016: How Long?

Alexander's POV

Although my blood was boiling, I remained calm, maintaining a steady smile as I continued my discussion with Rose. One thing was certain, and that was the fact that I was never going to work with her establishment no matter how much they had to offer. She had crossed a line, and I didn't care if she didn't know that Heather was my wife or not. Her reaction was simply too abrasive, and was not one that I could condone.

With a smile on her face, Rose reached for my hand on the table and squeezed it gently. "I'm glad you can walk again, perhaps we can celebrate over dinner tonight?" Rose offered, squeezing Alexander's hands a bit tighter.

I pulled my hand away gently but firmly, my smile faltering just enough to let her know I wasn’t interested. “I appreciate the offer, Rose, but I’ll have to decline. My schedule is already packed.”

Her smile tightened, but she didn’t let it drop. “You’re always so busy, Alexander. Surely you can spare a little time for an old friend. Especially one who came all this way to see you.” Her tone was laced with feigned sweetness, but the edge in her words was impossible to miss.

"I wish I could, but it's not feasible, at least not yet. There's a lot to do and there's barely time. Perhaps another time?" I suggested with a smile, one that had been able to convince Rose.

She got up from her seat and walked to where I sat. Then with a bright smile, she pressed a kiss on my cheek. "I'll be waiting for your call then. Consider my offer too, I'm certain we'll have the best time as partners."

I mirrored the smile on her face, rising to my feet to return the gesture on her cheek as well. "I'm certain as well. I'll have my team send you a follow up message as soon as possible. Thank you for coming, Rosaline—"

"Call me Rose, there's no need for formalities between us, Alex." She interjected sharply, batting her eyes seductively.

I chuckled softly, masking my discomfort. "Of course, Rose. Thank you again for your time."

She lingered for a moment, her gaze sweeping over me like a predator sizing up its prey. “Don’t keep me waiting too long, Alex. I’m not known for my patience.”

With that, she finally turned and strutted out of the room. I breathed a sigh of relief the moment she left the room. It had been a long two hours with her, and it was exhausting dealing with people like her.

After taking the last sip out of my tea cup, I left the room to find Heather as quickly as I could. To make the act we had put on believable, it was probably best to avoid giving her preferential treatment. However, Rose had gone too far, and I needed to make sure that she wasn't hurt in any way. I had held myself back from retaliating too much, and I didn't want Heather to interpret that as me not caring for her.

"Heather..." I called out to her the moment we crossed paths in the hallway. "Can I talk to you in private?"

"Yes sir." She replied formally. I flashed her a little smile before turning to lead the way to our bedroom. The walk was a silent one, neither of us spoke until we had reached the room and locked the door.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I should’ve stepped in sooner and stopped her from acting the way she did" I said, my voice heavy with guilt. "I understand if you don't want to continue with this act. I could find another way to make things work—"

"It's fine, I'm perfectly fine with what I'm doing right now. I knew things like this would happen, so it's not a big deal" Heather interrupted calmly, a small, strained smile playing at the corner of her lips. "Besides, it was my fault, I should have been more careful—"

“That doesn’t excuse the fact that she went too far. I just don't want you to feel like I don't care ,Heather. I owe my life to you at this point, and I want you to understand that you'll always be my top priority,” I said as I slowly covered the distance between us. I reached out and cupped her cheek before massaging it lightly with my thumb. It was still red from the slap, but it wasn't swollen. "I don't want to see you hurt."

Heather didn't reply, and the look in her eyes wasn't the one I wanted to see. There was doubt in there, fear, and it hurt me seeing that in her eyes. She didn't believe my words, and she couldn't even stand to look me in the eye anymore. Slowly, she pulled away from my touch, putting a little distance between us.

"I'm fine this way, there's no need for you to be worried..." Heather said with a slight stammer. She turned towards the door hastily, determined to leave as quickly as possible. "I should get back to work—"

She hadn't finished when I grabbed her and pulled her back gently. Something was clearly bothering her, and I was certain that it wasn't just the slap.

"Don't run away from me, Heather. Tell me what's on your mind?" I urged her softly. She didn't reply for a minute. She took her time to control her breath before finally turning to meet my gaze.

"How long will it take before you toss me aside?" She asked and I felt my blood run cold.

"What?!" I returned, alarmed by her words. "What are you talking about—"

"I see the way everybody looks at you, and I know you enjoy the attention and everything. You have a reputation, Alex, and I'm sure you know that. I know I shouldn't be asking you this, I probably don't matter, after all I am nothing more than a property—" Heather paused to sniffle back tears. Her body was trembling, her words felt deeper than anything she's ever said before. "Those ladies are wealthy.... they're better...looking than I am. I can't help you in anyway, I just want to know how much time I have before you leave me for one of them—"

"Stop!" I yelled out, visibly appalled by the words I had just heard. How could she say that? Had it not been clear already that I loved her? "You shouldn't talk like that, isn't it obvious that I love—"

I paused for a moment, unsure of the words I was just about to utter. "—I care for you, Heather. So please don't ever think otherwise."

Heather nodded slowly, a sad smile crossing her face as she slipped away from my loose grip. "I understand. Thank you, Alex."

I watched as she left the room. I had been stupid, and Heather had caught onto my stupidity. But then again, I didn't want to tell her a lie. I did care for her, but love—love was a strong word, one that I couldn't throw around so easily.

The buzzing of my phone drew me away from my thoughts. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled the phone out to see an unrecognized number. It was probably from one of the agencies that wanted to hire me. I considered ignoring it, but changed my mind. I needed a distraction from what had just happened.

"Hello, Alex, it's been a while."

I froze the moment I heard the voice on the other end. There was no way I could forget it. It was the voice of the first woman I had ever loved.

"Cynthia?”