Chapter Five

All lights are turned off at the law firm except for that corner where Preston was seated, staring blankly at his screen with a company's contract he has been trying to read for an hour now.

The sigh that just escaped his lips was a sign of conceding. The words on the screen didn't seem to make sense when his mind was elsewhere. It would be better to stop and rest now than waste his time. This isn't efficient at all.

"Of course, you're here again. First to go to work and last to go home."

Preston didn't have to look up to recognize the owner of her voice. When he did glance, even after seeing her face in the office all the time, Preston was still left mesmerized by how beautiful she looked. There he goes again, admiring her at the expense of his focus.

She sets the documents and folders in front of his table and places a plastic bag with takeout food.

"Why did you come back?"

He should know that she left earlier because Preston was following Lace with his eyes. Even when he doesn’t want to, his eyes will always linger on her more than what he deems acceptable.

He’s wrong, and he knows that. He can make empty promises to mind his own business, but even Preston has already gotten tired of arguing with himself. Hopelessly admitting to being lovesick over his own workmate.

"First of all, don't worry because I am not here to work. Unlike you, Attorney, I was eating outside and saw that the light in your office was on. I figured you’d still be here and ta-da!” Lace was smiling ear to ear. Her eyes already formed a thin line as her lips smiled adorably.

It was annoying for him because that expression only meant one thing.

As Lace was preparing Preston’s food, he grabbed her hand. He slightly lifts the ends of the sleeves of her jacket. Lace was taken aback. She didn't pull away but flinched visibly. Her hand started to shake against his touch.

Preston realized how wrong his action was. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he said over and over again. His voice was soothing, and his touch was gentle. It took a while for Lace to totally calm down. The fear went away in his eyes as Preston lightly pressed his lips against the bruises on her skin. "I'm sorry."

“Preston, please.”

“He hurt you again? "Right at that moment, he wanted to punch that bastard. Preston's life has always been about following the rules, and it seems like the heavens would like to test his limits. The line gets blurry when it's about the people that he really cares about. "That... that person you call your husband? Did he hurt you again? "

"Don't worry."

Lace managed to stop his outburst with just one sentence. Her calmness wasn’t natural. Preston knows that Lace was hurting. In this case, physically. The most natural reaction to pain is either to get angry or shed tears. He'd much rather see her cry than bottle everything up.

“I’m fine.”

“You’re not," he said firmly. “Please don't lie. At least, not to me.”

“I have it under control. Trust me.” She begged, but there was only silence on Preston’s part. Lace touched Preston's cheek. It was infuriating how her situation could infuriate him to the point of violence, and at the same time, Lace is the only person who can calm him down. "Preston, I need you to trust me."

He didn’t want to give up. Even when he had no energy left in his body, Preston wanted to throw punches until the guy would be knocked out dead. Why is he even surrounded by men who shouldn’t be calling themselves men? They couldn’t even do the bare minimum?

"Hey, calm down." Her voice sounded like a song. Toxic melody that he had no control but to listen to.

Preston wants to protect Lace. He badly wants to hold the hand that is in front of him. If it wasn't for that wedding ring on her finger, he would do more than sit in frustration.

If she'd let him, he'd do more.

“You didn’t have to drive me here. I can grab a cab.”

“You think I’m doing this for you? I’m doing this for myself, Lace. I couldn’t sleep a minute if I left you alone.”

Lace smiled. Her usual subtle but sincere smile. She was a puzzle that he couldn't solve. It’s been years since Preston has been trying to figure out if that shine from her eyes was out of love or something else. Maybe she loves him, or maybe she doesn't. There's no point in knowing the answer now when she already belongs to someone else.

“Thank you, Preston. But he is away. He couldn’t hurt me.”

“Are you sure?”

“I am. You think I’d let you drive me if I wasn’t? So, don’t worry, okay? All I wanted was to give you a meal. You're already so stressed with Nikolai. Now, I've become a burden too."

"You're never a burden, Lacie."

Hearing her old nickname for her made her face light up. "Thank you for saying that even when we both know it's not true."

“So, for your sake, leave him.”

She stayed silent. Preston never understood why she was staying in that prison called marriage. It has become an endless and repeated cycle of him offering to help and her telling him that everything's under control. By the looks of it, with those bruises, nothing's under control.

"Not right now. But I will. I'll leave him, Preston."

It was the first time that she said that. That she would leave his husband.

He stood frozen as Lace touched his cheek. "So, don't worry about me. Okay, maybe a little, but not too much."

Even with Lace’s assurance, Preston still has another person he’s worried about. Instead of driving home, he went to the place where Belle was staying, which he was able to figure out because of the tracker he placed on her bag the last time they saw each other.

Second on his to-do list can be throwing a second punch at Nikolai's face. Right now, he needs to know the story from his sister himself. Forget going back to how things were before. How is he supposed to look at his best friend and business partner’s friend knowing that he hurt his only family?

No. Never going to happen.

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.”

Right in front of his car were his sister and his so-called best friend talking. They might as well have fireworks in the background with those tears and stares.

Are these two still in love? What kind of feelings are lingering in this air of awkwardness?

Preston needs to find out. Fuck, privacy.

He pressed the horn and screamed at the both of them.

“Are you going to kill each other or are you going to make this work? "He asked, quite tempted to press the accelerator and hit Nikolai. His next action would depend on the answer he was about to hear. Things might make a turn, and by miracle work, who knows?