Perhaps, it would be less about the future of the company but more about our future together if he even through that we still had a chance of being together.“I’m not running away. I’m just doing things my way and I ask that you stick to your promise and respect that,” Ace stated calmly.“Why didn’t you consult me about this before? Why did you have to get up there and announce it at a large event like this? Do you know how much money I put in to put this event together? This whole party was supposed to celebrate your success so far as the CEO and look what you’ve done!” the chairman thundered as his eyes glared at his own son.Ace did not show any hint of regret or remorse regarding his action and that was probably because he simply did not regret it. I had no idea why Ace thought that his action was the right one.What made him so confident or was he just going to run away from his responsibilities again just as his father had just accused him of?“I didn’t think that there was a ne
“If that’s what you want,” he replied like it was all up to me. The ride to his place was silent and extremely awkward. The atmosphere felt cold and full of tension. The endless list of questions that I wanted to ask Ace ran round and round in my head nonstop; however, I didn’t know where to start. Most of the questions about his decision to step down from his position were pretty much asked already by his father. I wondered if he would give me different answers than the ones that he had already given his father. “We’re finally back home…” Ace said while sounding tired and bored. I wished that he would volunteer me with some answers and information but that didn’t seem to be the case. If anything, Ace looked sleepy and ready for bed. It must have been a long day for him; however, he was about to find out that the day was far from over for him yet as far as I was concerned. The driver drove away after dropping us off in front of Ace’s building. “Come along,” Ace told me casually as
“So, what do you want to know?” Ace asked like he couldn’t wait to get this over and done with. I wanted to roll my eyes at him, but I still tried to be positive about it all. If he wanted to get this over and done with, then maybe he would answer my questions quickly and directly. “Why did you announce that you’re going to step down from your position as CEO? Why are you quitting all of a sudden like this?” I asked as I stared at his emotionless face. “I don’t like this job. You should know that already. This job isn’t for me, and I’m not cut out to do it for life. I never took this job with the thought that I’ll be doing it until the day that I get old and retire,” he replied like it was supposed to be obvious. “But why now? Why have you decided to quit now? Don’t you have to grow the company like you promised your father?” I asked hurriedly. I was speaking faster and faster as my frustrations started getting the better of me. Ace was right and I did know that he wasn’t particu
The more he tried to evade my questions, the more I got curious about what he was hiding from me. Elizabeth is the CEO of Chase Creatives, and they are one of our biggest rivals in the industry. I had no idea what kind of work Ace could have to do with someone like her. “What kind of work would you have to do that would require you to collaborate with one of our biggest competitors?” I asked in pure wonder. “There are things that I can’t tell you, Rina. I can’t tell you this even if you’re my girlfriend and I also can’t tell you as my secretary. Let’s just leave it here for today, ok?” Ace said as a troubled frown formed between his brows. “You never tell me anything…” I muttered like a sulking child. “There’s a right time for everything, Rina. I’ll tell you when the timing is right. If there’s nothing else, let’s take a shower and head to bed,” Ace said as he brought our conversation to a close. I would usually let things slide; however, I felt like I was far from done with this
“I met Elizabeth that day,” Ace replied without betraying any emotions. My heart just sank at his words although I should have felt a little better for the fact that he still told me the truth. Ace didn’t show any signs that he was going to explain himself or his actions to me and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hear any more truth from him. Suddenly, it felt like my frail little heart wouldn’t be able to take it after all. “Why did you meet up with her? You told me that something urgent happened at work. Why did you lie?” I asked as I tried to suppress the tears that were threatening to well up in my eyes. “I wasn’t lying. Something did happen at work,” Ace replied flatly. “Why didn’t you just tell me that you were going to meet up with her?” I asked as I glared at him. “Rina, if you’re going to get all emotional about this, I suggest that you stop this and go to bed,” Ace advised sternly. “No! I cannot and I will not stop until I learn the truth about what is going on. Why did yo
“Would you believe anything that I say at this point?” Ace asked as he cocked his head a little to the side to observe my reactions. I didn’t have any answer for him because I wasn’t sure about that myself. Ace’s intense gaze continued to rest on my face while I chewed on the inside of my lower lip as I hesitated. “I’m willing to listen. So please, tell me what is really going on…” I replied after trying my best to pick the right words. “It’s still true. Elizabeth and I may have a very complicated relationship but we are not involved with each other in the way that you think. I’ve met her many times, but it was all for work,” he replied to my earlier question calmly. “And you can’t tell me what work you two have been working on, right?” I asked although I already knew the answer. Ace just nodded his head at me once and that was his response to my question. Now it was up to me whether or not I would believe him. Ace didn’t say anything else but his eyes were still on my face while
“Ace…” I murmured his name before I found out that I didn’t quite know what to say to him.“Stop frowning, Rina. You’ll get lines all over your beautiful face…” Ace reprimanded me half-jokingly. I felt the warmth of his hand against the side of my face before his fingertips slid down to cup my chin and tip my head up slightly. His other hand approached my face and then I felt his fingers trying to stop the skin in between my brows from creasing. I didn’t know how to react to how seriously he seemed to be taking this. “You know, if you seriously don’t want me to frown like this, then you should stop making me worry about you…” I muttered darkly. “Well, since there’s not much that I can do about that, I’ll just help keep your brows away from each other…” Ace replied with a chuckle. I didn’t quite think that it was funny but the atmosphere around us seemed to have lightened somewhat. Things were a far cry from being normal between us but it seemed like things may just work out in the
“About my promise to marry you?” Ace asked as if in pure disbelief. I just nodded my head at him as I kept my eyes cast downwards. It felt quite embarrassing now that I had voiced my worries out loud. I had no idea why he seemed so shocked at what I had just told him. Wasn’t it supposed to be logical for me to think that way? After all, he did link our marriage pretty much to the success of the company’s expansion. “I think I’m starting to understand the cause of all of this misunderstanding now. Listen, Rina…” Ace said as his hands reached out to grab my shoulders tightly. I looked up into his hazel brown eyes as Ace took in a deep breath before slowly letting it out. “You’ve got it all wrong, Rina…” he said in dismay as he shook his head slowly from side to side. “I’m sorry…but I don’t really understand…” I murmured. His suddenly depressed reaction tugged at my heart and a sense of guilt quickly welled up in my chest and made me feel empty inside. I didn’t like to see Ace that