Life hasn't exactly been a walk in the park for America's ice princess Olivia Grace Whitmore.
Orphaned, abandoned and exploited, she wears a strong impenetrable armour of coldness and indifference.
But it all changes with a chance encounter with th...
But I didn't want to ponder on his actions, he was gone now and wasn't coming back. I turned my attention back on Jace. There were still things we needed to discuss.
"What else aren't you telling me?" I asked, and he winced. I didn't want him to feel bad. I just had to understand why he had tried so hard to push me away, so that I could be normal without any inhibitions.
"There are some things I can't disclose right away, give me some time," he looked at me earnestly, and I nodded despite my wishes. I wanted to take his hand and walk through the shit he was in. But if time was what he wanted, I'd give it to him, for now at least.
We had to move forward, and we couldn't do that if I didn't respect his decision.
There were things even I was keeping from him, so it was only fair to do so.
"You'd let me know if you were in serious trouble, right?" I asked anxiously, and he nodded affirmatively. I decided to take his word on it. A comfortable silence settled over us, and we didn't seem to mind.
"Pancakes?" He offered again.
"Pancakes," I repeated and gave him a bright smile.
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"You mean to say, Mr. Anderson had known about your whereabouts this entire time while he made me tour around the world to track you down?" I questioned calmly, but I was fuming on the inside.
That sly old man, I scoffed internally.
Once I went back to New York, I was going to make his life a living hell.
"In his words, you looked like you needed a long vacation," Jace drawled out and chuckled.
If Mr. Anderson would've been any other person, I would've fired him immediately. For two months, he had made me run around the world with wrong clues. From seeing Northern lights in Norway to attending a recital in Sydney Opera House, I had covered almost all locations people had on their travel bucket list. Supposedly, searching for Jace, who had been in France this entire time.
But he wasn't just any person. He had been the backbone of the company when Jace was away. He was the one who had guided me and taught me the ropes of the company. I couldn't call him a fatherly figure, the way Jace could. But he was my closest and most trusted ally since both of us wanted the same thing: to keep the company safe. We had a mutual understanding, and I respected him, despite all the hurdles he threw my way.
"And not the entire time, I told him about my departure to France before leaving, but he didn't know where I'd be living in France. We weren't in touch after that. I would send him a message once in every four months from a burner phone, informing him that I was safe or that I needed more funds to be transferred to my new account. He never contacted or questioned me further," Jace added in his defense.
"Until the day before yesterday, when I called him and told him that you were with me. He was worried, you know since Alexis had told him that she couldn't contact you. He blocked all of your cards. He also contacted the Embassy in Paris regarding the issue of a temporary passport. So don't be too harsh on him once we go back, alright?" He reasoned with me, and I gave a flat look in return. I wish I was reasonable and empathetic.
