*Warning, not edited*
Ivan's pov.
The next morning I woke up to a persistent ringing beside the bed. Untangling myself from Amelia, I reach over and grab my phone before holding it up to my ear.
"Stone speaking" I grumbled
"Yes Mr. Stone, I was looking through the footage of last week and found a few strange things" the security explained through the phone.
"And what did you find" I asked curiously
"I think it'd be better if you saw for yourself" he answered after a few moments of silence.
"I'll be right there" I responded ending the phone call. I set my phone down and turned my attention towards the sleeping beauty beside me. I took a few moments and watched her peaceful expression as she slept curled up to my side. I carefully untangled myself from her before quietly rushing to the bathroom.
I hopped into the shower and let the water wake up my senses. I was one step closer into figuring out who Amelia's father was and why he demanded she stayed away from me. Not wasting anymore time, I got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my waist. I walked back inside the room and into Amelia's closet to get dressed. Having clothes at Amelia's house had proved very useful considering I spent most of my time here when I wasn't working. I walked back into the room while buttoning my shirt to see Amelia still peacefully sleeping. I looked inside the nightstand and grabbed a notepad to write Amelia note. Leaving it beside her, I leaned down and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before slowly walking out of her room. I had my driver meet me outside to take me to work.
The entire ride I pondered possibilities on who Amelia's father was. From what she told me, I could only assume I had met him if he knew who I was. We arrived shortly and I quickly stepped out of the car eager to see what was found on camera. Walking in, I gave the receptionist a quick nod before rushing to the elevator. Instead of going to my usual floor, I pressed the button for the fourth floor and stood silently as I ascended. Stepping out, I walked down the security wing until I reached my destination. I opened the door and came across one of the security guards completely focused on whatever he was observing.
"What exactly was so important that you couldn't tell me over the phone" I broke the silence causing him to jump in surprise.
"Sir while I was browsing through the footage I came across a few strange things" he answered quietly. I walked towards him and leaned down to see for myself.
"Let's take a look then" I responded curtly and waited as he rewinded the footage. I watched carefully for a few moments trying to spot anything out of the ordinary. A few clips later, Amelia appeared on the screen looking slightly shaken. I watched a few more clips before turning to the guard for an explanation.
"Well sir if you look carefully after Amelia walks past, you can see a male figure discreetly following her across the street" he explains and points to the figure. I glance at the footage closely and spot a man following Amelia from across the street. She seemed so lost in her own mind to even realize she was being followed. Next, I observe the man only to realize exactly who it was moments later.
"Do you have any other footage on that man" I ask coldly trying as hard as I could to contain my anger.
"This is all I could gather from this footage but I'll keep you posted" he answered before turning his focus back to the monitors.
"Thanks Ryan and send me that clip" I thanked him while walking out. I walked down the hall and stepped into the elevator before immediately pulling out my cell phone to make an important call.
"Castillo's Enterprise, Natalie speaking" a feminine voice answered politely.
"Yes Natalie, I'd like to schedule a meeting with Alejandro Castillo for this afternoon" I responded
"I'm sorry sir but Mr. Castillo is a very busy man and isn't available until next week" she answers completely obviously to who she was speaking to.
"Well Natalie I'm afraid you're gonna have to clear his schedule because Ivan Stone will be making an appearance" I spoke calmly and hung up before she could respond. I walked back into the lobby, tapping furiously on my phone not realizing I bumped into someone until it was too late.
"Watch where you're walking" I snapped irritated before looking at the person. Amelia was staring at me with a smile causing me to relax slightly. I grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the hallway before speaking.
"What's got you so worked up" she asks while stepping towards me, her delicate voice finally reaching my ears.
"I'm sorry mia cara, I've had a lot on my mind all morning" I apologize while pulling her body closer to mine.
"No worries, I was just on my way to your office right now" she answered while leaning into me.
"I left a stack of paperwork I need done by this evening, think you can handle that for me while I go to a quick meeting" I asked hoping she didn't ask questions about the meeting.
"I thought part of my job was to attend all meetings with you in case you needed assistance" she asked slightly pulling back to gaze up at me.
"This is a private meeting I set up with Mr. Campbell but I promise I'll be back before this evening. If not then I'll send my driver to take you home" I respond
"I drove here so don't bother with the driver, I'll see you whenever" she answers, her expression giving away her annoyance. She walks away from me, completely ignoring my pleas. If only she knew that this meeting was for her own protection.
Sighing, I walk out of the building and get back into my limo giving my driver directions to Castillo's Enterprise. We arrive to our destination within fifteen minutes and I step out of the car and begin walking into the lobby. I spot the receptionist at her desk and confidently stride towards her.
"Name" she asks without taking her eyes off her computer.
"Ivan Stone and I'd gladly appreciate you directing your attention towards me while I'm speaking to you" I answer slightly annoyed at her disrespectful attitude.
"I-I'm s-so sorry Mr. Stone, I'll call Mr. Castillo" she stutters and I nod waiting for her to make the call. I look around the main lobby slightly impressed at what I saw, the room was a decent size and decorated beautifully.
"Mr. Castillo will see you now, just take the elevator to the top floor, it's the first door on your right" she informs me and I give her a curt nod while walking away. Following her directions, I find myself right in front of Alejandro's office. Swinging the door open, I stride inside and shut the door quite loud to get his attention.
"You know, when I got a call for an urgent meeting, the last person I expected was you. What brings you to my office" he asks politely.
"Trust me, you're the last person I'd ever want to see but when I heard you were threatening my girlfriend I just had to make an appearance" I snap coldly, getting angrier by the minute.
"I don't know who your girlfriend is nor would I ever threaten her so Mr. Stone if you having nothing else to say please see yourself out" he says pretending to be oblivious.
"Are you sure? Because this video clearly says otherwise" I answer pulling out my phone to show him the footage. He watches the clip before looking back up at me.
"Mr. Stone, I have no idea who that man is nor have I had any form of communication with Amelia since the banquet" he says completely unfazed.
"It's funny because I'm pretty sure that's your assistant Drew Hernandez following her" I snap my temper rising at his apparent lie.
"Mr. Hernandez has been with his wife who recently gave birth, I haven't heard from him in weeks. Now if you're done with these accusations, I have work to get back to" he replies turning his attention back onto his paperwork.
Finally snapping, I walk over to his desk and lean in so that we're eye to eye before answering.
"Listen very carefully Alejandro, I don't know who gave you the right to abandon Amelia and then walk back into her life and begin demanding things from her but you will stop. If I catch you or your men near her one more time, this petty little business of yours will go bankrupt. It's your call" I snap angrily before storming out of his office. Quickly pulling out my phone, I make a call while stepping into the elevator.
"Ryan I'm going to need you to keep an eye on Alejandro Castillo and Drew Hernandez" I instruct him.
"Is there anything in particular I should be looking for" he asks
"Just keep an eye on him and his men to see exactly what he wants from Amelia. My guess is he's trying to get her to destroy Stone Industries from the inside" I answer while stepping out of the elevator.
"What relations does Amelia have with Mr. Castillo for him to demand so much from her" he presses curiously.
"That doesn't matter, all I need from you is to look into those two and report back to me what you find. If we're gonna catch him, we need evidence" I instruct before ending the call.
"Alejandro, you just dug your own grave" I mutter to myself before stepping out of the building
Amelia's pov.
Waking up without Ivan wasn't usually out of the ordinary considering he was the CEO of a massive business. Having him lie straight to my face about his whereabouts is what concerned me. I brushed him off, ignoring his calls and walked into my office to start on the paperwork he needed done. It was a relatively large stack of documents that needed to be marked, proofread, and filed in one of his many cabinets. I got to work quickly knowing this would take me a significant amount of time. Halfway through the day, Ivan's telephone began to ring. I walked to his desk and picked up the phone before responding.
"Amelia Winters speaking" I answered politely while looking through the document I was working on.
"Hello Ms. Winters, I was calling to set up the meeting with Mr. Stone, is he present by any chance" a deep voice asked
"No sir, he's currently at a meeting but I'm his assistant and can set up the meeting for him" I responded walking over to my desk to grab my laptop. I looked through Ivan's availability to see when this meeting could be set up.
"He's free next Tuesday in the afternoon if that works for you" I informed him
"That's fine by me, thank you" he answered politely
"Great, what was your name sir" I asked realizing I had no idea who I was speaking with.
"Mr. Campbell, I'm the head at Campbell & Co." he answers and realization finally dawns on me. Snapping out of it I quickly thank him and end the phone call before I said something stupid. I had a feeling Ivan was lying to me but this just solidified by suspicion. Shaking my head, I angrily slam my laptop down and get back to work trying to contain my anger.
I was able to get everything done before this evening but that did mean I had to miss lunch. Pushing my chair away from the desk, I lean my head back and take a deep breath, still not able to comprehend why Ivan would lie to me. I stayed like this for a few minutes until the door flys open giving me a scare. Sitting up, I watch as Ivan enters the room and walks towards me with an unreadable expression.
"Were you able to finish all of the paperwork" he asks me curtly.
"Yes sir everything is finished and ready for your next few meetings" I answer politely trying to remain calm. He nods and steps towards me causing me to get up and step back. His eyebrows furrow in confusion and he steps forwards causing me to take another step back. This continues until my back comes in contact with the wall and he's so close that our chests touched whenever we took a breath.
"Mia cara, did I do something wrong" he asks quietly waiting for my response.
"Mr. Campbell called and your meeting with him is set for next Tuesday" I whisper and watch as realization dawned on him.
"Amelia, I meant to tell you but—" he explains but I cut him.
"Can you honestly promise me that you were going to tell me if Mr. Campbell hadn't had called" I snap my anger becoming apparent. He just stands there helpless and I push him away. I begin walking away from him before he grabs my writer and turns me around.
"I went to go visit your father and try to find out what he wanted from you" he finally reveals. My expression must have mirrored my confusion causing Ivan to continue.
"I had one of my guards review the security cameras and he found a man following you after your encounter with your father. The man I recognized as Drew Hernandez, your father's assistant" he explains and I shake my head in surprise.
"I can't believe he would have someone follow me" I whisper my voice cracking at the end.
"Mia cara, I promise I'll figure out what he wants from you but until then, I need you to stay away from him" he explains while pulling me into him. I nod into his chest but pull away to look up at him.
"If you lie to me one more time about something like this I promise you I will break your nose" I respond trying to sound strong. He chuckles in response before leaning down to kiss my lips.
"I promise mia cara" he promises and we stay in each other's arms peacefully both understanding that the peace would soon be disrupted for a long time.
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Chapter 29 complete!! This chapter is slightly longer and I will be updating again in the next few days. School has finally gotten out meaning I have no excuse for not updating:) Thank you guys for staying patient with me even though I haven't been active. I appreciate the constant support and seeing your comments on the book and in private make me want to finish this book quickly. Make sure you continue to comment, like and vote to let me know what you think of this chapter.
Love y'all <3
A.O