UNCONTROLLABLE PULL

CHAPTER SIX: UNCONTROLLED PULL

CASPIAN'S POV

The boardroom was quiet except for the voice of the man presenting at the front. He was talking about quarterly numbers, merger risks, and some new market opportunities in Asia. I should have been listening. This meeting was important. Laurent International depended on decisions made in rooms like this one. But I couldn’t focus on shit. My mind kept drifting back to her.

My wife.

I sat at the head of the long table, my fingers tapping lightly on the polished wood. The other board members and executives watched me carefully. They always did. They knew I was the one who made the final calls. The one who could destroy careers with a single word.

But right now, all I could think about was Serena on her knees last night. Her mouth around me. The way her eyes watered as she took me deep. The soft sounds she made even while she hated me. The way she looked when I pulled her off and kissed her before I left.

She was probably still sleeping. Serena loved sleeping in. Most mornings she stayed in bed longer because the nights with me left her exhausted. We spent most nights with her under me or on top of me. Her body pressed against mine. I sent Nathan out early this morning to get some important documents from the old office. So the mansion should be quiet. She might still be in bed, wrapped in the sheets, her hair spread across the pillow.

The thought made my body react. I shifted in my chair, trying to focus on the presentation. The man at the front kept talking, pointing at charts on the screen. Numbers. Projections. Risks. I heard maybe half of it. The other half was lost in memories of Serena.

“Mr. Laurent?” The presenter’s voice cut through my thoughts. The whole room went silent. Everyone turned to look at me. The air felt heavy. They were waiting.

I blinked and sat up straighter. “Yes. Continue.”

The man nodded quickly and went back to his slides, but I could feel the unease in the room. They were not used to seeing me distracted. I never lose focus. But Serena had changed that. She had become a distraction I couldn’t control. And I hated it as much as I craved it.

I looked down at my phone on the table. No messages. No calls. I drummed my fingers on the wood again. The sound was loud in the quiet room. One of the older board members shifted uncomfortably in his seat. They all knew something was off. I never let anyone see me distracted. But right now, all I could think about was her.

I picked up my phone and called her. It rang. Once. Twice. Three times. No answer. Maybe she was still sleeping. I put the phone down and tried to listen to the presentation again. The man was talking about Spain now. Some issues with one of our subsidiaries there. Numbers. Deadlines. I heard the words but they didn’t stick.

My fingers drummed faster on the table. The whole boardroom felt the tension now. People were exchanging glances. The presenter paused again, looking nervous.

“Mr. Laurent, is everything okay?”

I nodded once. “Yes. Continue.”

But my mind was already gone again. Back to last night. The tears in her eyes when I asked her what was wrong. She didn’t answer. She never did when I pushed. That stubborn fire in her was what drew me to her in the first place. But it also drove me crazy. She was hiding something. I could feel it.

I called her again. The phone rang. Four times. Five times. Still no answer. I stood up abruptly. The chair scraped loudly against the floor. The presenter stopped mid-sentence, his mouth open in surprise. The entire room froze.

“Send all the details to my assistant,” I said, my voice cold and final. “I need to see my wife.”

No one argued. They never did. I turned and walked out of the boardroom, my steps fast and determined. The door closed behind me with a heavy click. The hallway was quiet. My mind was racing. She always answer led my calls. Why wasn’t she answering? Was she okay? Or was she avoiding me because of whatever she was hiding?

I reached the elevator when I saw her. Helena. My aunt was just entering the building, her strict face set in its usual serious expression. She saw me and stopped, her eyes narrowing.

“Caspian, where are you going?” she asked, her voice sharp.

“I’m going home,” I said simply.

She looked taken aback. “Why?”

“I want to see my wife.”

Helena laughed. It was a short, cold sound that echoed in the hallway. “What for? You have important work to do. The company in Spain needs handling. You should go there and check it out instead of pining after a woman like some lovesick boy.”

I didn’t say anything. I just swallowed hard, my jaw tight. The words hit something inside me. Pining. Was that what this was? Helena had warned me for years. Emotions destroyed my mother. Attachment was weakness.

Helena scoffed when I stayed silent. She walked past me without another word, her heels clicking on the marble floor. I stood there for a second, her words ringing in my ears. Then my phone rang. It was the doctor.

I answered quickly. “Yes?”

“Mr. Laurent, this is Dr. Ramirez. I wanted to let you know that Lucas’s treatment has been handled. He’s doing well. The procedure is scheduled for next week, and we’ve moved him to the top priority list as you requested.”

I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. “Good. Keep me updated.”

I ended the call and stepped into the elevator. The doors closed, and I was alone with my thoughts again. Serena. My wife. The woman who was supposed to be a simple solution to a problem. Now she was in my head all the time. In my bed. Under my skin.