Mirage | 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙚𝙡 𝙅𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨𝙤𝙣

Chapter 19

Making our way to the car, I heard Michael give Daniel instructions. I was following them closely, looking at my feet and then back at my handsome boss. He was looking breathtakingly good today; I couldn't stop staring at him.

I smiled as I looked back at my feet when he stole a glance at my way.

He was acting weird today, but I guess I could tell that talking about his father was something that really took him out of his comfort zone.

"Michael", I called him out as Daniel hurried to enter the driver's side. Michael stopped in his tracks and looked back at me as Daniel turned the engine on. "I just wanted to say how proud I am of you", I told him, and his gaze finally softened. I was afraid I'd have to deal with old Michael, knowing well that the new one has taken my heart.

"Thank you", he said, embarrassed and looking the other way. He was about to keep walking and enter in the backseat when I stopped him, pulling his arm softly. I kissed his cheek quickly and then hurried to ride the co-pilot seat.

Daniel looked up to me from his phone and then looked at where Michael was frozen in his spot.

"What's going on with him?", he asked, a bit worried until Michael finally snapped out of it, making me smile and look down to my hands.

"I don't know", I shrugged innocently and bit my lip.

As Daniel started driving, I heard my phone vibrate and looked at a message I've just received... from Michael.

'I'll get you back for that', he texted, making me giggle in silence.

'I'd love to see you trying, Mr. Jackson', I teasingly replied as I heard him snorting and then as I looked back at him, he stole another glance at me.

'Did I tell you how good you're looking today, Ms. Ronan?', he suddenly texted back. Now I was the one snorting and Daniel seemed to catch what was going on, as he was holding himself back from smiling.

But before I could even reply that, Daniel gasped and I looked at where he was looking.

We were already arriving at the Jackson Enterprises building's entrance which was filled by reporters.

"Damn it", I heard Michael sighing and cursing under his breath. "This was my uncle's move"

"What are we going to do?", I asked, feeling bad for Michael, whose energy seemed to have been drained from him.

Daniel parked in the entrance spot, where we would usually get down easily and let the security guards park the car. But right now, that seemed impossible. Fortunately enough, the Lincoln had the windows tinted, so nobody from the outside could see us.

I couldn't decipher what Michael was thinking in that exact moment, but I was willing to be his defense at any moment.

That is, before he shut me out.

"Jameson, you'll come with me. Louisa, park the car and meet us in the meeting room", Michael instructed and I scowled.

"What? No! I want to go with you...", I said and once again, Michael's gaze softened for mere seconds before turning into his determinate stare again.

"It's not safe for you to come out, these people are ruthless, they don't care about anything else but to get something from me", Michael tried to reason with me as he then glared at Daniel that seemed to have caught on to a secret message between them and got outside the car and rounded the car to wait for Michael to come out. "Look, I'll meet you up there, alright?", he said after sighing as I huffed.

The thin space between us was comfortable because I took a liking at him. We could tell that we are friends, we understood each other and even though sometimes he seemed to be impossible - all it took for me to hold back my own temper was taking a deep breath and smiling. Michael was who he was because he had reasons to be like that, even though most of the times I wished he could think it thoroughly instead of exploding.