by Tia Wylder
When Svetlana returned to work, there was something obviously off about her behavior. She was avoiding Jackson like the plague, despite her job being directly correlated to his orders. She refused to even step foot into his office. He’d paged her dozens of times, but she made some excuse to remain in her office for the duration of her first day back. Deciding to take the initiative, Jackson slipped out of his office and made his way through the building to his lover’s personal office. He couldn’t remember the last time she had used it, except perhaps before they truly got together. As he walked, Lina fell into step beside him, looking all too eager to stir the pot. He thought to give her a piece of his mind, but truly he didn’t have the energy to waste on the latina. He ignored her presence altogether, even as she yammered on about how Svetlana was neglecting him.
When Jackson came to his lover’s office, he opened the door without preamble. Svetlana was hunched over her desk, her face buried in her hands and her shoulders shaking with sobs. Lina apparently took the hint to remain outside, and Jackson slammed the door in her face before rushing to the one he loved.
“Svetlana, darling, if you were not ready to come back to work, you should have simply told me,” he murmured warmly, gathering her into his arms. She struggled against his grip, drawing away and looking up at him through tearful eyes.
“I wasn’t ready, but… I needed to talk to you. Jackson, I’m so sorry,” she choked out. He quirked a brow, parting his lips to speak only to get cut off. “I can’t be with you anymore,” she blurted. His eyes widened in disbelief, and he had to brace himself against her desk.
“What on Earth are you talking about? You can’t be with me? Why not? What did I do wrong?” He demanded, trying to reel in his anger when he noticed her flinching at the desperation in his tone. “Svetlana, talk to me. I’m sure whatever it is, we can work it out,” he murmured more gently, drawing closer to her. She rubbed her eyes, scooting back and away from him.
“It’s Klaus, Jackson,” she mourned. Jackson stared, feeling his heart break in his chest.
“He… doesn’t like me?” He inquired hesitantly. Svetlana laughed bitterly, rubbing her teary eyes.
“He loves you. Worships the ground you walk on. I know you, though, Jackson. I know that you’re not ready to commit to someone forever. I know you’re not ready to play second fiddle to a child,” she murmured. It was Jackson’s turn to flinch this time, and he took a step back. He felt as if his heart would hammer out of his chest. This couldn’t be happening. He was ready to tell Svetlana he loved her, and she was so willing to throw everything away?
“You haven’t even given me a chance,” he blurted, and she rose from her seat. She stepped towards him, edging past him at the last possible second.
“I think it’s better I take more time off. For both of us to come to terms with things. I hope you’ll find it in your heart to keep me in your employment but… I can’t be with you. I must take care of Klaus. I must take care of myself,” she whispered. He said nothing, staring straight ahead as she slipped out the door. He could hear the clacking of her heels as she retreated, and tears pooled in his eyes. A hand rested on his shoulder, and he wheeled around to see Lina leering at him.
“So… she broke up with you? I guess that means there’s nothing stopping our engagement now, loverboy. Come on, you know you were out of her league anyway,” she said callously. He stared at her, for the first time in his life tempted to strike a woman. However, he managed to keep control of himself and truly consider her words. In one fell swoop, all the work he’d put into the charade with Svetlana had gone down the drain. He had no reason to back out of the engagement with Lina. He knew he should be angry that his plan was foiled, but more than anything, all he felt was heartbreak.
“I guess you’re right,” he began, reaching out to draw Lina into his arms. She pressed against him, and he could feel excitement radiating from her form. “The engagement is on,” he breathed. With that one statement, he signed away his life. But what was there to fight for, anyway?
Chapter Eight
His parents had been thrilled, but he supposed he should have expected nothing less. They were finally getting their way, and he would settle down to marry someone he didn’t love. It was all the same in the end. The one person he had ever fallen for had broken his heart into a thousand pieces. Svetlana didn’t want him, wouldn’t even give him a chance to prove himself. He slipped a hand in his pocket, idly fidgeting with a velvet box he had been keeping on him for… what seemed an eternity now. Truly it had only been a few days, but his excitement at the jewelry shop seemed an eternity away now. It had been too soon, too fast, but he was so certain that Svetlana would have been thrilled to take him as a husband. He liked to think he was something of a catch, but it turned out he had been dead wrong. Withdrawing his hand from his pocket, he sorted through the emails that he was left to deal with in Svetlana’s absence. While Lina had taken the opportunity to run the show all too well, he wasn’t up to replacing his personal assistant yet. Lina had insisted, but he still fostered the hope that Svetlana would return to him. It seemed a silly thing, considering he had agreed to go forward with the engagement with Lina. There was no sense in entertaining silly notions of happily ever after.
Shaking off the agonizing thoughts, he returned his attention to the computer screen. He scrolled through his emails, only partially processing the text that spanned across his screen. Jackson rested his chin in his hand, allowing his eyes to flutter closed as he drifted away from reality for a moment. For the briefest of moments, he could swear he heard Svetlana’s voice, but he knew that time was in the past. The woman of his dreams was out of reach, and he had sealed the deal as far as letting her go. Though Lina was far from his ideal woman, he could only muse that his parents must have a point. It was time for him to settle down, put his bachelor lifestyle to an end. Despite how hard he had worked to save it, he realized it was no longer his deepest desire. For the first time in his life, he was at a loss. Money couldn’t buy what he wanted. No, what he needed; what he craved.
As if his mind were taunting him, Svetlana’s voice echoed through his mind once more. This time, however, it was interrupted by the haughty and obnoxious voice of his future bride. He opened his eyes, a bit startled when the voices didn’t fade away. In fact, they only grew nearer. He jolted to his feet just as the door of his office flew open and Svetlana stormed in. Lina trailed behind her, angrily demanding that she leave, but the blonde paid her little mind. She slammed the door behind her, slipping the latch into place. Lina screamed on the other side, demanding to be let inside.
“I take it she doesn’t have a key,” Svetlana said brusquely, eyes narrowed in irritation upon him. He hesitated, glancing between her and the door that seemed as if it were going to be knocked off its hinges. He shook his head slowly, returning his attention to Svetlana with a quirked brow.
“What are you doing here?” He inquired mildly, vaguely concerned that he was hallucinating. Truly he hoped that he hadn’t lost it to that severe of a degree yet, but he couldn’t be sure. She seemed furious at him for reasons he couldn’t quite discern, but lately it seemed as if everyone had it in for the billionaire.
“What am I doing here? That’s funny, what the hell is Lina doing here? She tried to convince me that you were actually marrying her, and I knew I had to talk to you--,” she began. Jackson felt irritation rise within him, and he folded his arms on his desk as he scrutinized the woman who dare question his choices.
“I am marrying Lina. The engagement is going on, as planned. She overheard you breaking up with me, and I didn’t have a pot to piss in as far as stopping her,” he said coolly. Svetlana’s eyes widened, and she looked between him and the door where the frantic knocking persisted.
“Are you serious? You can’t be serious,” she spat. Jackson rolled his eyes, leaning back in his chair.
“I’m as serious as a heart attack love, which you seem to be just short of. What’s got your pantie
s in a twist? You turned me down, shouldn’t I be free to pursue other options?”
She slammed her hands down on his desk, and he jolted from the force of the impact.
“After all the work we put in? You’re so willing to give up? Just like that? Was the entire thing just a game to get into my pants? Were you planning to marry her all along?”
Jackson could scarcely contain his rage, lurching to his feet. He nearly upended his desk, but he couldn’t find it within him to care. “Are you being serious right now? You must be joking, because as far as I was aware, you were the one who broke things off,” he gritted out. She drew away as if she had been slapped, her expression wounded. “I wasn’t planning to marry her all along, no. But I decided that perhaps my parents were right. Maybe it is time for me to settle down.”
“But… Lina? You love her? Enough to marry her?” Svetlana murmured, sounding the most fragile he had ever heard her. He hesitated, wanting to snap out a cold response. She was the one who had broken his heart. It wasn’t the other way around. How could she have the nerve to act as if he had wronged her in some way? Still, his heart longed for her, and he knew he couldn’t be as harsh with her as she may have deserved.
“I don’t love Lina,” he managed after a moment, and Svetlana appeared inexplicably relieved. His heart clenched in his chest, and for a moment he could pretend she felt the same way as himself. She averted her eyes, drawing her hands up to her chest and fidgeting uncomfortably.
“That… that’s good,” she blurted, seeming to curse herself for allowing the words to slip out. Jackson quirked his lips in a smile that was far bitterer than he would like to admit. Svetlana inhaled shakily, meeting his gaze for a fleeting moment before looking away once more. “Why are you marrying her, then?” She said weakly, and he felt as if his heart might shatter in his chest. He couldn’t come out and confess how broken he felt, could he? He couldn’t tell her how his every waking moment had been spent longing for her. He couldn’t tell her that a life without her was one he didn’t want to consider, but that he found himself faced with no choice. He felt pathetic, and he certainly didn’t want her to suffer the same agony he felt. Despite how angry he might have been, he couldn’t find it in him to intentionally harm her. Though she would never love him like he loved her, he knew she would at the very least be wounded by causing such direct harm to another person. He couldn’t hurt her. It was the last thing he wanted to do.
Yet…
He couldn’t lie anymore either. This was likely the last chance he would have to confess his true feelings for the woman before him. The aching, tingling feelings of love and devotion that had developed over the course of their fraudulent relationship would not allow him to remain silent. His hand twitched, and he curled his hand in a fist as he tried to convince himself to remain silent. Svetlana watched his every move with rapt attention, and he could feel the concern flowing from her pores like a rushing river. He drew his fist towards himself, hating himself for how weak he felt. He’d never been one to feel weak, let alone acknowledge any feelings of weakness. It seemed change after change were washing over him, and he was beginning to wonder if it was as good of a thing as he had suggested when they first made love.
“Jackson…,” Svetlana implored, stepping closer to rest a gentle hand on his clenched fist. The anxiety that flooded his system ebbed out of his body, and he turned sad eyes upon the woman he so adored. She offered him a tentative smile, and he shifted his hand to grip hers.
“I decided that being alone wasn’t for me anymore. After you and I spent times together, the thought of returning to the playboy lifestyle left a bitter taste in my mouth. Granted, Lina isn’t the one I wanted. She never has been and never will be. It just seems that the one I adore is out of reach,” he murmured. Svetlana looked taken aback, her face flushing a bright shade of red. “I’ve never been one to feel as if I weren’t good enough. But when you wouldn’t even give me a chance to prove myself, I realized that I wasn’t the man you could ever want. It hasn’t stopped my heart from aching for you, however,” he continued hesitantly, eyes widening as Svetlana’s eyes filled with tears. He parted his lips to sputter out an apology, to assure her that he wasn’t worth her tears. Before he got a chance, however, she lurched across the desk and pressed their lips together in a passionate kiss. She tangled her hands desperately in his short hair, and he moaned against her lips. The salt of her tears was acrid on his lips, though he realized with a start that she was not the only one crying. She drew away moments later, hastily wiping her eyes as Jackson stared at her through wide and confused eyes.
“Jackson, I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. I didn’t think… I didn’t intend to make you feel this way. Of course I want you. I never wanted to break things off. I was just… afraid. I didn’t want to be a burden upon the lifestyle we’d worked so hard to salvage for you, and I couldn’t have asked you to play a role that you weren’t ready for. It was never that you weren’t good enough. It was never a doubt that you could be the man I’d need. It was a matter of not wanting you to sacrifice your life for some woman who was scarcely worth your time,” Svetlana uttered earnestly, reaching out to cup Jackson’s cheeks in her hands. His own tears spilled more freely in response to her words, and he leaned in once more, to capture her lips. She didn’t deny him, sweetly meeting him halfway and deepening the embrace. She abruptly drew away, however, as Lina began to pound on the door once more. The billionaire’s intended fiancée screamed from outside, demanding for Jackson to send Svetlana away. He met his beloved’s gaze, his heart aching in his chest.
“I screwed up. I screwed up any chance of us being together. My parents… Lina… they expect me to marry her. How can I tell them that I’ve changed my mind again?” He blurted, reaching out to caress Svetlana’s cheek. She chuckled, though it was a humorless sound.
“Seems like we both did our share of screwing up. I’m not willing to lose you to that… that harlot, though. I can’t ask you to go against your parents, but… can we really give up this easily? I feel like you and I are truly meant to be, Jackson. I’ve felt that way for some time though I never could have guessed you could feel the same,” she murmured. Jackson met her gaze and held it, his mind racing hundreds of miles per minute. While he was reluctant to let Svetlana go, he was also reluctant to turn against his parents. He knew they held the ability to take away everything he had held dear prior to that very moment. They could take his job, his riches. They could take away everything that made him appealing to the fairer sex, save his looks. He was growing older, however, and it wouldn’t take long before looks accounted for very little. What would he have to offer Svetlana if he didn’t have a dollar to his name? How would he support the woman he so adored, as well as spoiling the child he was welcoming into his life?
However, with the look of tenderness that Svetlana turned upon him, he was certain of one thing. The woman he loved would not leave him for something as petty as money or looks. She cared for him, not for his possessions, but who he truly was. In turn, he would do whatever it took to be with her. He would give up his lofty lifestyle and he would be willing to take a chance working even the least glamorous of jobs if it meant they could be together.
“We can’t give up. Not now, not ever. I’m willing to face the consequences if I will have you at my side. Are you willing to take those steps with me?” Jackson implored weakly. Svetlana smiled, reaching out to gingerly touch his cheek.
“Of course, Jackson. I’ve been reluctant to say as much, because I thought you could never feel the same. But the truth of the matter is… I love you. I’ve loved you for some time,” she confessed. For a moment, it was as if the world around them faded away. She looked troubled by her confession, as if she expected him to scorn her. He stepped towards her, cupping her face gently in his hands. Once more, before they had to confront his parents, he pressed their lips together in a tender kiss.
“I love you too. I never thought I’d be capable of such a thing, but…
oh, Svetlana. I’d give you the world if it were my own to give,” he murmured. She smiled, resting her cheek against his chest.
“Having you is all I could ever ask for,” she said earnestly. They drew away from each other, considering each other with tender smiles. Then, steeling themselves, they turned to face the door.
It was now or never.
Chapter Nine
When Jackson emerged from his office, arm in arm with Svetlana, the pounding on the door had ceased some time ago. He could only wonder where Lina had wandered off too, but he knew she couldn’t be up to anything good. He tightened his grip on Svetlana, leading her through the upper floor of the building in hunt of the melodramatic latina. He could hear her in the distance, cursing frantically in a mixture of English and Spanish. He and Svetlana exchanged a look, and the blonde woman quirked a brow. Jackson was entirely prepared to face the other woman, had no qualms with telling her to hit the road. What stopped him in his tracks, however, was another familiar set of voices.
“Lina, honey, you’ll have to calm down. Tell us what Jackson has done this time,” he heard his mother loudly intone, and he hit the brakes before Svetlana could pull him any further ahead. She took the hint, allowing herself to be tugged to a halt as Jackson tried to avoid going into full blown panic mode. She seemed relatively sympathetic to his plight, looking rather troubled by the thought of immediately being faced by his parents. He gripped her hand tightly, meeting his love’s gaze with pure and unadulterated fear shining in his gaze. She rubbed her thumb against the back of his hand in slow, soothing circles
