CHAPTER FOURTEEN

They stood there for a moment, longer than necessary, caught in the kind of silence that felt loud. Angelie was the first to glance away, trying to control her breathing. Her heart thumped like a drum in her chest, not because she was scared, but because this man had always had that effect on her.

Jeffery broke the silence first. "How are you, Angelie?"

His voice was low, but it sounded like a melody to her ears.

“I’m good,” she said, voice softer than she intended.

But she wasn’t. Not really. She hadn’t been good since the day she said "I do" to the wrong brother. Still, she didn’t want to seem weak, not in front of him.

Angelie couldn’t explain the sudden rush of nerves. She felt like sixteen again, standing before her secret crush. Jeffery always had a way of disarming her, reducing her to the shy, unsure girl who once spilled coffee on his expensive suit and blushed for three days straight.

“You came to see me… why?” she asked, finally meeting his eyes.

Jeffery hesitated for a heartbeat, then gave a slow, almost bitter smile. “Shouldn’t I visit my brother’s wife?”

The words struck her like tiny blades. “Brother’s wife.”

Each syllable felt like punishment.

Jeffery seemed to notice her flinch, and his expression softened. “Are you doing okay? Any difficulties?”

That question, so gentle, so thoughtful, sent a wave of warmth down her spine. He still cared. Her heart believed it even if her mind tried to deny it.

“I’m good… just trying to navigate through everything.”

They stood there again, silence creeping back in, more charged this time. She wanted to tell him how hard it had been. That she didn’t sleep without crying. That she hated the life she was living. That she still thought of him every night.

But she didn’t.

She didn’t say anything. She just watched him turn to walk back toward his car.

Jeffery paused halfway, then turned over his shoulder.

“If there’s anything you need… anything at all,” he said, locking eyes with her. “Let me know.”

With that, he opened the car door and stepped inside.

Angelie stood still as his car pulled away. Her chest rose and fell in slow, careful motions. She was basking in her quiet fairytale, a love story that never quite began, yet refused to die.

*********************************

Jeffery sat in the backseat, silence stretching thick between him and the driver. He didn’t speak. Didn’t move. Just looked out the window as the city passed him by.

He’d flown back from New York just for this, just to see her.

The leather interior around him was luxurious. He was looking at it like it would solve his emotional problem

He should’ve stayed away.

What was he thinking? That she’d run into his arms? That her marriage to Lucas a phase? A test?

It hurt more than he’d ever admit. Seeing her up close. Knowing she now belonged to someone else, his blood.

 Some things weren’t meant to be.

Or so they said.

Jeffery leaned his head back against the leather and closed his eyes.

He hadn’t told anyone, but he’d carried feelings for Angelie for years. From serving him coffee, from the first time she walked into Lu Corp, nervous and bright-eyed, to the rainy elevator night he could never forget.

But he’d waited too long.

And Lucas never waited.

******************************

Tim stood in front of the massive mahogany doors of Lucas’s office, a simple brown hoodie draped over his thin body. His jeans were old, clean, but worn. He looked pale, but still handsome. 

Lucas didn’t even look up when the door opened. “Well, look who we have here,” he said, leaning back in his chair, a glass of dark whiskey in one hand. “My favorite in-law.”

Tim didn’t smile. “I’m not here to crack jokes, Lucas.”

Lucas finally met his eyes. “You sure? That hoodie says otherwise.”

“I don’t care what you’re playing at. But leave my sister out of it.”

Lucas gave a mock gasp. “Is that how you thank the man who saved your life?”

“I’ll pay you back. Every dime. Every dollar. You’ll get it all.”

Lucas laughed. The kind of laugh that made your skin crawl.

“You? Pay me back? Tim, even if you took five jobs, your generation couldn’t afford that surgery.”

Tim’s fists clenched. “Don’t test me.”

Lucas stood up, slowly walking around the desk. “You’re a brave little thing. Must be the drugs talking.”

“Stay away from Angelie. She’s suffered enough.”

Lucas leaned in close, his voice low and poisonous. “She’s my wife now. She goes where I tell her, smiles when I need her to, and poses for photos.”

Tim’s jaw tightened. “You’re sick.”

“Says someone who is still living on drugs.”

Lucas straightened his jacket. “And you’re late to the game. Now get out of my office before I call security.”

Tim left, but not before giving him a look that promised this wasn’t over.

**************

At the Lu estate, Anita sat in Grandpa Lu’s study, blinking back fake tears.

“I just think I need to travel back,” she said, voice trembling. “I’ve tried to be nice, but no one likes me.  I’m been treated unfairly,. And Jeffery… he barely looks at me anymore.”

Grandpa Lu tapped his cane on the hardwood floor. “You’re saying you want to leave?”

“I don’t want to… but I feel invisible here. It’s like no one sees what I’ve given up.”

He sighed, not entirely convinced. “What do you want, Anita?”

“I want to feel needed again. Like I matter. Jeffery and I had something once. I just… I want a chance to get it back.”

“I know we were young then, but it was genuine. 

Grandpa Lu isn’t a man of many words, he prefers to convey his answers through action. he just gave her a gentle pat at the back.

********************

Meanwhile, at a luxury penthouse across town, Jeffery unlocked the door and stepped into his sleek, modern living room. He loosened his tie and dropped onto the leather couch with a sigh.

“Old man, are you trying to follow me everywhere I go?”

Grandpa Lu stood in the corner, a glass of scotch in hand.

“I know you wouldn’t come home after your fight with Amaya,” he said. “And yes, I heard you flew to New York, to see her.”

Jeffery didn’t deny it. “Are you stalking me now?”

He took a seat. “She’s your brother’s wife. Let her go. You had your time, and you played the coward card.”

Jeffery’s expression tightened.

He didn’t stop, “I always knew you liked her. But that brother of yours? He’s cunning, like his mother.”

Silence stretched between them.

Then Grandpa leaned forward, locking eyes with his grandson.

“When do you intend to announce your engagement?”