Chapter 4 :The Confrontation

"What?" I started as he straightened, his hands off my body just as immediately as he could.

"Why didn't you take my arm when you knew you couldn't do anything properly?" He asked with such utter disgust that made me lose the strength to argue with him.

"You're my bodyguard and not someone who's supposed to help me walk."

"Then do it properly instead of acting like you are already drunk when you didn't even have a sip." He said and I lost the appetite to move for another minute, my brows furrowing.

"As my bodyguard, you're not allowed to talk to me like that," I said before I walked away, wishing I hadn't said something like that to him. I had missed him, for six years I had longed for the warmth he brought to me.

He was Killian, the love of my life that I started dating far back when we were in college, right up to when I graduated and started my career as a supermodel six years ago. It was beautiful, our time was so beautiful until Max got involved in the whole thing. I paused in my tracks and turned to him; he was following from an ample distance, his eyes on me with such cold intensity.

I wanted to ask about my baby. The daughter I had six years ago with him but couldn't bring that up. But I wanted to badly know how she is and how big she had grown. Did she have his eyes or mine? I could remember vividly the way I had snuck out of the house just a month after the baby was born. He had made plans, we had already made plans for our marriage right after getting approval from his sick dad, only for me to disappear right in front of him in the middle of the night.

Rain was falling heavily that night, and I had walked the terrace along the asphalt like a mad woman, rain pattering over my skin but all I could hear was the loud cry of my newborn baby. I couldn't dare look back; she would be better off with a father like Killian. They won't need me after a while. I repeated it to myself until I saw Max's car parked at one juncture by the roadside, waiting for me.

He ran out of his car as he spotted me, holding an umbrella as he ran in the rain, wrapping me into his arms with the umbrella as a shield for me from the heavy drops.

"It's okay, you did the right thing. You did well coming to me, Sera. I will take care of you, I will give you the world and everything beneath it. I will make sure you become the most popular model in the industry and beyond. I will give you everything you want."

A shadow fell over me, cutting off my view of Killian. Max was there, sliding his hand over my waist and pulling me into a circle of wealthy men.

"Oh, Max! I thought you wouldn't make it tonight," one of his friends, a man named Julian, said. His eyes warmed as they landed on me. "And our beauty queen is here. Hello, queen." He took my hand and kissed it gently.

I squeezed out a fake smile, glancing at Max to see if he was angry or comfortable with the gesture. "Thank you," I murmured.

Max didn't seem to mind; he was already in his element, his chest puffed out.

"Business doesn't stop for a gala, Julian," Max said, signalling for a waiter to bring more drinks. "We’re closing the deal on the Hudson site by Monday."

"The Hudson project?" another man, Marcus, chimed in. He leaned forward, looking impressed. "I heard the budget for the foundation alone is hitting the eighty-million mark. That’s a massive skyscraper, Max. Are you sure the soil there can handle the weight of sixty floors?"

Max gave a confident nod. "We’ve already run the tests. My architects are the best in the country. We’re looking at a three-hundred-million-dollar total budget, but the return on those luxury penthouses will triple that in the first two years."

"I don't know," a third man, Thomas, said while swirling his drink. "The city council is being tight with the permits lately. They’re worried about the shadow the building will cast over the park."

"Money moves shadows, Thomas," Max replied with a cold smirk. "I’ve already factored a 'donation' into the project costs to ensure the permits are signed by Friday. It’s a foolproof plan."

"And the labour?" Marcus asked. "I heard the unions are stirred up about the safety protocols on high-rise jobs this year."

Max waved a hand dismissively. "I pay them enough to keep their mouths shut. If they want to work on a Thorne project, they follow Thorne rules. It’s as simple as that. We start clearing the lot next month."

"Bold as always," Julian laughed, clapping Max on the shoulder. "Well, if anyone can reshape the skyline, it’s you. Just make sure the 'Emerald Goddess' here gets the top-floor view." They said suddenly taking notice of me as they finally realized I've been here all this time.

"When are you guys gonna give us a baby that looks like your pretty queen?" Marcus said, his gaze dropping low to my stomach and I nearly choked on my drink which gave everyone a good laugh.

"Nervous?" Julian asked, "Aren't you tired of being a model yet? You don't want to ruin your body into having a child?"

"Leave my wife alone,”  Max said as he pecked my cheeks. "Are you okay?" He asked softly while I nodded my head. "We will have a child when we want to." He said lowering his mouth to my ear, "You can go mingle with other women, don't be bored around me. I hate when you put on that bored expression on your face." He said as his hand freed my waist, and I wandered away. I sat down on a couch nearby and crossed my legs. My eyes fixed on the wine glasses sitting on a tray. I decided to drink, one after another.

The alcohol hit fast, and old memories began to burn. "You should have married Eunice, the daughter of Hudson, instead of this white poor whore that think she's a queen who doesn't know how to take care of the house!" my mother-in-law's voice echoed in my mind.

My vision went blurry. Everything became a haze of lights and noise until I suddenly regained a bit of focus. I was sitting in the backseat of a car. Killian’s face was right next to mine, so close I could feel his warm breath on my skin.

How did I get here should've been my question but I knew that I must've been drunk enough for him to lead me away from the overloaded hall, then brought me here.

His eyes were looking into mine with a burning intensity and I reached out my two hands crossing over his neck.

"Killian, what are you doing here?"