Charlie

Charles

My mood was very sour.

I think sour was an understatement at how I felt right now. My day had started off rough when my mother had called me again. I already told her to stop contacting after the thing that happened between us like three years ago.

She called me to set me up with one of her friend's children again like that was not what caused us to have a fallout in the first place.

"Mr Emmett, your next meeting is in a few minutes. Five minutes to be precise. And they are in the conference room already." The blonde lady who I can't seem to remember her name said to me, and I nodded stifly.

I've switched so much secretaries, I can't place their names any longer. They all had one hidden agenda or the other. It was either they wanted to sleep with me or wanted to garner information about my company, which, I caught them from the get go.

"I'll be with them shortly." I said to her and she left. This one seemed like a decent human being. And she does not have any skeleton in her closet as I told my friend who was a top PI to look into her. She did her work diligently.

My phone rang and I picked it up, looking at the caller Id. Speaking of the devil. I swiped to answer it,

"Hey, man. What's up?" He said in his ever so annoying voice.

"I have a meeting in three minutes, what do you want?" I grumbled out as I picked up a file from my table and headed out of the office.

"Good afternoon to you too my friend. Aren't you so grumpy today? Hmm?"

"Why did you call, Kaden?" I said.

"Yeah, straight to the point. Okay, here is the thing. I'll be flying into NY later today and I want us to meet up."

"Is it important?"

He gruntled, "Well, it is important. We need to talk."

"I'm not interested in listening to your escapades. Talk to you later." I said and dropped his call, even though I knew he still wanted to say something.

He had too much free time for someone that claimed to work twenty four seven. As much as I wanted to do away with him, I knew I couldn't.

We met at Oxford university. We were roommates in our first year. We had a fight first because he brought back too many girls back into the room, but later worked it out. Then we bacame best friends later. We moved out together in our second year and since then, we've literally been inseparable.

He's been a huge help to me and I to him. That time when I was looking for Gwen, he really…

I stopped myself before I went too far. Not again. I don't want to ruin my mood since I had a meeting to attend right now. And thoughts of her put me in a sour mood every single time.

Pushing the door of the conference room open, I walked in and saw two people sitting, whom I assumed where from the clothing line that we needed.

This was one of the reasons my mother had been calling me. Normally, anything that was related to fashion and all that was always from my mother's clothing line. It's been so since my dad ran the company.

But since our fallout, I decided to stop it and mainly because there was no life in her designs anymore. I didn't like them.

Not her designs specifically, I knew they were from the people that worked for her. She's already dry. She only had her brand name. It was during the time that Gwen still worked for her…..

I grunted and pulled myself out of the thoughts. I was in a bad mood already. I just knew it.

The lady from the company I could not seem to remember displayed the designs they had and gave her presentation. I liked them immediately.

But the issue came when I discovered the other partner was not around.

"How do you expect me to sign a contract when only one partner is on ground?" I said sternly.

"This is no big deal, Mr Emmett. My boss is busy, that is why she could not show up. Since I'm here right now, I sign, get the contract to her and she signs. No biggie." She replied, not batting an eyelash as she spoke to me.

Well, that's new. Normally, people were mostly afraid to talk to me. Both men and woman. Women who want to sleep with me were the only ones who could hold my gaze.

But this one had a business like look to her and she was not interested in me. That did not deter me though from my point.

"I don't do business like that, Miss..?"

"Brooks. Miss Brooks, Mr Emmett."

"Miss Brooks. I like your stuff, but there will not be any continuation if I don't see the other person I'll be working with."

Looking at her properly now, I think she's nervous. More reason to meet this so called other partner.

She looked at me for a while before nodding.

"There is no way she'll be making it today. How about we reschedule the meeting?"

"There is no need for that," I waved my hand at her. "I can make time and go to your office." I said and looked at my watch. "I'm free for the whole day."

I looked up at her and the other guy that came with her. She had a blank expression on her face.

"Fine. Let's go." She said. She was hiding something.

*********

I walked into the building with my assistant and the lawyer that was reviewing the contract and one other guy. Probably an intern.

It was a building consisting of some floors and it looked cool and sophisticated enough. With large portraits of models hung up on the wall.

The place was busy as Miss Brooks had acclaimed.

"Sorry for the commotion. We have a show lined up so everyone is busy." She said in a clipped tone.

I nodded and said nothing.

We got into the elevator and she pressed on the seventh floor. The atmosphere in the elevator was kind of tense. The doors opened and we stepped into the floor.

This place was more silent and cool. The people moving around were dressed officially and everyone where minding thier business.

"This way, please." A lady came and pointed us to room where to go.

As soon as I stepped in, I knew something was wrong. I examined the room, impressed with what I saw. Looking professional and all.

I stuck my hands into my pockets as I continued into the room.

My whole world tilted around its axis as soon as my eyes fell in her.

My nemesis.

The woman behind my mystery.

What in the seven heavens was she doing here? She could not be the second partner, right?

I knew I was staring at her. Hard. If I might add. She had a blank expression on her face so I could not figure out what was going on in her head.

She looked…..well, prettier.

Where the fuck had she been all this time? Kaden had never failed in finding someone before. When he could not figure out how to find her, I thought he was joking.

So she had been in NY the entire time? Under my freaking nose.

Now, I knew why Miss Brooks was hesitant about me coming to this place. She definitely knew about our history. There was no denying that.

She did well for herself, if she was thee one that owned this business. I sudden feeling of pride brooded in my belly, which I immediately killed.

She is the woman that I loathed.

One that basically ruined me for anyone else.

She rendered me powerless for years.

I hated her.

"Hello, Mr Emmett." Her voice sent shivers down my spine. She didn't sound anything like the woman I used to know. Her voice more deeper along side of all the features she had.

Of course she was the second partner.

I raked my eyes all over her, schooling the loom I had on my face. She looked more curvier, and her long legs complemented her beauty.

Fuck.

I wasn't supposed to think of her in this manner.

Looking at the hand she stretched out to me for handshake, I flinched inwardly.

I was going to touch her.

After all these years. That I have yearned for her. In the nights that I have clutched to my pillows tightly in my arms, sometimes hoping she was the one. Now, I was going to touch her, and not in the circumstances that I ever expected.

Not to seem unprofessional, I gripped her hand in a firm handshake. Her palms were soft. Just like I remembered.

"Hello. Miss…?" I trailed off, hoping she'd answer me. Though I know her name by heart, but I behaved like I didn't.

No slipping.

"Shivers, Mr Emmett." She said stifly, which would go unnoticed by anyone that was in the room, but not me.

The slightest change in her, I'd know.

Few minutes later, we were settled in. I didn't know how I kept it together throughout the meeting. I was looking at her all through. If anyone noticed this, no one pointed it out.

I also noticed that the intern that came with my lawyer was looking at her. Like, staring at her like he was interested in her. His ear picked every word she said, like he understood them. I was fuming inside.

In less than hour, the meeting was wrapped up and the contract was signed by both party. In the process of passing the file to her after signing, my hand brushed hers and I felt spark go all the way up to my head.

I was not supposed to feel this way towards her. After the everything was closed off, she was talking with my secretary and the intern. I was angry.

Pissed even.

I knew she was avoiding to speak to me. How could she? She didn't have the right to avoid me. Not like I was eager to talk about what happened between us in the past. And that was because it was in the past.

She should feel remorseful or even afraid that she was around me. But she was the opposite. If she was afraid at all, she did a good job hiding it.

"Miss Shivers, can I see you for a second?" I said loudly without a second thought.

What am I doing?

I didn't even know what I was going to say to her if she came. She looked at me like I had two heads and I furrowed my brows at her. Something like fear passed her eyes and I smirked.

Finally, a reaction from her.

As she walked towards me, I looked at her. More like stared at her. That used to be my woman, I thought. The sway in her hips that used to be slight was now more elaborate. She was more than what I had imagined.

She was standing right in front of me so I could look at her face properly. She had no makeup on.

Just like I used to like it.

Her lips fuller and her eyes more rounder. My eyes stalked to her stomach that carried my child once and all the hatred I had for her suddenly came rushing back.

"I expect nothing less than the best from you. Anything less, this contract is off." I said in a harsh voice which I almost immediately regretted if not for the defiant look on her face.

"No worries, Mr Emmett. This is a small thing for me to deal with." She was taunting me. She held my gaze as she continued talking and I summoned all the energy I had not to look at her lips.

"You'll get my best, if that is what you want." She said in a equally matching tone.

"My secretary will send you the remaining details you need."

"I'll look forward to it, Mr Emmett."

"Stop fucking calling me Mr Emmett." I hissed out in a low voice. To be honest, it pissed me off more than anything.

"What should I call you then?" She said in a very low voice that if I didn't know better, I'd say she was trying to seduce me. She was so close to me right now, I could smell her hair wash.

"Charles? Charlie? Hmmm?" That did it.

I was going to explode in her face when the fucking intern had to interrupt, saying it was time for us to go. I wished I had my gun with me right now. It would have been best to shoot him dead. And I would not have thought twice before doing it.

"This isn't over." I gritted my face together and walked out of the room in long strides.

She called me Charlie.

After all these damned years.

She fucking called me Charlie.