Mitchell's POV
I sipped on coffee as I glanced over the agenda for day two of the summit. The first day was a lot simpler and I didn't do much, instead, heads of each department attended and presented at their designated meetings. I only overlooked everything and offered my opinion when needed. However, day two was set for high-level executives and since I represented Dad, I had to attend.
"Mr. Clarke," Brenda, my assistant spoke. "I'm sorry to interrupt your breakfast but Mr. Clarke is on the phone for you."
I looked away from the itinerary and tapped my pockets. In a rush, I must've forgotten my phone in my suite. Without a glance at Brenda, I extended my hand and she handed me the phone. "Dad?"
"Where've you been?" I might've been wrong but Dad sounded a little pissed. "I've been trying to get hold of you for the last hour."
If I had to calculate how I spent my hours recently, seventy percent of my time was at the office, fifteen in the home office, and the rest asleep. In other words, I was fucking exhausted and only got about four hours of sleep the previous night.
"I'm sorry, I left in a rush this morning and forgot my phone in the suite," I dryly responded. "I need to get going in another five minutes, is there anything important you wanted to discuss?"
"If you don't have your phone, it must mean you haven't read my email. I sent over a full agenda of things that need to be covered and –"
"Dad, breathe," I cut him off. "I got your email; I'm working from my iPad and I've got everything I need. You trusted me with this, I won't let you down."
He audibly let out a breath of relief. "Consult with James if you're unsure about anything."
James was Dad's right-hand man, he worked for the company even before Dad joined but I had no idea he was present. With a frown, I questioned, "James is here?"
"He flew out this morning," Dad paused to cough. "Seeing as it's your first summit, I sent him to supervise when needed."
"When or if needed?" I grew a little agitated by his lack of confidence in me.
Dad took a moment to reply. "I have full confidence you'll pull this off but –"
"Then trust me and focus on getting better, I got this," I calmly spoke.
"Alright, call me if you need anything."
"I'll consult with James if needed, the doctor's orders were for you to rest and only focus on getting better."
"It's just a cold, your mother is exaggerating," Dad mumbled.
"Mom knows best," I chuckled. "Take care of yourself. I'll talk to you later."
I was ready to finish my breakfast when I was once again interrupted by Brenda. "Mr. Clarke, we should get going in five minutes."
I dropped the fork on my plate, ran a hand over my face, and took in a breath. "Let's go."
The entire morning and afternoon went by very quickly, I was stuck in two different two-hour seminars, one focused on ways to help the environment and how companies, especially in hospitality could contribute to the sustainability of natural recourses for current and future generations. The next seminar was more on the boring side and dealt with leadership and attracting future investors into a company.
A short hiatus was taken for lunch and it was only during that time, I remembered I didn't have my phone. It was after one and I hadn't reached out to Mila since the previous night, I assumed she understood how busy I was but it was still shitty of me not to even text her in the morning.
I quickly finished up my meal and had a few minutes before the next seminar, I figured I could've made a quick trip to my suite to get my phone, however, I was stopped by my assistant who said I needed to leave for the next seminar. I had no idea how long my day was going to be but I could tell that I wasn't going to catch a break for myself.
***
A slight headache approached as I headed up to my suite after a long, somewhat boring, and tiring day. It was only seven PM but I was more than ready to call it a night - I was so exhausted, I contemplated skipping dinner. I barely had a chance to use the bathroom properly or have a proper meal all weekend. I, however, developed a new profound respect for Dad and Gramps who had been in this business for years. I had no idea how they managed a life out of work but I admired how they balanced their professional and personal life. I had a lot more to learn, not just about the business but about life as a Clarke in general.
Mila.
When I thought about my personal life, the only name that came to mind was Mila. I'd barely had any contact with her all week, she just started a new chapter of her life and as her partner, I lacked interest in her. I felt awful and wanted to hear all about her days as a medical intern. Whenever she spoke, I heard the excitement and passion in her voice. But I never fully listened because I always tended to fall asleep or had to cut our calls short due to some obligation.
Boyfriend was too mediocre of a word so I barely referred to myself as that but I was a terrible one to her over the last two weeks – heck before that too. I played a role in ruining her birthday in Orlando and as much as I admired her maturity and understanding, I knew hearing about my past affected her more than she led on. I promised I'd make it up to her when we went our separate ways in Orlando but it seemed futile promises were all I offered ever since.
Mila was an understanding person but I still owed her more. Today was the first time since we'd been together that I went all day without saying a word to her. I needed to fix that and planned to call her as soon as I got to my suite.
After freshening up, I beelined straight for the side pedestal where my phone still sat on charge. I had many emails, missed calls, messages but I ignored all of those and searched for Mila's name among my notifications.
Mila: Good morning, Guapo. Try not to be too grumpy and have a good day! <3
Mila only sent one text and it was around eight AM and I was a little surprised my Sleeping Beauty was awake that early on a Saturday. I wished I saw her text in the morning, it would've brightened my day a smidge because as I read over her text now, it brought a stupid smile to my face.
I was about to open her text but an incoming call interrupted me. I cursed under my breath when my assistant, Brenda's name popped up on the screen.
"Yes, Brenda?"
"I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you, Mr. Clarke but I'm calling to remind you about dinner you planned with the team tonight. As instructed, I made a reservation for seven PM, everyone is waiting for you at the restaurant."
Fuck! I forgot all about that.
"Thank you for reminding me, I'll be down in five."
I was already late and didn't like tardiness so I locked my phone, slipped it in my pocket, and headed out. The entire team that accompanied me worked very hard and excelled in their given tasks, the least I could've done on our last night was treat them to a good dinner. I asked Brenda to make a reservation but my tired brain seemed to forget, I thought about bailing but as acting CEO, I couldn't do that.
There were many senior staff whom I admired, during dinner I listened and had insightful conversations with those who had been part of the company since before I was even born. Even though dinner went well, I still felt anxious and a little on edge. I plastered on a smile when needed and spoke as enthusiastically as I could but still wasn't fully myself.
Dinner finished around nine PM and I was more than ready to call it a night, I planned to give Mila a call, have a quick shower, and then sleep. On my way up to the suite, I removed the tie around my neck and undid the top three buttons of my shirt. With my phone in my hand, ready to call Mila, I stepped out of the elevator but as I was about to press call, I bumped into someone and my phone fell.
"I'm sorry," I quickly apologized.
"Pardon me," the woman I bumped into simultaneously said as we bent to pick up my phone.
My hand brushed over hers in an attempt to grab the device. I quickly retracted my hand, the woman with dark blonde hair picked up the phone and handed it to me. I was met with hazel eyes as she handed it to me, "there you go, I..." she trailed off and quirked a brow. "Clarke?" She questioned in a British accent. "Mitchell Clarke?"
It took my tired brain a long second to recognize her and a single dimple appeared on her cheek as she smiled. "It is you!" she exclaimed and caught me off guard by slapping my arm. "Don't tell me you don't recognize me?"
I stood up and she followed. "Campbell," I pointed at her with a grin. "Kelsey Campbell?"
"I'd be so pissed if you forgot me," she smiled widely and leaned in for a hug. "It's been way too long, Mitch."
Kelsey and I met at Yale during my prelaw days, she was a business major and we attended some of the same classes. Kelsey's father was an influential businessman in the UK and since she was his only child, she was the heiress to his empire. She was close with her father and constantly spoke about him when we first met. Back then, other than Owen, she was my most genuine friend. She had a way of making everyone laugh and was the life of the party when she didn't pass out from drinking too much.
We lost contact after I left for Harvard and she headed back home to the UK. Kelsey used to be my confidant and we spent many days and nights, drinking and just sharing our thoughts and feelings.
"It's good to see you again, Kels," I grinned when she pulled away.
"Ditto," the smile never left her face. "What are the odds of bumping into you here, eh?"
"I could say that about you. What are you doing in Miami?"
Kelsey deeply sighed and ran a hand through her long, blonde hair. "Same as you, I presume," she sounded almost as exhausted as me. "I'm representing my dad at the summit," she paused and her smile dropped. "His health isn't that great for the last three years so I've been doing most of the heavy lifting by myself."
"I'm sorry to hear that," I sympathized with her. Her mom died when she was very young and wasn't close to any other family members – it had always been just her and her dad.
"For my dad or me?" she teased. "Because this CEO thing is exhausting! I'm ready to quit and move to an island to sip on cocktails."
"In that case, I'm sorry for both," I grinned. I glanced at my watch and even though it was great to see an old friend again, I wanted to hear Mila's voice and then go to bed. "It was nice seeing you again, Kelsey," I politely tapped her arm. "But I should get going, it's been a long day."
"Smooth but I'm not letting you go without having at least one drink with me," Kelsey stated. "I haven't seen or heard from you in years, you can't exchange pleasantries and just leave. I thought we were closer than that."
I felt a little guilty because I wanted to cut our meeting short purely out of exhaustion. "It's not that, Kels. You know how long these summi-"
"Yes, yes I know all about that," Kelsey cut me off. "Don't forget I'm here for the same reason so your excuses won't work on me."
I deeply sighed, I honestly just wanted to get to my suite. "Rain check?"
"Oh, come on," Kelsey placed a hand on her hip. "How long has it been since you've turned into an old man? Where's the Mitch I used to share joints and beer with and talk until the sun raised?"
"I was younger then."
Kelsey rolled her eyes. "You're not even a quarter-century yet." She grabbed my arm and nudged me forward. "One drink to catch up and I'll leave you to your beauty sleep."
"Only one drink?"
"Only one," Kelsey agreed and placed a hand over her chest. "Cross my heart and hope to die."
"But one for you, I'll have as many as I want," she quickly added.
There were a lot more people at the downstairs bar than expected, I supposed the live karaoke played a role in drawing a crowd. As we sat at our table, a man and woman sang terribly off-tune at the karaoke station. The scene in front brought about memories of the time Mila and I drunkenly sang at a bar. I'd never done karaoke before but only Mila could've convinced me, I began to see her in a different light that night. She slowly stopped being an annoying nuisance in my life but someone who reminded me what it was like to live and have fun again.
"Ooh," Kelsey cooed and snapped me out of my reverie. "I know that kind of look, what's the lucky person's name?"
I played ignorantly and brought the rim of the class containing whiskey on the rocks to my lips. I took a sip and the amber liquid already did its job and relaxed me. "You're going to have to be more specific."
"You can pull that technical, wordplay rubbish on anyone else but I know you quite well, Clarke," Kelsey grinned. "You're in love, aren't you?"
"I thought we were talking about work two minutes ago?" I tried to change the subject. "Tell me more about this apartment building you've recently purchased."
"Don't change the subject," she rebuked. "Business sobers me up and I'm here to unwind." She took a sip of her drink and eyed me curiously. "I have never seen you smile like that before so someone special has to be the reason."
"Or you're just getting some real good ass on the regular," Kelsey added and rested back on her chair. "Although no matter how good the fanny, only love can make you glow like that."
I cringed at her choice of words and chose to ignore them. "Oh yeah, since when do you know about love?" I raised a brow. "If I remember correctly, you said it would take someone extraordinary to steal your heart."
"I stand by that and I'm yet to meet that person but I don't live under a rock, I have vague memories of my parents while growing up, they were very much in love." Kelsey's shoulders sunk and she drew patterns on her glass with her fingertips while she stared at nothing in particular. "Ever since mom left, the light from dad's eyes dimmed and no matter how much I tried, it never came back."
"Anyway," she blinked and was back to her cheery self. "The last we saw of each other, you claimed that light in you would never be ignited again."
"Well... I was stupid," I admitted.
"Yeah?" Kelsey grinned and took another sip of her drink. "Please don't tell me that light has been turned on again by Ms. Artist in Paris. She didn't just dim your spark but drained the life out of you."
Kelsey knew all about Liza, she listened to my rants repeatedly and was the shoulder I leaned on during that time in my life. Kelsey was always straight forward and while she was comforting, she also insisted that Liza was bad for me. I was blind back then and refused to see what everyone else around me saw but as I look back now, she was right.
"No," I quickly stated. "I ended that some time ago and I'll admit that you were right about her."
"About bloody well time," Kelsey dramatically huffed. "Clearly this new person makes you happy."
I couldn't suppress my grin as I imagined how Mila's nose would crinkle a little when she smiled widely. "Yeah."
"Yeah," Kelsey sighed contently and teased. "Tell me more!"
"Her name is Mila and we met during my time at Harvard," I summed it up. "She..." I trailed, sipped on my whiskey, and thought of the right way to describe her. "She really caught me by surprise."
"Oh?"
I nodded. "Yeah, she was the opposite of what I considered my type."
"Meaning she breathed life into you for a change," Kelsey taunted.
I shot her a look of dismay even though she was right. "Mila is endearing, kind, caring, loving – when she wants to be but also the craziest person I've ever known." I softly chuckled under my breath just thinking about her crazy antics. "Even crazier than you."
"I already like her," Kelsey wriggled her brows. "Why isn't she here with you? I'd never let go of someone like that."
My smile dropped and I was reminded just how much I missed her. "I found the right person but once again, distance was thrown into the mix."
"The cosmos must really hate you," Kelsey teased before she added. "Seriously though, how have you been dealing with that?"
"It's rough, especially with her recent busy schedule but she does her best to make time for me. Although, lately, I've been lacking and barely made any time for her."
I went on to tell Kelsey about mine and Mila's road trip and how our bond was created. I told her about how full of life Mila was and how she always made me laugh and smile – even when she annoyed the living life out of me. I missed Mila more and more as I spoke of her and just as I finished my drink, I was ready to leave and call her.
"Do you have a picture?" Kelsey asked. "I need to put a face to this extraordinary woman."
"Obviously, I do," I unlocked my phone and didn't need to search for Mila's pictures because my phone was filled with mostly hers. I proudly showed Kelsey a picture I took of Mila in Spain on the beach, she was laughing at something as the wind blew through her hair. She didn't even know I took the picture; she would've said she looked bad but I thought she was as beautiful as ever.
"Wow!" Kelsey exclaimed. "I stand corrected, you are the lucky one. She's gorgeous!"
"I know," I smiled like an idiot.
"How do you spend weeks away from her? I'd die!"
"It's tough," I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "Believe me."
Kelsey rested her hand over mine and gave it a comforting squeeze. "You need another drink."
I shook my head. "You crossed your heart and hoped to die."
"Good thing death doesn't scare me," Kelsey wriggled her brows. "Just one more and then we can call it a night."
I didn't just have one more drink, it went to a third and fourth and time seemed to fly by in a blur. My time with Kelsey was the highlight of my weekend, she had a way of making me laugh for the silliest of things.
"Oh, look who finally joined the party!" Kelsey exclaimed and got out of her seat. I glanced over my shoulder and noticed two men and one woman walk towards Kelsey with a smile.
"Friends?" I asked her.
"Collogues who became friends." Kelsey stood up and offered me a hand to take. "Let me introduce you, I promise you'll have a wicked time with them."
I shook my head and finished my drink. "You go ahead, I'm calling it a night."
"Don't be snotty," Kelsey tugged at my arm. I figured I'd introduce myself, make small talk and then leave.
I stood up but just as I was about to leave with Kelsey, my phone rang. I put up a finger and told her to go ahead, I'd be right behind her. She ran off to hug her friends while Mila's name flashed on my screen. I grinned and answered immediately. "Hello," I had to raise my voice over the loud music.
"Mitch?" I vaguely heard Mila's voice but it was so loud and the network was a little weak so the line wasn't very clear.
"Clarke, get your arse over here," Kelsey shouted and waved me over.
I ignored her and focused on Mila. "Mi-" I was abruptly cut off and the line went dead. I glanced at the phone screen with a frown, I wondered if Mila cut the call or if it was a poor connection. I attempted to call her again but Kelsey was back and dragged me away.
I'll call Mila back once I'm in the privacy of my suite.
I only spent twenty more minutes at the bar before I left, Kelsey mentioned she was to be in the country for a little while longer and if I had time, we should've met up again. I didn't mind and agreed but my main priority at that moment was to speak to Mila and the minute I had any free time, I was going to see her.
The minute I got back to my suite, I sat at the edge of the bed to call Mila. I noticed I had a voicemail but thought I'd check it later, I needed to hear my girls' voice. I grew anxious as Mila's phone rang and rang without an answer, I wondered if she was annoyed because I didn't speak to her all day or if she might've gone to bed.
It's only ten-thirty, she can't be asleep...
Once again, she didn't answer and her phone went straight to voicemail. With a deep sigh, I combed my fingers through my hair and glanced at the screen in confusion. I decided to check my voicemail and then try to call Mila again.
The message was from Mila, at first there wasn't any sound and I wondered if she didn't realize she didn't cut the call. I heard a bit of shuffling and then it went still again, I assumed it was a blank message and was ready to toss my phone aside until I heard Mila's soft voice.
"I can't do this anymore."
I wasn't sure if I heard right the first time, I wanted to believe my tired and intoxicated mind heard things so I played the message again.
"I can't do this anymore."
I couldn't have heard wrong twice, what the fuck did she mean by that? I played the voicemail twice more and those fives words ran in my head over and over like a marathon. I had no idea if she meant our relationship but her tone didn't sound happy and the way our call cut earlier made me more anxious.
I dialed her up again and grew frustrated that she didn't pick up. "Answer the fucking phone, Mila!"
Frustrated, annoyed, anxious and I had to admit a little scared by her words too. If she purposely ignored my call and refused to answer, then I was going to make sure she answered. I straight away searched for flights to New York and luck was in my favor because a flight left at midnight. I booked it and without a second to waste, I packed up and got ready to leave.
Sleep seemed to have left my body and one sentence from Mila sobered me up completely. I knew I was a little distant in the last week but it wasn't intentional, I tried my best to balance professional and personal life. However, it seemed it affected Mila more than I thought. I regretted having that drink with Kelsey, if I'd stuck to my plan, I would've spoken to Mila and things might've been alright.
I made it just in time to board the flight, I could only get a ticket in coach but didn't care, I needed to see Mila and then I'd be able to breathe easily. My body was beyond exhausted but my mind couldn't sleep, I grew more and more anxious and ordered two more whiskeys on the plane to calm my nerves.
The three hours in flight felt like three eternities and thanks to the alcohol in my system, I was able to doze off for almost an hour. I breathed a little easier once I landed in New York, I managed to get a cab, and even at three-thirty in the morning, there was traffic.
I reached Mila's apartment building around four am and because I was expected this weekend, she notified security in front that I was visiting so I was let in without questions. The elevator to the tenth floor couldn't have taken long, I wished I took the stairs but knew I was way too tired to climb up ten stories.
I took quick steps until I reached Mila's front door. My heart raced out of eagerness to see her but also because of her voicemail. I rang the bell repeatedly but no one answered the door. I leaned against the door frame, huffed under my breath, and ran a hand over my face. "For fucks sake, Mila."
I didn't travel all the way just to turn back and head to my penthouse for the night, besides, I refused to travel any more. I rang her bell until she had no choice but to answer and after what felt like an eternity, I finally heard her unlock the door from inside.
"Hold your damn horses!" She grumpily scolded from the other side.
I subconsciously held my breath until the door opened and filled my lungs with oxygen the minute her face came to view. She looked furious dressed in a cute PJ ensemble, with her dark brows pulled tightly together and a scowl on her face. She blinked rapidly and rubbed her eyes, "Mitchell?"
"Hi Baby," I took a step forward and pushed unruly strands of hair out of her face as I stared into her confused, blue/green gaze. "I got your message and thought I'd respond in person," I kissed her temple and walked past her into the apartment.
A/N Thoughts on Kelsey and her friendship with Mitch? Do you think Mitchell neglected Mila a little or were his actions justifiable?
Let me know your thoughts,
Till then,
Tina