Six

May’s POV

As I rushed through the sleek, polished corridors of the building, my mind raced with guilt, hoping I was able to achieve what I was here for. Asher’s business deal falling through while I was occupied in that job interview left a sour taste in my mouth. 

It was my fault; I should have been there to support him like I had always done. So, I took it upon myself to rectify the situation.

As I sat in the reception area waiting to see the head of the company, all I could do was think about what I was going to say. 

“Ms. Campbell! You can go in now.” The secretary’s voice interrupted my thoughts. It’s Mrs. Campbell, I wanted to say, but I kept the corrections to myself. 

Nodding, I stood up and said. “Thank you!” 

Walking briskly to the door of the office, I stood before the imposing door, my heart pounding with nerves and resolve. Taking a deep breath, I knocked, and waited to hear the response to come in, hoping for a chance to explain and salvage Asher’s deal.

I was glad the man was even seeing me without a prior appointment. I had only barely found out what company it was Asher had been trying to get a deal from, and his secretary had been reluctant to tell me, but thank goodness I got it out of her. It was why I wanted to take it as a sign that I would be able to do what I came here to do.

A man was seated behind the desk, as I walked in. He had a small frown marred his face as he stared at the paper in front of him. He raised his head when he heard me come in. 

When he looked up at me, I was surprised at how young and handsome the man was. I could see he was tall even though he was sitting down, almost as tall as Asher. He had very similar intense gray eyes Asher had, but where Asher exuded raw masculinity with his tall, broad-shouldered frame that suggested strength and power, with chiseled features that adorned his square-jawed face, this man possessed a boyish charm that effortlessly drew people in. 

His disarming eyes shimmer with warmth, framed by long lashes that seemed almost out of place on a man. He must be older than Asher, but he wasn’t the old man she thought she was meeting.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Keith.” I greeted as I walked to him, and he pointed to one of the chairs in front of his desk. 

Taking that as an invitation to sit down, I did just that. 

“Hello, Ms. Campbell. Please, call me Gary. What brings you here today?” The man said as he dropped the pen in his hand to focus on me.

“It’s regarding a deal that Asher Campbell, the CEO of Campbell Imports, was pursuing with your company. Regrettably, I’ve learned that we encountered some challenges regarding the perception of our company’s image, particularly in relation to the values your company holds regarding family.”

Gary squinted his eyes as if searching his brain, then he nodded. “Ah, Asher, yes. He left quite a good impression, but what you pointed out wasn’t the only reason regarding the deal falling through. It’s a shame things didn’t progress as planned.”

Tell that to my dear husband. “Well, I’m hoping for another opportunity to present our proposal and address any concerns your team might have.” I said, hoping he might give that a thought.

Gary smiled, and then he pushed back in his chair. “I appreciate you doing this, Ms. Campbell. However, I’m afraid the decision-making process is quite complex on our end. I’ll take your proposal into consideration, but I can’t promise anything at this point. I hope you know that, but I’ll let you know if there’s anything.” He said.

After thanking him, I walked out of his office and out of the building, hailing a taxi to take me to Asher’s office. I was going to tell him what Mr. Keith had told me and hopefully, it would pan out in a good way. 

As I stopped in front of Asher’s building, I got out, and paid the taxi, running up the steps to the entrance. By the time I got to his office, I was panting a little bit. 

I walked to the secretary’s table and with a small smile, I asked her if Asher was in. 

“Oh yes! He just got back from a meeting a while ago.” She told me. 

“Thank you.” I said, and then I walked to his office, knocking a couple of times before pushing the door open.

Asher was standing by the window when I walked in, his back to me. He turned to look over his shoulder at me, surprise in his eyes as he saw me. 

He walked away from the window to walk to me, he strode with a confident gait, exuding raw masculinity, and I just couldn’t help but drool mentally. He had a five o’clock shadow on his face, but it made him look even hotter. 

“Stop drooling, May!” I told myself so that I could focus on why I was here.

Before he could catch me staring like some hungry woman looking at food, and asked me what I was doing in his office, I spoke. “Hi. I came to talk to you about something!” 

He said nothing, just looking at me with those eyes that was my undoing from the moment we met.

“I… I had a meeting with Mr. Keith today,” I began, my voice hesitant. “It was about the deal, the one you had wanted from his company.”

Asher’s eyes flickered with a trace of curiosity, but his demeanor remained stern, still saying nothing.

“I went there to try to get back the deal,” I continued when he said nothing still, my voice tinged with remorse. “I felt guilty, Asher. I know it was my fault I couldn’t accompany you, and you had to take someone else. I wanted to make things right.”

At those words, Asher’s expression hardened. His jaw clenched visibly, his eyes flashing with a sudden surge of anger, or at least, that was what I thought I saw.

“May, what were you thinking?” Asher’s voice was low, edged with fury. “Going to beg Gary Keith to salvage a deal I lost? Do you realize what you’ve done? You’ve humiliated me!”

Frowning, I recoiled slightly, startled by his reaction. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you, Asher. I just wanted to fix my mistake and help you.”

“Help me?” Asher scoffed, raking his hand through his hair as he paced the room. “This wasn’t about helping me, May. It was about you overstepping your boundaries, making decisions without asking. I never told you to do that, did I?”

At his words, my heart sank as I realized his anger. I had only hoped to mend the rift caused by the lost deal, but instead, I had worsened matters.

“I’m sorry, Asher,” I murmured, my voice laced with regret. For a moment, I hated that I had gone to see that man, but then, I’ve been doing everything wrong for a while now, to Asher.

Asher turned to look at me, his expression telling me I had done the worst. “You’re just so…” he trailed off, probably deciding against what it was he wanted to say, then he said. “Just go home, May. Do us both a favor and leave before I say something you’re going to hate me for.”

Ashamed, even though all I had tried to do was help, I left his office, feeling a sense of deja vu at the way I was leaving this building again this time.