His Lost Bride

Episode 5: Let you go

CEO’s POV                                                                                                                                                                

Innocent as she was proving herself to be, she fell asleep as the sky darkened while the car drove towards her home uptown. It took all my strength to keep myself calm as I didn’t want to put my evil talons on her when she doesn't even know me.                                                                                                                    

Reluctantly, I shifted my gaze and watched the bustle of the passing commercial street. After the first meeting in the lift with this drama queen, I had my suspicions that I had lost my glamour. All the same, remembering her gawking at me with those cute brown eyes.                                                                              

Her mouth curled upwards, attentively observing me, as if she would devour me at any given second. Reassured me that my face still had the magnetism to continue holding the title of “Most handsome bachelor in S-Z city.” Unlike my usual attitude, I smiled and inadvertently shifted my focus towards her sleeping face.                                                                                                                                                                

When I turned my head, I saw Asher, my secretary, peeping at her face through the rearview. All of a sudden, blood rushed to my head and I wanted him to take his eyes off her and stick it on the road.                              

Before I could stop myself, I asked him to pull the partition which jerked him out of his thoughts. He looked at me panicked, for being caught red-handedly and replied embarrassingly, “Yes, Sire!”                                   

Annoyed, I looked at her while restraining my feelings to pull her cheek and wake her up from her dreams, as a punishment for attracting all the males around her. I brushed my hands on her face while moving a strand of hair that was falling on her eyes, leisurely I tucked it behind her ears.                                                

Her face being so close, I was losing my composure. It’s been ages that I felt alive, her presence only made me feel so many emotions that I hadn’t felt for a long time. I promised myself, “I won’t let you leave me. If needed, I will tie you to myself – even death would need to take my permission before whisking you away.”  

I positioned myself back to my place but my eyes refused to leave her delicate, fair, rosy face. She had the most crystal clear brown eyes I have ever seen in my life, which made me lose myself in the depth of them. 

Her cute button-sized nose fitted her face structure with those plump red lips looking delicious, arousing my deepest desire, to r****h it to my satisfaction. I stopped my thoughts before it went any further. I even forced my sight to fix itself on her face, not allowing it to linger below the chin. If by any chance, it did, I won’t be able to stop the monster from claiming her at the very moment.                                                              

To clear my thoughts, I opened the window. With the gush of wind, a memory of us flashed through my head. We were traveling, we were coming from somewhere, she exclaimed, “Stop it! Chris! Stop making fun of my nose. I know it’s small and I have short eyebrows. Deal with it.” With a pout on her face, she continued her ramblings, “If you don’t like me then go and find someone else with a perfect face.”           

“That’s a good idea. So, you’re ready to let me out of your shackles so I can find another mate for me,” I said to her teasingly.                                                                                                                                                      

Her eyes welled up with tears and to make the situation worse, I was trying to control myself from laughing loudly, so I turned around. Seeing me tremble, she confusedly whirled me to see my face, only to find out how amused I was, almost tearing up when trying to stop myself from laughing.                                             

She slammed on my arms and left after stomping her feet on the ground. She turned and said, “I won’t let you off so easily. If you want to find someone, then kill me first.”                                                                         

The word “kill” along with my strong masculine laugh resonated in my head which yanked me from thoughts. I reached out to hold her tiny hands as if she was something delicate that would vanish with my touch. The warmth of her hands made me feel she was alive and I swore in my head, “I won’t let anyone touch her.”                                                                                                                                                                     

While trying to hold her hands, it dawned on me that her hands were ice-cold. “Cold!”, I repeated to myself to make sense of why her hands were cold. Panic-stricken, I slowly checked if she was breathing.         

Sensing her breath, I calmed myself. The feeling of her cold hands had almost driven me mad in the past, I didn’t want to experience that feeling again. I remember I had asked Asher to switch on the heater when she fell asleep. Then, it registered to me that it was because the window was opened.                                   

So, I closed the window and tried to warm her hands by rubbing it against my palms. It felt so small against mine, like always.                                                                                                                                                         

Leaving aside my feelings and promises, I couldn’t forgive myself for allowing that fat man to slap her in front of me, and then, I treated her as if nothing happened.                                                                                   

But in reality, I was looking for an opportunity to make him suffer, which I know for sure that very soon I will be teaching that scum a lesson. Otherwise, what’s the point in being the most successful businessman in the city and allowing my girl to be treated like trash.                                                                                                    

I am waiting for that exact moment when I could tear her away from her family. Two days ago, when I had gone to the hospital, I unwittingly saw how her mom treated her. Her mom behaved as if she was not her child but some kind of scrap whom she was pitying. Her disappointed face made my heart wrench in pain. 

After leaving, I ordered Asher to do some background checks. Today, when I had returned from my business trip, Asher had informed me that the assigned task had been completed. But due to an urgent business meeting, I couldn’t get my hands on the file.                                                                                                          

“Though everything you know right now is another memory, someday when you will remember, I promise I will make you forget all the bitter moments of this lifetime. Moreover, I will make sure next time, you don’t forget me. Wait for a second, there won’t be any next time,” I said in my heart while looking at her.                  

I know I'm getting sentimental but seeing her breath, made me feel delighted. I don’t want to see her lifeless body again where she won’t respond to my voice or any of my gestures.                                                              

“I missed you, my dearie!” I said softly in her ears which might have awakened her from her sleep. Feeling she was about to wake up, I sat upright, leaving her hands on my thighs. Turning my head towards the window, I smiled mischievously wondering about her reaction.                                                                                 

I saw her reflection on the glass when she rubbed her eyes dreamily and looked around, trying to figure out where she was, her gestures were making it hard for me to control my feelings. I quickly erased all my emotions and kept my poker face, but my eyes were filled with malicious intent.                                                  

I turned and looked at her sternly and said, “Take your hands off me! Next time keep it to yourself. Don’t try to grope me on the pretext of sleeping.” She moved her hands as if an electric current moved through her body. She turned red and said timidly, “I didn’t mean too. I am sorry.”                                                            

Looking at her with a straight face was turning out to be hard. I really wanted to tease her, so couldn’t help looking straight into her eyes, while moving towards her. On reflex, she moved her body backward, and I said, “And you called me a p*****t. Shouldn’t I be calling you one?”                                                                      

She nodded as if saying yes then shook her head as if saying no. She was baffled on how to respond to me. Controlling my amusement, I moved back and said, “I leave this to rest but you now owe twice.”                

Instantly, “Twice? Why?” “Firstly, for getting in my car and secondly, for trying to molest me,” I said to her with my voice brimming with amusement. But I hoped she didn’t figure it, it’s fun to tease her. “I tried to leave but you didn’t allow me to go,” she tried to defend herself. “Yea true, that was after you entered my car. But before that you entered my car without permission,” I replied to her.                                                     

She opened her eyes as if she saw a ghost when she realized what I said was right. So defeatedly said, “Okay! But I don’t have enough money to give it to you.” I interrupted her and said, “I never said I need money. I will ask when the time comes.”                                                                                                                      

She sighed a breath of relief, soon she clutched her blouse and then crossed her arms across her chest and said, “I am not that kind of person. If you think you can force me, then you will be sorry.”                                    

I looked at her with contempt, got out, and stood leaning on the door. Soon she came out and exclaimed, “When did we reach here?” I checked my watch and said, “One hour! You were busy sleeping.” “So why didn’t you wake me up,” came the instant reply. I squinted my eyes, glanced at her and said simply, “I don’t want to dirty my hands, and moreover, you were drooling.” Then, I simply looked at my suit jacket as if there was some drool left by her.                                                                                                                                               

“I don’t drool,” she defensively argued. Then, she stomped on the ground and with a pout said, “I am leaving. You are making me go insane.”                                                                                                                  

“Who is stopping you?”                                                                                                                                                  

“Argh!”                                                                                                                                                                               

She had started to walk towards her building, when she suddenly turned around and walked towards me and whispered, “I am sorry for all the troubles. Thank you for dropping me here.”                                                 

I looked at her till she reached her apartment and then she looked back, seeing me, she smiled and waved her hands before she entered her place.                                                                                                                   

Then, I entered the car and asked Asher to leave. Before we left, I glanced at the building one more time as the darkness swallowed it whole.                                                                                                                             

Normal POV                                                                                                                                                                    

This is the first time it has happened after Asher became his secretary. First, he allowed that girl to enter his car. He usually never allows any stranger to enter his car, let alone giving them a lift. Then, he glared at Asher when he glanced at her through the rearview, trying to recollect where he had seen that girl.                  

This girl surely had piqued Asher's interest as she behaved oddly with the boss and she never budged whenever he tried to intimidate her.                                                                                                                                

It became more surreal when the CEO waited for that girl to wake up while she slept. Asher really wanted to remind him, “It’s already been one hour.” Recalling his glare, he dropped the idea. Let her wake up when she wants to.                                                                                                                                                                         

After summoning all the courage, Asher decided to remind him. As he lowered the partition, all he heard was the bickering. He tried to interrupt but it seemed pointless, so he kept his mouth shut and sat up straight. Listening to them, he could feel that the girl was special to the boss.                                                

This was the first time in ages when Asher heard his boss speak so much, let alone bicker with some girl. He had a soft look on his face even though he was being mean to her. However, Asher kept his thoughts to himself.                                                                                                                                                                               

As they left the place, Asher saw the boss watching the building till it disappeared from his sight and he saw a sad smile reflected through the rearview mirror, before he quickly reverted to his usual aloof self.    

He stared outside with his poker face. Asher wondered in his heart, “What on earth had happened, for him to behave so mysteriously? Who is this girl? Why is she so special when he had hardly met her only once or twice.”                                                                                                                                                                            

These thoughts surely troubled him, but he knows far too well that this is his boss's business and he wouldn’t like it if he tried to poke around. So, Asher kept every thought to himself and focused on driving him home safely.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             *****                                                                                       A/N                                                                                                                                                                                  

Hello Readers,                                                                                                                                                              

Enjoy the chapter. I would love to hear your responses.                                                                                     

Regards,                                                                                                                                                                          Eliza Tom