Chapter Sixteen
Her striking features were alluring to every one of my five senses, and I was tempted to run my fingers along her hair and, perhaps, pull her in for a kiss.
I swallowed.
But then I knew that if we were to ever get back together, it had to be natural. She still had not told me she had forgiven me, which bothered me greatly.
However, tonight, I wanted to savor the moment when, at least, I could see that she was not angry with me.
Jackson appeared among the crowd, and we stopped dancing.
“Excuse me,” I said, moving a step away from her.
“Goulding Holdings will not put up an appearance,” he reported.
I sighed, knowing well that their absence would automatically delay our prior arrangements. They were one of JDB investment’s most important stakeholders. But then, I would not ruin my mood because of that.
“Well, you can get off work now and enjoy yourself,” I said to Jackson, and then, I returned to Clara.
“Well,” I smiled.
“Well,” she chuckled. “Is everything okay with work?”
“Yes,”
“Shall we continue our dance?” She asked, and the mere act excited me.
“Sure,” we returned to dancing.
“This place looks amazing!” She chimed.
“Does it?” I teased.
“Hm.” She looked at me with dubious eyes. She knew I was joking around.
I could not but stare at her lips most of the time, they were neatly painted in a light shade of red, and they gave off a sensual energy.
“You have nice friends,” she continued.
“Friends?”
“Yeah, Tom and Jason. Are they not your friends?” She inquired.
“Oh, well, they are more of business associates.”
“I think they are cool.” She commented and did a graceful twirl. The scent of her hair slapped my face.
“Yeah?” I must have momentarily slipped out of consciousness.
“Especially Jason.” She said, “Is he also married?” Her beautiful, luminous hazelnut eyes were staring inquiringly at me.
“Yeah, he is,” I responded.
“Hmm, good.” She smiled
“Do you like him?” I felt silly asking, but I knew it wasn’t my fault. She was irresistible, and I was feeling jealous.
“He seemed nice, but he is not available.” She chuckled.
“If he was, would you be interested?” I asked.
“Probably.”
“Seriously?” I asked sadly.
“No, Jacob. I’m just messing with you,” she said, amused.
Thank goodness, I thought to myself as I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
She smiled like she could read my thoughts and twirled again, and that was when I realized the zip of her dress was not correctly done, revealing a clear portion of milky skin.
“Wait,” I stopped her from turning her back away.
“What?” She asked, perplexed.
“I mean, your zip is not properly done.”
“Oh, my!” she said softly.
“Let me help with it,”
She didn’t turn me down.
I noticed that she gasped when my finger brushed against her skin.
“It’s all done.” I didn’t want to let her go, but I had to.
“Oh, thanks.” She said, turning to face me.
We stood there, our faces inches apart and my desire grew more and more. I knew I was not supposed to, but I brought my hand to her face.
She quivered.
Slowly, hesitantly, I brushed a strand of hair away from her face. She momentarily shut her eyes.
“I’ve missed you,” I murmured, my voice raw with longing.
“Jacob,” she opened her eyes.
Since she didn’t resist, I dared to cup her face with my hands, my thumbs gently caressing her cheekbones.
“You wouldn’t know how happy I am to have you here, with me.”
She looked up at me, her eyes searching mine. I didn’t know if she could see the love and longing that burned in my gaze. I wondered if she felt the same.
“I know I’ve made so many mistakes, but these past few weeks have been blissful with you around.”
She didn’t say a word, but I continued, shutting out any other existence in the hall. To me, it was just me and her.
“I want you to please give me another chance.”
She only gazed at me, and she was somewhat indecipherable. I summoned courage and leaned in, my breath warm against her skin.
My lips hovered over hers, so close that I could almost taste the sweetness of her mouth. But I wanted her to agree, I wanted her to permit me to kiss her.
“I’m sorry, I can’t,” she whispered against my lips.
I slowly let go of her face, all the passion and intensity of my emotions that had built up crashed down.
“It’s okay,” I was a bit disappointed that she refused me again.
“Excuse me,” she bobbed her head and briskly walked out of the hall.
***
Daisy insisted on sitting in the backseat with Clara, chatting animatedly all the way home. I was relegated to the role of the silent chauffeur, my presence seemingly forgotten. Once or twice, I caught Clara’s eyes on me in the rearview mirror. I didn’t look away, and she eventually had to break eye contact.
When we finally got home, I wanted nothing more than to collapse into bed, but Daisy had other plans. She wanted to extend the evening with an “after-party” at Clara’s place. So Clara invited us over.
However, the night took a turn when Daisy, having had too much to drink, ended up throwing up. Shortly after, she drifted off to sleep, leaving me alone with Clara once more.
The silence between us was thick, and after a few minutes, I decided to break it.
“I don’t believe I should apologize for earlier,” I began, my voice steady. “I only expressed my feelings.”
Clara looked at me, her eyes soft but unreadable. “I don’t want an apology,” she said firmly. “And I’m glad you’re not sorry.”
I nodded, feeling a small weight lift off my shoulders.
“Thanks for today,” she added quietly.
“Anytime,” I replied, managing a small smile.
I knew I had to leave immediately. She assisted me with Daisy so I could carry her piggyback. As we stood at the doorway, ready to part ways, I hesitated.
“Clara,” I started, my heart pounding. “What do I have to do to gain your trust and win you back?”
She looked down, then back up at me, her eyes searching mine. “Jacob, it’s not about grand gestures or promises. It’s about consistency and honesty. I need to see that you’re willing to put in the effort every single day.”
“I can do that,” I said earnestly. “I want to do that.”
Clara sighed, a mix of hope and uncertainty in her eyes. “We’ll see, Jacob. Just take it one step at a time.”
“Goodnight, Clara,” I said softly.
“Goodnight,” she replied, a faint smile on her lips.
That night, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Thoughts of Clara ran through my mind, a constant loop of hope and doubt. As the first light of dawn crept through my window, I knew one thing for certain: I wasn’t giving up on her. Not now, not ever.
As soon as I arrived at work, Jackson prepared for me to meet with an investor from South America who contacted us a while back. As the meeting progressed, I knew he was a shrewd businessman.
“Our portfolio has consistently outperformed the market,” I stated, confidently.
He leaned forward, with his eyes, calculating. “I can understand these short-term successes, but what about the long run?”
I smiled. “The market is volatile, but we always have innovative strategies to weather the storm.”
“Innovative?” He squinted his eyes, a hint of skepticism in his tone. “Tell me, Mr. Bradley, what sets your fund apart from the rest?”
“Well, I don’t think you’ve heard of the “proprietary algorithm.” I reclined in my chair.
“Tell me.”
“It’s a machine learning model that uses neural networks and natural language processing to identify patterns in the market. It also makes quick and informed decisions after the general assessment. I assure you, it’s unlike anything else on the market.” I explained, hoping to have convinced him.
He raised an eyebrow, seeming quite impressed. “That sounds intriguing, but I have heard such claims before. How do I know you’re different, that those words are not a bunch of buzzwords?”
“Our returns speak for themselves, and our clients would agree,” I replied.
However, his face remained neutral, and I wondered if his decision was going to waver with what I had said.
“I am very well aware of the fact that clients can be swayed by a slick sales pitch. I’m quite interested in hard data. Could you show me the numbers?”
“Of course,” I beckoned to Jackson, and he manipulated the device. Soon, the required data was displayed on the projector before us.
“There, our returns in the last quarter alone were a staggering 13% above SP 500, and we are currently outperforming our competitors by a margin of 8%.”
“Impressive,” he nodded, his eyes glued to the charts and graphs projected in front of him.
He was quiet for a moment, and when he finally spoke, I knew I had done very well once again.
“I have to say, Mr. Bradley, you have certainly piqued my interest. The results indeed speak for themselves. I’ll still need to review the details, but I think we have a deal.” He extended a warm handshake.
I smiled, pleased. “Excellent. I also look forward to working with you, Mr. Da Silva.”
“You don’t look well,” Jackson observed after the meeting ended, but he didn’t press it. I was glad he didn’t. The memories from last night’s anniversary party still hurt like a sore thumb.
Last night, as I was lost in thought, I remembered when I called Clara’s mom to tell her that Clara was in the hospital, she mentioned a bank loan and an offer for the coffee shop. She said it was causing Clara a lot of stress. Although her words puzzled me, I didn’t ask any questions at that time.
“Jackson, can you investigate a connection between a bank loan and an offer for a coffee shop for me?”
“Yes, sir. Where is the coffee shop located?”
“It’s in the city center. Here are the details.” I wrote down the address and handed it to him.
“I will start digging right away,” he assured me.
“Thank you,” I replied, feeling a sense of urgency and anticipation.
By noon, I got an unexpected visit from my father. I had stepped out, and by the time I returned, he was already sitting comfortably in my office.
We never spoke that much, so I didn’t expect him to visit for a long time.
“Fiona spoke with me after the party last night,” he was referring to the proprietress of Goulding Holdings.
“They would make it up to us, she said.” He continued.
“Hm.” I nodded.
“Well, your mother mentioned that girl was present yesterday.”
“Who?” I was confused.
“Remind me of her name again, your old girlfriend.”He said.
I thought he sounded quite condescending.
“Clara.”
“Clara,” he nodded, and then he sighed.
“Are you two back together?”
“Now, we are not talking about that!” I rose to my feet, annoyed.
“Remember, you needed to leave her to get the company back on track. She’d have been a distraction.” He groaned.
Why did he always have to see it in that light?
“She could have been a strong force, a beacon of strength if you’d given us a chance.” I retorted.
“Look, Jacob-”
“I understand you were ill and needed my help, but it didn’t have to be at the cost of my relationship with her. I didn’t have to be CEO to help the company.” I snapped.
“Do you think you’d have worked out being in such a long-distance relationship?” He frowned.
I turned away from him, upset.
“Jacob, you were both young. Dating her long distance would have been hard, considering your busy schedule then.”
“But I loved her.”
“I know you blame me for everything, but I’m not totally to blame. Now that she has returned to your life after three years, I hope you know what is best for you.” And with that, he stood up and quietly walked out.
Once again, I was left with my thoughts.
I felt sick and had to go home after the encounter with my dad, unable to work as usual. When Jackson dropped me off, he parked the car in the driveway and boarded a taxi back to the office.
I lay down on the sofa and fell asleep. After a few hours, my phone rang. It was Jackson.
“Hey, Jackson.”
“Hey, boss. Are you feeling any better?”
“Yes, I feel much better now that I’ve slept. Is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine. I called to update you on the coffee shop investigation.” He replied.
“What do you have for me?” I asked.
“A few months ago, the coffee shop was in danger of foreclosure because of unpaid debts. However, the bank and the coffee shop owner negotiated a repayment plan to prevent the foreclosure process. I also found out that Custom Builders are interested in purchasing the building. They have already bought a few adjacent shops.”
“Joe Griffin’s Custom Builders?”
“Yes,” he responded.
I could only say, “Thanks for the information. See you tomorrow,” after hearing the shocking news. The call ended.
My mind whirled with confusion and concern. What had happened? Throughout my time with her, Clara never mentioned having financial trouble.
It was surprising, and I hardly knew how to feel. I felt angry that she was going through this alone. Sometimes, I thought she was unnecessarily closed off.
She had been trying to fix things, to save the coffee shop, and it pained me she didn’t tell me. Though I understood why she had kept it a secret, we were no longer in a relationship. Despite that, I thought we were friends.
Her curiosity about Joe Griffin now makes sense.
I wondered if Daisy knew about it.