Calm down, Sofia. Just calm down.
But my pounding heart didn't pay any heed while I brainstormed for a believable answer.
"Uh, everyone knows him. He is an international criminal after all," I lied through my teeth.
I let out a discreet sigh of relief when he gave me a slow nod, a grimace lacing on his features.
"You didn't tell me. Who's after you?" I asked again. Not wanting to go back to the previous conversation.
"Not sure. All I know is it's some relative of his, who's also his rival, got to know that Sinister Petrosyan had a son. So they decided to target me to get back at him." His voice came out hard, jaw clenched. Then he met my gaze again. "And that's the reason I was ignoring you. I didn't want them to come after you knowing that you were involved with me, didn't want them to know how important you were to me. I didn't want to put you in any more danger
"Max, trust me! I saw them with my own eyes! Robert has the envelope Dad is looking for." A shake of head. "You must be mistaken, Sofia. I'm not implying that you're lying, but it must be something else. Robert is the most reliable man of Dad. So it's not possible for him to betray us. And there isn't only one manila envelope in this entire world for God's sake!" And he didn't believe me. I knew, saying something this major against Robert without any solid proof would be foolishness, but weren't my words enough? I was saying what I witnessed. I didn't get to speak to Dad, he stormed out of the house before I could even say a word. So I decided to inform Max instead. But here he was thinking that I was terribly mistaken. "And what about Jenna sneaking into Dad's office? Her avoiding me since I caught her red handed? And those papers went missing all of a sudden aft
With panic setting in my mind, I thrashed in his hold.Soon the lights turned on, causing my eyes to snap shut for a moment."Shh, love. It's just me!" His familiar voice spoke close to my ear.Turning my head, I found those blue eyes peering down at me. Slowly, he removed his hand from my mouth. A concern soon etched into his features."I'm sorry, did I scare you… oww!"He grimaced at my stomping on his expensive shoe covered feet."You should be sorry! Who does that to someone?" I glared, taking a deep breath of relief. My heart still thumped down my chest. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"Recovering, he pulled me into him even after my protest and softly kissed on my lips."I'm sorry, baby. I didn't mean to scare you. I just arrived when I saw you walking away wearing this sexy dr
Adrian's POV"Is she alright?" I asked one of the guards I ordered to keep an eye on my tigress."Yes, Mr. Larsen, she is fine." His reply came through my Bluetooth.I let out a sigh of relief.In between handling the journalists' questions, she somehow slipped away from my sight. The last time I saw her was approximately seven minutes ago, standing alone at a corner. Not only it was her safety that concerned me, there was something else in those beautiful green eyes that bothered me.My tigress was throwing daggers at me just a while ago, but then her mood took a u-turn."Mr. Larsen, what do you want to say about the incident that happened in Toronto?"Another stupid question was thrown by one of the reporters."Is it true that you're going to sign a business deal with the Saudi
Fluttering my eyelids open, I squinted against the shadowed ambience around me. The throbbing of my head followed soon.Letting out a groan, I sat up even with the heaviness in my head and gazed around.The only source of light that illuminated the room was the street light that sneaked through the floor to ceiling window.Adrian's office?When did I get here? I was at the party, right?And the headache…I rubbed my temple, my face grimacing in pain.I could clearly remember that I didn't drink. Then how come I got here and didn't remember a thing?What's happening?Then my gaze fell onto the silhouette sitting on a chair close to the window. With his figure hunched forward; his elbows rested on his knees. His back was facing me.Adrian?
Covering my disappointment, I cleared my throat. "But he didn't mention this trip to me at all.""He wasn't going to join the conference until tonight. But then all of a sudden, he ordered me to get his private jet ready," he replied."Oh!" Glancing away, I gulped down the tears that threatened to brim my vision.He left because of me, didn't he? He didn't want to see me.I admit, it was my fault. I should've told him earlier. But at least he should've tried to understand my situation. He hated me because I lied to him, mostly because I was a daughter of a mafia leader.But was that my fault?Then suddenly something ticked in my mind. Concern took the place of the disappointment in me.My head snapped to John. "Why did you let him go alone? You should've gone with him. You know he is in danger."A gentle smile tugged
'Hey beautiful,These beautiful flowers are for this beautiful lady. I hope they brought a smile on your lips.I heard what happened at the party and about the news. Don't let it get to you. You know you're better than this. So... smile.Tobias.'The flowers weren't from the man I wished.Pushing the disappointment at the back of my mind, I put the note down. The bouquet followed next.The news Tobias was talking about, scandal to be exact, was nothing before the pain in my chest at this moment. So no matter what the news said, what names some of my colleagues gave me, I didn't care.But I cared about what he would say. After all, my drunk mess before the paparazzi that night has brought him embarrassment before the whole world. Those news channels used my stupid act to boost up their TRPs.Som
I was numb.Numbness was all I could feel as I stared at the screen. I couldn't think anything, feel anything but watching the man I loved so much with another woman. In his arms. With her lips against his.I didn't scream, I didn't cry, I didn't feel any anger. All I felt was a hole forming in my chest, a hollowness.After staring at the photo for I didn't know how long, I silently shut the laptop and crawled up in my bed before closing my eyes."I hate you…" I heard myself murmuring before darkness consumed me.***Taking a deep breath, I pressed send.The email was delivered.My last email to him, my last words for him. My resignation letter.I gulped, gritting my teeth to stop the tears that threatened to spill.But I won't cry anymore, not for him. 
Shifting on my seat for the fourth time, I forced another bite of the meatloaf Tobias so insisted for me to try in this dine, his favorite usual place. The food was good, but I would've devoured them if the situation was different. But not now, not with him. Definitely not when his eyes wouldn't move from me for a moment and his mouth ran more for talking than eating. And trust me, I wasn't interested in his personal and business life at all, because that's what all he talked about. About his life and likes. When I informed him about my decision, he didn't waste a second before messaging me the time and place he wanted us to have the dinner. A dinner just as friends. That's what I told him right after he messaged me the details. Even if I was boiling with anger to show a particular person that I wasn't going to weep around if he left me, I wasn't foolish enough to lead Tobias on. I made my intentions clear to him.