Her Billionaire's Reckoning

10. Her true self

Knowing she would be there all by herself, and feeling not the need to knock, he opened the door and let himself in, closing the door softly behind him.

Rose stood in front of the ceiling-to-floor windows, gazing down at the busy city which was shrouded in the midst of the night of the sky, yet illuminated by the lights from the buildings and from the streetlamps.

On her large mahogany desk which was at least three decades old, he could see an envelope beside a letter, and he knew right who the sender of that letter would be and how it always affected Rose.

Her arms folded against her torso, and her hair now let down, she seemed to be lost in thought as she gazed through the window, barely making out one thing from the other amidst the tall skyscrapers and the cars brimming in the traffic.

He walked up to her, and with her back to his, he wound his arms around her waist, rested his head on her shoulder and sniffed in her scent.

"You did well, Rose, tonight was amazing," he told her in a soft voice.

"You think so?" Rose let out.

"Of course. I couldn't take my eyes off you. You were..."

"Cut it off, Cade," Rose removed his arms from around her, shrugging him off of her. "I know I am not there just yet. I need to work harder, I need to do more. I work my butt off every time, and yet it feels like..."

"Rose! For how much longer are you going to let his words get into you? It's been years since he was locked in prison, and he isn't getting out anytime soon," Cade told her, then added in a gentle tone. "Why don't you give yourself a rest, Rose? And why don't you let me comfort you?"

"Comfort? Huh!" Rose snorted. "Cade. When are you going to..."

"Give up. I know," Cade sighed dejectedly, as he ran his hand through his hair. "Like a fool, I keep thinking that I will have a chance."

"You are so stuck in the past that you fail to realize how much has changed," Rose turned her back to him as she continued. "If you don't open your eyes, you will look back one day, and you will realize that what you needed was right in front of you."

"Now you sound like an old woman," Cade let out.

"Well it's no wonder. I was raised by old people," Rose chuckled. "But jokes aside, what are you going to do about her feelings for you? It is such a thorn in my side seeing such a perfect couple wasting away," Rose shook her head.

"Yet, I can't stop the feeling of guilt because a certain someone decided to keep something that wasn't hers," Cade said, his voice exuding sarcasm. "But good call. What a way to reject someone," he rolled his eyes playfully.

"It's one of the many things I'm good at," Rose smirked, moving to sit on her chair.

"What is it about this time?" Cade referred to the letter sitting on her desk.

"He keeps taunting me, and even today's success isn't enough to keep him at bay."

"What if there's still some of his people here?" Cade asked, getting serious.

"Wouldn't matter if there is, and I doubt there is. There isn't much he can do to return the favor while he is locked up," Rose said nonchalantly, but the slight crease in her brows suggested otherwise. "Speaking of, there is someone I need you to look into for me. I told Alice to do it, but she is too much of a goody shoes."

"Wouldn't want her to get her hands dirty. Who is it anyway? Someone you want to bring an end to?"

"Nope, just some lowlife who has never had a taste of luck. There is someone in the technology department that I was going to promote, but some brats by the names of Kim and Erin are against it."

"You want to find some dirt on them?" Cade quirked up an eyebrow.

"I'm still not sure. I will have to think about it. Same with how to respond to this one."

*

The car slowly came to a stop in the parking lot. Cade went for his door handle, about to open it, when Rose beat him to it and opened her door by herself.

"No need for that. Goodnight Cade," Rose said as she opened the door, letting herself out of the car and closing the door. She stood by the side and waved, gesturing for him to leave. Cade nodded his head and in a few seconds the car rolled away, leaving Rose in the empty lot.

Heading towards the elevator, Rose headed up to her floor, going straight for her condo.

Opening the door, she was welcomed with the sweet scent of a delicious dinner, making her stomach rumble.

"Welcome back Ma'am," Miss Adams greeted her. "How was work today?"

"Same as always. Thank you for your hard work."

"You are welcome miss. Do you want to eat dinner now?"

"Sure. I will get changed first," Rose replied, heading towards her room.

"Of course ma'am. I will set things up."

*

Inside her walk-in closet, Rose kicked off her heels before wiping off her make-up and taking off her jewelry and changing into cotton pajamas which consisted of a relaxed fit shirt with short sleeves and knee-length shorts. She was about to exit the space when her eyes landed on a pink ballerina box sitting on the top shelf.

She walked over and took out the box, using her fingers to trace the intricate pattern on it, before moving to open the box. She ran her hands through the contents, which consisted, among others, some old photographs. Pictures taken a long time ago. Happy moments with her grandparents, holiday pictures, pictures of her from a toddler up through her teenage years until her high school graduation and then, the last one, of her mother.

The rest were some letters, trinkets and jewelry, before her hands settled on a particular sapphire necklace.

Cade's earlier words came to mind, but deciding not to dwell on it, Rose closed the box and put it back in place, exiting her room and going to the kitchen where Miss Adams had laid out her food.

"Enjoy your food miss. And if there is anything else you need..."

"There's no need. And you should take the rest of the week off."

"Really? Thank you. I should spend some quality time with my family," Miss Adams couldn't hide her glee. "But what about you miss? Will you be fine by yourself?"

"Why not? I have been by myself for a very long time," Rose said cheekily, her eyes expressing her disdain.

"Oh, I am sorry, I didn't mean it that way," Miss Adams fumbled.

"Good night Georgia," Rose said before digging into her food, completely ignoring the woman's presence.

"Uhm, good night miss," Miss Adams said before she turned and left the kitchen. A few minutes later, the door opened and shut, leaving Rose in silence, only the clinking of her cutlery against the plate the only sound feeling the space.