The door opened and he breathed a little sigh of relief. Unfortunately, it was Cassie.
“Hi,” Cassie said warily.
“Hi, Cassie. Is Jade in please?”
“No. She’s at her brother’s.”
Disappointment hit him. “Could you tell me the address?”
Cassie huffed. “No. Sorry.”
“Please, Cassie. I need to talk to her.”
“Why?” Cassie said, her voice challenging.
He inhaled deeply. “I need to explain a few things to her.”
“Lucas, she’s moving on. Please respect her decision.”
No. He couldn’t accept that. “If she gives me a chance to explain, I’ll respect whatever decision she makes after that.”
“What made you change your mind, Lucas? Why did you break up with her? Why did you tell her you’re not into relationships and tell her you’ve—what was it you said—gone as far as you can?”
“That was a mistake, Cassie,” he said, pleading.
Cassie shook her head. “Sorry, Lucas. Anyway, it’s not me you have to convince. And she’s not home.”
“Won’t you tell me Jerry’s address?”
“No. You can ask Jade yourself.”
“But she won’t answer my calls!”
“Tough, then,” Cassie said, closing the door.
“Wait, Cassie. Could you please give these flowers to Jade?”
“I’d rather not, Lucas,” she said, then shut the door on his face.
He groaned silently. What else could he do? Cassie wouldn’t help, and he didn’t want to pile up a problem on his dad when Thomas had his own personal issues to deal with.
He walked away, dejected.
*****
“Hey, bro! Long time, no see. And you brought me roses!”
“Yeah,” Lucas said with a smirk, handing the bouquet to Connor. “I thought you might like them.”
Connor frowned, staring at the flowers with suspicion. “What? Are these really for me?”
“They were supposed to be for Jade,” he said with a sigh. “You could give them to Amanda if you want.”
“Thanks. She’d love them. But why did you get flowers for Jade?” Connor asked as he put the bouquet down on a table.
“To say I’m sorry. But she wouldn’t even see me.”
“Hey, I thought we’d established that Jade is Thomas’ willing pawn?”
“Rick hasn’t told you?”
“Last time I spoke to Rick was at Greg’s party. We’ve all been busy, I guess.”
Lucas updated Connor with all the recent developments.
“Oh,” Connor said, sitting on a chair with a dismayed look on his face.
“What?”
“At the party... Marilyn came around... she mentioned your title. Jade heard.”
Lucas felt heat rise to his neck and face. “Mr. Fuck King? Did Marilyn tell Jade what it means?”
“I kinda told her because she asked me. At the time, I thought she was scheming with Thomas so I didn’t think it would matter. Actually, I was thinking that at least she’d see that she didn’t have you under her thumb.”
Lucas’ chest heaved.
“Sorry, dude,” Connor said softly.
He nodded, raking his hair. “Hazel was at the Bilton Halloween party,” he said to Connor.
“Bombshell Hazel?” Connor said, an eyebrow lifting.
“Yes. The accounting firm she works for is Bilton Machineries’ accountants. She called me Mr. FK then, and flirted with me. In front of Jade.”
“Oh.”
He rubbed his face harshly. “Jade probably has all sorts of pictures running through her mind,” he said. Sadly, most of them would probably be accurate. But he hadn’t been acting like Mr. Fuck King since that first time they’d made out on her couch. Heck, that wasn’t even true. He hadn’t been with any other woman since he first carried flowers for her to the Bilton Machineries building.
“What do I do now?” he asked Connor.
“Plead, beg, walk on broken glass...” Connor said quietly. “If she’s really the one, Lucas, you’ll find yourself wanting to do everything to get her back.”
Lucas paused, taking in Connor’s words. He didn’t need long at all to think about it.
“She’s the one, Connor.”
Connor grinned. “Who’ll be Mr. Fuck King now?”
“Can’t think of anyone worthy enough of the title, bro,” he joked. “Maybe we retire it. So in its history, there were only two—you and me.”
“Suits me,” Connor said with a grin.
“Now I have to get some broken glass,” Lucas murmured.
“It might help if you walk on it on your knees,” Connor said, his lips twitching.
“Anything else?” he asked wryly.
Connor sighed, his demeanour turning serious. “Yeah. Good luck. I mean that.”
He smiled his thanks. “By the way, Connor, about being business partners...”
Connor clasped his shoulder. “I know your future’s at Bilton Machineries, Lucas. It’s cool.”
“Thanks, bro. I’m still keen to do something with you, not just in the way we’ve originally discussed.”
“That would be great.”
“Well, I better head back to Jade’s and wait for her to come home.”
*****
Lucas sat by the window of the coffee shop at the corner of Jade’s street. Thankfully, Cassie had caved and told him that Jade should be back at around five o’clock.
In was only four, but he didn’t want to go somewhere else only to come back. So he’d hang around here at the café while he waited.
His phone rang. The screen indicated No Caller ID, which meant it was most probably his mother, who insisted on keeping her privacy.
“Lucas Renner,” he answered.
“Hello, darling. I went grocery shopping today and there were fresh food items on sale so I got you some. Do you want to come and get them tonight?”
He smiled. He’d given up trying to stop his mother from buying groceries for him. Nothing he’d done had been effective.
“Thanks, Mum. I’m not sure if I can tonight. Can I let you know later?”
“Sure. Just let me know when.”
“I will. Thanks, Mum.”
He hung up and noticed the server, who was cleaning up the table next to his, looking at him.
“Hi,” the lady said, coming over and smiling. She was quite pretty. Not as attractive as Jade, though.
“Hi.”
“Did I hear you say you’re Lucas Renner?” she asked.
“Yes,” he answered with surprise.
“And do you know Jade and Cassie, who live in an apartment not far from here?”
“Yes.”
The woman chuckled, as if amused by that fact. “Jade’s right. You’re my kind of hunk.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Excuse me?”
“I’m Penelope,” she said with a sultry smile, her eyelashes batting.
“Hi, Penelope,” he said warily, not at all sure why this woman seemed to be flirting with him.
“Jade and Cassie were here a few days ago, and I happened to tell them that I’m single again and ready for my next adventure. Jade mentioned that she knew someone who was my perfect match, and his name’s Lucas Renner.”
“What?” he asked, shocked.
“I already noticed you when you came through the door. Imagine my surprise when I heard you say your name,” Penelope said, twirling a strand of hair.
Lucas stared at Penelope in disbelief. Jade had told Penelope that he was this woman’s perfect match? Why the hell would Jade do that?
“Don’t look so shocked,” Penelope said with a giggle. “I’ve set Jade up on a blind date before. We girls just exchange favours.”
“And Jade was trying to set us up?”
“Unfortunately, we didn’t get to chat for too long because it was busy when they were here. And Gordon arrived then too, so we kinda stopped our girl talk.”
“Gordon?” he asked weakly.
“Yes. I think he’s Jade’s new boyfriend. Anyway...” Penelope took out a pad and pen from her apron pocket and scribbled something. “Here’s my number. I trust Jade’s instincts that the two of us might be perfect for each other.” She gave him a playful wink as she placed the sheet of paper on the table, then sashayed off.
Lucas slumped on his seat as he stared incredulously at Penelope. Was that why Jade didn’t want to talk to him? Because she simply had stopped being interested?
He glanced at Penelope’s phone number and his heart felt like it was being wrung dry by merciless hands.
Jade didn’t want him anymore. She’d discarded him. Not only was she ignoring him, not only was she going out with Gordon, but she’d also literally given him away to another woman.
His eyes stung. He’d thought he was someone who knew the pain of rejection. But this was worse than anything he’d ever felt.
For the first time in his life, he’d fallen in love. For the first time, he was ready for commitment. But the woman he loved didn’t want him.
She’d given him away.
He pulled out his wallet, placed money on the table, and hurried to the exit. He didn’t want anyone to see that his eyes were swimming in tears.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“Hi, Cass,” Jade called out as she entered the apartment.
“Hey, Jade,” Cassie replied. “Did you see Lucas downstairs? He said he was going to wait for you to come home.”
“No,” she said with a frown, heading for the kitchen where Cassie was.
“Oh. Maybe he had to go. He buzzed twice today, you know. The first time, he had this massive bouquet of red roses. But I didn’t take it because you told me not to entertain him at all. Then he came back a couple of hours later, pleading with me to tell him when you’ll be back. I felt so sorry for him, so I said you’ll be home by five.”
Jade checked the time. It was half past five. Why didn’t she come home earlier?
“You’re softening, aren’t you?” Cassie asked gently.
“I think I should at least listen to him, Cass. He’s been trying so hard.”
“It’s your choice, Jade.”
“I’m just scared,” she whispered.
“I know,” Cassie said soothingly. “His reputation is not exactly the type that you associate with faithfulness and commitment.”
“No. But I love him, Cass,” she blurted out.
“Oh, honey,” Cassie said, hugging her.
“I don’t know what to do.”
“You know what you want to do. You just don’t know if what you want will get you hurt.”
Jade took a deep breath, her mind clearing suddenly. “You’re right. And you know what? Stuff fear. People like Lucas do change. His friend Connor is an example. What if he wants to change for me? I don’t want to throw away our opportunity.”
Cassie nodded her agreement.
“Thank you,” she said, hugging her best friend before retrieving her phone to call Lucas. To her relief, he answered.
“Jade.”
“Hi,” she said, a little breathless. “Cassie said you were here earlier.”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry I missed you. I’m home now,” she said with a tinge of hope.
There was a long silence.
“So what do you want to do now, Jade?”
She frowned at the flatness of his tone. “I thought you wanted to talk.”
“I did,” he said in the same bleak voice. “But I had coffee at that café at the corner of your street while I waited for you. I already got my answer there.”
“What do you mean, Lucas?”
She heard his ragged sigh.
“I get the picture, Jade. I get it,” he said with a shaky voice. “I agree there’s no need for us to have a further conversation. Take care of yourself.” Then he hung up.
Jade stared at her phone in disbelief.
“What did he say?” Cassie asked.
“He sounded upset,” she said, bewildered. “He said he got his answer at the corner café and there was no need for us to talk anymore.”
“Huh?”
Realisation hit Jade. “Do you think Penelope talked to him?”
Cassie covered her mouth. “Oh no. Penelope would be all over someone like Lucas. And she honestly didn’t get that you were being sarcastic when you said that she and Lucas were the perfect match.”
Jade’s eyes watered. “Lucas thinks I don’t want him anymore.” She turned and headed for the door. “I’ll see you later, Cass. I need to see him.”
*****
“I’m sorry, Jade, but my son can be a very stubborn man. And he’s not used to expressing his feelings,” Ruby said apologetically. “He doesn’t want to talk to me either. He keeps giving excuses not to see me.”
Jade sniffed. “I don’t know what else to do, Ruby. If even you can’t make him talk to me, what other options do I have?”
“He’s afraid,” Ruby said, patting her hand. “He’s never had his heart broken before. You yourself would know that when you’re still raw and hurting, you want to retreat from the source of pain.”
“But I want to fix things,” she whispered. “Whatever Penelope said to him wasn’t the truth. I was hurt after learning about his reputation. I was being sarcastic when I suggested that Lucas was Penelope’s type because she’s a playgirl and he’s...”
“I know, darling. But remember that he’s also experiencing emotional upheaval and stress from the matters involving Thomas and Thomas’ father-in-law. Things might be a bit too much for Lucas at this point. Give him some time. He’ll come around.”
She sniffed again, hoping Ruby was right.
“Apart from this, is everything okay with you?” Ruby asked.
She smiled guiltily. She’d been so focused on her own issues that she’d forgotten to check how Ruby was coping.
“I’m fine, thank you,” she answered. “More importantly, how are you?”
“Good, thank you. It’s actually funny how I more or less feel the same—just lighter. I mean, something I’ve lived with and believed in for thirty years turned out to be wrong. And here I am, still running my shop as per usual,” Ruby said with a smile.
“I’m glad things have worked out for all three of you, Ruby.”
“Thank you, Jade. And I hope that things work out for you and Lucas, too. I’ll do my best to help.”
“Thank you.”
*****
“Here they are, Mr. Bilton,” Jade said, handing over the documents her boss had asked her to collate.
“Thank you, Jade.”
Jade noticed the bags under her boss’s eyes and her heart went to him.
It humbled her that Thomas had seen fit to share with her the news regarding his father-in-law. She couldn’t believe it, but she was glad they’d now resolved the matter.
Diana’s father had broken down and fully confessed when Lucas came with Thomas for another round of confrontation. The elderly man had to be taken to hospital for a minor heart attack after his admission of guilt, but fortunately, he’d pull through.
Diana was still in shock, though, and Thomas had to look after her on top of everything else.
It was the one big reason why she hadn’t asked Thomas about Lucas. She didn’t want to add to the stress Thomas was already under.
But she wished she could come up with other options to reach Lucas. He was avoiding her just like she used to avoid him. Only in Lucas’ case, it was worse. He seemed to have put her number on a permanent block on his phone. She didn’t do that to him!
“Jade,” Thomas called as she was on her way out of his office.
“Sir?”
“I need to make an important phone call now. If Lucas arrives before I’m done, could you tell him I’ll meet him at the restaurant where we’re having lunch?”
“Yes, sir,” she said, a smile blossoming on her face. She hoped Thomas would stay on the phone
for a long time.
She was typing something when she saw Lucas approach, and her heart immediately raced.
“Hi, Jade,” he said with a small smile.
“Hi,” she responded, but Lucas was already on his way to his father’s office. He didn’t want to stop to talk to her.
“Lucas, wait,” she called out.
Fortunately, he turned around.
“Mr. Bilton’s still on the phone.”
Lucas looked disappointed. “Okay. Could you tell him I’ll meet him at the restaurant? I’ll go there now.”
Her heart dropped to the floor. “I’ve been trying to call you,” she said desperately.
“Were you?” he asked innocently. “Sorry. I’ve been busy.”
“Lucas... I know that Penelope said things—”
“Hey, forget about that,” he interrupted with a dismissive wave of his hand. “It’s all cool.”
“But it’s not,” she whispered, stopping when Ann, the receptionist, passed by to hand her something.
“You’ve blocked my calls and messages,” she whispered when Ann was out of earshot.
“Oh, yeah,” he said lightly. “It was just my reaction on the day. Don’t worry about it.”
“So will you unblock me and talk to me?”
“I’m talking to you now, am I not?” he said with a grin that didn’t reach his eyes. “And I won’t be around for a while anyway. I’ll be visiting different branches interstate and overseas, staying in each for a few weeks to months to learn the business. I’ll be away for a long time.”
“No,” she whispered, but Lucas was already on his way to the lifts.
She stood up to run after him, but her office phone rang. Argh!
“Mr. Bilton’s office, Jade speaking,” she answered in her professional voice.
“Hi, Jade. It’s Rick.”
“Hi, Rick. How are you?”
“Well, thanks. I’m just calling to see if Mr. Bilton received the invitation for our Christmas party? My PA is on leave and I have a temp helping out. Unfortunately, she stuffed some of the invitations in the wrong envelope.”
“I don’t remember seeing it arrive. When was it sent?”
Rick sighed. “Last week. It should be there by now if it was addressed correctly. Thanks anyway. I’ll get her to redo it again.”
“Okay. Thanks, Rick.”
Jade hung up and an idea popped into her head. Perhaps Rick could be a way to get Lucas to talk to her?
The Unwilling Executive Page 15
