With the towering building of the Sterling Group in view, Emily hastened her footsteps toward the office, her thoughts swirled like a storm drifting from one problem to another.
She had actually taken the day off but at the moment she didn't want to think further because her head was already aching, a more reason she returned to the office.
She exhaled sharply in her thoughts, "I'll stay with Melissa for a few days to calm down and then go back home to Boss and see what the future holds but what do I expect when he is a boss to the loan sharks," she mused.
Home? The word left a bitter taste in her mouth. Could she even call it a home when she was yet to see what it looked like?
Would it be a place of peace, or just another prison where she had no control over her own life?
Would the Boss really be… good?
Emily shivered lightly at the thought of spending the day and night with a man who would want to dominate and dictate her life for as long as this goddamn marriage existed.
And yet, a deeper fear gnawed at her: the uncertainty of her future.
She couldn't shake the thought that she might be sold again…auctioned off to the highest bidder, treated like nothing more than a profitable human asset.
Her pace quickened. The closer she got to the office, the more she tried to suppress her thoughts because there was no use worrying about things she couldn't change.
For now, she just had to survive and tomorrow? Tomorrow will take care of itself.
"Survive Emily, focus to get through," she chided.
Meanwhile, after Bryan dropped Emily off near the company, he pressed down the throttle and sped past her with a whoosh. Within minutes, he arrived at the Sterling Group.
Swift and careful, he drove to the underground parking lot and took the CEO elevator to his office, his breathing coming in gasps with fear and trepidation.
He couldn't dare to imagine the result and the sanction of this gross mistake he had made.
For the years of his service under Lucian Sterling, this was a low-level mistake he never made.
He couldn't wait to explain the situation to him. Though quite certain he wouldn't take this mistake lightly.
Bryan could already see his yearly bonus gone, his salary vanished and even annual increment evaporated.
But all this, he was ready to accept as long as he wouldn't lose his job. Then maybe his Boss would now proffer solutions to the problem he had created.
Bryan tapped on the door lightly and then he pushed and stepped into a large executive office bathed in the bright glow of the day.
The air was cold, oppressive, almost suffocating.
Lucian Sterling was the third-generation head of the Sterling Conglomerate, a powerful business mogul known for his cold and dominant nature. His words were law in every sphere.
"Sir, …." Lucian raised his hand for him to hold on as he was on a call. A sight Bryan never noticed due to his anxiousness.
His fingers drummed rhythmically against the polished surface of the desk. His expression was unreadable, but the sharp glint in his eyes sent a chill through Bryan.
He leaned back in his chair, "Oh? Do go ahead," he drawled, leaning back in his chair. "I'm dying to hear why my supposed bride and fiancée never showed up to sign our marriage certificate after we both agreed to it."
There was a brief silence on the phone, followed by a hesitant sigh.
"I had an emergency that needed me and I had to leave the country on a last-minute notice," the lady said with a calm tone.
Lucian chuckled at the response, his eyes dancing with amusement. "An emergency, you say? …And yet, you didn't think it was necessary or wise to inform me?"
"Lucian, I did plan to inform you but…" the lady stammered over the phone.
"But exactly what reason you had was what I was interested in."
The voice spoke up again, this time warily. "Lucian, can we not go over this again?"
Lucian chuckled darkly. "Abandoning our marriage registration at the last moment even when we had unanimously agreed to that?" Lucian asked, his tone a way too calm that it sent shivers down Bryan's spine.
His heart thudding in his chest threatening to jump out at such a grave mistake.
It was clear the lady was Emile Roberts. Now it made sense why it never occurred to him there might be a mistake. She had abandoned the marriage registration without informing his Boss.
"I'm sorry Lucian but it wasn't my intention to abandon it. I…" she said with a bit of frustration tinged in her voice.
Lucian's gaze turned colder, the chill in his eyes froze Bryan to a spot. He didn't dare to leave the office nor did he step forward.
But while he was mourning his punishment, Lucian's words snapped him out of his daze. "Well, no need for being sorry. It is all for the best." He smirked.
"What do you mean, Lucian?" she asked, fear settling in her tone at his words. Lucian was never someone to let go easily unless…
"What I meant is clear, you abandoned it and thanks to your little stunt, someone else signed in your place." He smirked.
"No, that's impossible. I didn't ask anyone to." The lady shrieked over the phone.
"It doesn't matter if you asked or not," Lucian replied smoothly. "Though it was a mistake, I find myself… pleased. Grateful, even, that she did."
"What?!" She shrieked, her voice so loud on the phone that Lucian had to take the phone away from his ears to save his eardrum.
Having achieved the result he wanted, Lucian ended the call with a slow, deliberate movement as he suppressed the anger raging in his chest.
His fingers tighten lightly around the phone before he sets it down on the desk.
His eyes, cold as ice, flickered toward Bryan, who stood stiffly in place. Slowly, he leaned forward, his hand on the table.
"Speak," Lucian commanded, his voice deceptively calm, his cold eyes staring at Bryan as though to pierce him through.
Bryan's throat went dry. "Si… Sir, I…I'm sorry. Sorry. I… I…" His words stumbled, broken, useless. He was drowning in his own panic, searching for anything that could make this blunder less catastrophic.
Lucian cut in, his tone colder than ice.
"Who was it?"