my mouth which seemingly encouraged him as at the very next moment his lips came crashing down on mine.


    I gripped his hair while he held me securely. The kiss wasn¡¯t a sweet gentle one but passionate and lustful. Our lips moved aggressively against each other as if we would be pulled away any moment and we had to make the most of the opportunity. He tugged at my lips with his teeth and I grasped lightly. Taking the chance , he thrusted his tongue inside my mouth which I dly weed. Our tongues collided in a fierce battle of domination , me finally surrendering. He tasted every corner of my mouth before we parted to catch breath.


    My hands were still in his hair and he was possessively  holding me close to him. Our gazes were intently fixed at each other while our breaths came out in pants.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me the truth , Be?¡± His voice wasn¡¯t irritated or angry. Instead he looked lost.


    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± I panted out


    ¡°Why Brae? Do you know how much it hurts to stay away from you?¡± I came closer and rested my forehead against his.


    ¡°I know. I am hurting too.¡± Our breaths mingled with each other.


    ¡°Then tell me everything. We will start again and be happy. Why don¡¯t you put an end to our sufferings?¡± He rubbed the pad of his thumb on my cheek. There was so much hope in his eyes like he could see a faint light in a dark tunnel.


    ¡°I want to. I want to be happy with you but I can¡¯t throw my sister away.¡± This feeling of helplessness was consuming me. I wanted to run away from every responsibility that was separating me from him but Bri. I couldn¡¯t have traded her life for the world.


    ¡°What ?¡± He sounded confused, causing me to gently shake my head with a sad smile.


    ¡°You won¡¯t understand.¡± I ced a kiss just below his Adam¡¯s  apple. I felt him shiver. He gripped my neck tightly.


    ¡°We need to get out of here.¡± He let out the words breathlessly before pulling me out by my arms.

 24. A Mistake?

    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    He closed the door behind him and pulled me close. Our lips crashed, kissing hungrily. Stumbling, we made our way to his room. I kicked my heels away. He pushed me against the wall and began sucking on my neck. As he kissed my sweet spot, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a loud moan.


    He bit the base of my neck harshly causing me to hiss in please. He ran his tongue over the bite mark to soothe the pain. Pulling the strap of my dress down, he kissed my shoulder. My hands fumbled with his shirt buttons. A few of the buttons even came out while he got rid of it himself. His hands struggled with my zipper before I helped him. We were only in our under garments, exposed to each other.


    I kept pushing him towards the bed causing him to fall on the bed on his back. I crawled on top of him and left open mouthed kisses behind his ear while he groaned in pleasure, his grip on my hips tightening. Trailing feathery kisses along his jawline, I moved downwards to trace his abbs. His body, sculpted to perfection, was a sight for sore eyes.


    When he had enough of my teasing, he flipped us over. Now he was hovering over me kissing my cheeks, the corner of my mouth but never my lips. I held him by the neck and pulled him down to meet my lips with his. We moaned at the shivers that ran through our bodies at our intimate contact, getting lost in the sensations with each passing second.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    Evan¡¯s POV


    I opened my eyes at the bright light hitting my face. My head was severely pounding, making me wonder how much I had drunkst night. I felt a weight on my arm. Snapping my head towards my left, I got the shock of my life.


    Brae!? If that isn¡¯t surprising enough, my next observation surely blew my mind off. Both of us weren¡¯t wearing clothes, only a bed sheet covering our naked selves. I blinked multiple times to make sure I wasn¡¯t hallucinating. I couldn¡¯t understand how we ended up here. All I could remember was going to the bar, seeing her there with that guy and then she was dancing when I went to her.


    I racked my brain for some memory traces.


    ¡°Did you know it was me?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Nobody but me touches you.¡±


    After that everything blurred out. I could remember small images of us hungrily making out and that was all. The more pressure I applied on my brain, the more I felt the head ache.


    I looked at Brae sleeping soundly beside me. Her head was on my arm , her brown waves sprawled over the ce. She had one hand around my waist and the other curled into a fist under her chin. With lips slightly parted, she looked peaceful in her sleep. Her face glowed under the bright sunlight.


    Bringing one hand up I caressed her cheek lightly. Her lips immediately curled up into a smile, spreading one on mine too. I would have given anything to live in that moment.


    Stirring lightly she peeled open her eyes. It was funny how she could never wake up easily and her need for sleep was never satisfied. Her eyes looked at my face and she smiled at me. I couldn¡¯t help but smile back at her.


    ¡°I am dreaming again.¡± I frowned thinking that she thought it was a dream but my frown disappeared when her words rang in my head.


    Again!? A grin broke out on my face.


    ¡°Does that mean you have these hot dreams about me quite often?¡± I saw her squinting her eyes before she sprang up in bed.


    ¡°What ? Are you real?¡± She poked my arm with her tall index finger before pulling away shocked. She blinked a few times trying to grasp the reality of the situation. I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at her actions.


    I was waiting for when she would realise the greater truth and freak out.


    ¡°Oh my God!¡± There we go! Her eyes were wide with shock at her naked shelf. She clutched the sheet tighter to her body and looked at me shyly.


    ¡°We did it , no ?¡± I nodded but before I could speak, she cut me off.


    ¡°It¡¯s no one¡¯s fault I guess . We both were drunk. It¡¯s no one¡¯s fault.¡± My eyebrows furrowed at that. Fault? Where did faulte from? Was she regrettingst night?


    ¡°I never said I regret anything that happened between usst night.¡± I spoke truthfully. I was feeling anything other than remorse.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She looked nervous.


    ¡°Last night, this thing isn¡¯t a mistake that I will regret. We did what was correct.¡± I said pointing between me and her.


    ¡°No it¡¯s not correct. I wasn¡¯t in my senses.¡± She blurted out immediately causing me to smack my lips annoyance.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yeah? Then tell me when you saw me today morning, why did you say that you were dreaming again? Doesn¡¯t that mean you had this dream earlier?¡± I looked sharply at her. Not being able to take the intensity of my re, she looked away.


    ¡°I just said something which apparently had no sense because I wasn¡¯t fully awake at that time.¡± Inhale, exhale. With every second she was making me angrier than before.


    ¡°Brae, I am asking you the same question for the millionth time. What happened three years back?¡± I asked , keeping my temper in check.


    ¡°And I am telling you for the millionth time that I have nothing to say.¡± Saying this she got out of bed and grabbed her dress thaty discarded on the ground.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you stop lying, Brae?¡± I yelled exasperated. She pulled the dress down on her body and zipped it up.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you leave me alone? I want nothing to do with the past.¡± I wouldn¡¯t lie that her words didn¡¯t hurt but I shook that off.


    I got down and grabbed her by her elbow, forcing her to look at me.


    ¡°I am tired of this. Why are you always running away? Why can¡¯t you give me some simple answers, damn it?¡± I yelled in her face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any answer, simple orplex to give you.¡± She sternly replied. I closed my eyes, trying to push my anger down.


    ¡°Brae, please. I want to start afresh with you but for that you need to tell me everything.¡± I approached softly. I was desperate enough to use any way to get my answers.


    ¡°I never said I want the same.¡± She looked at me with a certain coldness that scared me. I had never seen this hard look before in her eyes.


    ¡°Brae-¡± She cut me off.


    ¡°No Evan, I will make it very clear. This..¡± she gestured tost night¡¯s incidents ¡± wasn¡¯t supposed to happen. We were drunk and we made a mistake which I would like to not repeat ever again.¡± She opened the door and walked away, crushing my heart, breaking them into innumerable pieces.


    Only she had the power to make me the happiest man on this Earth and only she could deliver this amount of hurt which could make my heart numb. Only she had this capacity. I had unknowingly given her too much power over me, a long time back and nothing is left to be done. A lone tear escaped my eyes not even expressing a part of the hurricane of emotions swirling in my heart.

 25. I Can鈥檛!

    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    ¡°Brae?¡± Bri curiously looked at me after opening the door. I walked past her into the house.


    ¡°Were you really with Evanst night?¡± She trailed behind me.


    ¡°Yes. I am so sorry for leaving you alonest night.¡± I plopped down on the sofa.


    ¡°No worries. Ryan brought me homest night. But tell me something, did anything happen between you two?¡± She was trying to choose her words wisely.


    ¡°Yes. I woke up naked next to him and it¡¯s all my fault. What was the need for me to drink stupidly like that? It¡¯s because of me that wended up in his bedroom.¡±  I wanted to hit something so hard.


    ¡°Brae, it¡¯s okay-¡± I cut her off.


    ¡°No it¡¯s not. It¡¯s not okay to hurt him like that repeatedly. I put myself in a position where I am forced to behave so cruelly to him to get myself out of the situation. ¡± I yelled, the frustration never leaving my system.


    ¡°What happened?¡± She calmly asked. She is the only person who can understand when my emotions are all over the ce and deal with me patiently.


    ¡°My stupid drunk ass instilled some hope in him. Today morning he was speaking of starting afresh and having a happy life together. He was dreaming of something that can nevere true.¡± I massaged my temple, his words fresh in my mind.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you try telling him everything, Brae? Maybe he will believe you. Both of you are hurting so why not finish it?¡± I was shaking my head even before she couldplete.


    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± I stated as a matter of fact.


    ¡°What do you mean you can¡¯t? Of course you can. It isn¡¯t like he is not even remotely interested in your exnations. When he is pleading with you multiple times toe clean to him then what can possibly be the problem?¡± Though her voice was controlled, the frustration was evident in her tone.


    ¡°Kate. She is the problem.¡± And I wanted to strangle that problem to death with my own hands.


    ¡°Where did shee from?¡± She looked at me in horror.


    ¡°She came back. In fact she was never gone. She had always been with Evan, making him believe in their falsepanionship, pretending to be his well wisher. She has hisplete trust. I am the one who wasn¡¯t there at all.¡±


    ¡°But who is he still after? Who is he chasing? You, Brae, you. Only you¡¯re there in his heart and only you canplete him.¡± My heart constricted painfully at her words.


    ¡°I can¡¯t, Bri I can¡¯t.¡± I yelled this time , tears flowing out of my eyes freely.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    ¡°Let her do anything Brae. I don¡¯t care. You go and tell Evan everything.¡± I raised my head from my hands to look at her like she was mad.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t getting it, are you? She threatened to destroy your life if I told Evan anything. Given her reputation, I believe that she can do anything.¡± I spoke every word clearly and loud to make her understand.


    ¡°I understand, I understand quite well and still I am telling you to confess everything to Evan and be happy with him.¡± She looked at me with a lot of seriousness. Was she seriously considering this? I would never do something like that when it involves my sister.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly , Bri. I can¡¯t throw you away in mes toplete my fairy tale.¡± I let out tired.


    ¡°But-¡± I cut her off


    ¡°No buts Bri. Whatever I said is final.¡± She sighed deeply before sitting down beside me.


    ¡°What did you tell him today?¡± This time her voice was a lot softer. I fidgeted, knowing fully well that I wouldn¡¯t be able to check my tears if I recall how cruel I had been to him.


    ¡°Brae?¡± She looked expectantly at my face. I exhaled and prepared myself to spill everything.


    ¡°That it was a drunken mistake and whatever happened between us didn¡¯t mean anything to me.¡± I murmured slowly. Even the words sounded so bad, worse than what Evan could ever deserve.


    ¡°What!?¡± There was shock mixed with sadness on her face.


    ¡°I am tired, Bri. I am tired of hurting him time and again. I hate him for not giving up on me already.¡± I felt like pulling my hair out of frustration. Bri put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it. I immediately threw myself at her, hugging her like my life depended on it.


    ¡°Each time I hurt him, I feel like someone is stabbing my heart. His desperate attempts, his pleading eyes frustrate me so much for not being able to give him what he wants.¡± She rubbed my back while I cried on her shoulder over my pathetic luck.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Brielle¡¯s POV


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you eating?¡± I asked, noticing that the food on her te was almost as it was.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± I furrowed my eyebrows.


    ¡°Why ? It¡¯s your favourite pizza.¡± She hasn¡¯t had a great appetite these days. Thus I ordered her favourite pizza which never failed to lift her mood.


    ¡°I am full. I will go and sleep.¡± She got up and managed a small smile on her face which I returned.


    ¡°Good night.¡±


    ¡°Good night.¡± She closed the door behind her.


    I sighed thinking over the condition these days. Since that club night, Brae has be more and more gloomy. Her cruel words had hurt herself just as much as it hurt Evan, if not more.


    For thest three years, there has constantly been a guilty feeling inside me. At the back of the mind, I have always felt that somewhere I was the reason why these two were separated. After Mom and Dad¡¯s death, Brae had taken up the responsibility of taking over their ces in my life.


    I still remember those days when we used to y around in the garden with Dad, we learnt gardening from him. Mom used to bake cookies while we would sit on the kitchen counter waiting for it to be out of the oven.


    We were together in everything and I felt like she was more of my twin than my elder sister. I remember me and Brae fighting for Dad¡¯s attention and he used tough at the maturity of his girls.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    But after the ident, she suddenly grew up. She took up my responsibility and she wasn¡¯t that carefree, childish Brae anymore. She indeed became more than my elder sister.


    And then she gave up her happiness for me. Evan was her first love, the man of her dreams. They were literally an ideal couple, always beside each other in everything. The separation had such an effect on her. She was never really happy after they broke up but she still smiled for me, joked with me to lift up my mood but I never believed her acting. I knew she was hurting and seeing her like that was really painful for me.


    Gradually she grew to live with it, smiled more often but had never forgotten or gotten over Evan. Him not being anywhere near her at that time let her cope up somehow but this time this was more painful for her. Seeing the man she loves everyday but not being able to be with him was going to put her into depression. She was always quiet, keeping to herself, skipping meals and this was really worrying me.


    I switched the television off and walked into our room. Brae was curled up on her side of the bed. There were dry tear stains on her cheek. I couldn¡¯t let this happen, I couldn¡¯t just let her cry herself to sleep every night. She too deserved to be happy and I will make that happen.


    ¡°Good night, Sis.¡± I pulled the cover on her and switched the lights off.

 26 Deal.

    Ryan¡¯s POV


    Having my workpleted, I closed theptop and my mind immediately shifted to Evan. After that night, he was in a very bad condition. Brae¡¯s constant rejection was demoralising him but herst words really did it.


    He is again drowning himself in work, not caring for anyone including himself and is always in a bitter mood, snapping at everyone for the pettiest of reasons. His current state was reminding me of the time when he was slipping into depression after his breakup.


    I didn¡¯t want him to pass through that same phrase all over again but staying away from Brae will never help him. He isn¡¯t torturing Brae likest time. In fact he ignores Brae like she doesn¡¯t exist because he gets more hurt each time he hurts her.


    I looked at the watch waiting for Brielle. She had called mest night saying that she wanted to talk to me and that she wanted nobody to know about it, not even Brae. Though confused, I agreed anyway.


    Brielle¡­.. Brae¡¯s sister. I had seen herst at the time of Evan and Brae¡¯s wedding. She looked a lot different now from earlier. She looked more beautiful than what I remember or maybe that gold digging girlfriend of mine, Anna had blinded me at that time.


    When I saw Brielle in the club that night, my eyes were struck at her. In that metallic green dress showing all her beautiful curves, she was bound to attract the eyes of everyone. I so wanted to put a jacket around her to protect her from the eyes of all the men there.


    When Evan and Brae left together, I insisted on taking her home. Though she hesitated initially, I would have never left her to get back home alone at night. I was lost in my thoughts when the bell rang.


    I got up to open the door and there she was. She was wearing a floral dress, her hair let down in natural waves. The innocence on her face made me want to protect her from everything in the world which was kind of weird. I knew I was staring at her face too long but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to look away.


    ¡°Uhm¡­ Hi!¡± My unmoving gaze must have made her uneasy.


    ¡°Hi! Come in please.¡± I moved away letting her in and closed the door behind us. I led her to the living room, she trailing behind me. She had a small frame which in fact  made her look cute.


    ¡°What would you like? Coffee, tea , anything else?¡± I offered to try to be a polite host.


    ¡°Water will be fine. Thank you.¡± I nodded and went off to bring her a ss of water. I ced the tray with water and a te of cookies in front of her. She took the ss in her hand but instead of drinking, she was nervously tapping her fingers on the ss like she was preparing to say something. I kept quiet, waiting for when she would be ready to speak up.


    ¡°I have something to tell you.¡± She blurted out as if she was rehearsing this line in her head.


    ¡°And I am listening to you.¡± She still looked hesitant.


    ¡°First promise me that you¡¯re going to listen to everything I say without interrupting or bursting out. I am already nervous.¡± She really looked nervous with her forehead creased, her fingers fiddling with each other.


    ¡°Okay, fine. I am listening.¡±Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this!¡± I said in shock. Never in my life would I have believed this story if I hadn¡¯t seen Brae¡¯s unusual behaviour.


    To know that Kate is behind all this, seems so unreal but this story actually fits. It really justifies all of Brae¡¯s actions but Kate was there in Evan¡¯s thick and thin and all this information was too much .


    ¡°I know. Kate is your friend and you don¡¯t have a reason to believe it but I have no other proof to give you other than my words.¡± There was an expression of helplessness on her face.


    ¡°Why are you telling me this? I mean why now after all this time?¡± She shook her head at that.


    ¡°Brae is scared for me and she wouldn¡¯t let me say it to anyone but now I¡¯m done with all this. I haven¡¯t seen her so sad in years and I want to do something about this.¡± I could totally rte to what she said because Evan had been no better.


    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± I looked at her and subconsciously nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that Kate had threatened Brae in the officest time. We can check the CCTV footage of the day when Kate came back.¡± I suggested.


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. We can do that.¡± She looked hopeful.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    ¡°We can¡¯t hear what they are saying but I trust Brae. I know that she is much better than what she has been portraying herself to be.¡± Whatever I said was true. The  trust I had in Brae was much more than that in anyone else.


    ¡°Are you going to show this to Evan?¡± Bri looked worriedly at me.


    ¡°I will.¡±


    Evan¡¯s POV


    ¡°Evan. I have something important to tell you.¡± I didn¡¯t raise my head to look at him.


    ¡°Not now Ryan, I have a lot of work to-¡± I cut myself off as he shut myptop off.


    ¡°What the hell do you think you are doing?¡± I gritted, my anger rising. These days, all it took was a snap of a finger to make me angry.


    ¡°What I have to say is very important.¡± He crossed his arms across his chest and looked back with the same intensity. I sighed, irritated.


    ¡°What is it about that¡¯s so important?¡± I was annoyed to be disturbed between work.


    ¡°Brae.¡± I clenched my eyes shut at that. She was thest person I wanted to talk about now. No matter what I could never erase her from my mind but not reminding me of her would have been good I guess.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear whatever you have to say.¡± I gritted my teeth in annoyance.


    ¡°You need to listen. You don¡¯t want to know why she left you three years back ?¡± My head immediately snapped towards him. Was he joking? How could he possibly know that when I have been trying for days?


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    ¡°What does this video even prove ? We can¡¯t even hear what they are saying.¡± I gave him the phone back. I didn¡¯t know how to use Kate. Even thinking of being betrayed by such a close friend was putting me at great unease.


    ¡°Tell me what has Kate got to say to Brae? She has no business with her then why is she there?¡± Ryan tried reasoning but I wasn¡¯t ready to ept. How could I when she was there with me in my ups and downs? I had considered myself lucky to have such a friend in my life and all of a sudden I couldn¡¯t just me her. I needed more than that to believe it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know but I just can¡¯t mistrust Kate like that. She had always been there for me when I needed a friend. ¡± I let out my mind.


    ¡°Are you not believing Brae?¡± He looked more hurt than Brae would have been at my words. I exhaled.


    ¡°How will I believe Brae? She is not even saying anything. What is there to believe at all?¡± I was frustrated with her constant escapes and vague answers and was honestly tired to follow her around.


    ¡°Okay fine, you need more proof, I will try to get it but unless then, you aren¡¯t going to speak a word about this to Kate.¡± I nodded at his serious face. It was the rarest of times when I had seen him this serious.


    ¡°Deal.¡±

 27. Give Me Your Hand.

    Ryan¡¯s POV


    ¡°Hello ?¡±  Her sweet voice rang.


    ¡°Bri.¡± I smiled, remembering thest day when she told me that Brielle is too long and I can call her Bri.


    ¡°Ryan, did he believe you ?¡± Worry was evident in her voice.


    ¡°No. He didn¡¯t.¡± I sighed thinking back to my conversation with Evan earlier today.


    ¡°Now what? Was that it?¡± She sounded so heartbroken.


    ¡°No, I want to get to the bottom of it. I will tell you everything but you have to meet me tomorrow.¡± I wanted to find a way to prove Brae innocent by any means.


    ¡°What are we going to do?¡± I could imagine her curious face.


    ¡°I have something in mind but I will tell you once we meet.¡± Firstly, I wanted to sit down and speak calmly. Secondly, I wanted to see her again. It was crazy that I had met her only twice and I was already missing her .


    ¡°Okay, take care.¡± I smiled to myself before responding.


    ¡°You too, bye.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Bri¡¯s POV


    ¡°Ah, isn¡¯t it the sweet little Brielle?¡± She said in a sickeningly sweet smile.


    ¡°We need to talk.¡± I folded my arms against my chest in a defensive manner.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember anything that I would like to discuss with you.¡± She shrugged and blinked her eyes at me. I rolled my eyes at her .


    ¡°But I do. Why are you doing this ? ¡± I stared straight at her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. What are you talking about?¡± I gritted my teeth in annoyance.


    ¡°Don¡¯t act, Kate. You very well know what I am talking about. You had separated Brae and Evan for all these years and even now you¡¯re making them suffer.¡± She let out an evilugh as soon as I spoke but I couldn¡¯t understand what was so funny in that.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t separate them sweetheart. Brae¡¯s credulous mind did. She is suffering because she is stupid and as for Evan, he isn¡¯t suffering now. He doesn¡¯t need your stupid sister when I am there for him.¡± She was the most infuriating woman I have ever met. I was never the one to get angry easily but talking to her I could feel the rage building up in me.


    ¡°Brae isn¡¯t stupid and you¡¯re stupid to think that Evan is happy, that he has moved on. He can never be happy without Brae!¡± I spoke, my voice loud and clear.


    She clenched her jaws and looked away.


    ¡°Try as hard as you can. At the end of the day, they will find their way back to each other because their love is that strong.¡± As these words left my mouth, her face contorted in fury.


    ¡°They won¡¯t! He can be happy. I will make him happy. He will fall in love with me and together we will be happy!¡± I scoffed at her imagination. Only if she knew what Evan feels for Brae.


    ¡°You had three years. What happened? Did Evan fall in love with you?¡± I looked at her challengingly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t shout at me.¡± She yelled frustratedly.


    ¡°Why are you doing this ? Why are you threatening her? They love each other. Why can¡¯t you just let them be?¡± The words sounded so desperate. I was indeed desperate to see Evan and Brae together, to see my sister happy.


    ¡°Because I love him ! And Brae deserves this for interfering in our lives. She shouldn¡¯t have been there in the first ce and Evan would have been mine.¡± She snarled at me. There was an abnormal look in her eyes, like an unhealthy obsession that was consuming her.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°You ¨C you don¡¯t even sound normal. ¡± I shook my head in disappointment.


    ¡°Just shut up. It seems to me that you¡¯re stupider than your sister. You¡¯re charging me in my office when I can destroy you like that?¡± She took menacing steps towards me .


    ¡°Leave. Right now.¡± She gritted through her teeth. I nodded and turned to leave.


    ¡°One day you are going to get back what you deserve for doing all this . ¡± I said before closing the door behind me.


    Without looking anywhere I stormed out of the building. Once I got into the cab, I breathed out in relief that everything went just as we nned.


    shback


    ¡°Sorry, I couldn¡¯te earlier. Brae was at home.¡± I apologized as soon as I came to the table. The cafe was a lot less crowded than I had seen itst time.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay. It hasn¡¯t been long though.¡± He offered me a perfect smile that could make girls swoon.


    ¡°So what are you nning?¡± I asked after I settled down. He leaned forward and put his elbow on the table, staring seriously at me.


    ¡°I have something in mind but it has to be done by you.¡± I nodded at once. I didn¡¯t need to be told twice and I was ready.


    ¡°I am ready to do anything to see my sister happy.¡± He nodded at me.


    ¡°I feel you.¡± Ryan was an expressive guy and it was easy to understand that he was very concerned about his brother.


    ¡°Give me your hand.¡± He said all of a sudden.


    ¡°Huh?¡± I stupidly asked not understanding why he would ask for my hand all of a sudden.


    ¡°Your hand.¡± When I still wasn¡¯t responding he grabbed my hand and put a bracelet around it.


    ¡°What is this ?¡± I was confused . It was a beautiful silver bracelet but why was he giving it?


    ¡°Bracelet.¡± He said in a ¡®duh¡¯ tone like I was stupid to ask the question. I rolled my eyes at him.


    ¡°Oh really? I thought it¡¯s a handcuff.¡± I fake a smile but my eyebrows furrowed when his face morphed into a mischievous smile.


    ¡°Handcuff? Well, that sounds hot!¡± My face surely became red out of embarrassment. He coughed to hide the snicker that he couldn¡¯t control.


    ¡°Okay, so you are going to go and pay a visit to Kate .¡± He said bing serious again. What he said was really confusing me.


    ¡°Kate ? Why ? Am I going to scare her into confessing everything?¡± He shrugged at my question.


    ¡°No, but maybe you can trick her into confessing everything.¡± I could feel that he had something formed in his head.


    ¡°How?¡± He pointed to the bracelet around my wrist.


    ¡°This bracelet has a micro audio recorder in it.¡± I raised my hand and looked at the bracelet before looking back at him.


    ¡°You will go there as a concerned sister and request her to leave both of them alone.¡± I shook my head at that.


    ¡°That won¡¯t make her confess anything.¡± She would only kick me out of the office.


    ¡°It will and if it doesn¡¯t, then you will infuriate her by saying how Evan still loves Brae and will never look at Kate in anything other than a friendly way. You have to speak fondly of their love and rtionship and rile her up until she loses control and snaps.¡± What he said did make sense. Maybe we could take a chance.


    ¡°You have to act well. We can¡¯t have her suspect anything. Good?¡± I nodded at him.


    ¡°Excellent! Then I will pick you up and drop you at her office.¡± These words hardly left his mouth when I refused.


    ¡°Absolutely not .¡± He looked confused.


    ¡°Why?¡± I sighed.


    ¡°You need not be anywhere near the ce. I will take a cab and go.¡± He seemed to be debating it for a second before nodding.


    ¡°Fine, but after your work is done, you areing straight here.¡± He said in a tone that said that it wasn¡¯t up for further discussion.


    ¡°Okay.¡± I agreed, mentally looking forward to the next day.


    I sighed looking at the bracelet. This would make Evan believe us and hopefully he can do something about it. How I wanted to see them back together!

 28. A Bitch!

    Ryan¡¯s POV


    I kept looking at my phone, expecting her call at any moment when my doorbell rang. Getting up I quickly opened the door to see Bri.


    ¡°Bri? Come in.¡± I wasn¡¯t expecting her. I had that he would call once she leaves.


    ¡°I was waiting for your call.¡± I walked in after her.


    ¡°I am sorry but I wanted to speak face to face.¡± She looked at me apologetically.


    ¡°Come on, there¡¯s nothing to be sorry about. You want some water?¡± I offered to which she nodded. Passing her a ss of water I sat down opposite her impatiently waiting for her to speak .


    ¡°Did she open her mouth?¡± I questioned, my patience thinning out. She sighed before nodding.


    ¡°She did.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    ¡°Do you need any help?¡± I asked looking at Bri in the kitchen. Both of us were hungry when she volunteered to make us some sandwiches.


    ¡°No, I will manage.¡± I kept staring at her. The sight of her cooking in our kitchen was giving me a strange happiness. I could imagine myself cooking in the kitchen together andughing and stealing asional kisses.


    ¡°Woah!¡± I turned back and murmured to myself realising that staring at her was messing my mind.


    ¡°Here.¡± She handed me a te and sat down opposite me. I kept observing each of her actions like how she plopped down on the sofa like a kid to how her eyes widened slightly on taking a bite of the sandwich, as if she was appreciating her own cooking and honestly, I was finding everything cute about her. I shook my head at that. Something definitely was not right with me.


    ¡°You don¡¯t like it?¡± She asked, most probably noticing me shaking my head.


    ¡°No, I do. It¡¯s very tasty.¡± She nodded though she didn¡¯t look convinced.


    ¡°So , you got the voice clip?¡±


    ¡°I did. It¡¯s in here.¡± I showed her my phone.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Evan¡¯s POV


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you leave me alone? I want nothing to do with the past.¡±


    ¡°No Evan, I will make it very clear. This wasn¡¯t supposed to happen. We were drunk and we made a mistake which I would like to not repeat ever again.¡±


    I shut myptop off and massaged my forehead. Two whole weeks had passed already and still her words rang in my ears just as fresh. On top of that Bri¡¯s usation on Kate.


    I want to believe Brae but at the same time I can¡¯t think of Kate in that light. She supported me through my tough times , stuck to me when I was down and now suddenly how can I throw her away based on some allegations that too when Brae herself isn¡¯t saying a word. All she does is push me away.


    I didn¡¯t know what to believe anymore.


    I went into the kitchen to drink some water.


    ¡°Evan, we need to talk.¡± I mmed the ss on the counter, some water spilling out of it.


    ¡°What? Now what?¡± I was always in the worst of my mood these days all thanks to that one woman.


    ¡°You sound like someone pissed in your mouth.¡± I exhaled deeply and red at him.


    ¡°Okay, okay I am sorry. I came to give you the proof that you wanted.¡±


    ¡°Proof?¡±


    ¡°You mean you got proof that Kate ckmailed Brae into all of this?¡±


    ¡°Wow you understood! So fast? I am impressed.¡± He faked admired causing me to roll my eyes at him.


    ¡°Well then give it. Proof?¡± He brought his phone out of his pocket and pressed y on some audio.


    ¡°Ah, isn¡¯t it the sweet little Brielle?¡± Kate¡¯s voice rang out.


    ¡°We need to talk.¡± It was Bri.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember anything that I would like to discuss with you.¡± She sounded bored.


    ¡°But I do. Why are you doing this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand. What are you talking about?¡± I looked at Ryan who was staring at the floor, his hands sped together.


    ¡°Don¡¯t act, Kate. You very well know what I am talking about. You had separated Brae and Evan for all these years and even now you¡¯re making them suffer.¡± As soon as Bri finished speaking, Kate¡¯s loudughter rang out.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t separate them sweetheart. Brae herself did. She is suffering because she is stupid and as for Evan, he isn¡¯t suffering now. He doesn¡¯t need your stupid sister when I am there for him.¡± Well, that didn¡¯t sound so normal!


    ¡°Brae isn¡¯t stupid and you¡¯re stupid to think that Evan is happy, that he has moved on. He can never be happy without Brae.¡± I looked into the space waiting for the conversation to proceed.


    ¡°Try as hard as you can. At the end of the day, they will find their way back to each other because their love is that strong.¡± Hardly did Briellet those words out when Kate snapped at her.


    ¡°They won¡¯t! He can be happy. I will make him happy. He will fall in love with me and together we will be happy!¡± I clenched my jaws , anger consuming me at the thought of what she had done to separate us.


    ¡°You had three years. What happened? Did Evan fall in love with you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t shout at me.¡± She yelled, unable to give a proper answer.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    ¡°Why are you doing this? Why are you threatening her? They love each other. Why can¡¯t you just let them be?¡± I was anticipating her answer.


    ¡°Because I love him ! And Brae deserves this for interfering in our lives. She shouldn¡¯t have been there in the first ce and Evan would have been mine.¡± I so wanted to rip her head off her shoulder. How stupid she was to think that I was going to be her¡¯s?


    ¡°You ¨C you don¡¯t even sound normal.¡±


    ¡°Just shut up. It seems to me that you¡¯re stupider than your sister. You¡¯re charging me in my office when I can destroy you like that?¡± I closed my eyes and breathed hard through my nose to control the anger.


    ¡°Leave. Right now.¡±


    ¡°One day you are going to get back what you deserve for doing all this .¡±


    ¡°Damn right she will get it back! I will fucking destroy her.¡± I smashed themp against the wall, breaking it into numerous pieces.


    ¡°Evan-¡±


    ¡°How dare she ? How dare she fucking threaten Brae? How dare she fucking separate us and act like she is my biggest supporter? Friend my ass!¡± I couldn¡¯t feel anything other than rage, extreme rage and I wanted to burn Kate in that. She pretended to heal me when she was the one to deliver me the hurt.


    ¡°Calm down brother, calm down. ¡± Ryan grabbed me by my arm and turned towards him.


    ¡°Breathe. Calm down and take a deep breath, okay?¡± I nodded and after he realised I was calmer than before, he left my hand. I propped myself down on the sofa .


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe she could do this and act innocent all along. She separated us for her so-called love for me. Fucking unbelievable!¡± The feeling of betrayal was tearing me apart. The one whom I trusted so much to be my support in those was the one who caused my sufferings.


    ¡°Bitch. That¡¯s all she is.¡± Ryan made a disgusted face.


    ¡°I missed spending three damn years of my life with Brae. We would have been a family if she didn¡¯t break our marriage off. ¡±  I put my head in my hands thinking over everything.


    ¡°You know I realised something just now.¡± I looked at him to see him staring at the ground.


    ¡°What? ¡± I raised a brow.


    ¡°That not a single thing is going to be there in your house in the near future if you continue to thrash them to vent out your frustrations.¡± I stared at him with a poker face before taking my skipper in my hand and throwing it at him.


    ¡°Fuck you!¡± I shouted at him.


    ¡°Never. I am not into incest.¡± He said with a very serious expression. I gritted my teeth in annoyance. His sarcastic remarks were thest thing I was in the mood for.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fucking joke!¡± I threatened.


    ¡°Okay, okay, calm down. I won¡¯t.¡± He made a gesture of sealing his lips.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± He asked as I shot up from the sofa.


    ¡°To talk to Brae.¡± I took my car keys and jacket.


    ¡°Now?¡±


    ¡°Now and be gone till the time I am back.¡± I hurried out of the house.

 29. The Truth.

    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    I was in my pjs watching a movie when the doorbell rang.  On opening the door, I saw Evan standing there.


    ¡°Evan?¡± I looked at the clock to see eight at night.


    ¡°Brae.¡± He calmly acknowledged.


    ¡°What are you doing here at this time?¡± I asked going back to the hard mask I put on everytime I am near him.


    ¡°Come with me.¡± I unfolded my arms that were crossed against my chest.


    ¡°Now?¡±


    ¡°Now.¡± He stated firmly without blinking.


    ¡°I can¡¯t, Evan.¡± How could I risk going with him at this time when every minute around him was dangerous for me. No matter how hard it was, I had convinced myself to stay away from him outside office hours.


    ¡°You can and you wille with me right now.¡± He grabbed my wrist and pulled me out with him.


    ¡°You can¡¯t force me toe with you.¡± I eximed which seemed to fall into deaf ears.


    ¡°Bri!¡± Bri came out at his call and both of them nodded at each other like they knew something which I didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Close the door behind you and call Ryan if you need anything.¡± He gruffly instructed Bri who again nodded.


    ¡°Wait! What¡¯s happening?¡± I looked at both of them stupidly. Bri only closed the door behind her while Evan kept dragging me out.


    ¡°Evan, where are we going? I am not even dressed properly if you haven¡¯t noticed.¡± I was letting myself be dragged knowing that I could never win against him. He is just too strong for me to put up a fight.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter.¡± He replied not bothering to look back. He opened the passenger door and somewhat shoved me inside before getting into the driver¡¯s seat.


    ¡°Can I know where I am going in my pjs?¡± I asked as he drove off. Guess what he did! He ignored me.


    ¡°You know this is called kidnapping.¡± He again ignored me.


    I folded my arms across my chest and huffed like an angry kid. He nced at me once before going back to driving.


    ¡°What are we doing here?¡± I asked as I saw that we were at his house. He unfastened the seat belt and got out of the car. I got out of the car too. He again held my wrist and dragged me along.


    ¡°Evan, just stop it okay? You can¡¯t drag me like a rag doll! And what¡¯s this behaviour? Why are you ignoring me? I am asking you something! Why am I here?¡± I was yelling at him.


    ¡°To talk.¡± He gritted out after we were inside his house. I sighed in exasperation.


    ¡°To talk?¡± He nodded.


    ¡°About us?¡± He nodded again.


    ¡°Oh God! How many times should I tell you there is no us anymore? Why don¡¯t you understand that we have nothing to talk about.¡± I threw my hands in the air in annoyance. I was so tired of hurting him and he was hell bent on not leaving me any other option.


    ¡°Stop lying damn it!¡± He yelled all of a sudden.


    ¡°Evan-¡± He raised his hand gesturing to not speak.


    ¡°I know everything.¡± My blood froze at that sentence. He knows everything? What does that mean?


    ¡°What do you know ?¡± I asked in a very low nervous voice. He took one menacing step towards me while I took one backwards.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Kate forced you to part from me.¡± My mouth opened in shock. He knew? How? I didn¡¯t tell him. But Kate won¡¯t believe it! She would make Bri suffer now.


    ¡°That whatever you said three years back wasn¡¯t true.¡± I kept walking backwards with each step he took towards me.


    ¡°That you were never after my money.¡± My back touched the wall but he didn¡¯t stop advancing.


    ¡°That you never had another man in your life after me.¡± He put his hands on the wall beside either of my shoulders , caging me between him and the wall.


    ¡°That you still love me as much as I do.¡± His minty breath was fanning my face. This proximity was affecting my senses.


    ¡°How do you know?¡± I squeaked out which seemingly angered him considering the clenching of his jaw. He pulled back the next moment and walked away a bit.


    ¡°Bri told me.¡± I cursed under my breath. How could she tell Evan everything without even thinking about the consequences!


    ¡°I told her not to.¡± As soon as those words left my mouth, Evan snapped his head towards me.


    ¡°Why ? That¡¯s my question. Why couldn¡¯t you do what she did? Why the hell did you not tell me?¡± His face held a raging look that could scare anyone.


    ¡°If you know everything then you must know why I couldn¡¯t tell you.¡± I meekly said.


    ¡°Come on Brae , you can¡¯t possibly be scared of her threats. Fine, I understand that back then you didn¡¯t have the chance to talk to anyone but what now? I had been repeatedly asking for answers, for some rification but you didn¡¯t give me , why? Do you seriously not know how powerful I am? If you had told me of all this, do you think she could frame Bri for just anything and get away with that? For God¡¯s sake Brae, Kate doesn¡¯t stand a chance against me.¡± He threw his hand in the air in frustration. Of course he could bring Kate down if he wished to but I didn¡¯t know if he would have believed me after everything.


    ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t believe me.¡± My voice was extremely low. With each exchange of words I was feeling less confident.


    ¡°Thought! You thought ! Then why was I demanding answers from you if I wouldn¡¯t have believed you? Yes, I thought that Kate is my best friend, a well-wisher, but if you would have used her of something so huge, I wouldn¡¯t have ignored your words. You know why? Because you are the one who¡¯s saying it. I would have tried to find out the truth only because I want to support you, I want to trust you.¡± His using gaze was too strong for myfort. With each passing second I was feeling stupider than before.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand Brae, I have so many questions in my mind. Tell me why didn¡¯t you try to contact me in the past three years?¡± His deep breaths showed that he was trying to control his increasing anger.


    ¡°I tried contacting you.¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Never.¡± His response was spontaneous. He sounded so sure he was ready to bet anything on it.


    ¡°I did. I did Evan. That very night when I learned that theplete thing was a story set by Kate only to sabotage our wedding, I came to your house to tell you everything, to say that I never meant any of those words.¡± This was the longest I had spoken since I was here.


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you?¡± The curiosity in his tone didn¡¯t go unnoticed by me.


    ¡°Your Mom, she told me that you were drunk and not in your senses. She told me  not to ever show my face to you and your family. She said how I broke you into pieces and it was so damn true! The pain that reflected in her voice and the hatred her eyes shining in them for me was too much to bear, Evan. I couldn¡¯te again. I felt guilty.¡± I looked away, not able to bear his intimidating stare.


    ¡°So you gave up on us?¡± I slowly looked at him and gulped painfully.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t want to talk to me.¡± His face turned into confusion as those words left my mouth.


    ¡°What?¡±

 30. A Break?

    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    ¡°Victoria called me telling me that you were flying off to Germany for a month because you wanted to get away from me, that you had asked to never call you again.¡± He stared at my with dry amusement before letting out a humourless chuckle.


    ¡°Amazing! I didn¡¯t know that I ever said something like that! I went to Germany for thepany.¡± He spoke, a mock smile gracing his lips. My eyes were stinging with tears.


    ¡°And  even if it was true, if I had really said those words, you decided to give up?¡± His voice sounded so dangerously cold like it could give you chills.


    ¡°I was guilty Evan, I had hurt you so bad and when I heard that you didn¡¯t want to see me at all, I decided to give you what you wanted.¡±  He nodded big with a sarcasticughter.


    ¡°You decided to give me what I wanted.¡± Evan¡¯s expression was scaring me to death. He looked as if he could explode any moment.


    ¡°You decided that it was best to leave me in your past and move on. You bloody moved on.¡± He punched the wall with all his might, trying to release his frustrations through it.


    ¡°Evan.¡± I gasped in horror. His knuckles were covered with blood making it look extremely painful.


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡±. He warned, raising his other hand as I took a step forward to hold his hand. His eyes were bloodshot, reflecting the raw anger raging in him. I took a deep breath and tried blinking away the tears.


    ¡°Evan, I never moved on. I never looked at anyone else. You were always in my thoughts.¡± I tried my best to keep my voice from breaking.


    ¡°And what good did it do to us? ¡± His words came fast and sharp.


    ¡°Everyday, I waited for you to call me but you didn¡¯t. Why, Brae?¡± His face held the expression of  helplessness and frustration.


    ¡°If I was in your ce, I wouldn¡¯t have given up. Even if you didn¡¯t want to meet me, I would have called you everyday, stalked you everywhere till you would agree to hear me out. But you did what was easy, you gave up on us, you gave up on our love!¡± The damn had broken long back and the tears I was trying to control were now freely cascading down my cheeks.


    He clenched his fist causing him to hiss in pain. His bloodied knuckles looked really painful. Ignoring my gaze on him, he strode upstairs. Wiping my eyes, I quickly rushed after him.


    Following him into his room and then into his washroom, I saw him pulling out the first aid kit. Just as he opened it, I snatched it from his hands.


    ¡°Brae, give it back.¡± Without listening to him, I brought his hand under cold water. I poured antiseptic liquid on some cotton


    ¡°I will do it.¡± He put his hand forward for me to give it to him. I sighed and brought his injured hand forward.


    ¡°Let me.¡± I looked pleadingly at him while he stared back, as if looking for something in my face.


    Taking his silence as an answer, I started cleaning his wound. He hissed each time I dapped the cotton on his knuckles.


    I looked up after bandaging his hand and his intent stare was still on me.


    ¡°Evan, I didn¡¯t want to hurt you.¡± I said after gathering a lot of courage.


    ¡°But you did.¡± His lips were pressed in a thin line while his eyes shone with moisture.


    ¡°Evan¡­.¡± I trailed off not knowing what to say. After a brief moment of silence, Evan bent down and touched his forehead with mine, his left hand holding the nape of my neck while his injured hand was still held in mine.


    ¡°Brae.¡± He whispered my name, sending shivers up my body. Both of our eyes closed only listening to each other¡¯s breaths.


    ¡°I am hurt. Too hurt at the fact that you couldn¡¯t trust me to go against the world for us. You gave up on us.¡± I shook my head in protest. Peeling open my eyes I saw  that his eyes were still closed but a sad smile ying on his face, a smile filled with so much pain and anguish. My eyes watered again.


    ¡°You hurt me, Brae. You could have tried to collect the proofs that Ryan and Bri did but you let everything be on its own. It¡¯s so fucking painful to think that you didn¡¯t fight for our love.¡± His words cut right through my heart. I felt responsible for all this, remorse that I failed in this rtionship, I couldn¡¯t live up to his expectations.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    ¡°I am sorry.¡± I whispered, big fat tears rolling down my cheeks. He brought his hand up and wiped my tears. We stood there for some minutes in absolute silence, our breaths the only faint sound in there


    ¡°My driver will drop you back.¡± He said, pulling away. I quickly held his hand, not allowing him to move away.


    ¡°We are talking, aren¡¯t we?¡± I asked. He sighed and peeled my hand off his.


    ¡°I have nothing more to listen or say. I need some time. Some alone time to myself.¡± He stated but his voice held that silent pleading. He left the washroom leaving me to be tormented by guilt. I bit my lip to stop the sob from escaping my mouth.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    ¡°Brae drink the water.¡± Bri said, handing me a ss of water. I put the ss down and massaged my forehead to soothe the throbbing in my head. Sighing, she sat down beside me. Taking my hand in hers, she drew soothing circles on the backside with her fingers.


    ¡°So what are you going to do now?¡± Her words sounded measured, like she didn¡¯t want to force me into thinking anything.


    ¡°He has to forgive me. I will convince him to.¡± I spoke with determination, causing her eyes to light up with happiness.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted to hear.¡± Bri smiled widely at me.


    ¡± I won¡¯t give up this time.¡± Tears were blinding my vision while I shook my head.


    ¡± You won¡¯t.¡± She followed my action , her eyes moistening as well as she confirmed my statement. She hugged me tightly and I sighed into that embrace.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Evan¡¯s POV


    ¡± So is this ending here ? You seriously want nothing to do with Brae anymore?¡± His eyes held shock and usation.


    ¡± Ryan-¡± His over-excited ass cut me off.


    ¡± No I don¡¯t understand, when you didn¡¯t even know the reason, you wanted to be with her and now you don¡¯t even want to give this rtionship a chance ? I gave so much effort to see you guys together and now it won¡¯t happen. It¡¯s so unfair.¡± He actually stomped his foot on the floor like a child. If I wasn¡¯t stressed already, I would haveughed at his antics.


    ¡± Will you let me speak already?¡± I asked tiredly. He shut up but looked away huffing like an angry kid.


    ¡± I am not ending everything.¡± This seemed to catch his interest as his head immediately snapped towards me.


    ¡± What do you mean ? You¡¯re not moving on from her ? So this wasn¡¯t a closure ?¡± He threw all the questions together at me.


    ¡± I never said it was . Moreover if I could have moved on from her , wouldn¡¯t I already have in thest three years ? ¡± It was true. I knew that I could never get over her.


    ¡± Then what is it ? A break from a rtionship minus rtionship?¡± I rolled my eyes at his confused face.


    ¡± I need some time to clear my mind. This hurt , this has to fade before we get into anything.¡± I needed some time to myself. Holding grudges we couldn¡¯t have been in a peaceful rtionship.


    ¡± I understand .¡± He passed me a small smile .

 31. Boyfriend Hunt?

    Evan¡¯s POV


    ¡°Do you think that she is chilling at home with Netflix and trying to forget you ?¡± I sighed  before looking at Ryan¡¯s face. Brae didn¡¯te to the office since thest two days and on the first hour of the third day , Ryan came up with his hundred and one potential possibilities behind Brae¡¯s absence.


    ¡°Or¡­.¡± His eyes widened like he discovered something, most probably another stupid reason.


    ¡°Maybe she is on a boyfriend hunt.¡± I rolled my eyes at him. His stupid cartoon-like expressions weren¡¯t helping my increasing annoyance.


    ¡°Stop with this nonsense already. There isn¡¯t anything like this.¡±


    ¡°How do you know? Maybe she is meeting one or more people , going on dates.¡± Now this really did piss me off. I gritted my teeth and red at him while he only grinned.


    ¡°Maybe-¡±


    ¡°Shut up. Will you?¡± I gritted . His grin only widened, proving that he surely was enjoying it. Just then a knock was heard on my door.


    ¡°Come in.¡± I dropped my eyes back to the documents on my table.


    ¡°Ryan-¡± I cut myself off after I looked up and my eyes fell upon that one woman. Brae. She was dressed differently in a blush pink dress, her hair braided in a loose fishtail. The minimal makeup on her face couldn¡¯t hide her dark patches under her eyes indicating exhaustion but she looked a lot fresher and happy. As she walked closer, her sweet vani smell hit my nostrils.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± She looked at Ryan and then me, her lips stretched in a beautiful smile that I hadn¡¯t seen in a long time. It made her look much more young and happy.


    ¡°Good Morning, Brae.¡± Ryan grinned at her while I only nodded in acknowledgement.


    ¡°You were telling me something.¡± I looked at Ryan to see him looking thoughtfully at me.


    ¡°Uhm¡­. Yeah, I was asking if you could-¡± He cut me off.


    ¡°Leave? dly. I was going anyway.¡± I clicked my tongue in annoyance. I knew why he did it. He walked out before closing the door behind him.


    Brae came forward and ced the tray with a cup of coffee and some cookies alongside. I looked from the tray to her face and raised a brow at her. She just shrugged before speaking.


    ¡°I made them. Thought you would like it.¡± She offered a faint smile.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like anything in the morning other than coffee.¡± I stated.


    ¡°But a stomach needs food. Anyway, should I tell you your schedule for today?¡± I shook my head at her.


    ¡°I know it.¡± She nodded.


    ¡°Why were you absent for thest two days? You are evente today.¡± I asked, keeping my tone somewhat professional.


    ¡°You said you wanted to be alone and I was giving you some time away from me. I thought two days were enough. So I came back.¡± She smiled lightly. I was taken aback by her answer because I never thought that she would address any personal conversation in the office.


    ¡°And today I waste because I took time to dress up.¡± My eyes automatically stole a swift nce of her whole body.


    ¡°You look different.¡± I acknowledged and brought the cup of coffee to my lips.


    ¡°Do you like it?¡± Hearing her question, I absent-mindedly sipped a lot of the hot drink, burning my tongue. This question was definitely not expected from her. I was dumbfounded at her words. Was she even the same Brae?


    ¡°Did you do it for me?¡± I asked with a smirk after recovering my shock. I was expecting her to blush or look away, shying , anything but not a shrug and the words that left her mouth.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± My heart skipped a beat at her answer. Something was definitely wrong with her. I cleared my throat realising that I was staring wide-eyed at her for some seconds now.


    ¡°Do you think you can say this to your boss in the office, Ms. Taylor?¡± I leaned back in my seat and looked at her. Strangely my voice didn¡¯t sound intimidating enough.


    ¡°No one¡¯s hearing. There¡¯s only us in this room, Mr. Lewis.¡± That was it. I was mute. She had no idea how much her innocent flirting was bothering me. I squirmed, suddenly ufortable in my seat.


    ¡°I will leave.¡± She turned and walked out. Even her natural sway of hips was testing my control. Taking a few deep breaths, I thought over our little conversation a while back.


    Was this sudden change in her because of that night? My mind asked.


    My eyes fell on the te of cookies and I picked one up. Taking one small bite of it, I smiled to myself.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    ¡°Woah ! You look so different!¡± Austin said, looking at me.


    ¡°Different and hot.¡± I dramatically fanned my face with my hands at Cora¡¯s words.


    ¡°Why?¡± I swear I hadn¡¯t seen someone change emotions so fast. She looked dead serious while she was smiling a second ago.


    ¡°What ¡®why¡¯?¡± I asked with a confused face.


    ¡°Why this sudden change?¡± Her arms were folded across her chest. I understood that she was speaking about my countenance.


    ¡°I felt like it? Besides, a change is always good.¡± I felt bad lying to my friends but I didn¡¯t want anyone to know at least till we are able to reconcile.


    ¡°I smell something here. Wha-¡± She cut herself off , her eyes widening in what seemed like realisation.


    ¡°It¡¯s Evan Lewis right?¡± She said it more like a statement.


    ¡°Cora,e on!¡± Austin rolled his eyes.


    ¡°What ?¡± I put up a confused act.


    ¡°The reason. It¡¯s Evan Lewis?¡± She narrowed her eyes on me . Before I coulde up with an answer , she spoke again.


    ¡°Or is it him ?¡± She was looking at someone behind me. Before I could turn back, that person called himself.


    ¡°Brae!¡± I looked back at Ryan who was gesturing to me toe there.


    ¡°One minute.¡± I mouthed him before looking back at Cora who was grinning at me.


    ¡°What rubbish! It¡¯s nothing like that.¡± I said, my voice earning a few stares. I apologetically looked at them while Cora seemed unfazed. She looked like she was on a mission to have her answers and like she didn¡¯t believe me at all.


    ¡°We are just extremely good friends.¡± I exined the same thing for the fiftieth time causing her to only shrug.


    ¡°People tend to use this excuse a lot.¡± Rolling my eyes at her I was about to walk away when she held my arms and made me face her. She managed to give me her most scrutinizing gaze.


    ¡°You can¡¯t hide shit from me. I will find out the truth.¡± She dramatically flipped her hair and left like it was the end of a movie shot. Austin chuckled at her antics while I shook my head at the little dramatic puppy.


    I walked up to Ryan who was grinning at me.


    ¡°Tell me all this you did today morning was to convince Evan right?¡± He looked hopeful like a little kid, his lower lip drawn into a small pout. I nodded at him.


    ¡°Finally! At least someone is on the right track. I am so proud!¡± His words sounded so dramatic but his eyes showed that he was truly happy.


    ¡°I am trying to make him forgive me. I hurt him a lot Ryan and it¡¯s only right if he is done with me. Still , I am going to try my best.¡± I sighed. He held me by my shoulder causing me to look up at him.


    ¡°No Brae, he isn¡¯t done with you nor will he be in the far future. He is just upset and I know you can make it up to him. You can.¡± His voice held much faith.


    ¡°I can.¡± I repeated after him, feeling confident.


    ¡°In case he acts too stubbornly, just give me a call and I will beat his ass up.¡± I chuckled before hugging him.


    ¡°I know you are always there, Ry.¡± I mumbled on his shoulder.


    ¡°I am.¡± He sealed it.

 32. I Muffed It.

    Evan¡¯s POV


    I was on my way to my cabin when some of the employees wished me good morning and I wished them back.


    Turning the knob, I entered the room only to be surprised.


    On my desk was a bouquet of Irises Stalking near , I picked it up and inhaled the woody smell. I looked for a note in it but found none attached. Only one name came to my mind of who could have done it.


    ¡°Come in.¡±  I kept the flowers done waiting for the person to enter.


    ¡°Good morning.¡± Brae walked in with a smile.


    ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°Nice flowers!¡± She eximed, putting down the cup of coffee on my desk. I could directly see through her act.


    ¡°Ah ! Yes. I was wondering if you know who sent them. ¡± I asked , ying along.


    ¡°Depends.¡± She shrugged .


    ¡°On?¡±


    ¡°Whether you like them or not.¡± My brow automatically raised at her words.


    ¡°Is it so ?¡± I bit back the smile that was threatening to fall


    ¡°Huh huh.¡± She nodded.


    ¡°Interesting.¡± I thrusted my hands in my pockets.


    ¡°Let¡¯s say I don¡¯t like these flowers.¡± I said looking straight at her.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Then I don¡¯t know who sent them.¡±  She pouted feigning ignorance.


    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t.¡± I nodded my head .


    ¡°I don¡¯t but I can tell what the person must be thinking while sending them.¡± I went around and sat down in my chair before speaking.


    ¡°Really? What is it ?¡± She came forward and picked up the flowers , walked to stand beside me. I turned my chair to look at her.


    ¡°Do you know what Irises represent?¡± She asked, looking at the flowers and then at me. I shook my head , genuinely not knowing the answer.


    ¡°Hope. It signifies hope. The person who sent you this must be hoping for something.¡± She said.


    ¡°Hope ?¡± I raised my brow.


    ¡°Yes, hope. To get something from you, forgiveness maybe.¡± Her eyes gazed intently into mine. I felt like I was losing myself in her beautiful blue eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take your leave.¡± She said, still looking into my eyes and I nodded. Breaking the eye contact, she put the flowers down and gracefully moved out of the cabin.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    ¡°Ah Ryan! What would I have done without you?¡± I said keeping the bags down on the sofa.


    ¡°Nothing?¡± He raised his invisible cors. I yfully rolled my eyes at him.


    ¡°If you want I can stay and help you set up everything.¡±


    ¡°No, I want to do everything by myself.¡± I joined my hands and nced once at the whole ce.


    ¡°So you don¡¯t need any other help ?¡± He raised a brow at me.


    ¡°Nope.¡± I said popping the p.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll see you then.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Ry.¡± I said after him.


    ¡°Not needed.¡± He shouted back, not turning around.


    It had been a week since we had the talk in Evan¡¯s house. In thest week I had made many small gestures for him to melt his heart from dressing up for him, baking cookies for him , sending his favourite meals at his lunch break to sending flowers.


    Finally I wanted to arrange a surprise for him. It was Monday and I was again absent from the office. Anyone in my ce would have been fired long back for being absent this frequently.


    Ryan had helped me to get into Evan¡¯s house with the spare key he had. Keeping every supply down , I looked about nning everything in my mind. Putting the apron on, I got into the kitchen.


    The music ring through the bluetooth speaker was keeping mepany while I cooked. I prepared some of his favourite dishes like steak with a side of potato au gratin, spaghetti with spinach cheese stuffed chicken, caramel pudding and chocte mousse for dessert. After finishing up, I set the table up, the flowers and scented candles enhancing the feel.


    Once I made sure that everything was just as I wanted, I went to take a shower.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Evan¡¯s POV


    And she was again absent from work today. Wonder what she was up to this time! A smile touched my lips thinking back to all the sweet things she had done over the past week. I would lie if I say that I didn¡¯t like it. I was honestly happy that she wanted to save this thing, whatever there was between us and was putting in so much effort.


    The car was finally parked in front of the house.


    As I pressed the bell, Amy opened the door. She had been working as a cook in my house for some five years now. The olddy was always concerned for me and didn¡¯t treat me any differently than a son.


    ¡°Are you leaving?¡± I asked to see her all dressed up.


    ¡°Yes, son. I need to go somewhere. ¡±


    ¡°Do you want any help?¡± Her eyes widened slightly.


    ¡°No , absolutely not.¡± She blurted out almost immediately.


    ¡°Oh okay.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure why she was being so strange but I let it pass. Maybe she was stressed for some reason.


    After she left, I walked in and closed the door behind me. Oning to the living room, a sweet fragrance hit my nostrils, most probably of roses. That¡¯s when I looked around and saw that the whole ce was romantically decorated.


    Would Brae have done it? It felt too much to believe my thoughts.


    A small piece of folded paper attached to the string of a balloon caught my eyes. Keeping my coat on the sofa, I strode closer to it and untied the note.


    ¡°I am wrong ¨C you are right.¡± It read, just confirming my suspicions. That exined the reason behind Ammy¡¯s emergency.


    My eyes immediately darted to another piece of paper that was hanging just in front of it.


    ¡°I was being an stupid ass to push you away. Pleasee back.¡±


    ¡°I muffed it. I am sorry.¡± Another one read.


    ¡°I bet ¡®forgiving you¡¯ will be hotter than ¡®angry you¡¯. Forgive me?¡± The side of my lips curved into a smile.


    Next string had two things attached. First one was a pic of her where she had made a puppy face, her lips pulled in a cute pout. Under that was a note .


    ¡°You probably can¡¯t stay angry at this face. Can you?¡± I chuckled at this. It¡¯s true that I couldn¡¯t stay angry at this face anymore.


    As I looked in front I realised that these notes had led me to the dining ce where the rose fragrance was even stronger. I walked up to the table which was beautifully decorated. It had scented candles and red and pink roses kept in vases along with all of my favourite dishes.


    I was smiling to myself looking at all these when some footsteps were heard behind me. I slowly turned around and only when I thought I couldn¡¯t get any more surprise I was proved wrong.

 33. Dance?

    Evan¡¯s POV


    Brae stood there in a satin pink dress that was hugging every curve on her body. Her hair was pushed back behind her shoulder, exposing her long slender neck and her defined beauty bones. My eyes moved up to her full pink lips, causing me to painfully gulp. My eyes got fixed on her eyes. They had that mesmerizing effect on me, leaving me feeling dazed. After a long minute I averted my eyes and took a deep breath to calm my erratic breathing.


    Before I could speak, she pushed a balloon with a frown and a sorry message on it in my face.


    ¡°Brae-¡± She cut me off.


    ¡°No, I will speak and you will listen to me.¡± I knew she would apologize and I had already forgiven her. I wanted to tell her that.


    ¡°But-¡± Again I was cut off.


    ¡°Shut up.¡± She red at me, causing me to raise my hands in surrender. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, preparing herself to speak.


    ¡°I know it was all my mistake. I should havee clean to you. You said you needed time, so I didn¡¯t show you my face for two whole days. I picked flowers for you, baked cookies for you, nned this whole surprise for you, everything that could make you happy. I know I had messed it up, I had hurt you with my stupidity but I promise I never moved on. That day, I had hurt you a lot and when I heard that you wanted to be away from me I epted your decision because at that time I was ready to do anything that could make you happy. I am sorry Evan, please don¡¯t push me away, please.¡± Her eyes were brimming with tears by the end of it. I took her hands in mine and squeezed them gently.


    ¡°When I said I wanted to be alone, I was speaking for a little time. I can never push you away from me, Brae. Trust me, being away from you can never make me happy.¡± I spoke every word with utmost honesty and rity to make sure that she understood me. Her nod acknowledged my words.


    ¡°I will ask for a promise from you.¡± I said after a few seconds, her hands still held in mine. She again nodded, asking to continue.


    ¡°I want you to always trust me to be beside you, no matter what the situation is.¡± This time the tears she had been trying to control, left her eyes causing me to subconsciously tighten my grip on her hands.


    ¡°I trust you Evan. I do, but I was scared. After our separation, I lost all of my old friends. They all used me of being a cheap gold digger. I used to feel left, so alone. When I was threatened by Kate I was scared for Bri. I am sorry, Evan. I am sorry for everything.¡± The sight of her tears was pricking my heart. I gently pulled her by her hand towards me and closed my arms around her.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay Be, don¡¯t cry. You don¡¯t have to be scared of anyone anymore. I promise.¡± I stroked her hair, whispering assuring words in her ear. Pulling back I wiped away her tears and kissed her forehead before capturing her lips in a kiss. She didn¡¯t waste time wrapping her arms around my neck and kissing me back, her lips curving up in a small smile.


    ¡°So does that mean I am your girlfriend now?¡± She looked up at me while we were still hugging.


    ¡°Uhm let¡¯s see. You can ask me to be your boyfriend.¡± She immediately pulled away and furrowed her eyebrows, her lips curling down. I had to bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself fromughing at her expression.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you do that?¡± She mumbled while fiddling with her fingers.


    ¡°What? I didn¡¯t get you.¡± Actually I had heard it pretty clearly.


    ¡°I said can¡¯t you do that? I already did so much.¡± Although her question was loud and clear, she again mumbled thest part with a small pout. She was so damn cute!


    ¡°Of course I can but such a proposal needs some beautiful arrangements.¡± I said, my mind already shifting to the thoughts of various ns.


    ¡°No it doesn¡¯t. Wait.¡± She picked up a rose from the vase and thrusted it in my hand. I stared at the rose and back at her face.


    ¡°Now ask.¡± She sped her hands together. I chuckled at her actions but nheless went on my knee and put the rose forward.


    ¡°Brae, all these years without you have been the most horrible period of my life. There hasn¡¯t been a day when I didn¡¯t think of you and not even for a moment have I hated you. I have always loved you, the grief and the pain may have overpowered it at times but it was never lost. So will you do the honour of being my girlfriend, Braelyn Taylor?¡± She grinned widely before tackling me in a hug. My hands wrapped around her waist immediately but I failed to support us and fell on my back.


    ¡°Yes I will be your girlfriend and I love you too.¡± She semi-yelled like an over-excited child. Iughed, my face buried in the crook of her neck.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    ¡°Everything is so delicious. You are an even better cook now.¡± I said putting a piece of steak in my mouth.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She smiled, showing her perfect teeth.


    ¡°Evan?¡± She called like she had something to ask.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± I looked up at her. She put her fork down and looked around before speaking.


    ¡°Do you think all these, these red heart balloons, candles and these flowers¡­¡­ Was it a bit too cheesy?¡± I turned my gaze back to my te.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± I am sure my answer along with a shrug had left a small frown on her face and I was right. She was ying with the vegetables on her te, a small frown gracing her lips.


    ¡°But I like it.¡± I finished my sentence causing her to look up.


    ¡°Cheesy or not, it made me feel special. So, I love it.¡± Her face was sporting a wide grin, spreading one on mine as well. We went back to our meal when an idea came to me.


    ¡°Dance?¡± Brae looked startled for a second, unsure for another and then nodded, smiling.


    ¡°Sure.¡± She put her hand in mine. I yed the music on my phone. I pulled her forward causing her body to crash on mine. A few giggles left her mouth now and then as I twirled and dipped her. Soon we were just moving to the soft music, my hands on her waist, while hers were around my neck. She was looking into my eyes while I was admiring her beautiful face as we danced to the tune, celebrating our love.

 34. It Hurts

    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    I groaned in sleep as I felt a tickle in my ear and then swatted the hand away but it didn¡¯t go. I turned to my side hoping to get some more sleep but the fingers went to tickle everywhere causing me to burst out inughter.


    ¡°Okay ¨C okay , st-stop! I¡¯m up!¡± I finally turned on my back and that¡¯s when the movements stopped. I peeled my eyes open and was met with his gorgeous blue ones. The white bed sheets were covering till his waist while his naked upper body was raised by the support of his arms. He was looking down at me, shing one his bright smile at me.


    ¡°Good morning.¡±


    ¡°Good morning. How long since you¡¯re up?¡± I yawned sitting up.


    ¡°Two hours maybe.¡± He replied, twirling some strands of my hair between his fingers.


    ¡°You must be hungry.¡± I don¡¯t know why a sudden and somewhat mischievous smile fell upon his lips.


    ¡°I am.¡± He suggestively wiggles his eyebrows. My eyes widened once I got the innuendo.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t getting any.¡± I looked away blushing.


    ¡°Aww , don¡¯t say that!¡± I pped away his hand that was advancing to grab the end of his shirt that I was wearing.


    ¡°Ouch! It hurts !¡± He groaned in pain, turning away from me. I furrowed my eyebrows in concern as well as confusion, not realizing when I hit him so hard.


    ¡°Where?¡± I tucked some strands of hair behind my ears before moving closer to him. He immediately wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer.


    ¡°Down there.¡± I was dumbfounded at his bluntness, my face heating up.


    ¡°Oh God ! Just shut up!¡± I pushed him away causing him to chuckle.


    ¡°I will freshen up and make you breakfast.¡± As soon as I got out of bed, he held my wrist and pulled me back down.


    ¡°I will make it.¡± He took a quick nce at my whole face before speaking again.


    ¡°When I woke up and saw you sleeping beside me, I couldn¡¯t just get out of bed. So I settled on looking at you.¡± He caressed my cheeks, staring lovingly into my eyes. Seeing so much adoration held in his gaze , I couldn¡¯t help but feel guilty. My mind shifted back to how badly I had treated him the previous time we woke up like this. I hesitantly pulled away and sat up.


    ¡°What happened , Brae?¡±  He asked , moving my hair behind my shoulders.


    ¡°Evan,st time ¡­st morning when we woke up together¡­ whatever I said wasn¡¯t true. I -¡± He cut me off.


    ¡°Brae , I know.¡± He spoke calmly, holding my hands and squeezing them.


    ¡°Just shut up and let me say. I want to get it out.¡± My tone was nowhere near calm unlike him. He sighed but nodded anyway, asking to continue.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t regret what happened between us. The only regret was that I had put myself in a situation where I again had to hurt you, your feelings. I never meant those words. I can never regret a moment spent with you.¡± I gulped down, feeling a lot lighter than before after the confession.


    ¡°I know. Situations forced you to say those words. I was hurt at that time, really hurt but now when I know that wasn¡¯t true, they don¡¯t bother me anymore. ¡± He passed me a smile of reassurance and I returned one.


    ¡°Now my beautifuldy, what would you like for your breakfast?¡± Iughed at his dramatic curtsey.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    ¡°So?¡± After breakfast, Evan convinced me to take the day off and he dropped me back at my ce . So now I was sitting exactly in front of Bri , her eyes glistening with hope and curiosity.


    ¡°So¡­?¡± I asked in the same tone.


    ¡°Tell me what happened. Did he forgive you? Well that¡¯s pretty clear he did considering he was smiling when he waved you off. How did he forgive you? No, how did you two make up ? Like was  it a sweet makeup where he embraced you as soon as you apologized or did you two have an angry make out session to settle things? Ooh! That kind of sounds hot! So what was-¡± I mped my hands over her mouth to stop her prolonged rumbling.


    ¡°God! What would you take to shut up?¡± She pped my hand away.


    ¡°You know that. You can start by telling everything that happenedst night ? Well, leave out the dirty deeds, I am not really in the mood for audio porn.¡± I rolled my eyes at her words.


    ¡°So¡­ I set everything up as nned and then when he was back uhm I apologized for everything.¡± I sighed, tasting the relief.


    ¡°Does that mean everything is good between you two now?¡± I nodded big.


    ¡°He asked me to be his girlfriend. Well I kind of made him do that.¡± I couldn¡¯t help the goofy grin stretching across my lips and her face just mirrored that.


    ¡°So¡­what are your ns for the rest of the day?¡±


    ¡°Evan is taking me for lunch and uhm¡­¡± I hesitated a little.


    ¡°What is it?¡± She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.


    ¡°I was thinking of spending the weekend with him, I mean if you¡¯re okay with staying alone¡­.¡± I trailed off when I saw her giving me a really bored expression.


    ¡°What am I, six?¡± She deadpanned before a soft smile tugged at her lips. Scooting closer, she wrapped her arms around me.


    ¡°I am so happy for you.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Me too. I haven¡¯t felt so good in years.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Evan¡¯s POV


    I watched as she wiped the corner of her mouth with the tissue before discarding it.


    ¡°I am full. I can¡¯t have even a single bite anymore.¡± She sounded so convinced but I knew better than that.


    ¡°Are you sure of that?¡± She raised a brow in question, seeing me tilt my head in doubt. Just on cue, the waitress served the chocte fudge cake. The way her eyes lit up was funny.


    ¡°Uhh.. since you have already ordered, maybe I can manage some space for a little dessert.¡± She dug in while I looked at her savouring the dessert.


    ¡°Stop staring!¡± She muttered with a creased eyebrow.


    ¡°Why?¡± I rested my face on my fist.


    ¡°You know why! I get self-conscious if someone stares at me while I eat.¡± She said, shoving another spoon of it inside her mouth.


    ¡°Self-conscious? Doesn¡¯t seem like it.¡± She gave me the stink eye before going back to her cake.


    ¡°Whatever.¡± A chuckle escaped my lips.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    ¡°Come here.¡± Holding her wrist, I pulled her down to sit beside me on the couch before kissing her. She responded immediately, her fingers weaving through my hair.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this is true.¡± She said once we pulled away. Sighing I wrapped my hand around her shoulder, bringing her close.


    ¡°I had lost hope that I would ever see a day like this again. It feels surreal.¡± I mumbled before kissing her hair.


    ¡°Evan?¡± She spoke after some long peaceful minutes.


    ¡°We never really talked about what you¡¯re going to do about Kate.¡± I sighed. I wasn¡¯t going to let Kate go away so easily but I didn¡¯t want to discuss that now. I had already lost enough time with her and didn¡¯t want to waste another second speaking of unnecessary things.


    ¡°I will take care of it. You don¡¯t need to worry.¡± I said ying with her fingers.


    ¡°I want to know.¡± I didn¡¯t want to involve her in this. Brae was a kind person and she wouldn¡¯t like what I was to do to Kate.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to.¡± She looked up at me.


    ¡°Why?¡± I could sense the confusion in her voice. I exhaled.


    ¡°I want to make her pay.¡± I tucked the strands of hair behind her ears.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s obvious. Why can¡¯t I know what you¡¯re nning to do?¡± She created some distance between us to have a proper look at my face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want your sympathetic self to show up and stop it.¡± She was silent for a second before she climbed up myp, straddling me. I secured her by putting my arms around her waist.


    ¡°On the contrary, I would love to see her pay for everything she did.¡± I raised a brow in question. It wasn¡¯t something I had expected to hear from her.


    ¡°I want to see her getting stripped of her power that she is so proud of.¡± There was something insanely attractive about the way her lips moved, about the bit of darkness, the determination in her voice. I caressed her lower lip with my thumb.


    ¡°Did I tell you how sexy you look staring like that?¡± The corner of her mouth curved up at my words. She circled her arms around my neck and leaned further in.


    ¡°No. Better yet show me.¡± The seductive whisper in my ears was all it took to unleash me.


    ¡°My pleasure.¡± I stood up with her in my arms. Letting out a surprised giggle, she wrapped her legs around my waist as I carried her all the way to the bedroom.

 35. A Sick Joke?

    Brae¡¯s POV


    I was in his bed cuddled up with him with my face pressed against his chest. The white sheet had us draped up while I was mindlessly drawing patterns on his chest with my fingers. I couldn¡¯t lie that his frequent kisses on my hair didn¡¯t make me feel all mushy.


    ¡°Are you gonna tell me what you are going to do about her?¡± I heard him sigh.


    ¡°I¡¯m buying herpany.¡± He said after a small pause.


    ¡°What?¡± I looked up at his face.


    ¡°I mean, she won¡¯t make it easy for you.¡± He let out a small chuckle.


    ¡°She won¡¯t be having much of a choice either.¡± There was something smug about the way he said it. I furrowed my eyebrows, asking him for an exnation.


    ¡°Suppose two of the shareholders at herpany decide to sell their shares. Guess what happens.¡± I tried and ignored his warm hand that was unconsciously rubbing my back.


    ¡°The stock prices go down significantly?¡±


    ¡°Right. It¡¯s going to be difficult getting anypany to invest. Now if a big and reputed firm like mine offers to buy thepany, the investors and shareholders are going to pressurize her into selling it to me.¡± He looked down at my face for a reaction. I couldn¡¯t suppress the smile falling on my lips for liking what he was going to do. Call me evil but I didn¡¯t feel a bit of sympathy for that woman.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    ¡°Mom sent this.¡± Cora handed me the box of brownies. Her mother could bake the best brownies in the world, I swear. Whenever she bakes, she packs some for me.


    ¡°Rose is an angel.¡± I eximed, causing Austin to chuckle. However, Cora wasn¡¯t smiling. She was staring at me like she was trying to figure out something.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± I asked, giving her a weird look.


    ¡°What¡¯s the reason that you had to bail on our movie date?¡± She folded her arms and gave me a scrutinizing stare.


    ¡°I told you I wasn¡¯t well.¡± I said with a nervous smile. The small smirk on her face told me that she didn¡¯t buy it. Just then a pair of footsteps was heard which garnered everyone¡¯s attention. Evan. He cast a quick nce at me.


    ¡°Ms. Taylor, my cabin.¡± I nodded but seemingly to myself because he had already left, barely letting out the order.


    ¡°See you at lunch then?¡± I nodded at Austin before he left but Cora didn¡¯t move an inch. She was still staring at me.


    ¡°You¡¯re giving me that look, why?¡± She pushed back the hair behind my shoulder.


    ¡°If you think I haven¡¯t noticed the hickey just under your left ear, you¡¯re seriously mistaken.¡± My hand flew up to locate the exact spot. Was I so dumb go really miss it or she was just pulling my leg?


    ¡°You won¡¯t find it. It¡¯s not there.¡± Yup! Thetter it was.


    ¡°But my suspicion is true. There is definitely a new guy in the picture I know nothing about.¡± She folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at me.


    ¡°Fine, you¡¯re right. I¡¯ll tell you and Austin everything but now I need to go.¡± She shrugged in agreement before getting back to her seat while I made my way to Evan¡¯s cabin.


    I knocked and heard his gruff e in¡¯. As I walked in, he got off his seat and took long strides towards me. In a swift second, he circled his hands around my waist and pulled me towards him.


    ¡°Evan?¡± He chuckled at my surprised face.


    ¡°Ms. Taylor.¡± He said in a low voice, his eyes flickering between my eyes and lips. I pressed my lips together, feeling the blush rise to my cheeks.


    ¡°We are in the office.¡± I wiggled in his hold which only made his hold tighten around me.


    ¡°Wrong! We are in my cabin where no one can see us.¡± Saying this put his lips on me. Keeping my hands on his chest I pushed him away only a bit.


    ¡°And suppose if anyone barges in?¡± I asked with a yful smile.


    ¡°Well, let me remind you, I am the boss here. No one would enter without knocking.¡± He again kissed me to which I responded but I was smiling so hard into it that it broke the kiss.


    ¡°I missed you.¡± He caressed my cheek with his thumb.


    ¡°Yeah right! As if we hadn¡¯t had our breakfast together earlier this morning.¡± He gave me a nk stare before rolling his eyes.


    ¡°Still I missed you. You didn¡¯te with me in my car.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t. No one here knows we are a thing.¡± A frown fell upon his handsome face.


    ¡°So let them know.¡± I shook my head.


    ¡°Not like this. Everyone will point fingers at me. They¡¯ll think I¡¯m sleeping my way up in my career.¡± His face hardened at my words. By the change in his expression I knew what was in his mind.


    ¡°You know I don¡¯t me you for that day.¡± He did it because he was brutally hurt and vengeful and he knew I was the cause of it. No matter how unjustifiable his act was, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to me him without ming me.


    ¡°You should.¡± I circled my arms around his neck and looked him into the eyes.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t.¡± He stared at my face with mixed emotions; guilt, adoration. He cleared his throat.


    ¡°So what are we gonna do? What is your master n to break the news of our patch up to the world?¡± I shrugged before speaking.


    ¡°Well, that has to begin with-¡± I cut myself off when the door to his cabin was opened without notice. We pulled apart in a second before we saw Evan¡¯s mother standing there. She looked too stunned at the sight she had just witnessed. I would¡¯ve been too if I were in her ce.


    ¡°I clearly interrupted something.¡± She spoke, the harsh edge prominent in her voice.


    ¡°Mom. What are you doing in my office?¡±


    ¡°What is she doing here?¡± Her hard stare was directed towards me.


    ¡°She works here.¡± Her head snapped towards him in an instant.


    ¡°And you didn¡¯t fire her, why?¡± I heard him sigh.


    ¡°Mom, I want you to know something.¡± He put his hand forward for me to take it. He pulled me closer towards him. Victoria¡¯s gaze shifted from our faces to his hand that was resting on my waist.


    ¡°Brae and I are together again.¡± Silence, a moment of unnerving silence before her a furious look overtook her features.


    ¡°Is this some sick joke?¡± She gritted the question out.


    ¡°Victoria-¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± She roared.


    ¡°Thest thing I want to do is listen to you speaking.¡± The re she was throwing my way could make any one piss their pants.


    ¡°Mom, a lot has happened over the past few months.¡± There was a hard tone in his voice.


    ¡°I am not keen on knowing all that. All I know is that when this girl had left you at the altar, you had a really hard time picking yourself up.¡± I blinked, the guilt resurfacing in me. The reminder of that day never failed to make my stomach churn.


    ¡°I guess his current financial status will be enough to provide you security, huh?¡± I couldn¡¯t bear to look into her eyes filled with hostility and disgust towards me.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised that she could worm her way into your heart after everything she had done.¡± She sounded so disappointed in him.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    ¡°Mom, you need to listen.¡± His voice had raised a notch, frustration too evident in it.


    ¡°I think not.¡± Saying this she stormed out of his cabin leaving us to stare at the now closed door.


    None of us said anything to fill the silence. I swallowed the lump forming in my throat.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get back to work.¡± I cast him a quick nce before sprinting out of his cabin.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

 36. I Believe You.

    Evan¡¯s POV


    ¡°Evan!¡± I closed the file on hearing her voice. Just the person I was expecting.


    ¡°Kate. You made it.¡± I forced a fake smile on my face to greet her. She gave me a ¡®are-you-serious¡¯ look before pulling the chair and taking a seat.


    ¡°Of course I did. You called and I had to. Besides, it¡¯s not like I am living in some other state.¡± I let out a small chuckle.


    ¡°So nice of you.¡± Obviously she didn¡¯t get the sarcasm behind my praise.


    ¡°That requires you taking me to lunch. What about we go to-¡± She was cut off by a knock at the door.


    ¡°Come in.¡± A small smile fell on my lips on seeing Brae at the door. She looked between us before instinctively taking a step in.


    ¡°Should Ie backter?¡± Though she asked, I knew not even a bit did she want to leave.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Kate looked at me in surprise, shocked that I would allow her to interrupt us.


    ¡°Come in.¡± Brae gently closed the door behind her and walked straight towards me. She took me by surprise when she bent her head down and attached her lips to mine. I kissed her back, enjoying the territorial side of Brae. I pulled away and smiled at her.


    ¡°Hold on. What¡¯s happening?¡± Kate¡¯s voice brought our eyes back to her face.


    ¡°We happened to have solved our differences and now we are back together.¡± Her mouth hung open at my words, like she couldn¡¯t believe her ears.


    ¡°What!?¡± She almost shrieked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem too d.¡± The mock in Brae¡¯s voice was too hard to not notice.


    ¡°Of course not!¡± She snapped at her.


    ¡°I thought my happiness will make you happy. You¡¯re my friend right?¡± I asked in the most innocent tone.


    ¡°I am your friend and that¡¯s why I am not happy. I can¡¯t just let you get back with that bloody gold digger. She is-¡± She cut herself off, seemingly some kind of realization sunk in.


    ¡°She told you, right? She fed you with all those lies.¡± So her act wasn¡¯t over yet!This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Lies?¡± I raised a brow at her.


    ¡°Yes, Evan. I know what she must have told you. She had threatened me to stay away from you or she would tell you that years back I was the one who jeopardized your rtionship.¡± I couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. It took her a second to fetch up a lie, a poorly structured one though.


    ¡°Sorry but threats? I thought that¡¯s your thing.¡± Kate shot a venomous re at her before looking back at me.


    ¡°Evan, you have to believe me. I would never-¡± I cut her off when I yed the voice recording on my phone.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t separate them sweetheart. Brae¡¯s credulous mind did. She is suffering because she is stupid and as for Evan, he isn¡¯t suffering now. He doesn¡¯t need your stupid sister when I am there for him.¡±


    ¡°Because I love him ! And Brae deserves this for interfering in our lives. She shouldn¡¯t have been there in the first ce and Evan would have been mine.¡±


    I hit the stop button and the room was met with instant silence. Her eyes were trained on the phone in my hand.


    ¡°I believe you, Kate.¡± I was waiting for her to say something, cook up another excuse and shift the me.


    ¡°What? You don¡¯t have anything to say? She folded her arms against her chest, a hard malicious looking over her face.


    ¡°So, you are picking up from where you left, I guess. Am I getting an invite to your wedding?¡± Brae let out a humorless chuckle.


    ¡°Are you seriously asking that? When we decide to get engaged, you¡¯ll be thest person on the list of invitees to the party. Maybe I can make you a doggie bag.¡± Kate¡¯s face flushed with anger at her words.


    ¡°Well you couldn¡¯t do anything when all these years I was sessful in throwing you out of his life.¡± Though hereback made very little sense, she looked satisfied.


    ¡°You seriously didn¡¯t think that you¡¯re getting away with all this with just a bit of humiliating exposure within closed walls, did you?¡± I asked in a low cold voice. It was strange how weeks back she was such an important person in my life and now everything about her disgusted me to the core.


    ¡°Well how exactly do you n to punish me? Enlighten me.¡± I acknowledged her with a condescending sneer.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not spoil the fun. You¡¯ll see when it happens.¡± The falter in her confidence was evident in her face.


    ¡°I am your friend, Evan.¡± She shouted, desperation dripping from her voice.


    ¡°You are anything but. You¡¯re just a backstabbing bitch.¡± Brae snarled at her.


    ¡°I did this to save you from this filthy woman.¡±


    ¡°Shut up! How dare you speak to her like that standing in front of me? I felt Brae slip her hand into mine and intertwine our fingers in an attempt to cool me down.


    ¡°See yourself out of this building, right now.¡± With a clenched jaw and furious eyes, she stormed out of the cabin. Looking back at Brae I found her still staring at the floor.


    ¡°Brae?¡± She blinked before turning her gaze towards me.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± She furrowed her eyebrows, confused.


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong?¡± She tried to y it off with a casual chuckle. I tilted my head slightly to the side showing my clear disbelief.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t thinking about anything in particr. I just zoned out.¡± Her shrug didn¡¯t make it any more believable.


    ¡°The truth, Brae.¡± She let out a sigh.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just¡­ it¡¯s really stupid.¡± I held her hand in mine and pulled her closer.


    ¡°I want to know what you are thinking.¡± She still looked conflicted.


    ¡°I am just a bit nervous, I mean it¡¯s¡­. you know¡­.. I just don¡¯t want anythinging in between us again. I am probably being paranoid.¡± She stared at me with her lips pressed tightly together. I gently removed her hair behind her shoulder before cupping her cheek.


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s gonnae between us again. I promise.¡± I said, looking straight into her eyes. Something told me it was exactly what she wanted to hear.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    ¡°Spill, already.¡± I said, pouring the milk in the bowl of cereal.


    ¡°What?¡± Bri looked up from her phone and gave me a confused stare. I carried my breakfast and the sofa and sat down beside her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡± I rolled my eyes before chewing down the cereal in my mouth.


    ¡°Right. You don¡¯t understand. I¡¯ll be more clear. What¡¯s the deal with you and Ryan?¡± At my question she went back to lean against the sofa.


    ¡°What about him?¡¯ She scrolled through her Instagram feed, showing disinterest.


    ¡°Are you two dating?¡± She absent-mindedly looked at the spoon in my hand before giving a small shrug.


    ¡°Uhm yeah¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡± I sat the bowl down before sitting straighter.


    ¡°Let me guess. He hasn¡¯t asked you to be his girlfriend yet.¡± Bri gave me a nk stare.


    ¡°Bingo.¡± She muttered with the minimum enthusiasm.


    ¡°He will.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Why will you say that?¡±


    ¡°We went out a few times. Maybe he isn¡¯t into me like I¡¯m into him and he doesn¡¯t know how to break it to me because he most probably doesn¡¯t want to hurt my feelings.¡± This overthinking. Yep! She is definitely my sister.


    ¡°Or maybe he is just as chicken as you are.¡± She passed me a bored look.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask him to be your boyfriend?¡± Over excited, I pped her arm a little too hard, receiving a hard re from her.


    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± She muttered.


    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°If he doesn¡¯t feel that way for me, I will just make things awkward. With him being your boyfriend¡¯s brother, it¡¯s not like I can just unfriend him and happily avoid him for good.¡± She exhaled deeply before sinking down more into the sofa. Though she had a point, I couldn¡¯t believe that he didn¡¯t like her, not after I saw him staring at her the way he did.


    ¡°But I think he does like you.¡± We both stared at each other before we went back to looking at the ceiling.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.

 37. A Fresh Start?

    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    One second I was ncing at my watch and the next second I was pressed against the door. I didn¡¯t even realise when the door opened and when Evan had pulled me in.


    ¡°God, I missed you!¡± He muttered once we broke the kiss.


    ¡°Dramatic puppy!¡± I chuckled. He pulled away to take a proper look at my face and yfully smirked at me.


    ¡°What did you just call me?¡± The grin on my face stretched wider when he picked me up and carried me to his sofa. He sat down with me straddling him. I bent forward before attaching my lips to his.


    I had missed this so much. Being so close to him, kissing him, cuddling with him. I could really melt at the amount of love I could see in his eyes as I stared at me.


    ¡°When are you moving in?¡± I shrugged at his question, loving the feeling of his hand weaving through my hair.


    ¡°Bri was asking the same thing. I think by the end of this week, I can move in.¡± I had expected him to be d at that. Instead a frown fell upon his face.


    ¡°That¡¯s a long time.¡± I chuckled seeing him pout. Circling my hands around his neck, I rubbed my nose against his.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡± He hummed in response before I remembered something.


    ¡°You heard from Ryan?¡± I asked, trying not to be distracted by his finger that was gently grazing the side of my face.


    ¡°About?¡±


    ¡°About Bri.¡± He narrowed his eyes for a small second as if thinking before giving a nod.


    ¡°Yeah, he wants to ask Brielle to be his girlfriend but he is being a pussy about it.¡± He raised a brow when I chuckled in response.


    ¡°Why does this sound so familiar?¡± A look of realisation came upon his face.


    ¡°I take it it¡¯s the same with Brielle.¡± I was nodding even before he hadpleted the sentence.


    ¡°Do you think we need to help?¡± He stared intently at my face before dragging his thumb across my lower lip.


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± His voice had gone down a few notes, making it sound even hotter than usual.


    ¡°But not now.¡± His warm breath was hitting the base of my neck. I released a shaky breath.


    ¡°Well I have decided something.¡± That didn¡¯t stop his sweet torture.


    ¡°Can it wait?¡± He mumbled against my neck. I was seconds away from losing my senses to the warm feeling of his soft lips on my skin.


    ¡°No.¡± He groaned before resting his forehead on my shoulder in exasperation.


    ¡°I forget it everytime.¡± He sighed before pulling away and looking at me.


    ¡°Okay?¡± I took a deep breath to steady my thoughts.


    ¡°I am leaving my job here.¡± His face was nk for a second before confusion took over.


    ¡°What?¡± His hold on my face loosened.


    ¡°My job. I will resign.¡± I pressed my lips together, waiting for him to speak.


    ¡°Why?¡±Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°I am looking for a job elsewhere. I have been called for an interview tomo-¡± I was cut off in the middle of the sentence.


    ¡°I want to know why.¡± His patience limit had snapped which wasn¡¯t a hard aplishment in fact.


    ¡°I¡­I just don¡¯t want to work here anymore.¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I am asking. Nothing was wrong a few days back. What happened now that you-¡± He cut himself off, his face showing that some kind of realization had set in.


    ¡°Mom.¡± He muttered, his jaw tense.


    ¡°What?¡± I was confused about what he meant by that.


    ¡°Mom is the reason, right? You¡¯re leaving the job here because whatever she said that day.¡± It looked like he was having a hard time dealing with his annoyance. A sigh escaped my lips.


    ¡°Then how will you exin my being here with you? She didn¡¯t just want me out of your office but also out of your life.¡± Ipleted with a small chuckle which was anything but out of humour.


    ¡°But it¡¯s only after that day that you are telling me of this decision.¡± I shook my head at his im. It wasn¡¯t true. I had taken this decision long back.


    ¡°No, I was going to say it to you that day before your Mom came to your cabin.¡± His fingers rubbed his forehead out of distress.


    ¡°Why?¡± He retracted his hand from his face and stared at me.


    ¡°Because I want a fresh start.¡± I fiddled with my fingers. There was a long silence before I heard him gulp.


    ¡°I get it. It¡¯s because I had humiliated you in front of the whole office. That¡¯s the reason, right? Tell me the truth.¡± He looked so sure of his conclusion. I stared into his grey orbs before sighing.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the only reason.¡± He lets out a bitter chuckle, letting me know that he didn¡¯t buy it.


    ¡°Yeah, the whole office thinks you hate my guts and it would be weird for me when everyone would stare at me because suddenly I am with you, I am your girlfriend.¡± He raked a hand through his hair, a nervous habit of his.


    ¡°But there¡¯s something more. I don¡¯t want to work where you are the boss. I¡¯ll feel like any promotion I will get, none of it will be earned by me. I don¡¯t want that feeling.¡± He wasn¡¯t looking at me. He was leaning back in his ce, looking away somewhere into the kitchen.


    ¡°Say something.¡± I put my hand in his hair, gently caressing it.


    ¡°What should I say? You have decided everything. You made the choice by yourself.¡± I bit down on my lip, feeling bad this could upset him so much.


    ¡°I decided by myself because I knew you would understand me, you would support me.¡± He looked down at my hand that was in his with a frown.


    ¡°Evan?¡± He spared me a quick nce.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your interview?¡± My forehead gently creased, having not quite seen that questioning.


    ¡°At the Price Industries.¡± He didn¡¯t bother giving even a small nod.


    ¡°I¡¯m sitting right beside you and you won¡¯t even look at me?¡± He kept ying with my fingers. Maybe because I was in love with him but I found his angry expression extremely cute. I pulled my hand away and stood up.


    ¡°Fine, you don¡¯t want to talk to me. I should go home perhaps and I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any further point in moving in with- ahhh!¡± Inded on hisp with a squeal when he pulled me down by my hand before he pressed his lips hard against mine.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    I peeled my eyes open. It was already morning. The sun rays were falling on Evan¡¯s head, making the brown colour of his hair stand out more. His hot breath was hitting my shoulder as hey there on his stomach. He looked peaceful sleeping with his mouth slightly parted. However, I only had a few minutes to admire his face because my dder was painfully full.


    I removed his hand from my waist carefully, not wanting to wake him up. I had to stretch my hands a little to get hold of his shirt thaty discarded there. Slipping into it, I made a beeline for the bathroom.


    Coming back, I smiled seeing him still asleep. I climbed up the bed but before I could weave my hand through his hair, my phone beeped.


    Braelyn, I would like to meet you somewhere for a talk, if that suits you.


    -Victoria.


    She wanted to talk, that should be nice. My eyes involuntarily stole a nce of Evan before I typed a response.


    Sure, let me know the address.


    Star Cafeteria, City Square. Her reply came quickly.


    Great, I¡¯ll see you.


    I put the phone down before letting out a sigh. I hoped that it would turn out well. I wanted nothing more than to make amends after the damage Kate had left us with.

 38. Connections?

    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    ¡°Excuse me.¡± The receptionist looked up at me.


    ¡°How may I help you?¡± The tone she used told me that she was in and simple bored with her job and thest thing she wanted was to be friendly.


    ¡°I am here for an interview for the job of the public rtions head.¡± I offered a small smile hoping to encourage her. Recognition shed through her eyes.


    ¡°Ms. Taylor?¡± I furrowed my brows confused as to how she knew my name.


    ¡°Uhm, yes.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Give me a second, please.¡± I nodded as she picked up the phone and spoke to someone. I took my time to look around.


    ¡°Mr. Price wishes to see you in his office.¡± Her voice brought my attention back. I didn¡¯t know that the CEO himself would take the interview.


    ¡°Leo will show you the way.¡± Following the receptionist¡¯s line of vision, my eyesnded on a blonde guy of about my age. He shed me a smile, one that I¡¯m sure girls would soon over before I followed him towards the elevator.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m Leo.¡± He spoke up after a few seconds into the ride to the tenth floor.


    ¡°I¡¯m Braelyn.¡± I passed a smile of my own.


    ¡°You¡¯re hot.¡± This suddenpliment was not what I had expected.


    ¡°Uhh, I¡¯m sorry. It was kind of sudden.¡± He scratched the back of his neck, looking embarrassed.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay.¡± After that I could feel his gaze on the side of my face.


    ¡°Would you like to go out someday?¡± He asked after some time.


    ¡°I have a boyfriend.¡± I smiled apologetically at him.


    ¡°Oh! I¡¯m sorry. I just¡­¡± He trailed off, not knowing what to say.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s okay.¡± Just then the elevator made the ¡®ding¡¯ sound and we walked out, again me behind him.


    ¡°Here you go.¡± I looked at therge brown door before nodding at him. I could feel the nerves. Taking a deep breath, I finally knocked.


    ¡°Come in.¡± I stepped into the cabin. Mr. Price was seated behind his desk. He looked like a man in his mid forties.


    ¡°Good morning, Mr. Price. I¡¯m Braelyn Taylor and I¡¯m here for-¡± He cut me off midway.


    ¡°The job of the public rtions head, I know.¡± I smiled nervously.


    ¡°Please take a seat.¡± I nodded before sitting down.


    ¡°My resume.¡± I passed the file to him.


    ¡°Congrattions Ms. Taylor, you have the job.¡± I am sure he didn¡¯t invest more than a nce at the file.


    ¡°What? I mean¡­ the interview?¡± He slid the file back towards me.


    ¡°I have seen whatever I need in your resume. You got the job.¡± Not shady at all. Though not convinced, I managed a smile.


    ¡°Thank you for trusting me with the opportunity.¡± He nodded.


    ¡°Of course, Ms. Taylor. So when would you like to start your job here?¡± He tapped his fingers on the desk.


    ¡°I can join from next week.¡±


    ¡°That will be nice.¡± Taking that as my cue, I stood up to leave.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Price.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wee.¡± I closed the door behind me. Hugging the file to my chest I thought over everything. Something wasn¡¯t adding up but before I could try and figure out what, the conversation of two employees caught my attention.


    ¡°So she got connections?¡± I heard a smooth female voice.


    ¡°You see, all other interviews were cancelled today. Of course she got connections.¡± All other interviews were cancelled and I was the only one who came to give the interview. Clearly I was the person being discussed. I pressed my lips together, disappointment seeping in as my mind connected the dots.


    ¡°Eat this up.¡± Evan pushed the te of toast towards me as I was gulping down my coffee.


    ¡°I can¡¯t. I feel so nervous.¡± I got up from my seat.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be nervous about.¡± I shook my head at him before running a hand through my hair to check if everything was in ce.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand. Yes I have experienced this before, I have given interviews before but that doesn¡¯t take the nervousness away.¡± He rounded the counter and came to stand right in front of me. He held me by the arms and stared right into my eyes.


    ¡°Hey, listen to me. You don¡¯t need to be nervous. Trust me. I know that you are going to get the job.¡± Taking in a calming breath, I nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s huge. Must be someone important who made the rmendation.¡± Resentment was clear in the voice of the speaker.


    ¡°Duh!¡± This was what I hated, the disrespect in people towards my career and Evan just subjected me to the clear derision.


    Realizing that I couldn¡¯t just stand here forever, I straightened up. Walking past them I could feel their eyes on me but I didn¡¯t let the confident facade slip off. It was the only way I could get out of here.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    Evan¡¯s POV


    Coming in, I saw Brae sitting in front of the television, her eyes solely trained on the screen. I walked behind her and kissed her head only to get no reaction. She was watching this same show for the second time and yet it had all her attention.


    ¡°How was your interview?¡± I asked while going to the kitchen.


    ¡°I got the job.¡± I smiled at her answer as I rolled up my sleeves.


    ¡°See, I told you. And that calls for a celebration.¡± I poured myself a ss of water.


    ¡°You know, Mr. Price offered me the job without even the interview. All it took was just a nce at my resume.¡± I stilled for a second, sensing the suggestion in her voice.


    ¡°Your resume must be speaking volumes for you.¡± I¡¯m sure my tone had it all covered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you something weirder. I heard that all other interviews for the post were cancelled except mine.¡± Could they be any more obvious? Biting the inside of my lower lip, I put the ss down before turning to face her. By now the TV was switched off and I had herplete attention, just as I wanted!


    ¡°Brae-¡± I didn¡¯t get to continue.


    ¡°Why will you do that?¡± She looked pissed.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything.¡± I shrugged casually, God knew why. My cover had already blown off.


    ¡°Of course you didn¡¯t. Let me guess, you just gave a call and casually let him know that your girlfriend ising for an interview there, right?¡± I licked my lips, looking for a suitable response.


    ¡°Maybe I did that. What¡¯s the big deal?¡± She crossed her arms against her chest and red at me.


    ¡°It is a big deal and you know that yourself. That is why you hid it from me.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to hide.¡± That wasn¡¯t true though. I hid it, not because I thought it was a big deal but because I guessed she would make it one.


    ¡°This is why you were so sure that I would get the job, because you knew your influence had done the work.¡± I frowned at her statement.


    ¡°That¡¯s not true. I knew you would have gotten the job just based on your merit.¡± I truthfully said. It was my honest opinion.


    ¡°You don¡¯t believe that.¡± Brae shook her head, emphasizing her words.


    ¡°Of course I do.¡± She scoffed at that, showing clear disbelief.


    ¡°Then you wouldn¡¯t have done it. You would have let me try and get the job.¡± I didn¡¯t quite understand why this was such a big thing.


    ¡°Why are you making this such an issue?¡± At this as if her control broke loose and she snapped at me.


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t want you paving my way. This isn¡¯t earning it. This is just letting people know that I have a rich influential boyfriend.¡± I smacked my lips in annoyance.


    ¡°Is that a problem now, people knowing that I am your boyfriend? I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s so wrong with this.¡± She sighed out of frustration before taking a deep breath.


    ¡°If you seriously don¡¯t understand what¡¯s wrong with this, there¡¯s no point talking. Just know that I¡¯m not taking up this job.¡± I watched as she went inside and closed the door behind her.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

 39. A Thing For Me?

    Evan¡¯s POV


    After finishing the call, I drank another half a ss of water before heading towards the bedroom. Pushing open the door, I entered the dimly lit room. I could make out Brae¡¯s figure lying on the other side of the bed.


    There was no movement as I slipped in beside her but her unsteady breath and stiff posture gave out that she wasn¡¯t sleeping. I put a hand around her waist, mentally preparing myself for when she would push it away but she didn¡¯t.


    ¡°I know you are awake.¡± I whispered before cing a soft kiss behind her ear. Though I couldn¡¯t exactly tell what fragrance her hair smelled of, it was a sweet smell that was hitting my nostrils.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Still nothing but the small inhale confirmed that she was listening.


    ¡°Honestly, I am still not convinced that it waspletely wrong but I should have respected your decision.¡± I sighed before continuing.


    ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t have been impressed with this but I did it anyway and for that I¡¯m sorry.¡± I waited for a response but didn¡¯t get one. I raised myself up on my elbow to look at her face.


    ¡°How long are you going to give me the silent treatment?¡± I trailed kisses along her jawline and her eyes that were previous shut were now clenching.


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± She turned her body slightly towards me. It wasn¡¯t hard to sense that her control was wearing off.


    ¡°I won¡¯t stop unless you forgive me.¡± I spoke between peppering her face with kisses. She tried hard but ultimately couldn¡¯t help the smile falling upon her lips.


    ¡°Dumbass!¡± She mumbled whilepletely turning towards me.


    ¡°I love you.¡± I whispered into her hair in response to which she sighed soundly.


    ¡°I love you too.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    ¡°God! This sounds like a freaking movie.¡± Cora ended with a chuckle like she was still grasping it. I would have had literally the same reaction if I wasn¡¯t in my ce.


    ¡°I know right!¡± O said, putting the coffee down. Looking at Austin I found him staring at the phone. He hadn¡¯t said anything but before I could ask anything he got up all of a sudden.


    ¡°I¡¯m extremely sorry but something really important came up. I got to go.¡± He waved his phone, gesturing that he received some message or something.


    ¡°What? Now?¡± I was confused as to why he would leave. We had this meetup pre-nned.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you.¡± I hardly had the time to nod before he rushed out. I looked back at Cora as she stirred the coffee.


    ¡°What happened to him?¡± She looked up at me and raised a brow.


    ¡°Are you seriously that dumb?¡± I frowned before my mind started doing the math itself.


    ¡°He¡­ no.¡± I didn¡¯t want to believe it. He was my friend and my thoughts being true would make things awkward between us.


    ¡°He got a thing for you.¡± Now that I thought back, everything fell back in ce. He didn¡¯t speak much during this whole time and the smile he passed before heading out looked forced.


    ¡°You knew that and you didn¡¯t tell me?¡± She stared at me nkly before putting her elbows on the table and leaning forward.


    ¡°And what would you have done?¡± I shrugged.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have been so borate on my love story.¡± She sighed before rxing in her seat.


    ¡°Well, I learnt only a few days back and he didn¡¯t want me to tell you. Though I did it anyway.¡± She muttered thest part guiltily.


    ¡°Should I talk to him?¡± She shook her head, discarding my proposition.


    ¡°He¡¯lle around. Give him some time.¡± I looked on before giving a nod.


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    ¡°See you then.¡± Cora said, breaking the hug.


    ¡°On Monday.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± She got into her car and waved at me before driving off. I too got into the driver¡¯s seat of my car and headed off towards my next destination where Victoria asked me to meet her. It was a short drive of ten minutes but I was running a little behind the said time. Only for a few minutes though.


    As I walked in I saw her sitting at a table at the further end. It took two seconds before her eyes found me.


    ¡°Victoria, hey! I¡¯m sorry I got a littlete. Actually I was-¡± She cut me off, a little rudely if I should say but I hadn¡¯t expected her to be all sweet and loving. She didn¡¯t even know about the incident.


    ¡°Take a seat.¡± I consciously sat myself down opposite her. It being the weekend, the shop was quite crowded.


    Victoria¡¯s stare was cold, like she was judging me. I awkwardly cleared my throat before I decided to initiate a conversation. I knew I had to take the first step if I were to make amends.


    ¡°How are you doing?¡± My effort however wasn¡¯t appreciated. She cast me a bored look.


    ¡°You seriously think I¡¯m here to have these talks with you?¡± The harshnesscing her tone was nowhere nearforting.


    ¡°Uhm¡­ I-¡± I fumbled, not quite sure what to say next.


    ¡°Are you pregnant?¡± She fired the question leaving me dumb.


    ¡°What!?¡± I managed to let out, confused if I had heard right.


    ¡°Are you pregnant?¡± She repeated for me, her expressions not having any change in them.


    ¡°No. Not at all!¡± I eximed,pletely weirded out by that sudden question. She stared at me for some long seconds nkly.


    ¡°Okay, whatever your reason is, I would like to negotiate a deal.¡± I furrowed my brows at that.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I would like where this discussion is going.¡± I muttered but most likely she didn¡¯t hear me or ignored it.


    ¡°Tell me the price.¡± She asked, staring right at me.


    ¡°For what?¡± I could somewhere guess what she was hinting at.


    ¡°For getting the hell out of my son¡¯s life.¡± I was stunned for a second. This was exactly what I had thought but hearing her saying it out loud really did hurt. When I didn¡¯t respond she further went on.


    ¡°We can negotiate a price. I will have mywyer draw a legal contract by which you¡¯ll get the said amount and in exchange you¡¯ll be out of his face for good.¡± Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath.


    ¡°Why will I do that?¡± She didn¡¯t take a second to answer that, like it was on the tip of her tongue.


    ¡°Because he was much happier when you weren¡¯t in his life. It took him some time to pick himself up but finally he was at a better ce before you came crashing back.¡± My eyes itched while I kept my lips pressed against each other. I gulped down painfully and looked away.


    ¡°Do we have a deal?¡±

 40. She Knows?

    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    ¡°Do we have a deal?¡± I looked back at Victoria¡¯s face.


    ¡°No. I¡¯m not leaving him.¡± She looked taken aback by my answer like she was sure I would jump at the chance. It took her a few seconds to respond.


    ¡°Why? Because he has now got more money than all of your previous conquests?¡± She spat the question out harshly.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know the whole thing. Let me tell you-¡± I was cut off again.


    ¡°Whatever I know is enough to understand what kind of a person you are. I don¡¯t need to hear anything from you.¡± I could feel my jaws getting tense. Yes, I ept that the situation we were in was partly my fault but everyone has a patience limit.


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    ¡°So you agree to it?¡± I could hear the sense of relief in her voice.


    ¡°I agreed to not saying anything about that day but I didn¡¯t agree to leaving Evan.¡± I wasn¡¯t doing it again, if the first time taught me anything.


    ¡°Why are you doing this? Why won¡¯t you leave him alone?¡± She semi-yelled, frustration dripping from her tone.


    ¡°Because I love him. I won¡¯t make the same mistake of leaving him alone again. I can¡¯t lose him again.¡± She scoffed loudly at my words.


    ¡°I know you are only after his money and nothing else.¡± I blinked the tears back and maintained a straight face till she had left me alone in the cafeteria.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    ¡°For getting the hell out of my son¡¯s life.¡±


    ¡°He was much happier when you weren¡¯t in his life.¡±


    I was brought out of my thoughts by a muscr hand that came in and turned the burner off.


    ¡°And you can thank meter for preventing your food from burning.¡± I pulled my eyes away from the pasta in the pan to Evan¡¯s face.


    ¡°I just got a little distracted.¡± I made up an excuse while ting the pastas. His hands wrapped around my waist while he rested his head on my shoulder.


    ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± He asked as I finished sprinkling some more of the herbs on it. I couldn¡¯t resist the urge to move my head slightly around and kiss his cheek.


    ¡°You.¡± I felt him smile against my neck.


    ¡°Is it?¡± He spun me around and put his hands on either side of me. I was perfectly caged between him and the kitchen counter.


    ¡°Hmm-mm.¡± My eyes flicked down to his lips before I remembered something more important. My birthday, duh!


    ¡°So are we going out for dinner tomorrow?¡± I circled my hands around his neck and leaned more into him. He furrowed his brows in a confused expression.


    ¡°Why? Is there something special tomorrow or do you just want to get dinner outside?¡± I tilted my head to the side and gave him a sarcastic, impressed look.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    ¡°Yeah, I am convinced. Great act you put up there.¡± Evan stared down at my face before chuckling.


    ¡°We are going out but not for dinner.¡± I had my cheeks pressed against his chest while he had arms wrapped around me as he slowly rocked us both.


    ¡°Then?¡± He put his head on top of mine.


    ¡°I have a little something in mind.¡± I immediately pulled away to look at his face but before I could ask anything he cut me off.


    ¡°And I¡¯m not telling you what it is.¡± My lips curved down in disapproval.


    ¡°Evan, you know I hate this. Tell me,e on.¡± I poked his hard chest with my fingers a few times before he caught it with his hand.


    ¡°Nope.¡± Huffing, I turned around. Not even seconds had passed before I felt his hands wrap around my waist. I was pulled back against his lean muscr front.


    ¡°You know, I¡¯m really happy that you aren¡¯t leaving your job at Lewis Industries.¡± He nuzzled my hair.


    ¡°For the time being.¡± I reminded him.


    ¡°For the time being.¡± He agreed.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    Evan¡¯s POV


    I poured ourselves some champagne and ced the bottle on the table beside the now cut cake.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll call you tomorrow.¡± She hung up and put the phone down.


    ¡°Who was it?¡± I passed her the ss of champagne.


    ¡°Bri.¡± Pursuing my lips I observed her face to find something.


    ¡°What did she say?¡± I hesitantly asked, totally skeptical that Bri might have let it all out.


    ¡°That she adopted a baby elephant.¡± She nkly stared at me while I gave her an unimpressed look.


    ¡°Obviously she called to wish me.¡± She said it like I was stupid to ask. Well it did sound stupid though.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± I muttered, relieved that she hadn¡¯t spilled it yet. Brae was about to take another sip before her face lit up in realization.


    ¡°She knows?¡± I mentally facepalmed myself.


    ¡°What?¡± I pretended to be unsure of what she meant.


    ¡°About tomorrow¡¯s surprise. She knows it, right? That¡¯s why you¡¯re asking if she had spilled something.¡± I sighed and leaned back against the couch.


    ¡°And I¡¯m now worried that you could really convince her into telling you and ruin my surprise.¡± She made a thoughtful face before shifting closer.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t.¡± She whispered against my lips. I captured them with mine in a sweet kiss.


    ¡°I can taste the chocte in your mouth.¡± She smiled after breaking the kiss, her hand still in my hair. I tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.


    ¡°What about some hot birthday sex?¡± I asked, caressing her lower lip with my thumb.


    ¡°Sounds exciting.¡± She yfully smiled at me while I smirked. Standing up, I tugged at her hand. She downed the remaining of the drink before letting me pull her to the bedroom.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    ¡°Evan.¡± I pushed open the door at Brae¡¯s call. Her long brown hair was pulled in a high ponytail, a few loose strands falling on her face. She was wearing a short dress which gave way to her long tan legs.


    ¡°Is this okay or should I go for something more casual?¡± She did a twirl, giving me a look of herplete attire. I realized how a small gesture like this could do something to my heart. I held her face between my hands and pressed my lips against hers.


    ¡°It¡¯s perfect.¡± I said once we broke away.


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t.¡± I slightly furrowed my brows as she turned towards the mirror.


    ¡°Because you ate my lipstick away.¡± She reapplied it on her lips before dropping it into her purse.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t help it. Tastes good.¡± We both chuckled.

 41. Say Yes!

    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    ¡°We are going to the beach?¡± I half questioned once I saw the direction the car was headed in. Besides, wearing casual and all just makes all the more sense.


    ¡°Yep.¡± He nced at me once. Beach had always been my favourite and he remembered it.


    ¡°I can totally kiss you right now.¡± I blurted out with an excited grin.


    ¡°Mmm sounds tempting. Should I pull the car over?¡± Though his voice was yful I didn¡¯t for a second doubt that he could actually do it.


    ¡°No. Drive.¡± He chuckled at my instant answer.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    ¡°No way!¡± I muttered once I looked in front,pletely stopping in my steps. Bri and Ryan were there but the surprising part was that all our highschool friends were standing there in person.


    ¡°Happy Birthday, Brae!¡± They all shouted in unison.


    ¡°Oh my God! Thank you!¡± I felt like I could literally burst out of excitement. Quickly spinning around, my eyes found Evan¡¯s face. With his hands tucked away in his pockets, he stood there grinning at me.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this! You got everyone here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your birthday.¡± I could literally melt at the smile that his face held. I kissed his cheek and felt his smile grow.


    ¡°Do I get a kiss too for dragging my ass down here?¡± On turning around I saw Ace puckering his lips yfully. I chuckled before hugging him. He was always the goofball and out of all of Evan¡¯s friends, he was the one I was closest to.


    ¡°It¡¯s been so long.¡± I said looking at everyone there.


    ¡°Come on, the cake¡¯s waiting!¡± Bri shouted.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    ¡°Tell me you¡¯re thinking the same as me.¡± I said as we danced to the music. Evan¡¯s eyes followed my line of vision andnded on Bri and Ryan.


    ¡°That they wanna kiss each other like there¡¯s no tomorrow? Yup.¡± I heard Evan as I kept watching them staring at each other with a distance of some miles. I forced my eyes away from his face and focussed on Evan¡¯s face.


    ¡°How can they just not look through each other?¡± He shrugged at my question.


    ¡°Well Ryan thinks it¡¯s just a mere attraction that he feels towards Brielle but that¡¯s some real bullshit.¡± I was quiet for a second before I chuckled at my own thoughts, earning a raised brow from Evan.


    ¡°My cupid mind just thought of bringing in some guy to make him jealous, you know the ssic stunt.¡± He thought it over before chuckling.


    ¡°Could be helpful, you never know.¡± I hummed in response before I remembered something.


    ¡°You know you missed two people.¡±


    ¡°Austin and Cora?¡± I nodded.


    ¡°Nah! Austin said he will be busy and Cora¡¯s grandmother is not doing well and she needs to take care of her. She said she is going to make it up to you.¡± I shook my head, guilty for not knowing about her grandmother¡¯s condition.


    ¡°It¡¯s not her who needs to make it up. I haven¡¯t called her in a while and I am learning about her grandmother just now. I have been a terrible friend.¡± I heard him sigh before he pushed my chin up with two of his fingers.


    ¡°You look tired.¡± Izily close and reopen my eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired, in a good way.¡± He longingly stared at me which had my insides melting before.


    ¡°Go and get a drink.¡± I smiled and nodded before pecking his lips lightly. I made my way back to where the cocktails were. Ryan was standing there, sipping on his drink.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to burn holes in her head.¡± My voice kind of forced him to retract his gaze from Brielle.


    ¡°What?¡± He acted like he had no idea of what rubbish I was spitting.


    ¡°Oh, got it. We are ying pretend.¡± He rolled his eyes at me.


    ¡°Seriously, Brae. There¡¯s nothing like that.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me.¡± I deadpanned.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    ¡°At least not on my birthday.¡± He sighed before looking in front.


    ¡°Tell me what¡¯s holding you back. Are you scared that if you date my sister, I am going to get all murderous of you?¡± He shrugged giving me a ¡®maybe¡¯ look.


    ¡°You won¡¯t like it much, would you?¡± He looked at me weirdly as my grin stretched from ear to ear.


    ¡°Thank God! It¡¯s oddly satisfying hearing you actually confessing. And no, I don¡¯t mind.¡± He raised a brow question clearly hinting at his disbelief.


    ¡°If it¡¯s really that important, I with all my heart give you my permission to date my stupid sister.¡± I put my hand up in a dramatic gesture.


    ¡°Gee, thanks.¡± Iughed but before we could go further with this conversation, we saw the space in front of us clearing away. Evan came and stood in the middle.


    ¡°Brae.¡± He smiled sweetly at me, putting up one on my face as well.


    ¡°Now that I have everyone¡¯s eyes on me, I am not sure of what to say.¡± He chuckled nervously before ncing over at me.


    ¡°Let me start over.¡± I put the ss in my hand down.


    ¡°Brae, I love you. You have always been the most beautiful girl to me. You were my first everything¡­. uhm¡­ except if you mind leaving out the tiny innocent crush I had on Ms. Campbell, our English teacher.¡± Everyone snickered at his words. I had heard this story many times from Ace while we dated in highschool. Evan would always turn the cutest shade of red.


    ¡°Last few years have been hard without you. I have always wanted to have a beautiful life with you. Last time things got jeopardized but not this time.¡± Shit! This wasn¡¯t just a romantic speech for my birthday. My heart thumped as his hands slipped inside his pocket moments after which, he pulled out a small velvet box.


    ¡°Marry me, Brae.¡± He was down on his knee, the gorgeous solitaire ring staring at me from inside the box while my thoughts were all over the ce.


    ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± Bri nudged me with her elbow.


    ¡°Brae, this is when you say something?¡± I looked back at Evan who was hopefully staring right back.


    ¡°I-Are you sure?¡± I wanted this but I wasn¡¯t sure if this was the right time.


    ¡°More than ever.¡± The look in his eyes matched up the determination in his words.


    ¡°Say yes!¡± Almost everyone yelled and hooted. Somewhere I saw the uncertainty in his eyes, the vulnerability that had me pained. I pushed aside all my doubts.


    ¡°Yes. Yes! I¡¯ll marry you.¡± Arge smile broke out on his face at my words. He put the ring around my finger before standing up and smashing his lips against mine. The cheering and pping faded away as I focussed only on the present, on us.


    ¡°I love you.¡± He whispered before hugging me and spinning me around.


    ¡°I love you too.¡± I whispered once my toes touched the ground again.

 42. Gross!

    Evan¡¯s POV


    ¡°So, what are we watching?¡± I kissed the top of her head before popping down beside her.


    ¡°You pick.¡± I looked at her weirdly before pulling her closer to me.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± She looked surprised at my question.


    ¡°Why will you ask that?¡± Her eyes flickered between the screen and my face.


    ¡°Because you never ask me to pick.¡± She pressed her lips in a thin line before taking the remote in hand.


    ¡°So you don¡¯t want to? Fine. I¡¯ll pick.¡± I looked at her going through the series one by one.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point, Brae.¡± She soundly sighed before looking at me.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just-¡± She cut herself off, not finding the appropriate words.


    ¡°You just?¡± I prompted her to speak.


    ¡°I¡¯m a little confused.¡± She blurted out.


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°About this. Wedding.¡± She said with a small shake of her head.


    ¡°What¡¯s confusing about that?¡± I asked, my gaze shifting to her fingers which were gently grazing the ring.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we rushing into this?¡± My brows quivered in response.


    ¡°No, we aren¡¯t. We love each other. So what should we wait for?¡± I ended with a nervous chuckle but she didn¡¯t look convinced. She sat up straighter, her hands pressed together in anxiousness.


    ¡°We have been away from each other for some good three years. I know we love each other but¡­ I feel we should give ourselves more time before we.. you know-¡± I cut her off with a shake of my head and sped her hands in mine.


    ¡°I feel the exact opposite. All these years we were supposed to be married. We lost enough time and I don¡¯t want to waste more.¡± She blinked a few times and stared at my face. I moved closer, cupped her face and looked at her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to wait for something we were supposed to have years ago.¡± It came out as a whisper from my lips. She was looking into my eyes, I couldn¡¯t exactly understand searching for what. I saw her eyes getting glossy before she wrapped her arms around me.


    ¡°I love you.¡± She breathed out as her face remained pressed in the crook of my neck.


    ¡°I love you too.¡± I kissed the side of her head.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    ¡°Hey!¡± I closed the door behind Ryan before he hugged me. This was one of the many times when he dropped by because he ¡°missed¡± me. The deserts I baked were never the main attraction!


    ¡°What are you starting with?¡± He asked once he had made himselffortable on the couch.


    ¡°Huh?¡± I asked absent-mindedly.


    ¡°Wedding preparations, ring a bell?¡±. I yfully rolled my eyes at him.


    ¡°Oh, yeah. We¡¯ll start with the wedding nner I guess.¡± Only after I said those words did I realise how stupid I sounded. He tilted his head to the side as if he would figure out the recipe of some magic potion from my face.


    ¡°Something¡¯s bothering you.¡± He started and looked pretty confident about it.


    ¡°Come on, spill.¡±


    ¡°Nothing, I¡­Am I that easy to read?¡± I swear both of these brothers could read me like an open book.


    ¡°Really? I thought we were getting to the point.¡± He deadpanned, leaning back in his ce.


    ¡°Evan. I think¡­ he is getting paranoid.¡± His perfectly shaped eyebrows creased.


    ¡°Some details would be really nice.¡± He slowly moved his head from side to side, sarcastically showing how nice it would be.


    ¡°We just got back together, not to mention after a huge misunderstanding. I feel like we are rushing into this wedding.¡± A sigh escaped past my lips as I let out those words. He straightened up in response.


    ¡°Talk to him about how you feel.¡±


    ¡°I did. I told him that we should give ourselves more time before we take the step but he wasn¡¯t ready to understand.¡±


    ¡°What did he say?¡± He asked a few secondster.


    ¡°He said that he doesn¡¯t want to lose another second with me, the life that we were supposed to have all along.¡± At this Ryan let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°He is just too excited.¡± I wasn¡¯t convinced by the easy conclusion he hade up with.


    ¡°No. It¡¯s not him. He always considers my choices, my wishes but that day when he was saying these words, I saw it in his eyes. He is scared to lose me again. He just wanted to convince me otherwise.¡± My hyper excited ass couldn¡¯t stay still anymore. I sprung up from the couch.


    ¡°Maybe he doesn¡¯t realise it but he is driven by his paranoia. He is getting overprotective with every passing day. He doesn¡¯t leave me alone anywhere. Either he is with me or his bodyguard is.¡± While saying these, memories of all those days flooded my mind. Given him a choice, Evan wouldn¡¯t probably let me out of his sight.


    ¡°What do you want to do?¡± Ryan¡¯s eyes followed my figure as I kept pacing to and fro.


    ¡°Ryan, things between Evan and Victoria are not yet sorted out. She hasn¡¯t yet made peace with the idea of us together and she is his mother. On top of that, if we drop the news of our wedding, it will just get uglier. And I don¡¯t even know how to help him with his insecurity.¡± I stopped walking and sighed dejectedly. He too sighed before standing up.


    ¡°Come here.¡± I stepped in between his arms as he closed them around me.


    ¡°You¡¯ll find a way through this. I know you will.¡± I nodded feeling a bit calmer than before before the relief was short-lived. I pulled away and hastily made my way towards the bathroom, suddenly finding it difficult to keep the contents in my stomach down. I crouched down in front of the toilet and emptied everything.


    ¡°No leave! It¡¯s gross.¡± I said, feeling hands gathering my hair behind me. I could guess it was Ryan since he was the one present there.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I knew vomit was.¡± No matter how tired I felt at that moment I couldn¡¯t resist the urge to roll my eyes. shing it all away, I stood up.


    ¡°Are you fine?¡± His eyes swept over my face in concern.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± I rasped, before putting the brush in my mouth. I could feel the ache in my throat. We walked out once I was done. We had only stepped foot in the hall when I heard approaching footsteps. Evan was loosening the tie around his neck when his eyes fell on me and his perfectly shaped brows creased in concern.


    ¡°What happened? Brae?¡± I hadn¡¯t had to answer when Ryan spoke up for me.


    ¡°She threw up.¡± Evan looked at me disapprovingly.


    ¡°What did you eat?¡± Yeah, no I didn¡¯t expect it to be the reason. I had been feeling nauseous for some days now and this is the second time I had thrown up. Yep! A pregnancy test. That¡¯s what was exactly on my mind.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± I ran my hand through my hair.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look good.¡± Evan looked really worried with the frown on his face. He ced the back of his hand on my forehead to check for temperature.


    ¡°Trust me. I¡¯ll sleep it over and I¡¯ll be good as new.¡± Ryan nodded at me, patted his shoulder before leaving.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you to the room.¡± Evan came and wrapped his arms around my shoulder.


    ¡°I threw up, didn¡¯t get my ankle broken.¡± He just shrugged in response. Once I was in bed, he pulled the cover up to my shoulders and dimmed the light in the room.


    ¡°Get some rest. I¡¯ll tell Ammy to make some soup for you.¡± I sighed, liking thefort from the kiss on my head.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­

 43. That鈥檚 Thoughtful!

    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    ¡°So how should I react?¡± I raised my head up to give Cora a nk stare.


    ¡°I mean are you happy or are you upset?¡± My eyes followed her line of vision and settled on the pregnancy test in my hand. Evan had left for the office after making sure that I would take a rest for the day. I haven¡¯t been feeling so great since this morning as well. I called Cora up demanding that she bought a kit on her way here. So now I was sitting at the edge of the bed while the two pink lines red at me.


    ¡°I¡¯m confused.¡± I honestly didn¡¯t know how to feel.


    ¡°Things are good between you two right?¡± She asked after a brief pause.


    ¡°To answer your question, we are good but that¡¯s not it. The thing is I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m ready.¡± I tossed it on the bed.


    ¡°Are you considering an abortion?¡± Without answering her question, I sighed.


    ¡°Look, it¡¯s okay if you¡¯re considering it. Maybe it¡¯s because I haven¡¯t ever been pregnant or anything but I can¡¯t rte to the how people stage an abortion as a horrendous crime of killing a child when it¡¯s actually just a foetus.¡± I fell back on the bed.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t thought so far.¡± My eyes were trained on the ceiling but my mind was all over the ce.


    ¡°You can tell me whatever is on your mind.¡± She tooid down beside me.


    ¡°You know how things are right now in his family. First we got back together, then the engagement. Everything is being rushed and now this pregnancy. I- I don¡¯t know if I want this right now.¡± After that we both were quiet. Cora was a good listener and that¡¯s why I had called her instead of Bri. Besides Brae had been too busy with her college assignmentstely. The silence feltfortable.


    ¡°I would have loved to help you get to a solution but this is something that you and your boyfriend need to figure out together.¡± I turned around and looked at her.


    ¡°Talk to him, tell him everything about how you feel. He will understand.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    Stepping inside the room, I saw Evan sitting on the bed working on theptop. He nced my way once to pass a smile before turning his attention back on the screen.


    ¡°Are you feeling better today?¡± He asked just as I finished tying my hair up.


    ¡°Yeah. Totally andpletely fine.¡± I ended with a nervous chuckle but he didn¡¯t seem to be weirded out. He put hisptop aside and came behind me to wrap his hands around my waist.


    ¡°I missed you at the office.¡± He kissed the base of my neck, his hot breath against my skin putting me in a frenzy. I was seconds away from forgetting what was on my mind.


    ¡°I have something to tell you.¡± I blurted out. He retreated but notpletely. Instead he put his head on my shoulder waiting for me to speak up.


    ¡°Well?¡± I spun around and looked at his face.


    ¡°I- uhh¡­wait.¡± I picked up the file from the bedside table. Yesterday after that test, I wanted to confirm it. So earlier today, I went to the clinic for a test.


    ¡°Here.¡± I pushed it into his hand. His confused gaze settled on it.


    ¡°What is th¡­¡± He trailed off. I blinked, totally freaked out at the unnerving silence that followed.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t yours, right?¡± He looked up, this time his eyes wide.


    ¡°It has my name in it. So yeah, it¡¯s mine.¡± I breathed out.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a joke or something. You¡¯re really pregnant?¡± He uttered each word clearly like he was trying to make sure there was no misunderstanding. I bit down on my lower lip and nodded. The very next thing I knew was that I was in his arms.


    ¡°You¡¯re really pregnant!¡± It sounded like an assurance to himself.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe this!¡± He chuckled before pulling back and staring at me. The amount of happiness that reflected in his eyes had left me dumb. I wasn¡¯t sure what to say. So I settled on keeping shut.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be the best Dad ever, you¡¯ll see.¡± I stared into his eyes that had slightly moistened. He held my face between his palms and smiled.


    ¡°I love you. I love you so much!¡± I took a deep breath and smiled back.


    ¡°I love you too.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Evan¡¯s POV


    ¡°Careful with the stairs.¡± Brae looked rmed before a look of realization fell upon her face.


    ¡°I made breakfast for us.¡± I said putting the te of sandwiches.


    ¡°Where is Ammy?¡± Brae asked as she climbed the final step down.


    ¡°I gave her a day off but don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be the super chef for the day.¡± I pulled out a chair for her. She looked wide-eyed at the generouslyid down table.


    ¡°Why so many options? Looks like the breakfasts in the movies.¡± She took a bite of the strawberry.


    ¡°Morning sickness. I didn¡¯t know what would make you nauseous. So I kept a few options.¡± She stopped chewing for a second and looked at the half bitten fruit in her hand before clearing her throat.


    ¡°That¡¯s thoughtful.¡± She reached for the bacon.


    ¡°You like it?¡± I too sat myself down.


    ¡°It¡¯s tasty.¡± I smiled back at her before remembering something else.


    ¡°I got ice-cream tubs of different vours this morning. They are in the fridge.¡± She looked up and gulped down the food.


    ¡°Why ice-cream all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°Oh I heard about this thing of having different cravings during pregnancy. So you know I got them in advance so you can have it whenever you want.¡± I wanted to be all prepared for everything and for that I may have searched a few things on Googlest night.


    ¡°When do you think we should tell everyone about this?¡± She sighed and put down the spoon with a bit of force.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± She got up and started leaving.


    ¡°Wait. What happened?¡± She abruptly spun around.


    ¡°I am tired of this baby talk. Every wording out of your mouth since the morning is about my pregnancy. Just stop it already.¡± She breathed out in exasperation.


    ¡°Brae, what¡¯s wrong?¡± I couldn¡¯tprehend what just went wrong.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. You tell me.¡± She looked pissed, about what I couldn¡¯t yet understand.


    ¡°What do you-¡± I was cut off mid sentence.


    ¡°Why do you even need my opinion in anything when you didn¡¯t bother to ask what I feel about this?¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°This pregnancy. Did you even think of asking me if I¡¯m ready for this? You just assumed that I have nothing to say about my pregnancy.¡± She threw her hands up in the air while I froze for a second. She didn¡¯t want this pregnancy?


    ¡°You- you want an abortion?¡± I pressed my lips together, feeling nervous all of a sudden.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know yet. I am confused and I wanted to talk to you about it and find a solution.¡± I closed my eyes and sighed out of disappointment at myself. How could I be so ignorant that I didn¡¯t think of what she felt? I felt guilty of being such a terrible boyfriend.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want an abortion and I don¡¯t know what I want and I¡¯m probably just sounding stupid.¡± She aggressively wiped the few drops of tears that had escaped her eyes.


    ¡°Hey, hey, you¡¯re not sounding stupid.¡± She looked up at me through her wetshes as her lips quivered a little. I gently pulled her into a tight hug.


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who is stupid. I should have asked you how you feel. I¡¯m so sorry, baby.¡± She held onto my jacket as I stroked her hair.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me that you were having mixed feelings?¡± I gently asked. I didn¡¯t know she was keeping all this in.


    ¡°It¡¯s your fault.¡± I pulled away to look at her face.


    ¡°You looked so happy when you heard of my pregnancy and I- I didn¡¯t know how I should say it.¡± She looked adorable with that pouty face of hers. I wiped the tears off her face.


    ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s have breakfast and then we can calmly talk about it. Okay?¡± She nodded before a faint smile touched her lips. Before I could lean in for a small kiss, I heard a pair of heels clicking against the floor.


    ¡°Mom?¡±

 44. Judgement?

    Evan¡¯s POV


    Mom was staring at me with a hard look.


    ¡°Surprised that the guards let me in? Maybe they aren¡¯t listening to your instructions at all.¡± She brusquely let out.


    ¡°I never gave instructions to restrict your entry.¡± She raised a brow.


    ¡°Lucky me!¡± Hostility was dripping from her words.


    ¡°I guess that you haven¡¯te to talk and settle things.¡± I was hoping for a positive answer but it seemed far from possible.


    ¡°You decided that it was in your best interest to not attend a family dinner. So I came to see what¡¯s holding you back.¡± She turned her gaze towards Brae which was anything but soft.


    ¡°Of course I was in for a surprise.¡± I clicked my tongue in annoyance.


    ¡°You¡¯re pregnant. Seems like I have been right all this time.¡± With furrowed eyebrows I looked back at mom.


    ¡°All this time?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know of our little meet-up, do you?¡± I looked at Brae who was clearly avoiding meeting my eyes.


    ¡°We had a coffee date. I asked her if she was pregnant but she said no. Of course she lied now as we see it.¡± As soon as the sentence left her mouth, Brae roared out a protest.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t lying.¡± Mom¡¯s eyes twitched in anger.


    ¡°Why will you even meet her and ask such meaningless questions?¡± I found this absolutely ridiculous.


    ¡°Oh it wasn¡¯t meaningless! I guessed that she had a motive and I was right.¡± While Mom kept on throwing usations at her, I kept growing more and more confused. Motive, about what?


    ¡°No, you weren¡¯t right, at all. I just figured out about this baby.¡± Brae shut her eyes and took a deep breath after her outburst.


    ¡°Look, right now I¡¯m pregnant and extremely pissed. I don¡¯t need those judgments at this moment.¡± Motive? Judgement? Some exnation would have been so nice!


    ¡°I knew it. You are using your pregnancy to stay in Evan¡¯s life.¡± I stared at Mom in surprise. I didn¡¯t expect her to say this.


    ¡°Mom.¡± She paid no heed to my warning.


    ¡°Do you not understand, Evan? This was what she wanted. She is using her pregnancy as a means to be in your life.¡± I clenched my jaws and looked away because I knew that wordsing out of my mouth next would be anything but pleasant.


    ¡°God knows if that child is at all yours!¡± That was all it took for me to snap.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Mom looked startled as if she hadn¡¯t expected me to say anything at all.


    ¡°You don¡¯t get to speak to her like that.¡± My voice was controlled but cold.


    ¡°I¡¯m speaking the truth.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need your ¡°truth¡±!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t raise your voice at me, Evan.¡± I ran my hand through my hair before looking back at her.Published by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    ¡°You won¡¯t give us a chance to exin everything while you go on piling up usations against her. Honestly, I¡¯m tired of this.¡± Her eyes flickered between our faces and ultimately rested on mine.


    ¡°Evan!¡± Brae called in a warning tone.


    ¡°Let¡¯se to an agreement. You have failed to make me see your point. You won¡¯t ept Brae and I won¡¯t let her go. It¡¯s for the best that we follow our own paths because I won¡¯t have anyone insult my girlfriend.¡± I was determined to set boundaries. This had been going on for a long time and I failed to realise when my life had turned to a soap opera. Mom stared at me incredulously before letting out a humorless chuckle.


    ¡°Amazing! You can cut ties with your mother but you can¡¯t let go of that one girl.¡± I couldn¡¯t remember seeing my mom resenting someone to this extent though she had always been extremely stubborn and she wouldn¡¯t listen to anyone once her mind was made up.


    ¡°I love that one girl. Besides, she isn¡¯t the one forcing me to pick sides, she isn¡¯t the one insulting someone I love and care about.¡± She scoffed loudly before ring at Brae.


    ¡°You have him wrapped around your finger just fine. You do deserve an apuse!¡± Her words cut through the tense atmosphere before she turned on her heels and left.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    Brae came out of the shower with the towel wrapped around her head. I saw her stealing a quick nce of my face through the mirror.


    ¡°Care to exin why I didn¡¯t know about your meet up with Mom?¡± Through the reflection I saw her biting her lip. She took her time in drying her hair, pretending to have not heard me.


    ¡°Brae, I¡¯m asking something.¡± She audibly breathed in before looking at me.


    ¡°She asked me to meet her at the cafe and I thought maybe she was ready to hear me out. So I went to meet her.¡± She ended with a casual shrug.


    ¡°And I shouldn¡¯t have known about this, why?¡± She leaned back slightly against the dresser.


    ¡°There was nothing to talk about. We didn¡¯t really have a sweet exchange of words as you might have guessed.¡± I looked on without blinking, causing her to release a sigh.


    ¡°You and Victoria are already at odds. I didn¡¯t want to make things worse between you.¡± I climbed down the bed.


    ¡°We weren¡¯t supposed to keep secrets, remember?¡± She opened her mouth only to close it without even uttering something. I turned around to leave the room.


    ¡°Evan!¡± She called after me but I was already on my way to the study.


    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    I shut my eyes as soon as I heard the door open. After a minute, the bed dipped beside me. Evan¡¯s cologne filled my nostrils as he pulled the cover properly up my body. I quickly opened my eyes and grabbed his arm when I felt him leaving.


    He looked back when I was already sitting up and switching on the light. He kept on staring at my face with his lips pressed in a thin line.


    ¡°Are you still angry with me?¡± At my question, he let out a small sigh and sat down on the bed.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have kept a secret from you. I¡¯m sorry.¡± I didn¡¯t like that we hadn¡¯t talked properly the whole day. I wanted to jump into his arms and cuddle. Evan shook his head in disagreement.


    ¡°I am not angry with you. I-¡± I waited for him to find the words.


    ¡°I guess I was just upset with whatever happened. I hate that you had to hear such things from Mom.¡± I cupped his cheek and made him look at me.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I firmly said staring into his eyes wanting him to believe me.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not. It can¡¯t be. Whatever she said was mean and degrading.¡± He looked really distressed. I held his face between my hands before he could look away.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that I didn¡¯t feel hurt at what she said but you were by my side. You took a stand for me and that¡¯s what made me feel fine, you know.¡± I knew he was searching my face for confirmation before slowly nodding. His eyes shifted to my lips causing me to unconsciously bite my lower lip. Just then I felt his lips press against mine. I sighed in relief and wrapped my arms around his neck. We broke away after a minute.


    ¡°God! I feel like I haven¡¯t kissed you since ever.¡± I eximed as I got on hisp. His chuckle was cut short when I urgently ced my lips on his.

 45. Our Baby!

    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    I sighed, quite liking the warmth of his body pressed against mine under the sheets. I was tracing his abs with my fingers before cing a small kiss on his chest.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that.¡± He held my hand and pulled me closer, staring at me with a yful smile.


    ¡°Unless you want me to get excited. I doubt you have that energy left in you.¡± I propped myself up on my elbow and stared at him, my lips tugging up in a yful smirk.


    ¡°Oh baby, you doubt my abilities.¡± His eyes visibly darkened at my words. He flipped us over so that he was now hovering over me.


    ¡°You sure?¡± He whispered near my lips.


    ¡°God! No! I was joking.¡± I pushed at his chest. Though I couldn¡¯t move him an inch, it brought a visible change in his expression. Unimpressed, he fell back on the bed.


    ¡°Sadly, I didn¡¯t find any humour in it.¡± I chuckled at how adorable he sounded before lying on him.


    ¡°I think we should talk about it.¡± He said while he wrapped his hand around me.


    ¡°About?¡± I mindlessly asked.


    ¡°Your pregnancy.¡± I felt myself get stiff for a second before breathing in.


    ¡°Yeah, we should.¡± After that there was a long prevailing silence.


    ¡°Do you- do you want an abortion?¡± I could sense the tiny bit of uncertainty in his voice. I was quiet for a long time contemting my answer when I heard him sigh.


    ¡°You know, you can say it. I get it if you¡¯re not ready right now.¡± He rubbed his hand up and down on my arm to soothe me into speaking up.


    ¡°I thought that all this was happening really fast and¡­¡± I trailed off, unsure if I wanted to say the next words.


    ¡°And?¡± He prompted.


    ¡°And everyone is going to think just like Victoria did.¡± The expression that fell upon his face is the reason why I didn¡¯t want to say it at first.


    ¡°Listen to me, what others think doesn¡¯t matter. What matters is what you think, how you feel.¡± We were now lying on our sides and facing each other.


    ¡°I know, I know. These were my feelings earlier and I- I have decided.¡± He pressed his lips together awaiting my answer.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want an abortion. I was just extremely nervous but I thought it over and I want this.¡± He looked surprised like he was almost expecting the opposite answer.


    ¡°I want this baby with you.¡± His eyes glistened with hope.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure? I mean it¡¯s not solely because you¡¯re considering my feelings, right?¡± He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and rubbed the pad of his thumb on my cheek.


    ¡°Of course not! What do I care about your feelings?¡± I shrugged and did my best to suppress the smile tugging at my lips.


    ¡°Is it so?¡± He asked with a hint of mischief in his voice.


    ¡°Then you wouldn¡¯t care if I say that I feel like screwing your brains out?¡± He rasped, dragging his hand along my thigh. The feeling of his hand on my bare thigh caused a funny feeling in my stomach though we had sex not hours ago.


    ¡°Mhmmm but I want to talk about something else.¡± He huffed out loud at my rejection of his advances.


    ¡°Like what?¡± He asked in a t bored tone.


    ¡°Like you and Victoria.¡± I saw his face turning grim at my words.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to discuss that.¡± I held his face before he could turn away.


    ¡°But we have to.¡± He closed his eyes for a second giving me an impression that maybe he was about to give in but when he looked back he looked more determined.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to talk about. I have made things clear.¡± He sat up and slipped into his boxers. I pulled his shirt over my body and sat up following him.


    ¡°What you said earlier can never be a solution. You can¡¯t just go on not talking to your mother.¡± His head snapped towards me in an instant.


    ¡°What else can I do? Let her insult you in whatever way she feels like?¡± I knew that his anger wasn¡¯t directed towards me.


    ¡°Evan-¡± He cut me off.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it. We are done talking about this.¡± He switched off the light, shut his eyes andy back down while I sat looking at him.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Evan¡¯s POV


    Evan had his eyes trained on the monitor. He nced at me to pass a quick smile.


    ¡°There is your baby.¡± The doctor¡¯s words brought my attention to the screen.


    ¡°Do you hear the heartbeat?¡± My eyes widened when I heard the steady beeping sound.


    ¡°Oh my God!¡± I chuckled out of pure excitement squeezing Evan¡¯s hand a little in the process. He had the same stupid smile on his face.


    ¡°The baby is absolutely healthy.¡± Ms. Pierce said with a kind smile. After it was over, she passed me tissues to wipe the gel off my stomach.


    ¡°If you¡¯d excuse me.¡± She said standing up.


    ¡°Thank you, Ms. Pierce.¡± She nodded our way with a smile before leaving us alone. I looked up at Evan and couldn¡¯t help the grin that stretched across my lips.


    ¡°Our baby.¡± He nodded, grinning back.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    Evan¡¯s POVPublished by N?v''elD/rama.Org.


    I pulled my gaze away from myptop screen, hearing the sound of something hitting the floor. Brae was about to bend down to retrieve the file that had just fallen from her hand when I warned her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± She looked up at my face, rmed as I stood up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± I picked the file up and handed it to her. She looked between the file and my face before slightly squinting her eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re already restricting my movements?¡± I kept my mouth shut, debating on my answer. I didn¡¯t want to say anything that might upset her. I blinked, waiting for a suitable reply toe to my mind.


    ¡°Why are you staring like that?¡± She furrowed her eyebrows at my dumb expression.


    ¡°No uhmm I was just taking care of you, you know, first trimester is crucial and all that.¡± I smiled nervously at the end but the huge smile that fell on her lips wasn¡¯t something I was expecting.


    ¡°Hearing the baby¡¯s heartbeat, it felt different.¡± Thinking about the baby made her smile. I too couldn¡¯t help my lips from curving up at that thought.


    ¡°It did.¡± She put the file down on my desk before sitting down on the sofa.


    ¡°Bri is so excited. I would be surprised if she hadn¡¯t already bought some onesies.¡±


    ¡°That reminds me, we have a lot of things to do.¡± I went and sat down beside her.


    ¡°Like?¡±


    ¡°Like making a nursery.¡± She shook her head at my suggestion.


    ¡°Not unless we know the gender. I want it to be themed.¡± She leaned back against the sofa.


    ¡°You know, I want it to be a girl.¡± I was staring at her face when her lips curved up into a dreamy smile.


    ¡°And why is that?¡± She shrugged, staring in front of her.


    ¡°I want to doll her up and tie her hair and wear twining dresses.¡± She listed them while smiling to herself.


    ¡°But I want a boy.¡± She furrowed her brows before sitting up to face me.


    ¡°I thought guys are fond of daughters or something.¡± No lies there. I rxed back in my seat and shrugged.


    ¡°Well yeah, a girl will be all pretty and really nice but then I have this feeling that I¡¯ll grow extremely overprotective of her. She¡¯ll eventually grow to hate me when I won¡¯t let her go on dates with some pimply boys.¡± She stared at me with her lips parted before chuckling.


    ¡°You realise you were just one of those pimply boys when we started dating, right?¡± She asked, sounding amused.


    ¡°Hey, I had clear skin!¡±

 46. I Promise.

    Evan¡¯s POV


    ¡°Hey, I had clear skin!¡± When I looked at her she was staring at me with a nk expression.


    ¡°So your problem is with the boy or the pimples?¡± She deadpanned. I chuckled before wrapping my hand around her shoulder and pulling her close so that she was leaning back on me.


    ¡°First I want a boy and then a girl. She will have an overprotective brother as well and then I won¡¯t be the only one on the receiving end of her dislike. I think I can work with that.¡± She hummed and it was silent for a few seconds before she turned back and looked at me.


    ¡°Evan.¡± I looked between her eyes before pulling away a bit.


    ¡°I know that face. Don¡¯t start again, please.¡± I said knowing full to well where this was leading to.


    ¡°You can¡¯t avoid this topic forever!¡± I sighed and put my head in my hands. I felt Brae squeeze my shoulder.


    ¡°Hey, look at me. Do you think that I¡¯m such a goody two shoes that I offer candies to someone who humiliates me?¡± She asked, putting a hand on my cheek.


    ¡°Then why are you even advocating for Mom? As far as my memory goes, she hasn¡¯t particrly been nice to you.¡± I snapped, losing my patience and stood up. This was just not the topic which I wanted to discuss at the moment.


    ¡°That¡¯s because I had put myself in her position and tried to understand her feelings.¡± I heard her stand up behind me. She pulled me around by my wrist.


    ¡°Think from her perspective, Evan. To her I¡¯m that girl who had broken her son¡¯s heart by leaving him at the altar. She knows me to be just a gold digger who chose money over you.¡± I pressed my lips in a thin line as she kept on defending mom¡¯s actions.


    ¡°Obviously she thinks that after all these years I have weaved my way into your life just because I¡¯m captivated by your wealth, your sess. Tell me is it too preposterous of her to assume that?¡± I knew that these things hurt her, her voice told me but she was too stubborn to ept.


    ¡°But I take my own decisions. She shouldn¡¯t be imposing them on me.¡± My voice was controlled but irritationced each word.


    ¡°I know but she is your mother. To her you¡¯ll always be a child. She wants to eliminate the thing that could hurt you, which she thinks to be me.¡± My jaws clenched at her words. I thrusted my hand inside my pocket and looked out through the ss wall.


    ¡°Maybe she wasn¡¯t ready to listen but you¡¯ll have to do it.¡± I looked back at her trying to understand what she was asking me of.


    ¡°Find a way, force her to hear you out because you have that right on her.¡± She looked really frustrated and so was I. She was silent for a few seconds before a faraway look came across her eyes.


    ¡°I remember when I was in school and it was supposed to be my first date but I got stood up. Dad was literally so angry and he wanted to beat that guy up. But then because I was upset, he took me to lunch.¡± She said with a sad chuckle. Brae was extremely close to her parents. I remembered after the ident how difficult it had be for her.


    ¡°It sucks to not have your parents. I don¡¯t want you to lose them when they are still there.¡± Her eyes were glossy by the end of it. She felt guilty. She felt responsible for me and mom drifting apart and I couldn¡¯t help but feel that somewhere it was my fault. Maybe I hadn¡¯t tried enough to make mom understand, to amend things between Brae and her.


    ¡°Come here.¡± She walked into my arms and I wrapped them around her in aforting hug. After a minute she pulls her face away from my chest to look at my face.


    ¡°Promise me that you¡¯re going to talk to Victoria.¡± She looked into my eyes with a pleading stare. I smiled at her before kissing her forehead.


    ¡°I promise.¡± She smiled with her eyes closed. I bent my head down to kiss her lips but there was this weird thing going on with people walking in on us kissing each time.


    ¡°God! What did I walk into!?¡± I clicked my tongue in annoyance at Ryan¡¯s voice and cast him an irritated nce.


    ¡°Knocking is still a thing, you know?¡± Brae asked, crossing her arms against her chest. Well, it looked like I wasn¡¯t the only one unimpressed on being interrupted.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t know. I am used to barging into his cabin.¡± Brae rolled her eyes at him.


    ¡°Which needs to change.¡± He stuck out his tongue at her.


    ¡°Clearly!¡± I supported Brae¡¯s statement which caused Brae to stick out her tongue at him. They could really behave like kids! Ryan looked at both of us, faking an offended look.


    ¡°Why are you here anyway?¡± I asked, sitting back in my seat.


    ¡°I feel so wee here.¡± He put a hand on his chest to add to his already dramatic expression.


    ¡°You were saying?¡±Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Yeah, about that Dad asked us to join for a family dinner. He asked you to bring Brae with you.¡± His eyes darted towards Brae at the end.


    ¡°We¡¯lle.¡± Brae at once chimed in.


    ¡°We¡¯ll think about it.¡± I slowly and clearly uttered, emphasizing every word. After thest encounter, I wasn¡¯t sure if I wanted her to meet mom again.


    ¡°Evan.¡± She gave me a pointed look.


    ¡°Listen, I think you shoulde. You and Mom aren¡¯t on talking terms. How long can this go on?¡± Ryan looked between our faces.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to convince him while I go to lunch.¡± I frowned at her announcement. I thought we were getting lunch together.


    ¡°With my friends.¡± She added, answering my unasked question.


    ¡°See youter.¡± Brae smiled at Ryan before closing the door behind her.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    Just after I left Evan¡¯s cabin I saw him walking ahead of me.


    ¡°Austin.¡± He stopped at my call but took his time turning around.


    ¡°Brae.¡± He cleared his throat looking anywhere but my face.


    ¡°How are you?¡± I asked since I hadn¡¯t talked to him in some days. After that day he had been a bit distant.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. How about you?¡± He ran a hand through his hair


    ¡°I¡¯m good.¡± At my response his eyes momentarilynded on my stomach before he forced them away.


    ¡°You heard about my pregnancy.¡± I stated to which he gave a small nod.


    ¡°I did, from Cora.¡± Something about his tone told me that he would appreciate it more if I had shared the news with him.


    ¡°I would tell you myself but I was just so¡­¡± I trailed off not knowing what I actually was. Confused?


    ¡°Come on, you don¡¯t need to exin to me.¡± He said in a dismissive tone.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t get to talk much in thest few days.¡± I said hoping to continue the conversation.


    ¡°Yeah, I was a bit upied.¡± He again cleared his throat looking down at the floor.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get lunch and we can catch up.¡± He seemed to give it a little thought before nodding.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±

 47. Don鈥檛 Cry!

    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    ¡°Oh my God! It is so small. It looks like an M&M.¡± I swear this woman could shout like a fox. Her voice had everyone¡¯s eyes on us for a moment. We cast apologetic nces at them before I red at her.


    ¡°Yeah, you did not just say that.¡± I chuckled at Austin¡¯s expression before I was pulled in for a tight hug by Cora.


    ¡°I¡¯m so happy for you.¡± Her wide grin spread to one of mine as well. I looked back at Austin who looked a bit ufortable.


    ¡°I have to use the washroom. I¡¯ll be back.¡± She got up sensing the tension in there and I appreciated that. I really needed to talk to him.


    ¡°Austin, I¡­¡± I again trailed off and honestly I was disappointed in myself for never having anything proper to say.


    ¡°Cora told you. I know.¡± He said as he tapped on the table. I took in a breath.


    ¡°I had failed to notice and I¡¯m really really sorry for that. I¡¯m sorry if I have unknowingly led you on or something¡­.. I just miss you.¡± I spoke about my honest feelings. He had been a great friend and I would hate for our rtionship to go down the drain.


    ¡°Our friendship matters to me and I don¡¯t want this to ruin things between us.¡± I ced a hand on top of his. He stared at it before looking up at my face.


    ¡°It won¡¯t, I promise.¡± I felt relief when his lips stretched in a small but genuine smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m happy for you. I mean it.¡± I myself was really happy. Finally things were going right. I got my friend back and now I only wanted Evan and Victoria to mend things. I smiled back at Austin and not minutes after, Cora hopped back in.


    ¡°So, what did I miss?¡± We rolled our eyes at her.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    ¡°So what do you think I should wear?¡± I asked once Evan stepped out of the bathroom.


    ¡°Will this be okay?¡± I looked at him through the mirror to see his reaction. He stared nkly at me before he spoke up.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going.¡± I spun back at once.


    ¡°What? I thought you said that you had agreed to go there.¡±


    ¡°I said I¡¯ll be going, not you.¡± I felt the anger rise in me all of a sudden. My tolerance level has gone down significantly in the past couple of weeks.


    ¡°Why not? What do you even mean?¡± I crossed my arms against my chest.


    ¡°I intend to clear things out with mom but I don¡¯t know how that¡¯s going to turn out. Unless then you don¡¯t need to meet mom.¡± He said while buttoning up his shirt.


    ¡°You can¡¯t decide that!¡± I threw the dress on the bed and snapped at him. I was angry and irritated. My overly emotional ass couldn¡¯t handle it anymore and I felt my eyes moistening.


    ¡°Hey, hey! Don¡¯t cry.¡± He rushed towards me, perplexed when a few drops of tears rolled down my cheeks.


    ¡°I- Listen, I¡¯m not trying to control you or something.¡± He ced his hands cautiously on my shoulders like I would snap at him again and probably I would.


    ¡°It¡¯s just thatst time mom said a lot of things and I don¡¯t want you to hear such things again and get hurt. I don¡¯t know about you but I don¡¯t like it when someone insults you.¡± Though I wasn¡¯tpletely satisfied with it, I could see what he meant. He had agreed with me to mend things with Victoria. So, I could miss the dinner if that put him at ease.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t cry.¡± He wiped the tears off my cheek with his thumb before staring into my eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s just the hormones.¡± I mumbled. He passed a small smile before pulling me in his arms.


    ¡°Stay here, watch a movie or something. If you need anything ask Nora, okay?¡± He kissed my hair while I only kept quiet, enjoying the warmth of the hug. He pulled a little bit away to look at my face.


    ¡°I promise I¡¯ll be back very soon.¡± He said pushing the hair strands away from my face.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    Evan¡¯s POV


    I put my signature on the file when I heard the door to my cabin open. Looking up, I saw Ryan ambling in.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Lewis.¡± Liam collected the file before heading off, leaving me with my brother who was seated in from of me.


    ¡°So, yesterday¡¯s dinner.¡± He drawled and automatically a sigh left my mouth at the reminder ofst night.


    ¡°That went well.¡± I rolled my eyes at him.


    ¡°To be honest I wasn¡¯t expecting it to be a pic.¡± I said, looking for the report of yesterday¡¯s conference. It was supposed to be on my desk by now.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be mad at mom. You know she cares too much about your stupid ass.¡± I threw him a short irritated nce before resuming my search.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the report of this- Where¡¯s Brae?¡± I asked myself more.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know where your girlfriend is? What a doting boyfriend you are!¡± I clicked my tongue in annoyance. Ryan¡¯s words could sometimes make sense while sometimes¡­ anyway. Besides, why was he here though? Didn¡¯t he have like I don¡¯t know apany to run?


    ¡°Remind me how long it took you to grow some balls to ask Brielle out?¡± I teased back which effectively shut him up. While he looked away I dialled Brae¡¯s number but it went straight to voicemail.


    ¡°She is rejecting my calls.¡± I said frowning at the mobile screen. Deciding to check on her, I shot up from my seat. I knew she was fine and in the office only but still¡­ Coming to her cabin, I opened the door and let myself in.


    ¡°Why are you-¡± I cut myself off when I saw that Brae wasn¡¯t alone. She had a rather unexpectingpany.


    ¡°Mom?¡±

 48. To Apologise?

    Evan¡¯s POV


    ¡°Mom?¡± My voice had an edge to it, a mixture of apprehension and defense if I were to be specific. I heard footsteps which were most likely Ryan¡¯s stopping right behind me. Brae stood up, followed my Mom.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± I looked between them while they looked at each other¡¯s faces.


    ¡°We were just talking. Can you leave us alone?¡± I stared at Brae¡¯s face for too long before refusing.


    ¡°No.¡± Mom gulped before looking away. Though I had exined everything to her at the dinner, well Ryan had done most of the talking, she hadn¡¯t said a word that day. So, the idea of her and Brae alone still didn¡¯t seem much appealing to me.


    ¡°Evan, everything¡¯s fine.¡± Brae said in a calm voice as I stared at her skeptically.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go.¡± Ryan put his hand on my shoulder.


    ¡°Just go.¡± She mouthed.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    I watched as Ryan somewhat dragged Evan out and the door closed behind them.


    ¡°Victoria, he¡¯s just-¡± Before I could justify Evan¡¯s partially harsh tone, she cut me off.


    ¡°He¡¯s acting like anyone in his ce would.¡± I broke eye contact and looked down, not knowing what to say in response.


    ¡°Braelyn, I really mean it. I¡¯m sorry for everything. I treated you so badly, humiliated you and you didn¡¯t deserve any of it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s stupid how I didn¡¯t even let you exin all this time. When I learnt everything from Evan and Ryan, I didn¡¯t even know what I was supposed to feel or say.¡± Evan told me that Victoria had be silent after everything was set in front of her eyes, so silent that she had walked away to her room. While Evan was confused whether he could make her see the truth, I could guess that it was probably a lot for her to take in at once.


    ¡°You were trying to protect Evan. You saw him pass through a painful phase of his life when you saw the source of his hurt creep back into his life. Your instinct was to uproot it and I get it.¡± She raised her head and stared at my face like she didn¡¯t believe me, at all.


    ¡°Trust me I do. I am only in my first trimester and I already feel so protective of this little life inside me. I can only guess what you must have felt after seeing Evan in that state after our breakup.¡± I had a lot of time to think about everything over and over again. I didn¡¯t know what I would have done had I been in her ce but I knew that I couldn¡¯t fully me her for what all she had said.


    ¡°Your baby-I am still facing you after-II am ashamed of what I had said earlier.¡± She stammered as her eyes moistened. I sighed before taking a step forward. I wasn¡¯t sure what the parameter was but I took the risk and ced a gentle hand on her arm.


    ¡°Victoria.¡± She lightly bit her lip and looked up at me. At that moment I saw the glimpse of that woman who once used to love me. She didn¡¯t have a hard gaze on me and I could rte to the kind eyes that had always looked at me with affection.


    ¡°What¡¯s done is done. Let¡¯s put it behind us and start over.¡± By the way she was trying to measure my expression, I knew that she was finding it hard to believe my words but the truth was I really wanted to start afresh. I could feel the guilt in her voice, her face and she came here to apologize. Wasn¡¯t that enough?


    ¡°I want my child to have her family, not just her parents. For that to happen, we have to move past the bitter memories.¡± She teared up at my words and I felt like she was contemting a hug but then settled on squeezing my hands gently.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    When I walked into Evan¡¯s cabin, he was pacing to and fro. On hearing the door open, he stopped and took a tentative step towards me.


    ¡°What did she say?¡± By the way he blurted it out, it seemed like he had been waiting to ask that. I walked over to the couch and plopped myself down.


    ¡°Well?¡± He asked, crossing his arms against his chest.


    ¡°She came to apologize.¡± He stared at my face for a few long seconds. My eyes followed the movement of his hand andnded on his jaw as he rubbed the skin there.


    ¡°Apologize?¡± He sounded half convinced, though there was a hint of hope in his tone like he wanted it to be true.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I answered before beckoning him toe over. He came and sat himself down beside me while I wrapped my arms around his waist, putting my head on his chest. These days, even the littlest things really wearied me off. He threaded his hand through my hair and I leaned more into him, basking in thefort.


    ¡°What did you say to her?¡±


    ¡°I suggested we should forget everything and start over.¡± I waited for him to say something but he didn¡¯t. So, I looked up to see him in deep thought.


    ¡°What?¡± He looked at me with a strange look before voicing what he had on his mind.


    ¡°Have you really forgiven her?¡± He looked between my eyes, trying to figure out my actual thoughts while I nodded to his question.


    ¡°You have to as well.¡± At this a soft smile fell on his lips. He entwined our hands before kissing the back of my palm.


    ¡°I always knew you were special.¡± He smiled tenderly at me and it really did something to my heart but before I could get all mushy my stomach let out a small growl.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    ¡°And right now, I¡¯m extremely hungry too.¡± He chuckled and kissed my pout before standing up.


    ¡°Where do you wanna go?¡± He offered me a hand to get up.

 49. Cheesecake?

    Evan¡¯s POV


    ¡°So when do you want to go for cake tasting?¡± I asked, stepping out of the closet. I looked up to see her sitting on the bed, her face in her hands.


    ¡°Brae?¡± She took her time in raising her head and I was met with her tear stricken face.


    ¡°Why are you crying?¡± I wiped the tears with my thumb but that seemed to make her more emotional as fresh tears rolled escaped her eyes.


    ¡°Tell me what happened.¡± I sat down on my knees in front of her and kept my hands on her thighs.


    ¡°I have already bought my wedding dress.¡± She said in a quavering voice like that would make everything clear.


    ¡°And that¡¯s bad because?¡± Her eyebrows furrowed even more at this question.


    ¡°I won¡¯t fit in it.¡± She mumbled with quivering lips.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    ¡°Of course you will. They are going to alter it ording to your size.¡± I couldn¡¯t quite understand the problem. I mean alterations were a thing, right?


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t!¡± She snapped all of a sudden.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting fat and by the day of our wedding I¡¯ll not be able to fit in the wedding dress.¡± She stood up and started pacing across the room.


    ¡°But our wedding is next week only.¡± I stood up too. My sentence probably had something terribly wrong in it because her head snapped towards me in a fraction of second.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand, next week is a long time and I¡¯m always hungry. I always want to eat something or the other.¡± I just looked on, not sure what to say. It was actually true that since thest few weeks she had grown arge appetite and had been hungry most of the time but she hadn¡¯t grown that much like she was making it sound.


    ¡°Like right now I want to eat something.¡± She said, cing a hand on her stomach.


    ¡°What do you want? Should I get the ice cream for you?¡± I asked, already heading towards the door.


    ¡°Oh my God! You aren¡¯t even listening to me, are you?¡± I was stupefied at her sudden usation. I had just offered to bring her ice cream, right?


    ¡°Of course I am listening to you.¡± I exined, totally confused of what was happening.


    ¡°Then how can you say that? I just told you that I¡¯m getting fat and you¡¯re offering ice cream!¡± She said in an usatory tone.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I apologized almost immediately.


    ¡°Then what should I bring you?¡± She seemed to think about it.


    ¡°Thest piece of cheesecake is in the fridge.¡± She went and sat back down on the bed while I dumbly stared at her. She snapped at me not seconds ago for offering ice cream and now she asked for cheesecake? Her mood swings were giving me major whishes.


    ¡°What?¡± I blinked twice before shaking my head.


    ¡°Cheesecake. I¡¯ll bring you the cheesecake.¡± Saying this, I rushed out of the room before she would again change her mind.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    I smoothened the invisible creases in the dress while scrutinizing my whole appearance again and again. The wedding came sooner than I had imagined and my hormones weren¡¯t really helping my mood. On top of that with each look in the mirror my nose seemed to get more ugly.


    ¡°You look perfect.¡± Cora looked at me through the mirror while I just passed her a nervous smile. That¡¯s the best I could do considering the ever rising nervousness in me. She sighed and came closer before turning me around by the shoulder.


    ¡°Take a deep breath.¡± I inhaled deeply with her before gulping.


    ¡°I¡¯m nervous.¡± I blurted out the obvious.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be. Everything will be fine. I won¡¯t leave your side until you havepleted your vows.¡± I appreciated what she said but somehow that didn¡¯t ease my restlessness. I just wanted to hug Evan and make sure everything will be fine.


    ¡°I know.¡± Cora smiled at me once more before I felt like I heard Evan¡¯s. I wasn¡¯t sure if I was imagining his voice but looking up at Cora¡¯s face I knew I wasn¡¯t hearing things.


    ¡°Why do I hear him?¡± Just then Brielle walked in looking slightly stressed.


    ¡°Evan wants to meet you. Like right now.¡± I felt like I couldn¡¯t be more happy. He was just the person I needed right then.


    ¡°Let him in.¡± She frowned at my words.


    ¡°Brae, but you¡¯re not allowed to-¡± I cut her off.


    ¡°I want to see him once to calm myself down, please.¡± Cora gave Brielle a nod before giving my shoulder a gentle squeeze.


    ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll be right outside.¡± As soon as they left, Evan came in. On looking at me, he abruptly stopped in his steps before slowly walking towards me. He was staring at me long enough to strip away the little remains of confidence that I had left in me.


    ¡°You-you look-¡± He stammered, fishing for probably a less bluntpliment while his eyes were still on me.


    ¡°I knew it. This doesn¡¯t look good on me does it?¡± Now I felt like I should have chosen the sweetheart neckline dress that Rose had suggested.


    ¡°I was going to say you look fucking beautiful!¡± I sealed my lipspletely and just stared at his face. He didn¡¯t look like he was joking, though. Realizing that he actually meant it, I let a smile fall upon my lips.


    ¡°And you are looking hotter than ever, you know?¡± I said, stepping closer and he honestly was. I always found his clean shaved face extremely hot. It defined his jawlines better.


    ¡°And I¡¯m more nervous than ever, you know?¡± He ended with a nervous chuckle. Seemed like I wasn¡¯t the only one on the edge.


    ¡°I feel the same. I just wanted to see you.¡± I wrapped my hands around his waist and immediately felt him rx in the hug.


    ¡°Yeah, I knew talking to you would really help.¡± I heard him sigh. We stayed like that, enjoying the warmth of the embrace.


    ¡°Evan, I know this is all too simr to ourst time. You, waiting at the altar for me and everything but I promise-¡± I pulled away to look at his face.


    ¡°-no matter what we are getting married today.¡± He looked into my eyes and nodded with me. His thumb gently grazed my cheeks.


    ¡°And by the night we will be on our honeymoon, kissing in the bubble bath, drinking champagne.¡± I let out a small chuckle at his words. We were assuring each other and it was helping. I felt better than minutes ago.


    ¡°We will be happy.¡± This time it was my turn to nod.

 50. We Did It!

    Third Person POV


    Evan stood there, tapping his foot impatiently. More than impatience it was the anxious thoughts and little shbacks that had put his mind at unease. This was the second time he had found himself standing at the altar waiting for Braelyn. He could hear the all too familiar sound of the guests murmuring. Ryan was once again standing behind him as his best man.


    He mentally shook away all those lingering thoughts. This time won¡¯t be the same, he decided. The little talk with Brae had given him the confidence that things were going to be right this time. Before he could ponder a little more over these, the song was heard. The whole church quieted down, anticipating the moment when the bride would step in.


    Brielle, Cora and the other bridesmaids walked down the aisle before it was finally Brae¡¯s turn. She was holding onto William¡¯s arm in a solid grasp who looked down at her with a kind smile. As she started walking all eyes were on her. Brae was the one who had chosen ¡®A Thousand Years¡¯ by Christina Perri to be yed at her wedding . A faint smile graced Brae¡¯s lips on thinking how the song was appropriate to express her feelings.


    From the moment Brae had stepped in, all traces of anxiety seemed to have left Evan¡¯s mind. His eyes were struck on her, memorizing every elegant step she took till she reached the end of the aisle. He was awestruck by how beautiful she looked in the delicatelyced re dress. The fact that he had already seen her in it didn¡¯t spoil it for either of them. Speaking of that, he had made sure that very few people knew about their secret meet up. He wasn¡¯t sure if he would get hit by his mother had the information reached her ears.


    In thest weeks of preparation for the wedding, things between Evan and Victoria had gone almost back to normal. Though Braelyn and her rtionship had improved drastically, it wasn¡¯t what it used to be all those years back. Victoria¡¯s guilt had been still hindering the ease of their rtionship.


    Brae put her hands in Evan¡¯s as they stood facing each other.


    ¡°Dear beloved, together we gather here in the sight of God to join this man, and this woman in holy matrimony.¡± Everything sounded so familiar yet it was totally different. Unlikest time, Brae wasn¡¯t scared to look up at Evan, her heart wasn¡¯t thumping in anticipation of what was to happen, she didn¡¯t feel the invisible weight pressing down on her heart.


    The way Evan gazed at her was melting her insides. She passed him a wide smile of her own.


    ¡°Should anyone present know of any reason that this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace forever.¡± Brae wasn¡¯t sure if it was stupid of her to think of Kate stumbling in at that particr moment with her hairpletely disordered and her heels in her hand.


    ¡°Evan Henry Lewis, have youe here to enter into marriage without coercion, freely and wholeheartedly?¡± Evan took a small second before responding.


    ¡°I have.¡± He smiled at Brae but the little uncertainty in his eyes didn¡¯t go unnoticed by her.


    ¡°Braelyn Sabe Taylor, have youe here to enter into Marriage without coercion, freely and wholeheartedly?¡±


    ¡°With all my heart.¡± This sessfully brought a smile on his face. He finally let go of all insecurities and the sudden influx of excitement led him to give a small squeeze to her hands.


    ¡°Have you prepared your vows?¡± Both of them nodded as Ryan and Brielle passed them the vows that they had written down.


    ¡°Brae-¡± He took a deep breath before continuing.


    ¡°-I met you when we were just highschool kids. I still remember that day when you walked in wearing the blue striped dress. Since that day you have been with me, always. Even in those years that we have spent apart, not a single day has passed when I didn¡¯t think of you.¡± The news of their separation was no secret to all those who were present there.


    ¡°I¡¯m so in love with you that even the fact that you like the smell of detergent and snacking on uncooked pasta seems to me¡­ well kinda cute.¡± All the guests along with Braelyn chuckled at that.


    ¡°Knowing that you hate mornings, I promise to drag your ass out of the bed at the earliest hours of Sunday mornings and thenpensate for it by making breakfast for you.¡± She couldn¡¯t help the grin that stretched her lips at his words. He folded the paper in his hand and put it away.


    ¡°I promise to try and be the most amazing husband to you and a doting father to our child.¡± His eyes quickly nced down at her stomach before he held her hands in his.


    ¡°I promise to love you both till the veryst day.¡± The look in his eyes made Brae want to pull him down by his neck and attach her lips to his but she would have to wait, for a little more time.


    ¡°Evan, I love you-¡± Cutting herself off, she looked up and smiled.


    ¡°-so much! Not only because of how irresistible you look in a tux.¡± A smallughter escaped Evan¡¯s lips at her words.


    ¡°Nor because your hands are really beautiful.¡± The crowd once againughed while Evan yfully smirked at her.


    ¡°But because you are pretty much everything I could ever wish for. You take me out for ice cream at the weirdest hours of the day. When I¡¯m with you I can¡¯t care less about how I look on a real bad hair day.¡± They werepletely and utterly in love and it was reflected by the way they were staring at each other. No one was present who couldn¡¯t just feel it.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t give up on us, even when at one point I did. And I regret it. I regret every second of those three years spent without you.¡± The emotions in her words felt too raw, especially since the paper in her hand was long forgotten. She blinked a few times trying not to get emotional. She wanted to get through the day without crying.


    ¡°So now I promise to spend a lifetime with you, wake-up by your side every morning and I promise not to binge-watch aplete series without you and maybe cook you something once in a while.¡± Evanughed and nodded at that. He knew better than to expect her to cook given her unparalleled talent in beingzy.


    ¡°Do you Mr. Evan Henry Lewis, take Ms. Braelyn Sabe Taylor as your legally wedded wife to have and to hold, from this day forward , for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you apart?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± He slipped the ring onto her fingers.


    ¡°Do you Ms. Braelyn Sabe Taylor, take Mr. Evan Henry Lewis as your legally wedded husband to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for riche, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you apart?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± She pushed the ring up his finger before staring up at him.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride.¡± That was the permission they were awaiting. In no time Evan had his arms wrapped around Brae¡¯s waist and pulled her closer against him, cing his lips on her¡¯s. The cheering crowd only heightened the surge of emotions they felt at the moment. They broke the kiss but didn¡¯t move out of each other¡¯s hold.


    ¡°It happened. We did it.¡± Evan blurted it out, the wordsced with a mixture of disbelief and excitement.


    ¡°We are married.¡± As the whisper left Braelyn¡¯s mouth, both of them knew that it would take time for their new status to sink in but for that they had all the time in the world. At that moment another kiss seemed to be the most wonderful idea.

 51. Epilogue (I)

    Braelyn¡¯s POV


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Bri asked, showing me therge solitaire ring, settled on her finger through the video call. Her grin couldn¡¯t have been wider.


    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful.¡± I gushed, just as excited.


    ¡°Of course it is beautiful. After all, it¡¯s my choice.¡± Ryan cake into the frame and his upper body was naked.


    ¡°Put on some clothes, can you?¡± He bent forward so I could see his face more properly.


    ¡°Why? You find me tempting? Afraid that you won¡¯t be able to control your mind seeing me like this?¡± He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and honestly, he looked ridiculous.


    ¡°I swear I haven¡¯t seen someone more self-obsessed than him.¡± I said with a shake of my head.


    ¡°You love me anyway.¡± I heard him saying while he walked away. I rolled my eyes, a smile tugging at my lips.


    ¡°Are you still up for Saturday?¡± I asked Bri.


    ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll see you.¡±Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    ¡°See you.¡± I hung up and looked back at myptop screen.


    I sighed, looking through the mail before leaning back in my seat. We had finally secured the deal with the Simpsons and this was really important for ourpany.


    After one years into our marriage, Evan had taken over the Bluetech Corp. What came as a shock was that he wanted me to be the CEO. As expected I had totally freaked out. I mean you can¡¯t just run apany like that. Besides, I was skeptical that people would obviously im that I got the position because I am his wife. Well that¡¯s true but I too had my MBA degree.


    However, when was Evan one to give up? He said that he could see the potential in me and I just needed to believe in myself. I let him talk me into this but then I was always being dependent on him about the final decisions to be taken.


    I learnt a lot from Ryan and William. Evan on the other hand always had my back until I could finally take over thepany in a true sense. Obviously I haven¡¯t built thepany from scratch but the sales had improved a lot in the past five years. Bluetech was now among the top twentypanies in the country and I had worked my ass off to reach this.


    I nced down at my watch and I knew I had to leave now. I picked my purse and walked out of the cabin.


    ¡°Chloe, I won¡¯t being tomorrow. Don¡¯t keep anything on the schedule, please.¡± I asked my personal assistant.


    ¡°Sure, Mrs. Lewis.¡± She said, pushing her hair behind her shoulders.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­


    As I walked into the building, everyone stared at me while some greeted me politely. Stepping out of the elevator, I immediately caught sight of Cora. She rushed towards me as soon as she noticed and pulled me in a hug.


    ¡°What a nice surprise!¡± She dramatically said and just like always her voice brought too much attention.


    ¡°Can you shut up?¡± I widened my eyes a little.


    ¡°What? I can at least pretend that my best friend is here to pay me a surprise visit and not just because her husband is the boss here.¡± She faked being hurt. I shook my head at her antics.


    ¡°Ms. Davis, the files are here.¡± She nodded at the guy before looking at me apologetically.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll see youter?¡± I nodded.


    ¡°On Saturday. Don¡¯t forget we have got ns!¡± I said a slightly threatening voice. She had cancelled on mest week because her boyfriend needed something and I wasn¡¯t impressed.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare.¡± She raised her hand in mock surrender and we both chuckled.


    ¡°Bri ising too, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course she is.¡± I replied before walking straight towards Evan¡¯s cabin but before I was stopped on my way.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡± I turned around to look at the girl, most likely Evan¡¯s new P. A.


    ¡°Do you have an appointment?¡± To simply say, her tone held a harsh edge.


    ¡°No. I-¡± Before I could say further, her annoying ass cut me off.


    ¡°Then you will have to leave. Mr. Lewis won¡¯t see anyone without an appointment.¡± She dismissed me without even letting me say anything and I wasn¡¯t amused, at all.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why peoplee just like that!¡± She snarkily remarked while I stood there observing how fitting she was to y the irritating P. A. with her shoulder length blonde hair.


    ¡°Why are you still standing here? I asked you to leave!¡± I wondered if Evan even paid her a proper sry. I mean why else was she being such a sour bitch?


    ¡°Well you shouldn¡¯t have asked me to leave, considering I¡¯m his wife.¡± She stared at me nkly for two long seconds before her face morphed into one of confusion.


    ¡°Wi-¡± I cut her off considering I had heard enough of her voice.


    ¡°Secondly, you should learn how to speak to people. Being a bit more polite to someone wouldn¡¯t harm you.¡± She closed and opened her mouth twice before Evan walked out.


    ¡°Brae. What¡¯s happening here?¡± He asked, looking between both of us. I looked away from her face before shaking my head.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± He came closer and pecked my lips. As he pulled away, my eyes fell on his P. A.¡¯s face. She looked hurt, I could obviously guess why and for a very small second I felt bad but only a little.


    ¡°Clear my schedule for tomorrow. I won¡¯t being to the office.¡± He said looking at her.


    ¡°Why? Is there something tomorrow?¡± She blurted the question almost immediately.


    ¡°The nosy ones! My favourite!¡± I muttered under my breath.


    ¡°Ms. Wills, you¡¯re only required to do what I ask of you. Refrain from asking about things that shouldn¡¯t concern you.¡± He looked at her with a hard stare causing the girl to shrink back.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Lewis.¡± He didn¡¯t bother replying and instead put a hand on the small of my back.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..


    Evan¡¯s POV


    ¡°So that was your new personal assistant. And here I thought blonde and dumb is just a stereotype!¡± Brae said, pulling her hair up in a ponytail. She was sitting in the passenger seat in my car while I had my driver to get her car back to our home.


    ¡°Always gets on my nerves. I¡¯m this close to firing her.¡± I said looking at my phone.


    ¡°She has a crush on you.¡± She said after a few seconds and well, now she had myplete attention. I put my phone away and looked up at her.


    ¡°What makes you think that?¡± She shrugged looking at the front.


    ¡°I just know it. She was shocked when she learnt I¡¯m your wife. Probably hadn¡¯t thought that the hot boss could have a wife.¡± Shepleted the sentence with an eye roll while I sat back watching her.


    ¡°Did you not see her face when you kissed me? She looked more heartbroken than embarrassed.¡± When she looked at me, my lips had already curved up in a smirk.


    ¡°Are you jealous?¡± Yeah, I didn¡¯t need to ask her but still, hearing her admit it would have been really fun.


    ¡°No. Irritated. How can she just not see the wedding ring?¡± I chuckled at her expression. It was exactly what not being jealous looked like.


    ¡°Jealous it is.¡± She just rolled her eyes, again.

 52. Epilogue (II)

    Evan¡¯s POV


    We were just walking inside the school when I saw our son push another kid to the ground.


    ¡°Aiden!¡± Brae almost shrieked before rushing towards them. She pulled him away from the boy who fled at the first chance he got.


    ¡°Why did you push him?¡± Brae asked him, sternly. Instead of answering, Aiden kept looking at the ground before stealing a nce of her sister, Cami. In the fifth month of her pregnancy, it was learnt that we were having twins. To say we were delighted would be an understatement.


    Aiden and Cami weren¡¯t identical twins but by their behaviour, no one could ever guess that they are even siblings. They werepletely different from one another. I crouched down in front of a very worried looking Cami and stood up with her in my arms.


    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked her but she only spared me a short nce.


    ¡°Mommy, don¡¯t scold him.¡± She said looking between Brae and her brother.


    ¡°Aiden, we¡¯re asking you something.¡± At Brae¡¯s words he looked up with furrowed eyebrows.


    ¡°That boy called my sister ugly!¡± His ears were still red and so were his cheeks. Both Brae and I looked at Cami and she nodded, supporting her brother¡¯s statement causing me to slightly frown.


    ¡°Do you want me to meet your teacher?¡± Cami shook her head at my suggestion.


    ¡°No Daddy, he is just a stupid boy. He says anything he feels like.¡± She said with apletely indifferent tone and that¡¯s exactly what I was saying. While Aiden would get riled up at something, Cami couldn¡¯t have cared less about it.


    ¡°See, your sister understands. Someone calling her ugly doesn¡¯t make her ugly. She is beautiful and no one¡¯s changing that.¡± He angrily huffed and looked away.


    ¡°You can use your words but you¡¯re not allowed to hit anyone. Do I make myself clear?¡± He reluctantly nodded.


    ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.


    I came down the stairs to see Aiden and Cami ying. Cami¡¯s dollsy there forgotten while she was engrossed in her brother exining something about his toy cars.


    Before I could look around for Brae, the smell of cake hit my nostrils and I remembered her ns of baking one. As expected she was there.


    I sneaked up to her and wrapped my arms around her waist. I rested my head on her shoulder and looked at the cake as she carefully ced thest piece of chocte decoration in the centre of the cake.


    Brae leaned back in my hold and sighed, her eyes still examining the cake.


    ¡°Perfect!¡± I said, kissing her cheek. She gave the cake one final nce before putting it in the refrigerator. Walking back to me, she wrapped her arms around my neck while I ced mine on her waist.


    The kind of smile she shed at me had always been my weakness. I bent my head and captured her lips in a kiss. cing her hands in my hair lightly, she kissed back. I tasted the chocte in her mouth, probably the ones she had been eating while baking the cake.


    She was smiling too hard into the kiss which ended up breaking the kiss. I pulled back and gazed at her face.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even realise when we passed six years!¡±  She said, making us both sway gently from side to side.


    ¡°Seems like yesterday?¡± I watched her nod at my words.


    ¡°So what are our ns for tomorrow?¡± I asked, causing her to shrug a little.


    ¡°Let me think, I-¡± Well she didn¡¯t get to finish her sentence when we heard a thud followed by a cry. We looked at each other before sprinting out of the kitchen. Once we came to the living room we saw Aiden pulling Cami¡¯s hair.


    ¡°Aiden, stop it.¡± Brae once again pulled him off her. I picked her up and held her close to me.


    ¡°Ssh sweetheart, it¡¯s okay.¡± I wiped the tears that had rolled down her cheeks. She stared at my face for a long second before wrapping her tiny hands around my neck and putting her face in the croon of my neck.


    ¡°Why did you hurt your sister?¡± He looked up at my serious face and then red towards Cami.


    ¡°She broke my car.¡± He pointed an using finger at her.


    ¡°Cami?¡± Brae called in a questioning manner and I immediately felt her grip tightening around my neck. I nodded at Brae, letting her know and saw her sigh.


    ¡°At home you two are always fighting and then you beat up a guy because he says something mean to your sister and youe up to defend your brother.¡± At her words, Aiden put down the broken car that was in his hand.


    ¡°That¡¯s because only I can call her ugly.¡± Brae stared at him nkly before slumping down on the couch.


    ¡°Come here.¡± I put Cami down and both of them took small steps to stand in front of their mother.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t see you two fighting. If you do, I¡¯ll take away your toys. Am I understood?¡± They both nced at each other before nodding.


    ¡°Yes, Mommy.¡± Their answers were synchronised.


    ¡°Now say sorry to each other.¡± At her instruction, they slowly turned towards each other.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for pulling your hair.¡± Aiden mumbled.


    ¡°Cami, you want to say something?¡± I prompted when she was quiet even after seconds.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for breaking your car.¡± They were still staring at each other.Exclusive ? material by N?(/v)elDrama.Org.


    ¡°Good.¡± Brae said but a mischievous smile broke out on Cami¡¯s face.


    ¡°But I¡¯ll do it again.¡± She stuck her tongue at him before taking off, giggling. No need to say that Aiden followed her.


    ¡°Kids, careful.¡± Brae shouted after them.


    ¡°They will give me grey hair.¡± She said putting her hands on her waists. I pulled her close and locked her in my arms.


    ¡°And you¡¯ll still look beautiful with it.¡± I said with a cheeky smile.


    ¡°But not as beautiful as I would look with fine lines.¡± We both chuckled at her words.


    ¡°So where were we?¡± I moved away the loose strands of hair from face and put them behind her ears.


    ¡°ns for tomorrow?¡± She asked, picking at my shirt with her nails.


    ¡°Mhmmm, Netflix and cuddling?¡± I was waiting for her to narrow her eyes at my suggestion. Obviously celebrating your anniversary on the couch doesn¡¯t sound too exciting. Contrary to my expectation, she shrugged, looking unbothered.


    ¡°Yeah, sounds great! What more can I expect? After all, you are an old man.¡± I blinked at her words. Did she just call me old!?


    ¡°You didn¡¯t just call me old!¡± I voiced my disbelief and saw a smirk stered on her face.


    ¡°But I did.¡± I chuckled lowly before picking her up and throwing her on my shoulder. She let out a squeal before gripping my t-shirt.


    ¡°Put me down.¡± She eximed as I started walking up the stairs.


    ¡°Nope, this old man has got ns for you.¡± I was making a beeline for our bedroom. Wait, didn¡¯t we forget something? Something like¡­. a cake? Ehh- nevermind!


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!