by Mel Ryle
“What was that about?” he whispered down to me as we walked away.
“I’m setting those two up. She needed it after the auction thing,” I whispered back in reply.
He chuckled beside me but didn’t comment on it. When it was time for William to give his closing remarks, I stayed back on my post on the right corner of the venue. I watched him intently as he delivered his speech. For a moment, as he stood on that stage, he looked like the man that people perceived of him. William Maxwell, CEO of Maxwell Enterprises.
As the party slowly came to a close, Maggie and I stayed a little longer and waited for the guest to leave before closing it up with the staff. After we finished checking things up, I gestured Maggie to go ahead first as I try to find the dress I came here tonight. Before I headed towards the direction of the dressing room I went a few hours ago, William blocked my way.
“What are you still doing here? I thought you’ve already left,” I asked in disbelief, surprised by his appearance.
“I waited for you to finish up. I went out for a little drink and came back.”
“Sure you were.”
“If you’re looking for your dress, I already have it,” he said when I walked pass him. “It’s in my car right now, if you’re wondering,” he continued, which stopped me on my track.
“Right,” I pursed my lips as I debated about what to do next.
“So…” He walked towards the main exit, his back to me. “Are you coming with me or not?” he called after walking a few paces.
With a heavy sigh of defeat, I followed behind him with quick strides. When we got out of the door, his car was already parked out front like he left it there. He didn’t waste his time and got in the driver seat as I stopped a foot away.
“Get in, Andy!” William called, catching my attention. I looked up in time to see the window fully open with his upper body leaning towards me.
“Did you plan this the whole time?” I asked in annoyance as I got in the car.
“Most of it and the rest I’ll wing it,” he replied in admission as he start up the ignition and drove out of the country club’s drive way.
I rolled my eyes and kept silent as I let him drive in peace for a minute. When I watched the dim streetlights flying by us, I grew curious about our destination. From the looks of the buildings around us, we aren’t heading back to my apartment or his.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked, breaking the eerie silence in the car.
“And you haven’t thought to ask me before jumping in the car,” he smirked arrogantly. “We are going to my other place.”
“You know this is considered kidnapping. I could sue you for this…”
“This is not kidnapping. You willing came along with me and I didn’t tie you up.”
“Okay. Fine,” I rolled my eyes, giving up my stiff façade. “So, where is this other place of yours?”
“It’s a lake house a few miles from the edge of the city, near the interstate line
“What the heck? You can’t just bring me along on a trip without telling me.”
“I did somehow ask you to come with me and you went along… okay, okay… I’ll take you back to your apartment first thing in the morning,” he replied but trailed off as he glanced at my direction for a second, his voice turned sheepish.
“No. Turn the car around and do it now,” I demanded as I kept my ground.
“There is something I want to show you. If I take this another day, you would have done everything to avoid me since you’ll be gone by then…” he admitted softly, his voice had a ring of sadness to it.
I didn’t give him any reply and watched him under the dim streetlights as he continued to drive us towards his lake house. I don’t get why he had to be secretive. Maybe if he had asked me nicely, I would have agreed to go with him. Why couldn’t he do that little courtesy?
“Why can’t you ask me like a normal person rather than kidnapping me?” I asked as I voiced out my frustration.
“Because I know how you’ll respond…” he replied softly. The car was quiet enough for me to overhear.
I stayed silent for the rest of the drive, which took so much of my self-control. William had cracked a few times as he tried to make small talk but the conversation was one-sided since I didn’t give him any reply. When we were close, he announced it. I felt relieved that the drive was close to an end. I didn’t know how long I could last inside the car with him.
As he slowed down the car, I knew we finally arrived. He quickly parked the car in front a small white, wooden house that was surrounded by trees. There was a porch leading to the well-varnished wooden door that looked like it was carved from a century old tree. The sliding windows took some modern edge to the design with white curtains that covered the view inside. I started to get nervous at the sense of privacy of the property. I watched the house lit up, which made me sigh in relief that we weren’t alone.
“Come on, I think they’ve been waiting long,” he said as he turned off the ignition and got out of the car.
“What do you mean by ‘they’?” I asked in confusion, but he was already outside.
In annoyance, I jumped out of the car and watched him walked around the car towards me. “So, who are ‘they’?” I asked again when he was in hearing range.
“You’ll see,” he replied with a beaming smile.
I didn’t give him the pleasure of escorting me in like a gentleman when he offered his hand. I gestured for him to walk first and followed behind him. As he opened the door, I wasn’t expecting what happened next.
“Surprise! You’re finally here!” my father exclaimed with enthusiasm as he enveloped me in a bear hug.
“Dad?” I asked in shock and confusion. I patted his back awkwardly, not processing the situation.
“And, you look surprise… I thought he gave you a heads up,” Terry said, making me turned towards his direction in surprise.
“Terry? You’re here, too?” I asked breathlessly after my father let me go, while Terry walked towards me for a hug.
“What is going on here?”
“This man came and pick me up for a good outdoor fishing and hiking this morning. And, Terry sort of was there when William picked me up. So, he tagged along,” my father replied with a smile.
I studied my father’s genuine smile for a second before looking at Terry for confirmation. Terry gave me a wink, which was his way of saying that my father had said the truth. I turned around and faced William, who was still by the door watching us.
“You did this?” I asked him for confirmation, even though they’ve already convinced me.
He gave me a small shrug and smirked. I raised my eyebrow at his nonverbal reply, but I didn’t drill the answer out of him. I couldn’t believe him doing this for my father. I understood why he had done it, but I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that he planned all of this just to get in my good books. He really wanted to get that chance.
As we finally settled down in the living room, I made a quick scan on the interior design of the house. It was very different from how his apartment and office looked. This house had a homey and warm feel to it. There were furniture that almost accommodated every space and a wall filled with pictures. It was the opposite of the empty and spacious rooms that he had from his other place.
The interior was also a contrast to the modern design of his office and apartment. The house was all wood and antic. I could almost smell a distinct scent of moss and earthy smell, which was familiar. He must have spent a great deal here to retain the scent on his body. I shook the thought away as my mind trailed off into something less appealing. It was rude to think about a man that way while you’re sitting next to your father, who was telling me about his day.
William had taken him out for fishing and a little hiking around the property. He told me in detail how he caught a fish, and how an expert William was at fishing. You wouldn’t guess it from the way the man always dresses. After half an hour, my father started t
o yawn from tiredness. I was in awe he waited for me this late.
“Dad, you can tell me about it tomorrow. You’re tired and I am too,” I suggested as I patted his arm nearest to me.
“I think that is best,” he agreed after another stifled yawn.
Around this time, I didn’t notice William walking out of the room and change. When we were done talking, he reappeared from a hallway all dressed up in casual clothes. I eyed him for a second before telling him that we were going to bed. With a soft smile, he guided us to his extra room – which shocked me how many were there in this huge house.
As we made a last stop to my room, after telling Terry where he would stay the night, he stood in front of the door for a moment in silence. It was an awkward silence that none of us is willing to break. Since I’m too tired to be stubborn, I finally took the initiative to convey my gratitude.
“Thank you so much for today. I didn’t know you were planning all of this behind my back. I’m quite sure I know why,” I stated with a grim smile.
“Well, I didn’t make it less obvious though,” he agreed with a light chuckle.
“Thank you, again, for today,” I softly said again before heading inside the room with a brief wave of goodbye.
“Sweet dreams. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he whispered loud enough for me to hear.
After I close the door behind me, I did what any girl would do in that moment. I leaned on the doorframe and slide down on the floor, as my knees slowly grew weak. How could this man have a hold on me? Why was I so affected by him? After all he has done to me, he still have something off his sleeves. I was truly stupid for not running away. I couldn’t seemed to get away from him now.
By next morning, I felt so tired that I didn’t notice the alarm that I put on my phone went off. When I heard pounding at the door, my mind finally registered that I should wake up.
“Would you stop with the pounding? I’m up already!” I called, my voice cracking. I rolled out of the comfy bed and ghostly got to the door when the person didn’t stop beating it at an annoying rhythm.
“Good, you’re up. You need to wash up and go down the dining room for breakfast. We’ll be waiting…” Terry stated as he quickly walked away from my room backwards while still facing me.
“Are you freaking kidding me with the knocking and the pounding?” I hissed in annoyance, ignoring what he had said.
“Oh, you can thank me later for waking you up.” He waved off my outburst as he turned around when he reached the stairs.
I watched him walked down before shutting the room. I let out a heavy breath to calm myself before heading towards bathroom to wash up. I couldn’t get the grimace off my face when I found a change of clothes that Terry packed for me. After I was contented with my appearance, I headed downstairs with a heavy heart.
I stood in the middle of an archway that leads to the living room, a little flustered on finding out the location of the dining room. Last night, William only showed me where the living room was when we arrived before he escorted us to our room.
“What are you doing standing there?” Like he had read my mind, William appeared on the threshold that leads to the living room.
“I’m a little lost,” I mumbled in admission.
“Right, let’s go. They’ve been waiting for you,” He grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards the dining room, guiding me to where it is. “Did you have a good sleep?”
I looked up towards him, eying the back of his head. “I don’t know whether to give you the good answer or the bad one.”
“Why not just tell me what you thought first when you woke up this morning?”
“Then, that would be the bad one since I woke up with someone pounding on my door. My sleep ruined, starting my day with my lame sarcasm,” I replied with a chuckle.
“Yeah, you’re pretty lame right now,” he agreed.
I lightly slapped his back with my free hand and pushed him forward. “Let’s get to that food before you start hearing me say things that would ruin my image forever.”
“You were keeping an image?” he asked in refined shock as he glanced at me.
“I still have some energy left to slap you again, William,” I warned sternly, but I can’t help but smile at this light exchange between us.
It feels so weird yet comfortable when I talk to William like this. Though I’ve been really difficult on him for the past few days after the bet incident, I couldn’t help but joke around with him at this moment. Maybe, this was the effect of him doing something right for once. Did I like it? I’ll leave that for later to ponder on.
Forty-Four
After we had breakfast, we chatted in the living room as we watched some sitcom my father watched while he was in the hospital. I asked him about the discharge papers that he had to sign early to be here. He properly explained to me that he didn’t signed it. He was in fact a patient who was out for a whole day to get some fresh air.
“You, what?” I asked in disbelief.
“Don’t worry about it. They said I can sign it when I get back to get my final bill, and you should be there also to finalize things,” he replied like he had done this before.
“You didn’t mention this last night because…?” I asked, not letting him sidetrack me.
“Because we were both tired,” he replied nonchalantly.
“Oh, Dad. Let’s get back to the hospital to finalize those papers,” I stated and stood up from the couch, ending our morning chat.
I turned towards William, who was seating idly on a single couch across from us. He gave me a knowing look but didn’t say anything. I raised my eyebrow at him and squinted my eyes when he stayed in his seat.
“I think we need to head back now,” I said, breaking the short silence in the room. I was quite aware of the eyes on us at the moment.
“I heard you the first time,” William replied with a sly grin.
“So, are you driving us back to the city or do I have to call a cab?” I asked.
“Mark is coming over in a few minutes. He’ll be here soon,” he replied as he glanced at the grandfather clock on the corner of the room near the chimney.
I nodded in reply and stayed silent for a second. My father started talking as the show went back on after the commercial. It didn’t take long until Mark arrived. As he entered the door, I jumped out of my seat and clapped my hands to get their attention, announcing his arrival. William turned towards the door and eyed Mark sternly. For a second, he looked angry but then he recovered his expression with a poker face.
The drive back was crowded and thick with tension. The seating arrangement didn’t help with my situation at all. I sat sandwich between William, who was seating on my right and my father on my left while Terry betrayed me by seating shotgun.
I relaxed when we got closer to our destination. Beside me I heard a faint chuckle on William’s side. I glanced at his direction in curiosity.
“What?” I asked, a little annoyed.
“Why do you seem so tense?” he asked softly, unaffected by my rash tone.
I eyed him for a second before looking away. “I’m not tense. I’m just tired.”
He snickered at my reply, but didn’t comment. I think he saw right through me. I was relieved that he didn’t drill it out of me. From the way he was seating, he looked as tense as me. I smiled to myself at our discomfort.
I didn’t think twice as I got out of the suffocating car when we reached the hospital. William watched me with wide eyes as he opened the door. I ignored his expression and turned to my father, who got out of the other side of the car. I pursed my lips at him, which he couldn’t see since he already closed the door.
“So, this is goodbye then…” William said as I stepped away from the car, allowing him to close the door.
I peeked at his direction and looked away as he glanced at me. “I think so… But, I’m going to the office today to get some of my things.”
“Oh, okay. So, I’ll see you later, then?” he asked in c
onfirmation, his voice becoming light somehow.
“Yeah. See you later,” I nodded and looked up towards him for a second before Terry interrupted us.
“Thank you for today, Mr. Maxwell. I had a fun time.”
I glared at him in suspicion, which he quickly noticed as he gave me a wink while William talked. “It’s nothing. I’m glad enjoyed yourself.”
“Thank you so much for everything, son. I can’t remember the last time I had such a day since my little girl graduated in college,” my father said as he walked towards me, putting his hand on my shoulder for support.
“It was my pleasure, Mr. Peterson,” William replied with a smile, which caught me off guard.
I gaped at him for a second, but snapped out of it when Terry called out for me as he walked to the entrance of the hospital. I glanced at him for a second before I looked back to William.
“Thank you again for all of this, I know why you are doing it–maybe -but, thank you anyways,” I mumbled softly at him with a smile.
“You’re welcome. I hope this somehow counts… I have nothing on my sleeve to make you forgive me. This is my last resort,” he admitted shyly.
“I think I’ve guess that much. Good thing you told me this, at least I wouldn’t be expecting anything grander.”
“Oh, I can do something more exceptional than this but you’ll not like it.”
“How would you know I wouldn’t? You don’t know that much about me…” I challenged.
“I know, which is why I wanted you to give me a chance to do so…”
The smile on my face slightly faltered at his reply. Why was he doing this now? Why was he desperate to date me? He could date any socialite girl, yet he is painstaking continued to pursue me. His dedication was slowly softening me, but not too soft. I’ve learned what loving a man with power could do to you.
“Ask me again later, maybe my answer would change.”
He smiled in reply and nodded without giving me any witty comebacks. With that, I took it as my cue to walk and gave him a brief wave before jogging towards Terry. They patiently waited for me as my father went inside.
