Chapter 03 [2/2]

I turned to face the direction of the voice I heard and instantly muttered the person's name.

"Percival?"

He stared at me with a blank expression on his face. His eyes were still the same dark brown ones yet enticing. He had double eyelids, obvious eyelashes, and he will look at you as if you're some inanimate object. Percival also had a chiseled jawline, and his hair was almost always a little messy but brushed back. He had a body that matched his almost perfectly sculpted face. I can see why most women would throw themselves at him even with the cold aura he has.

"How are you? I won't ask how your company is doing because I already know the answer," I asked in an attempt to avoid an awkward encounter.

"I see that you're keeping a close eye on my company. I didn't expect anything less from you anyway." He went to my side and leaned his back against the marble railings.

I turned around to return to my position earlier.

"Of course, you entertain me. I like the competition. It makes being on top more satisfying. So, the close gap between your company and ours doesn't bother me much." My eyes remained on the empty space beyond the balcony.

"I expected you to feel that way," he chuckled.

"You know me, I like winning but I also like a good fight."

"That's right. So, watch out. I'll continue to give you a good fight." With my peripheral vision, I noticed how his face turned to me.

"I'm glad that it's you, Percival. I mean our top competitor, our rival... I'm glad that it's you," I said in almost a whisper.

"It was quite easy, especially when everyone was expecting me to fail," he joked.

"It's because you kept that brilliant brain of yours hidden."

"Hey, I never hid it," he laughed. "I was just too lazy to show it off in class."

A laugh also escaped my lips as I remembered how it was before we left college. I miss those days sometimes. I now have the things I've always desired, but there are things that I had before that I can never have again.

One of them is my friendship with Percy.

I should've cherished that phase of my life more instead of being impatient to reach my goals.

With my body still facing the landscape, my head turned to him. "But you've shown it to me back then. No, actually you tried to prove to me that you were smart."

"Because you had eyes for the Salazar's heir. He was a top student. So, I thought that if I show you that I'm as smart as he is, you'd consider being my friend." This time, he was looking at me too.

"That's silly," I commented before looking away.

"No, you had no friends in the past. It was hard to know what type of friends you were willing to tolerate."

"And you didn't realize that Minty was my best friend. Her grades were terrible." I glanced at him to see his reaction but, he was only staring at me intently.

"But she was persistent. She kept tagging along even with your horrible attitude. Combining the things you liked about Cadmus and the things that made you friends with Minty would make me your closest friend."

"Oh so, Minty really was your rival," I teased, ignoring the fact that he just called my attitude horrible, because most times, it is.

"You could say that."

We smiled at each other, and I could've sworn he was trying to memorize my features, but I looked away before I could confirm it.

This was the first conversation we had in four years. I only knew a few things that are going on in his life thanks to the news and from other people. We kept quiet for a while before the silence made it hard for me to stay.

We aren't supposed to talk like this, it would only remind us of a friendship we already lost. We can never go back to how things were because life took us to different paths, opposites even. He wasn't on good terms with Cadmus, and I don't know why but Cadmus even asked me not to see Percival again.

"I should get going... See you around, Percy," I said before the bond that I severed fix itself.

"Ah fvck," he breathed, gone was the intimidating aura he always possessed. "It's refreshing to hear you use that nickname again. I'll be around, Tali."

I gave him a grin and was about to walk away when he caught my wrist.

My eyes automatically went to his hand. Percival let go of my hand when he finally have my attention.

"I just wanted to say that... I haven't changed my number, I know you changed yours. So, if you need anything, I'll be glad to help."

"That's not how rivals work, Mr. Marquez." I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Well, Ms. Deveza, It's how friends are," he chuckled.

I shook my head and smirked. "It's Mrs. Salazar, and we aren't friends anymore."

"Okay, it's how humans are then," he said, almost rolling his eyes.

It was my turn to chuckle. It's nice to have a conversation with him, but that's all there is to it. Next times are close to impossible. It's not so bad that we're taking different paths because I know those are the paths we chose.

"Don't worry, Percy. There won't be a problem that I can't handle."

"Of course..." a bitter smile appeared on his lips-–or maybe it was just my eyes playing tricks on me.

"You should get going," he said in a low tone.

I only nodded and went on my way.

The party won't seem to end anytime soon. I already made an appearance and entertained a lot of investors and potential investors. I guess it's safe to call it a night.

I wonder if Cadmus is already done talking to his father.

I had my driver fetch me, and I was half-asleep during the ride back home. I just felt exhausted for some reason.

When I arrived at our place, my eyes roamed around to look for Cadmus.

"Cadmus isn't home yet?" I turned to the maid that was waiting for me at the door.

"Sir Cadmus hasn't arrived yet, Madam," she answered.

I nodded in response. I decided to text him and ask what time he will be back. After that, I went to the kitchen to grab a drink before heading to our room.

I took a quick rinse before changing into my nightgown. I asked one of the maids to bring a bottle of wine to me and it's already here.

I then poured myself a glass of wine before I headed out of our room. There was no work left for me to do today, that's why I have time for myself.

The cold breeze of the night touched my face when I went out to the balcony. My hand embraced myself in an attempt to keep warm and yet still feel the gentle wind. My hair even flew and swayed with it.

I held both my phone and wineglass using one hand. I brought my phone because I was waiting for Cadmus' reply. Fortunately, I heard a text notification after a few minutes on the balcony.

He said that his father is keeping him busy and he would probably stay the night in his parents' place. I did not object or ask further questions. Instead, I told him to have a good night.

I pursed my lips and went back inside the house. I guess there's no point in staying awake. So, I went to bed after finishing my glass of wine.

When I woke up, my eyes immediately searched for my husband. I didn't see him anywhere but I heard the showers so, I assumed he was inside the bathroom.

I turned to my side to look at the bathroom door. My arm then supported my weight as I slowly pushed myself up. I also pulled the thick blankets off me and went down from the bed.

As if on cue the bathroom door opened, my gaze immediately met Cadmus' body. Half of it was covered with a towel, while the droplets of water ran down his topless body. He was using a smaller towel to dry his hair.

"Hey," he voiced out.

It's not like I haven't seen him like that before, I was already used to it. However, I really do appreciate his body. His abs would make any lady drool but unfortunately for them, they can only stare.

"Good morning," I greeted before walking past him to enter the bathroom.

After I'm done doing my usual routine in the bathroom, Cadmus wasn't in the room anymore. I guess he already went to the kitchen to have breakfast.

I went to the closet to get dressed. I had my outfit for the whole week planned out by one of my staff. All of them are ready for me to wear.

After dressing up, I went straight to the kitchen. My forehead creased when I saw Cadmus getting ready to leave.

There wasn't any food in front of him, only a cup of coffee that was half empty.

"You didn't have breakfast?" I voiced out my concern.

"I need to head out," he said. "Almost forgot, we'll have dinner with our parents later."

"Hmm, I think Mom did mention something about that." If I remember correctly, it's like a small celebration for me becoming the next CEO of the agency. It's only between our families and there will bigger event after I've claimed the title.

Cadmus only nodded before he walked away and vanished from my sight. Why is he in a hurry?

I went to the agency today for work. Then went to the company after. When evening arrived, I received a text from Cadmus.

"I'm at the lobby," I read the text.

I stood up and took my bag before walking out of my office to go to the lobyy. The two of us then rode his car to his parent's place for dinner.

My parents were already there when Cadmus and I entered the dining hall. My Dad was at the end of the table, while Cadmus' father was at the other end. Sitting at their right are their wives.

"Sweetheart." My mom rose from her sit to welcome us.

She gave me a kiss on each of my cheeks before she moved toward Cadmus and patted his shoulder.

"Go on, take your seats," she said.

My Dad was smiling at us, so were Cadmus' parents. The dinner as well as the conversations began as soon as Cadmus and I were seated next to each other.

"Where's Koen by the way?" Gideon asked when he noticed that my brother did not attend.

This is probably because of the conversation we had last time. I can guess that Koen doesn't want to be around Cadmus for now.

"He said he was busy," my father said, sounding a bit disappointed.

"That's too bad, we rarely get family dinners," Cadmus' mother, Catherine, commented.

"I'll get him to come next time," I intervened.

"Your brother and you are really close, aren't you?" Gideon asked.

"They certainly are. People often mistake them for twins," my mother answered for me.

While everyone had a smile on their face and were contributing to the conversation. I noticed that Cadmus was silently drinking his wine.

I wonder if he's still thinking about work. I was about to check on him when my father suddenly caught our attention.

"Cadmus, Katalina, why aren't you attending events together anymore?" he asked. "My colleagues have been asking me how things are going on between the two of you, they think there is some quarrel going on. Is that true?"

"Ah yes, I've seen an article about the two of you recently too," Gideon added.

This is what I was afraid of. I don't want our parents to be involved with what's going on in our married life.

I looked at Cadmus and saw that nothing changed in his expression.

"It's true, we've been having problems and our marriage is barely surviving."

Familiar anxiety sparked in my chest, as I waited for the next words that will come out of my husband's mouth.

"Problems? What problems?" asked Dad.

"She's infertile, she can't possibly give me an heir. Which was part of the agreement when I agreed to marry her."

With that, all the smiles in the room faded. I should check how our parents reacted, but my eyes were glued to Cadmus.

"What do you mean?" My father firmly asked.

"Have you discussed this already?" Mom asked.

I don't know how his parents reacted because I couldn't bring myself to look at them.

My mind couldn't think of any word to say. I'm not even aware of what's his plans were. Why the hell would he bring that up now?

"We have, but we're not done talking about it. I just wanted to let you know, being our parents and the ones who arranged our marriage for us."

It was becoming hard to breathe in the room. I wasn't sure I was the only one who felt that way.

"Are you saying that until now, that is all my daughter is to you?"

"I agreed to the wedding for certain terms, love was not included. She needed me and I thought I needed her. Isn't it all just business? I even have a girlfriend before the marriage."

"Cadmus, that's enough," his father warned.

However, it was too late. Because his words have already done a lot of damage.