THE BILLIONAIRE'S SECRET VOW

Episode Two: Tension builds

Despite the late hour, the streets were still alive with activities. The energy of the City was undeterred by time. Back at Daniel Thornton’s penthouse, however, it was too quiet and still, almost as though the air was tense. Emma Hart stepped into the spacious living room, her heels tapping softly on the marble floor. She looked out the impressive floor to ceiling windows to view the dark part of Central Park, which was lit up with twinkling lights from Mills, which were almost like stars in the sky. But it was the person standing against the glass in the corner, who was completely obscured by shadows, who held her intrigue.

"Emma," Daniel said in a low tone, and the oppressive silence was somewhat lifted. He turned purposefully, with a degree of difficulty. His face was in shadow. “I’m grateful to you for making it on such short notice.”

As she continued coming into the room, Emma smiled strongly. “It was my pleasure, Mr. Thornton.” Your voice raised the alarm when I received the call."

“Believe me. I wouldn’t have called under such circumstances,” he said, sharp and sharp that made Emma’s nerve sizzle. He gestured towards the large black desk that had a few bare areas and a formidable pile of papers. “These folders need to be gone through and dispatched by tomorrow morning.” “No pressure.”

Emma inclined her head and walked to the desk. “I’ll get on it immediately.”

As she reached for the papers, her gaze caught on a splash of color that was poking out from behind a row of books on a nearby shelf. Drawn in by the unusual sight, she hesitated before drawing out a silver-matted picture. It was of a stunning woman with long, soft, dark hair who was smiling. She looked radiant next to a younger, happier Daniel in a photo, in great contrast with the older-looking man standing before her.

“None of that, this is not a place for being curious.” Daniel stated behind her, making her jump once again. Last time she had felt his warmth from aside and now there he was, inches behind her back. Emma twisted herself to see Daniel, only to find him looking at a picture in her possession. His face was set in stone. He stretched his right arm and took the picture from her hand without much effort. “That’s none of your business.”

“Excuse me?” Emma almost yelled at him, completely taken aback by the level of aggression in his tone. “I didn’t want to…”

Before she could finish, Daniel pulled the photo back and shoved it on the shelf, rotating it such that it was out of site once again. “Just do your work,” he instructed, with a terse and dismissive air about him. But Emma saw the flash of pain in his eyes that she could not ignore.

She hesitated and then asked, “Is she someone special in your life?”

Daniel looked back at her, but the storm was no longer in her blue eyes; it was directed towards Emma instead. “It is not your business, Miss Hart.” The chill in his tone was unmistakable and the space between them physically was ever more apparent. “Concentrate on the business at hand.”

Emma swallowed with great difficulty as her face reddened with anger. She agreed and turned her gaze to the files, but her mind drifted back to the woman in the picture. Who was that? Why such a tall order as to keep her a secret? Why did Daniel get worked up over her?

The air between them was filled with a palpable, uncomfortable tension that was disjointed by the faint sound of rustling papers, and a glass or two being placed on the table as Daniel drank his whiskey. Emma almost lost her focus with the swirl of thoughts in her mind that she could not get rid of.

“Miss Hart,” the silence was interrupted as Daniel spoke and Emma looked at him. He had gone back to the window, the glass capturing his image from the background oils of the city. “Are you done?”

“Yes, Mr. Thornton,” Emma answered and put the papers away in a briefcase in a systematic manner. “Everything is ready.”

Daniel nodded his head but continued to gaze at her for an excessive period. “Leave them on the desk.”

Emma did as asked but hesitated near the exit again. This was not how things would end, not with such palpable tension in the room. Emma mustered up her will and turned to him. “Dear Mr. Thornton…” ‘I just wanted to say, if you ever feel like talking to someone –'

Daniel's response came quickly, bordering on mockery. ‘Do you think I want to talk to anyone, Miss Hart?’

Emma winced at his words but refused to back down. “No, I just…” No one can be an island. There comes a time when everyone requires someone, even if it is for the listening ear only.

Daniel's face softened a bit though it was evident that the gratitude or tiredness on his face was fleeting. After a moment, he let out a sigh and raked his fingers through his hair. ‘Emma,’ he said, the name sounding a little odd coming from his throat. ‘Some things are the best left forgotten.’ It would be prudent for you to take heed of that.”

Emma obliged, although his words were more frightful than she would want to acknowledge. “I get it, Mr. Thornton.”

“Do you?” Daniel inquired more to himself than anyone. He directed his attention back to the window; it was clear that he was done with their exchange. “Goodnight, Miss Harth.”

“Goodnight,” Emma replied as she made her way to the door and feeling both irritated and sympathetic at the same time. One last time, she turned around to look at the man who seemed so beyond reach. She wished to speak, to utter even a single sound that could possibly penetrate him, but the voice evaded her. So, she left instead, and the door shut on her back.

The city’s noise was like a far-off veil beyond the penthouse, as Emma imagined the events of the night. There was a distinct component in her impression of how the night had changed things, that was as inescapable as it was unreal. The tension had shifted in a way that was more intense and complicated, and she was no longer just an assistant. She was more than an assistant, but she couldn’t quite pin down what it was. But there was one thing that she was sure of: she was already in too deep, and there was no coming back.

Inside, Daniel was by himself floors away from the noisy disco looking at the picture that Emma had found. He clenched his jaw as he felt a storm of emotions raging beneath the surface. The past had always loomed over him and now, hope-and compassion-sprung from Emma also roused such ghosts. And he was sure with a rising fear that every secret he had locked away in some deep corner of his mind for many years would easily come crashing down on him.