Chapter 3

Suddenly he started to laugh , " got ya". He winked at me before continue. "I am just joking, you are new here so its fun to tease you anyway, Let me guess, he bought the company where you worked too? And now you have to work extra hard to save your job, while so many of your colleagues have already lost theirs?"

"Kind of..."

"That's predictable. It's his favorite hobby - buying smaller companies and making people unemployed. Too easy to guess. Anyways, I can't trust that receptionist of his anymore. Please give me your number. I'd like to confirm it with you next time I have a meeting. If there is a next time with him, that is."

"My number? Uh, okay."

I gave it to him.

"And I should save it as...?"

"Crystal."

"Crystal. What a sweet name."

"Should i help you with anything else..."

"No need." He got up. "I'm as busy as Landon. Please tell him to keep his attitude in check. He might have lost his head because he accumulated so much wealth in such a short amount of time, but he has to know that messing with me is dangerous. It was a pleasure meeting you, Crystal," he gave me a once-over. "I hope to see you more in the future." With that, he left.

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"Why isn't he picking up his phone?" I kept dialing Landon, but he wouldn't pick up. It was late already. I cursed him in my mind and collapsed on the sofa. I took my shoes off and rubbed my feet. I hated heels, but they had become part of my dress code.

"I guess I'll just wait for you here." I pulled my feet up and made myself comfortable. It was a mistake because the next minute my eyes closed shut, and I conveniently became a part of the dreaming realms.

The same scene repeated for what felt like the umpteenth time in my head. I was in a dark room full of smoke, and in front of me, Landon was tied up and about to get burned. I searched for anything to save him, but I found a lighter in my hand.

"Did I cause the fire?" I looked in front and found Landon screaming and burning.

"Landon!" I shouted as I jumped up. I looked around and found myself on the same sofa in his office. He was seated at his chair, looking at me with an eyebrow raised. I looked down at my lap, and there was his coat. He had probably used it to cover me. The thought of being in such a vulnerable position while he was here made me uncomfortable. Most of the lights had been switched off, and the office was semi-dark, making me even more aware of the tension between us.

"How long was I here?" I asked in a sleepy voice, rubbing my eyes and suppressing the urge to yawn.

"I don't know about that, but I arrived two hours ago." He fixed his eyes back on the laptop.

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

He didn't answer. God, this guy could drive me mad like anything. I stood up, put on my heels, and started towards the door.

"Stay where you are," he said, still not looking at me.

As I turned back, I saw him looking at me with a piercing gaze. I felt a chill down my spine. It was hard to tell what he was thinking, but it was clear that he was hiding something. I wondered what other secrets he had that were waiting to be uncovered.

"I need to go home," Crystal said, her voice heavy with exhaustion.

"It's 2 am, where would you find a cab at this hour?" Landon replied, concern etched on his face.

"My apartment is at walking distance from here," she explained.

"Walking is not safe at this hour, either," Landon pointed out.

Crystal felt a bitter thought cross her mind but refrained from speaking it out loud, "Why do you care? In your mind, I have already messed around with every guy from my city. Why do you care if someone mugs me, rapes me, or kills me?" Instead, she simply said, "I can take care of myself."

Landon shook his head, "What you need to take is a seat. I will finish this in half an hour and then I will drop you off myself."

Crystal thought about how Landon was no different from the other men she had been with. "And how are you better than any of those men out there? You want to hurt me, too; only your methods are different," she mused silently. But she didn't say it out loud, instead silently went back to the sofa and sat down.

Landon, still focused on his laptop, asked, "So, what happened, Crystal? You applied for a loan your firm offered, five times in a row. What was it that you wanted the money so badly for? Wedding? Honeymoon? A trip to some other foreign country where you could play with feelings of some other guy and leave him just like that?"

Crystal's mind was screaming with the pain of falling for Landon and getting nothing in return. "I never tried to make you fall for me. And all I got out of falling for you was misery," she thought. But she kept quiet and replied, "I think it's my personal matter."

Landon continued to taunt her, "Okay, if you are too ashamed of speaking about your failures I won't bring it up. So pathetic. No wonder you're still single. I guess every guy other than me can see right through you in the very first meeting."

Crystal felt a lump form in her throat as she fought back tears. "Keep insulting me, Landon. It's only six months. I was hoping you could do all you can. After all, after that, I will never see this beautiful but evil face of yours because now I know who you indeed are," she thought. "Break me, Landon, because it will hurt less when both of us are broken."

"Let's go," Landon said, getting up and turning his back to her.

Crystal winced, knowing she would have to help him put on his coat. As she touched his shoulder, her heart raced with the intimacy of the act. She wondered if it could have been like this every day if she had stayed with him five years ago, minus all the negative tension between them.

Landon took her hand and they walked out of the building, the streets deserted and eerie.

I looked down at our entwined hands, feeling conflicted. His hand was warm, but his heart felt cold and distant. As we reached his car, silence lingered between us. We drove in silence, and before I knew it, we arrived at my apartment.

"Thank you for the ride," I said, feeling guilty for the distance between us. He didn't respond, and as I got out of the car, I couldn't help but wonder if things could ever go back to how they used to be.

"Would you like to come inside for...a coffee or something?" I offered, hoping to talk about our past,bet. A mischievous smile crept onto his face,

"That depends on what that something is." I rolled my eyes at his response, unsure of what to make of it. "See you tomorrow," I said as I turned to walk up to my apartment. As I glanced out the window, I noticed his car still parked outside, long after I had gone inside. Was he waiting for me?