The Malevolence of a Woman Wronged (PREQUEL)

Chapter 24- Nervous Jitters

"Okay, dinner will be ready in an hour. Think you can make it back by then?" I blinked, snapping out of my thoughts to see her standing in front of me, waiting hand on her waist, and one brow raised higher than the other as she waited for my response.

"Make it back from where?" I scratched my head, confused.

"You said you had to go meet with Reid for a bit to talk about business?" Her brow raised itself higher as my mouth fell open in realisation.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I was having so much fun with chopping those carrots, I forgot Reid even existed," I slapped my forehead, standing up as she laughed.

I went up to get changed into a different outfit, coming back downstairs in a more socially acceptable manner as she waited for me beside the staircase.

"Well, go on. Try to be back on time or I might have to eat without you," She warned as I sat down to put my shoes on, picking my coat off its rack before turning to see her opening the front door for me.

"Okay, eat without me if you get hungry," I almost leaned down to peck her lips on my way out the front door, but caught myself just in time.

I really was falling in love.

It feels as though this is all normality, to have her wishing me goodbye as I headed off to work, and for me to kiss her goodbye before I left. But it wasn't normal, it was all fake.

And I have to get that through my head. 

I can't afford to fall any deeper into love with her. It wasn't going to end well for either of us. If she found out that I loved her then this contract would end, and she'd never be able to get her revenge, and that's something that I can't let happen.

"Goodbye, stay safe," She waved as I got into my car, waving back at her as I drove passed.

By the time I reached the right building, the Rome branch of one of my companies, I made a beeline to the top floor where Reid was already waiting for me, playing candy crush on his phone as he sat at my desk, his legs crossed above the desk. At least one of us was calm.

"We've got a problem," I sighed, going to sit on my chair.

"Well, as your lawyer, I guess that makes it my job to hear what the problem is," He sighed, putting his phone away as he nodded at me to speak.

"I think... I'm..." I hesitated, not sure on how to word my thoughts.

"In love?" He inattentively guessed correctly.

"How did you know?" I asked, surprised.

"You might as well have smeared the words on your forehead. There are love hearts in your eyes, by the way, just thought I'd let you know," I glared at him, rubbing my forehead to his words as if there was actually something there.

"Take it more seriously, will you? This is serious. It puts the whole contract in jeopardy," My chest wrenched at the thought of losing it all, I really cannot let that happen, no matter what.

"Well, it would have been nice if you paid more attention to me when I told you I was in love," He messed with his fingernails as he spoke, clearly holding a grudge against my past actions.

I glared, biting my tongue to hold back any retorts that would ruin his mental health.

"Can you just take your dirty shoes off my desk, and help me out?" I pushed his legs off my desk, biting my gum to hold back a laugh when he almost fell off his chair, but as soon as he shot his head to glare at me, I innocently turned to look out the window to the setting sun.

"Hurry up, I need to get home before dinner time or she's going to eat without me,"

"What are you?  A child?" My glare was enough to have him become serious. About time, honestly, if one us were a child, it would definitely have to be him.

"I can't really give you love advice since my own love life hasn't been working out, why else would I be single right now?" He sadly sighed, but I simply waited for him to get to the point.

"All I can say is that you keep it to yourself unless you're certain that she loves you back,"

"Why does she need to love me back?" I cocked my head to the side.

"Because if she doesn't then the contract would end, you'd get divorced and be left with a broken heart, while she goes on her way with the idea of revenge being long gone. Whereas, if your feelings are reciprocated, you can just end the contract and become a real happy couple," Oh, that made sense.

"But the question is, are you willing to take the risk?" I wish the answer could be spoken as easily as the question. Am I willing to put my selfish feelings above Angelina's revenge? It's too early to tell.

But on the bright side, I wasn't in love yet. It was just the beginning of falling in love, thank god I noticed in time or else I would have been in serious trouble.

If I can just stop myself from falling in love then all my problems will be gone, and everything will be back to normal, right? I hope so. 

I don't think there's much else I can do.

But there was one solution I could think of in the short amount of time that I had. And it was quite a simple solution, in all honesty.

I would avoid her.

It's as they say; Out of sight, out of mind. If I don't see her, I won't think of her, and while I'm not thinking of her, the little seedlings of love that had started to grow, will be tarnished.

Let's just hope it works out.

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