He Couldn’t Forget, She Wouldn’t Forgive

Chapter 7 - Finding Layla

GENERAL

The smile on Aurora’s lips dissipated as soon as she slammed the door behind her. She bit her bottom lip and clenched her hands into fists as she stared out the window. Nobody could tell what was going through her mind, but anyone could tell that she was furious.

Hissing, she rushed to the bed and punched it twice. “I hate her so much!” she said, digging her fist into the mattress. “Why did she have to come back now? Why did she have to come at this important period? Why does she keep taking everything away from me? What is so special about her?” she yelled, running her fingers through her hair before placing both hands on her hips. Her chest heaved up and down as fire seemed to roll in her eyes.

Meanwhile, in Bastian’s office, he stared at the same page he had been on for an hour and still couldn’t grasp a thing from the document.

He had been on that document for hours, and every attempt to focus seemed to make the distraction worse with each passing second.

Hissing, he kneaded his forehead and leaned his elbow on the table. “Why hasn’t she called to beg for my forgiveness?” he mumbled. Then he shrugged the thought off and returned his gaze to the document he was forcing himself to work on.

Still, he couldn’t. The more he tried, the more thoughts of Layla invaded his brain and mind. It had been two days since she left, and he hadn’t received any calls from her. It was impossible. The Layla he knew couldn’t do without him. Yes, she might have left and acted like someone who still had an ounce of pride left, but she had none. She was shameless and would crawl back, begging him to accept her.

With a sigh, he picked up the phone on the table, and its screen lit up. His expression fell when he found it blank. There wasn’t any notification. Really, she hadn’t called or sent a message.

“Is my phone broken?” he asked rhetorically, then hit his forehead as he realized how stupid the question was.

He had been receiving other calls and texts since she left. That wouldn’t have happened if his phone were broken. Definitely, nothing was wrong with his phone, but why wasn’t Layla’s call coming in? She must have needed his help already. She couldn’t survive without him. His money had given her the life she had never dreamt she could live. Divorcing her only meant she would automatically go back to the mud she came from. So why hadn’t she called to beg him to take her back?

Tossing the phone aside, he chuckled. “What are you trying to do, Layla? Don’t act cheeky with me, girl. It will only make things worse,” he muttered amidst his chuckles. He pinched the space between his brows. Could it be that she had lost her phone and didn’t have a way to reach him? Or had she suddenly started thinking she was some sort of hotcake just because the Uber driver who came to pick her up the other day arrived in a luxurious car?

Again, he scoffed and shook his head. “I didn’t expect her to be this stupid. Did she think I would run after her after seeing an Uber driver pick her up?” He hit the table. “Let’s see how long she can keep this up. I’m very sure she will come back to me,” he muttered.

He returned to the document he was reviewing, but every attempt to grasp anything failed. At the same time, there was a knock on his door, and his assistant walked in.

“Boss…”

“Thank God you’re here, Nicole,” he said. “I need you to do something for me.”

Nicole nodded. “Okay, sir, but I need you to check this—”

“I can always do that later. What I’m about to ask you is more important.” He gestured with his hand, telling Nicole to drop the document on the table. She obliged.

“Call the private spy company we work with and tell them I have work for them. The manager has to come see me today,” he said.

Curiosity and confusion danced in Nicole’s eyes as she listened to her boss’s order. “But you said we wouldn’t work with them anymore.”

Bastian raised his gaze to her, angered and frustrated. “You have a minute to do that, Nicole,” he growled, unsmiling.

Nicole gulped. She knew better than to annoy him further. “Okay, sir.” She bowed and walked out of the office.

As soon as she left, Bastian shut his eyes and breathed out loudly, rolling his back against the chair. He hated that he was about to go back on the decision he had made in the past because of someone like Layla. Well, the feeling was temporary. He knew he would feel better when he heard news about Layla—how she was struggling and finding it difficult to survive. So, he was ready to make the silliest decision just for that.

He opened his eyes, swirled his tongue over his lips, and smiled. “You think you can run away from me? No, Layla. I will watch you suffer and relish in it.”