CHAPTER 29

Beatrice’s POV

The night felt endless. 

Even after my call with Sarah, sleep was nothing more than a cruel game—taunting me, pulling me close, only to rip me away each time I drifted off. My mind raced with too many thoughts, too many what-ifs, too many scenarios where everything could go wrong. I was literally thinking about my triplets, if Xander found out I had kept such a huge secret from him for the past 5 years, would he forgive me or punish me? would he take them away from me? So many questions roamed freely in my mind. 

I tossed and turned for hours, but exhaustion finally won— I was seriously tired from thinking, it was as i* my brain was totally stressed out.

Then, at exactly 3:00 a.m., the sharp buzz of my phone jolted me awake, I had left my mobile data on. 

I groaned, rubbing my eyes before reaching for it, squinting at the bright screen. A single message notification sat at the top.

Company Memo:

A mandatory two-week business trip has been scheduled in the next two days. Only ten qualified employees have been selected. Congratulations to those chosen!

My heart stilled.

A sense of unease crawled up my spine as I continued reading.

Selected Employees:

Jonathan Carter

Michael Dawson

Vanessa Hayes

Samuel Carter

Rebecca Holmes

Henry Liu

Pearl Green

Andrew Mills

Xavier Blackwood

Beatrice Emberlyn

I knew that even if I wasn't qualified for this trip, Xander would make my name included so as to torture me .

I froze.

For a long moment, I just stared at my name as if it would vanish.

A two-week trip?

Two. Weeks.

With Xander. Without my treasures? 

I let out a shaky breath, my fingers tightening around the phone.

I had planned to leave in one week. Sarah had already started working on the documents. But if I suddenly disappeared while a business trip was happening? Xander would definitely suspect something.

No. I couldn’t afford that.

I needed to delay my plans.

The thought made my chest tighten, but I knew it was the only way.

Slowly, I unlocked my phone and dialed Sarah’s number.

It rang twice before she picked up, her voice groggy with sleep.

“Bea?” she murmured. “What’s wrong?”

I took a breath, trying to steady my voice. “Sarah, we need to put the plan on hold.”

She was silent for a moment, then her voice turned alert. “Why? What happened?”

I ran a hand through my hair. “The company is sending me on a two-week business trip. I’m one of the ten selected employees. If I leave now, Xander will know something is up.”

Sarah cursed under her breath. “Damn it. That complicates things.”

“I know,” I whispered. “But I can’t risk it. If we rush, we’ll make mistakes.”

She sighed. “Alright. I’ll slow things down, but Bea… You need to be careful.”

“I will,” I promised.

Another pause. Then, softer, “Are you okay?”

I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “I don’t know.”

Sarah didn’t push me for more. Instead, she just said, “Try to get some sleep. We’ll figure this out.”

I nodded, even though she couldn’t see me. “Goodnight, Sarah.”

“Goodnight, Beatrice.”

As I ended the call, I collapsed back into the pillows, staring at the ceiling.

Two weeks with Xander.

Could I handle that?

I didn’t know. I drifted off into a deep slumber.

The sound of my alarm shattered the silence of my room. I checked the time after rubbing one of my eyes, it was only 6:00 am!

I struggled to get out of my bed. 

I blinked groggily, my body still aching from the lack of proper sleep. But there was no time to dwell on that.

I had a routine to follow.

After getting dressed, I moved to wake up the kids.

“Caleb, Cooper, Charlotte, time to get up,” I said gently, pulling their blankets away.

Charlotte let out a dramatic groan, burying her face into her pillow. “Five more minutes, Mommy.”

I smiled, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek. “You say that every morning and you'll get out of bed 20 minutes later.”

Caleb yawned, stretching his small arms. “Is it Saturday yet?”

“Nope,” I said, playing his hair as he made cute face, he looked so much like Xander. “But if you hurry up, we can stop for some pastries on the way.”

That got them moving.

They immediately took their bathe and they took turns in taking their bread from the toaster.

By the time we made it to the car, the sleepiness had worn off, replaced with their usual bright energy.

“Mommy, can I bring my bunny to school?” Charlotte asked from the backseat.

I glanced at her through the rearview mirror. “You know the rules, sweetheart. No toys in class.”

She pouted. “But Bunny gets lonely.”

Cooper snickered. “Bunny is a stuffed toy. It doesn’t have feelings.”

Charlotte gasped. “Take that back!”

Ok, I'm sorry  dear , maybe when you come back from school, bunny won't be lonely again.

I chuckled, shaking my head as I pulled up to the school entrance. “Alright, alright, that’s enough. Time to go.”

They each kissed my cheek before scrambling out of the car. As I watched them disappear into the building, a strange sense of dread settled in my stomach.

Something about today felt… different.

And I didn’t know why. The air somehow felt pleasing and I felt today mudy be a very good day.

I made my way to the office and I got there on time.

I entered, meeting pearl on her seat, we greeted each other and I settled down, then later, others started to appear.

Two hours later, I was back at my desk, staring at my screen but barely processing the words.

The memo about the trip still weighed heavily on my mind.

Just as I was about to take a sip of my coffee, a familiar voice rang through the office.

“Mrs. Emberlyn, the CEO wants to see you.”

I froze. You mean Xander?.

“yes." she answered.

Slowly, I turned to see vera standing by my desk.

My heart skipped a beat.

I nodded, pushing back my chair and making my way to his office, my pulse pounding in my ears and my heart beating suddenly.

When I stepped inside, Xander was sitting behind his massive mahogany desk, his fingers tapping against the polished surface.

His sharp gaze met mine. “Close the door.”

I did. He was definitely the boss here and I must obey him if I'm willing to keep up with this job. 

“Sit.” He commanded.

I hesitated before lowering myself into the chair across from him.

For a moment, he just stared at me.

Then, he sighed, for once, I saw a expression  of exhaustion written on his face. 

“I’m sure you saw the memo.”

I nodded. “Yes.”

He leaned back in his chair, studying me carefully. “I wanted to inform you personally that you’ve been selected for the trip.”

I kept my face neutral. “I read the message.”

His jaw tensed. “It’s a two-week trip, Beatrice. We’ll be traveling together.”

I nodded again, my hands tightening into fists beneath the table. “I understand.”

There was a brief silence before he exhaled, running a hand through his hair.

“About yesterday…” He paused. “I was wrong.”

I stilled.

What?

“I shouldn’t have dismissed your work like that,” he continued. “I—” He hesitated, as if the next words were difficult for him to say. “I owe you an apology.”

I stared at him, completely speechless.

Xander Thane, apologizing?

Was I dreaming?

“I’m not expecting you to forgive me right away,” he added, his gaze serious. “But I want you to know that I acknowledge what I did.”

Something in my chest tightened.

I didn’t know if it was shock or something more complicated.

For the past five years, Xander had been nothing but cold, distant, and impossible to read. But now, for the first time, he was—

Human.

And it scared me.

Because if he was capable of regret, of guilt…

Then what else was he capable of?

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to speak. “Thank you… for saying that.”

His gaze lingered on mine for a second longer before he nodded. “You can go.”

I stood up, still trying to process everything.

As I reached for the doorknob, his voice stopped me.

“Oh, and Beatrice?”

I turned back to him.

A shadow crossed his face, his expression unreadable.

“There’s something I need to talk to you about before the trip,” he said. “Something… important.”

My heartbeat quickened.

“What is it?” I asked carefully.

His lips pressed into a thin line. “We’ll talk later.”

I hesitated, but eventually, I nodded.

As I walked out of the office, an unsettling feeling settled in my gut.

Something was wrong.

And I had a sinking feeling that whatever Xander wanted to tell me…

It would change everything.