“Mr. Davis, how does it feel falling from grace to grass, and then climbing back to the top again, all in a year?” A reporter asked.
This was the fifth time that she had to repeat her question, and yet Liam couldn't find the right words to answer.
For a while, he sat there, looking like a fool. After a second of intense thinking, he then took in a deep breath before forcing a smile on his lips.
“Good, I guess.” Liam awkwardly said.
“So how did you raised in the business sector this quickly?” Another reporter shouted.
Liam took a long stare at the journalist before looking away. Then he entangled his fingers together as he rested them on the desk.
“Where
The week went by naturally, and the first light of dawn met Carmen and Liam in bed on Sunday.She spent the entire night buried in his arms, and now that morning had arrived, Carmen's worries were running about in her head the moment she opened her eyes.She hoped that this day wouldn't come. But now that it was here, Carmen knew that she had to face it. Yet a part of her which it wasn't so.“Morning,” Liam mumbled.The instant Carmen heard his voice, she squeezed her eyes shut and held back her breath.“I will get breakfast started.” Liam calmly said.Then he slowly withdrew his hand from beneath Carmen before getting out of bed.She then slowly opened her eyes and intensely stared at his broad shoulder and back as Liam wore his shirt.“Today…” Carmen mumbled.“I know,” Liam muttered.He then turned around, and with a soft smile on his lips, he reached down and kissed Carmen on her head before gazing deep into her eyes.
“So…” Dax mumbled with his eyes focused on the road.Since their little conversation at the door, Carmen had not uttered a word to Dax, and the silence was getting a bit too awkward for him to handle.“How have you been?” Carmen absentmindly asked.“Good, good... How about you?” Dax replied while feeling more like a fool.“I have been okay.”“That's amazing.”Carmen turned her focus to the windshield and stared at the dull night sky. She then gently breathed to reduce the tension in her chest.“Yeah, it is,” Carmen mumbled.Dax thought to find his next statement, and yet his mind felt blank, leaving him struggling with his thought.“It's been a long time since we interacted.” Dax abruptly mumbled after a minute when by.“Yeah,” Carmen muttered.There was silence again for about another two minutes.
For a while, the dinner table was peaceful with everyone focusing on their food. But when the meal was over and it was tea time, Carmen knew that the silence was about to cease.“Carmen and Dax, you guys should look after each other since both of you are neighbors.” Mrs. Smith said with a broad smile on her lips.Carmen kept silent as she sipped her tea, making sure that she didn't make eye contact with anyone.“I will do my best,” Dax said, trying to break the awkward silence in the room.“Oh my! He's such a gentleman. Isn't he, Carmen?” Mrs. Smith stated with her eyes gazing at her daughter.Carmen paused for a moment with the teacup pressed against her lips. Then she let out a soft sigh.“Yes mother, he is,” Carmen mumbled without staring away from her cup.Feeling frustrated about her daughter's attitude, Mrs. Smith firmly gazed at her husband.Roman got the hint, but he felt like he should stay out of such a sensitive matter
“How was your dinner?” Liam mumbled without taking his eyes off Carmen.There was tension in the atmosphere and both of them felt it. But their expression remained calm as they buried their feelings behind their emotionless faces.“Why were you sitting in the dark again?” Carmen asked as she broke eye contact with Liam.She then headed over to the dresser, and with trembling hands, Carmen started wiping the makeup off her face.Even though she was striving her best not to show the tears that she was hiding behind her calm eyes, Carmen couldn't restrain the hopelessness that squeezed her heart.All the while she was cleaning off her makeup, she was waiting on Liam to say something. But for almost six minutes, he said nothing.After another two minutes, Carmen dropped the wipe on the dresser. Then she turned around and gazed at Liam carefully staring at her.“This is the twentieth time in a year that
Carmen woke up on Monday to Liam's side of the bed empty and a note on the nightstand.“Breakfast is on the table. Don't forget to eat it. I love you. P.S I made sure Dax left for work first before I did, so don't worry your pretty head.”Carmen dropped the paper on the bed with a sigh. Then she got out of bed and headed into the bathroom.“Why did he have to leave all these marks? I guess tutle-neck it is for today.” Carmen mumbled as she stared at the bite marks on her neck.Then her mind recalled last night, and her lips curved into a soft smile.“Why was she so wild?” Liam whispered as he gazed at the scratches on his wrist.He then hastily covered the scars with his shirt sleeve when he heard his office door open.“Good morning, buddy.” Dax cheerfully said as he sat down.“What do you want?” Liam calmly asked.“I will be taking a personal trip two weeks from now. Can you handle things here until I get back?”
The moment Chester saw Carmen walking towards him, a bright smile appeared on his lips. But it took a split second for his expression to become serious.“Good morning, boss,” Chester said as he stood to his feet.However, Carmen silently walked past him without looking his way, and the entire time, Chester held his breath until he heard her slammed her office door shut.“Oh my God, that was terrifying. Boss's eyes looked so cold.” Chester mumbled as he took his seat.Staring at the paper on her desk, Carmen angrily dropped her purse on it while struggling not to lose her sanity. But she felt so mad that she couldn't control herself.“It could be another Liam. He promised that he wasn't in communication with Ali.” Carmen mumbled.However, the negative thoughts crowding her mind won't allow her to believe her statement, so she paced back and forth, fighting against her desire to call Liam.It took only ten seconds for Carmen to lose the fight.
Time seemed to stop as the colors faded away, abandoning Carmen with blur images as tears swelled up in her eyes.For a while, she didn't take her sight off Liam and neither did he.“Are you okay, dear?” Dax asked in concern when he noticed the single drop of a tear rolling down Carmen's cheek.She hastily sniffed back her cry, wiped her face, and stared at Dax with a cheerful smile on her lips even though she was startled to see him.
At nine o'clock, Carmen drove into the parking lot of Ocean Sky Resort. Then she gazed into the distance, with a faraway expression on her face before squeezing her eyes shut while repressing her tears.“Will he be here?” Carmen whispered as she rested her head on the steering wheel.A while later, Carmen heard a tap on her windshield. But she felt hesitant to lift her head. However, after the third knock, she slowly sat up and stared at her car window.When her eyes rested on Liam smiling at her, the tears that had been caged finally broke loose and gently trail down her face.Carmen didn't know what she expected. But she didn't anticipate that Liam’s eyes would lit up, his mouth would quiver at the corners, and his face would glow when he saw her.Liam passionately gazed at Carmen while opening the car door. Then he reached for her hand and drew her out of the car before pulling her into his arms.“You came,” Carmen mumbled.“I did. You sa