The King's Heiress

7: But I won't Tell You

As soon as the jet landed in New York, my phone rang. I reached into my pocket and quickly answered when I saw the caller ID.

“Brief me,” I said the moment the phone reached my ear. My secretary's voice came through, outlining my schedule for the next two days—most of which consisted of tasks I had postponed for my short trip to the U.S.

“It’s payback time, isn’t it?” I muttered to myself before a smile crept onto my face as I sat in the car, staring outside.

“It was worth it,” I thought unexpectedly. That realization made me pause. I’ve always felt satisfied visiting my mamina, but this time, it felt different. Why?

As we drove past a girl with chin-length hair, a memory flashed in my mind.

"Oh yeah… I saw an angel on land. An angel without wings, just walking, rolling her eyes, and blowing her bangs in annoyance." I nodded to myself, recalling Kei, and chuckled softly.

Mr. Tony's POV

I was focused on driving back to the villa with my boss in the backseat. From time to time, I could hear him mumbling, but what caught me off guard was his occasional chuckling. Curious, I sneaked a glance in the rearview mirror. To my surprise, he wasn’t holding anything—no documents, no laptop, nothing. Instead, he was simply staring outside, lost in thought.

It was refreshing. In the five years I’ve worked for him, this was the first time I had seen him like this. Usually, he was all business, either reading reports or making calls. I couldn’t help but wonder what had happened in the U.S. But as far as I knew, only Granny Liz was there, and I had never seen him act this way after visiting her.

“Tony,” his voice pulled me from my thoughts.

“Yes, boss?” I responded, glancing at him through the mirror.

“Have you ever seen an angel walking?” he asked, leaning back against the seat, gazing at the darkening sky. “And not just any angel—one that rolls her eyes and blows her bangs in annoyance?”

I was stunned, caught completely off guard. Was this a metaphor? A riddle? Or was my boss really asking me this? Before I could process it, he added,

“I guess you haven’t, because if you had, you’d be looking like you were in heaven.”

A wave of shock hit me.

“Haha, I guess you’re right,” I replied with an awkward laugh, though what I really meant to say was, ‘You’re the one who looks like you’re in heaven right now.’

“How about you, boss? Have you seen one?” I asked, hoping to get some insight.

For a moment, he didn’t answer. When I glanced back at him, I saw a smile slowly widening across his face, stretching almost to his ears.

“Uh-huh,” he finally responded.

“But I won’t tell you what she looks like,” he added suddenly.

A laugh escaped me before I could stop it. I quickly covered my mouth and cleared my throat, worried I might have offended him. But what happened next took me completely by surprise.

“Hahahahaha!”

His laughter echoed inside the car—a genuine, full-hearted laugh. I had never heard him laugh like that before. Seeing him this way made me smile. Maybe my boss, who had remained single with no scandals, had finally found his angel. At least now, no one could speculate that he was either impotent or uninterested in women.

“You seem so happy, boss. It’s good to see. You’ve been too hard on yourself, always alone, always working.” My voice was low, but I meant every word.

He sighed, his smile softening. “Do I look that lonely?” He paused for a moment before continuing, “I can’t say for sure if I’ll be happy from now on. But at least for today, I am.”

As we arrived at the villa, I pulled up to the entrance and got out to open the door for him.

He stepped out, looking back at me with a small, thoughtful smile.

“See you tomorrow,” he said before heading inside.

I watched him go, shaking my head with a grin. My boss was changing, and for the first time, it seemed like it was for the better.

I got back into the car and drove home, still smiling to myself.

Carlisle's POV

I couldn't seem to shake off the thought of that girl. To the extent that I had even asked my driver a somewhat ridiculous question. But I didn’t care. Tony had been with me for five years, and I didn’t treat him as just a driver—more like an older best friend who happened to drive for me.

“Tony,” I called out, suddenly lost in thought again.

“Yes, boss?” he answered, though he seemed distracted as well.

“Have you ever seen an angel walking? One that rolls her eyes and blows her bangs in annoyance?”

I pictured the way she rolled her eyes when everyone teased me and how she blew her bangs out of her face while walking home.

“I guess you haven’t, because if you had, you’d be looking like you were in heaven.”

Tony chuckled. “I guess you’re right.”

I kept my eyes on the sky as darkness crept in, unable to stop smiling.

“How about you, boss? Have you seen one?”

I didn’t answer immediately. Even I wasn’t sure if she was just an ordinary girl or an actual angel.

“Uh-huh,” I finally admitted, grinning to myself like an i***t.

“But I won’t tell you what she looks like,” I added before I even realized I had spoken.

Tony let out a laugh before covering his mouth, as if afraid he had crossed a line. But instead of getting annoyed, I burst into laughter too.

“You seem so happy, boss. It’s good to see. You’ve been too hard on yourself, always alone, always working,” he said, his tone softer than usual.

I paused at his words. “Do I look that lonely?” I asked, then exhaled. “I can’t say for sure if I’ll be happy from now on. But at least for today, I am.”

As the car pulled up to the villa, I stepped out, giving Tony a small nod before heading inside.

For the first time in a long time, something felt different. And I wasn’t sure if I wanted that feeling to end.