THE PROPOSAL

She looked better than before.

At least… physically.

But her eyes told an entirely different story.

Her face practically screamed, I am a gorgeous, hot-as-hell woman.

Yet her eyes…

Her eyes were drowning in sadness.

“You dropped this,” I said, finally forcing my gaze away from her face and holding out the lunch box.

“Oh… you didn't have to bring it to me.” She glanced at it briefly. “Thank you, but I don't need it anymore.”

She said it so casually… then walked right past me.

I blinked.

Is she seriously kidding me right now?

I went out of my way looking for her, delayed my meeting, dealt with an overly flirty bartender…

only to get that response?

“Wait a minute.”

I turned toward her, irritation creeping into my voice.

“If you wanted to throw away your trash, why didn't you dispose of it properly?”

She stopped and turned back toward me.

“Excuse me?” she asked, her tone dripping with the same frustrating attitude.

“You should take this and throw it away the right way,” I said, handing the lunch box toward her again. “And don't leave your trash in front of the elevator next time. It's inconvenient for everyone else using it.”

“You shouldn't have bothered yourself with it.”

Her voice softened slightly, but the exhaustion behind it was impossible to miss.

“You know… I made that food for someone.”

For a brief second, something flickered across her face.

Pain.

Disappointment.

Maybe both.

“He doesn't deserve it anymore.”

Her eyes dropped to the lunch box.

“So why don't you eat it instead?”

A bitter little smile tugged at her lips.

“I'd hate to see all my hard work go to waste.”

“What?”

I stared at her in disbelief.

I couldn't believe she had just asked me to eat the same food she had practically called trash.

“Don't worry, I didn't poison it.” A faint, exhausted smile crossed her face. “And… thank you for coming after me to return this. I'm sorry I spoke to you rudely. I was just angry.”

She said that and looked up at me.

And there they were again.

Tears.

I watched as they slowly clouded her eyes, threatening to spill over.

But she turned away from me almost immediately, like she refused to let me see her break apart.

I couldn't help wondering about the idiot who had left her in this state.

I didn't know what to do.

Or what to say.

My hand instinctively lifted toward her shoulder, but I stopped myself halfway.

Bad idea.

We had literally just met.

I didn't even know her name.

Touching her without permission after everything she was clearly going through?

Yeah… definitely not smart.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked carefully. “You know… you might feel better if you let it out. I'm actually a pretty good listener.”

“No.”

Her answer came immediately.

“I don't want to talk about it. I just want to be alone.”

With that, she turned and continued walking down the street.

Well.

I did my best.

Looks like it was all a complete waste of my time.

Still…

I hoped she would be okay.

I looked down at the lunch box in my hand.

Now what exactly was I supposed to do with this thing?

I wonder what's inside.

I remembered her saying she had put a lot of effort into making it.

So…

Should I consider myself lucky for receiving rejected food or not?

I seriously can't believe this.

Who exactly had she gone to see at Mr. Sebastian’s company that left her coming out looking completely shattered?

The buzzing of my phone snapped me out of my thoughts.

I glanced at the caller ID and immediately sighed in frustration.

Why the hell was he calling me now?

“Xender, where the heck are you?”

“Trying to set up a meeting with Mr. Sebastian.” I frowned. “I thought I already told you about this.”

“Well, you might want to start heading back now. I just got a message saying your father is on his way to the company.”

I straightened instantly.

“Are you kidding me?”

“No, I'm not. Start heading back immediately.”

“Why now? Fuck.”

I cursed under my breath and headed back to find Rosa.

Only to discover her standing outside.

Why wasn't she inside the office?

“Rosa, what happened? Did you manage to arrange the meeting with him?”

“I'm sorry, sir, but Mr. Sebastian refused to see anyone.”

I stared at her.

“He refused to see anyone?”

My irritation flared instantly.

“After convincing me to sign a contract worth millions and making me invest in it?”

“I'm sorry, sir.”

“Just get me back to the company.”

I stormed toward my car and slammed the door shut like it was personally responsible for every problem in my life.

“Sir… weren't you able to find the lady who owns that lunch box?”

Her question made me realise something.

I was still holding the damn lunch box.

I immediately dropped it onto the seat beside me and shot Rosa an irritated glare.

“Drive me back to the company. Now!”

“Yes, sir,” she replied, and we started the car, driving back toward my company.

My head was already a mess.

Today was definitely not one of my good days, and Mr. Sebastian was about to have my lawyers breathing down his neck.

If he wanted to play this game the hard way, then fine.

Let’s see who wins.

The closer we got to M & J Suit Up, the more anxious I became.

An uncomfortable knot tightened in my stomach.

I loosened my tie, suddenly feeling suffocated by the thought of my father showing up at my company.

I just hoped it wasn't what I was thinking.

Alda’s POV

I walked along the side of the road for a while, not even sure where I was heading.

I just needed to clear my mind.

Breathe.

Think.

Anything to stop the painful images replaying inside my head.

God, I wished I could just cancel today's meeting.

I wasn't in the right frame of mind to handle business right now.

But I couldn't cancel.

Too much depended on this meeting.

Taking out my phone, I dialled Albert’s number.

“Meet me at the office. I'll be taking a taxi.”

“Is everything alright?”

“Yes. I just had a few things I needed to settle. I'll see you later at the office.”

I ended the call before he could ask more questions.

Albert was one of my father's close friends.

If he found out what had happened today, there was no way he wouldn't tell my dad.

And the last thing I needed right now was putting my parents in the middle of this disaster.

Especially my father.

He had never liked Seth to begin with.

If he discovered what Seth had done, he would immediately pull his company's support from Seth’s business.

“Ma'am, are we here?”

The cab driver's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

I paid and thanked him before heading inside.

“Good day, Miss Barnard.”

Peter, my acting CEO, greeted me the moment I stepped into the building.

He was waiting near the entrance to the meeting room.

I didn't even bother correcting him when he called me Miss Barnard.

Peter loved using that title for me.

On any other day, I might have corrected him.

Today wasn't one of those days.

“Is everything ready?”

“Yes, ma'am. But you have an unexpected visitor. He's waiting for you in your office.”

“An unexpected visitor? Do I know this visitor?”

“Yes… but he strictly instructed me not to reveal his identity. He only said you should meet him in your office.”

I frowned slightly.

Who could it be?

And for Peter to allow someone into my office…

That narrowed the list down considerably.

I think I already knew the answer.

“What is my dad doing here?”

“Oh… you figured it out.” Peter gave a small smile.

“I know you wouldn't let just anyone into my office. My dad is probably the only man I know that you genuinely respect.”

I let out a quiet breath.

“Give me a few minutes. I'll join the meeting later. Better yet… start without me.”

I looked directly at him.

“I trust you know what to do.”

“Yes, Miss Barnard. I'll brief you on everything afterward.”

“Okay.”

I turned to leave, but paused when I noticed Peter staring at me with concern written all over his face.

“Is there a problem?” I asked.

“Nothing serious.” He hesitated. “You just… don't look too good. Are you feeling sick?”

His question caught me off guard.

Was it really that obvious?

“No, I'm fine. Why do you ask?”

“You don't seem like yourself today. You don't look cheerful at all.”

His expression softened.

“And your face looks flushed… like you've been crying.”

So it really was that noticeable.

I muttered the words under my breath.

“Excuse me, ma'am? Were you talking to me?”

“No, Peter. I'll see you later.”

I quickly walked away and headed straight for the restroom.

I couldn't meet my father looking like this.

He would immediately know something was wrong.

Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I realised just how badly my makeup had been ruined.

Had I really been crying that much without noticing?

I let out a shaky breath.

Quickly washing my face, I redid my makeup as carefully as I could.

I couldn't afford to have my father questioning me about today.

Just then, my phone buzzed inside my bag.

I pulled it out and immediately felt relief flood through me when I saw Anna’s name on the screen.

“Anna…”

The moment I said her name, my emotions threatened to overpower me again.

Fresh tears burned behind my eyes.

No.

I couldn't ruin my makeup again.

“What's going on?” Anna asked immediately. “I just listened to your voicemail and nearly had a heart attack.”

“Let's talk over dinner. I'm in a very important meeting right now, so I can't talk.”

“Okay… but are you alright?”

“Not really.”

The honesty slipped out before I could stop it.

“But don't worry. I'll call you once I'm done with the meeting.”

“Okay. I'll see if I can leave work early today.”

“Thank you, Anna… for always being there for me.”

“You're welcome, sweetie. Just know I've always got your back.”

Those were her last words before she ended the call.

I swallowed against the painful tightness in my throat and forced myself to compose my expression.

Then I walked out to face my father.