Tension And Apologies

Chapter-4

"In the shadows, secrets stir, awaiting the light of truth to reveal their hidden depths."

Finally, the seminar concluded around 8:49 PM, leaving Brixlee feeling exhausted. Eager to leave, she hurriedly stormed out of the hall, making her way through the building. As she reached the ground floor, she accidentally bumped into a lady wearing a hoodie and dark sunglasses.

"Watch where you're going!" the young lady snapped at her, clearly agitated.

"Why do I keep bumping into people?" Brixlee murmured to herself, annoyed by the situation.

"I'm sorry," Brixlee quickly apologized, attempting to make peace. However, the young lady with black hair, long lashes, and Irish blue eyes seemed uninterested in resolving the situation.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked, almost challenging Brixlee.

Brixlee was taken aback, wondering who this person could be.

"I'm sorry, I don't..."

"I'm Talia Mendez, and you bumped into me!" the young lady exclaimed as if that should explain everything.

Brixlee started to feel irritated. "Okay, but I still apologized. Can we just move on?"

Talia scoffed, "You're lucky I'm a nice person, or else I would have made a scene!"

Rolling her eyes, Brixlee retorted, "Then why don't you just make the scene and get it over with? I'm tired of dealing with this childish behavior." With that, she walked away, annoyed with the encounter and with rich people in general, feeling they always looked down on others.

Later, Talia found herself surprised by the unknown lady's bluntness. In a moment of realization and self-awareness, she acknowledged her own mistakes. Anxious about facing Nathan after her confession a week ago, she had taken out her nervousness on Brixlee. Regardless, Talia felt justified in her annoyance due to Brixlee's rude behavior.

She made her way to Nathan's office, but he wasn't there. This was unusual, as Nathan usually left the office around 9:30 PM, and it was only 9 PM. Talia took out her phone and sent him a text message: "Hey, I'm outside your office. Can we talk for a moment?"

After a few minutes, Nathan finally arrived, and they both entered his office. Talia handed him a small bag she was holding.

"Grandma made pancakes; she asked me to give them to you," Talia said, smiling coyly and looking away.

Nathan's lips curled into a smile. "She's so sweet. I've really missed these sweet pancakes," he replied gratefully.

Clearing her throat, Talia began her apology, her tone full of remorse. "Nathan, I'm really sorry for what I said at the party last week. I know it was out of line, and it wasn't fair to put you on the spot like that. I was under the influence, and I wasn't sure what I was saying."

Nathan nodded, understanding her state of mind. "It's okay, Talia. I understand how you must have been feeling."

Talia continued, her tone filled with sincerity, "But I don't want things to get awkward between us. You're my best friend, and I don't want to lose your friendship over a silly mistake."

Nathan smiled and reached for her hand, assuring her, "We don't have to lose each other, Talia. I value your friendship more than anything."

Relieved, Talia felt a wave of gratitude wash over her. She was glad that Nathan was understanding and forgiving.

"That being said, Granny wants you to come to see her tomorrow. She misses you," Talia said with a smile.

"Absolutely, I'll make sure to visit Granny tomorrow. I miss her too," Nathan replied, returning Talia's smile.

Talia felt a sense of relief and gratitude. She had feared that her mistake would strain their friendship, but Nathan's understanding and willingness to move past it reassured her.

"Thank you, Nathan," she said sincerely. "I really appreciate your forgiveness and willingness to maintain our friendship."

Nathan squeezed her hand gently. "Of course, Talia. We all make mistakes, and what matters is how we handle them. I value our friendship too much to let something like this come between us."

Talia smiled, feeling a weight lifted off her shoulders. She knew that she was lucky to have a friend like Nathan who understood her and stood by her side.

It wasn't always there; it just appeared one day. Talia had heard that Tyler was working for Nathan, so she assumed the desk in his office belonged to Tyler.

"Wow, Tyler even has a desk in your office? Now, isn't that really sweet?" Talia exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

Nathan paused for a moment. "Actually, it's not Tyler's. It belongs to my secretary, Brixlee," he clarified.

Talia raised an eyebrow, unsure if she had heard correctly because it didn't make any sense. She tried to convince herself that "Brixlee" could be a masculine name, but deep down, she knew better.

Nathan had told her two years ago that he was done with female secretaries, and since then, he hadn't had one. Jealousy flooded Talia's soul, her cheeks reddened, and her narrowed eyebrows locked onto Nathan.

"Oh, I thought you said you were done with female secretaries after what happened with Allison?" Talia asked, looking directly into Nathan's eyes.

She could sense the discomfort in his eyes, the same discomfort that always surfaced whenever Allison was mentioned. They hadn't discussed her for almost two years because Nathan had made it clear that he never wanted to talk about her again.

"Why are you bringing her up?" Nathan asked calmly, his voice turning cold.

Talia realized she had crossed a line. It never ended well whenever Allison was brought up in a conversation. Allison had been Nathan's secretary two years ago, but she vanished suddenly and

hadn't been found since. No one knew what had transpired between Nathan and her that made him react so strongly whenever her name was mentioned.

"I'm sorry, Nathan. I just wanted to know what changed your mind," Talia said, sensing a growing ball of suspicion inside her.

"No reason, I just thought there was no need to restrict myself from having female secretaries. End of discussion," Nathan explained, glancing at his wristwatch. It was getting late.

"Okay then, I just felt I needed to know," Talia replied half-heartedly. The chilly haze of suspicion began to solidify.

She was certain there was more to it, and she was determined to find out at any cost. .

.

.

The next day...

Brixlee arrived at the office early, determined to prove her dedication to the job. She dropped her bag on her desk and sighed, arranging Nathan's desk. Soon, he arrived.

"Go...od morning," Brixlee stammered, and he stared at her. "What a surprise, you're early!" he exclaimed in a sarcastic tone.

"Well, I'm always early. I just had some issues yesterday," Brixlee replied, carefully placing a framed photo on the desk.

It was a picture of Nathan and a middle-aged woman. Nathan looked much younger in the photo. Suddenly, Nathan grabbed Brixlee's hand, and she froze. He leaned in closer, sending a shiver of unease down her spine. With a lump in her throat, he whispered something in her ear.

"Don't ever touch that portrait again," he let go of her hand roughly and took the photo from her, placing it back on the desk.

"You scared me," Brixlee replied calmly, masking her shaken state.

Nathan took his seat, and shortly after, Tyler walked in.

"Good morning, everyone!" he exclaimed, announcing his presence.

"Why does he have to be so loud?" Brixlee muttered to herself, but unfortunately, Tyler overheard. "Deal with it," he retorted, and she smirked.

"So, Nathan, what are we working on today?" Tyler asked, taking a seat nearby.

Nathan cleared his throat. "I've been meaning to call a meeting, but thank God you're here. We have a presentation tomorrow for an investor, possibly someone we know, but still..." Nathan explained, waiting for their response.

"And who is it?" Brixlee asked, intrigued.

"Mrs. Jessica Torres," Nathan replied, and they all expressed surprise.

Brixlee didn't know many celebrities or wealthy individuals, but Mrs. Jessica Torres was her role model. The elderly woman had achieved remarkable success as the founder and owner of one of the country's largest investment companies. Brixlee had always admired her from afar, often watching her on TV.

"What? Jessica Torres? The founder of the biggest investment company in the country? She is..." Tyler interrupted Brixlee before she could finish.

"We know all that," he snarked, giving her a glare. Then he turned to Nathan. "But isn't she Xavier's grandmother?" Tyler asked Nathan.

Nathan clenched his fists. "Well... technically, yeah..."

"I thought you said you didn't want anything to do with Xavier?" Tyler questioned, his eyes imploring. Brixlee wasn't sure what they were talking about.

"Can someone explain what's happening here?" she interjected loudly, and Tyler fell silent.

"Well... Xavier is someone I dislike for personal reasons. He's the CEO of one of the fastest-rising modeling companies in Texas. His grandma owns an investment company, and I'm trying to get her to invest in the new smart patch we're launching," Nathan explained.

"Why not ask Xavier to put in a good word for you with his grandma?" Brixlee chimed in, and Tyler scoffed.

"They're arch-enemies, remember? Try to keep up, Brix," Tyler mocked her with a straight face.

"Well, since you seem to know it all, then you should know when to shut up," Brixlee snapped, a smirk on her face.

"Brixlee is so annoying I could just..." Nathan interrupted Tyler.

"That's enough, guys!" Nathan said firmly, his anger mounting.

"Now, where were we?" Brixlee asked, smirking at Tyler, and he returned the smirk.

"Well... we need to prepare a top-notch presentation for her tomorrow. I hope you both understand?" Nathan remarked, and they nodded in agreement.

He handed a file to Tyler. "Make 20 copies of these and bring them here," Nathan instructed him. Tyler took the file and left, shooting Brixlee a dirty look. They simply couldn't stand each other.

.

.

Lunchtime arrived, and Brixlee had been working on the presentation alongside Nathan. She was now famished. She stood up slowly, intending to go to the cafeteria, but Nathan stopped her.

"Where are you going?" he asked in a calm tone.

"To the cafeteria. I'm super hungry," Brixlee replied, her stomach rumbling audibly.

"We have a lot of work to do, and you're worried about food?" Nathan's voice rose in volume. "I... I thought I could just..."

"Whatever, sit! I'll call the cafeteria to bring your food up here," he said, and Brixlee beamed with delight.

Nathan dialed the phone, and Brixlee hurriedly went to him to take the call. She placed her order and hung up, smiling as she returned to her seat.

A soft knock on the door interrupted them. It was Tyler. He peered inside and then entered. "Great, Tyler's here," Brixlee remarked sarcastically.

"Like I'm happy to see your face!" Tyler retorted with a scoff.

He walked over to the extra chair beside Nathan and sat down.

"I'm hungry!" he exclaimed loudly.

"You didn't have to announce it," Brixlee replied, trying to annoy him.

"This is why I don't like you," Tyler implied, rolling his eyes.

"And I don't like you either!" Brixlee responded, raising her voice.

"Your voice is annoying."

"It's said that when a guy constantly picks on a girl, it means he has a crush on her," Brixlee claimed, and Tyler frowned.

"I'm not picking on a girl; I'm picking on you!"

"Will you guys cut it out?!" Nathan snapped, putting an end to their bickering.

"He... she started it!" they both chorused simultaneously.

The food arrived shortly after, and Brixlee sat down to eat. Tyler pulled his chair closer to her table and sat facing her.

"Let's eat," he said, savoring the sight of the food with his eyes.

"I don't want to argue with you... just eat if you want," Brixlee replied dryly, digging into her meal.