Business Always
CHAPTER 21—AMELIA POV

"You think I didn't already know that?" I ask him.

He stares at me emptily. "What?"

"Did you think I didn't already know that he's not faithful to me?" I repeat.

"You knew?" Xavier questions, still making sense of the situation.

"Yes," I say, and all of a sudden, I completely break. My shoulders slump, and my eyes, which start to water uncontrollably, are glued to the ground.

His face is in huge disbelief.

"You think I don't notice the 2 a.m. calls, business trips on Thanksgiving, not coming with me to the Banquet? I gave him the benefit of the doubt, but I'm not an idiot either."

Small teardrops begin to fall, darkening the light concrete floor.

I was so ashamed.

Xavier takes a step closer. "Why are you crying?" he asks.

"Because I'm Amelia Davis, and look at me." I sigh. "I'm so pathetic."

"Then leave him," he says. I laugh involuntarily it's not that easy.

"He's my best bet," I say. "If I'm not marrying for love, then it has to be in a way that benefits me."

"Greed?" Xavier asks.

"You could call it that...but it's the best choice for me," I huff.

"You're never going to leave him, are you?" Xavier asks.

His voice strains as he comes to creationist that I will never be his. It broke my heart more than his.

"Why would I leave him?" I ask. "To be with you?"

He doesn't say anything.

"Your brother killed my mother!" I yell, a waterfall of tears pouring out my eyes just mentioning the fact. "Do you know how fucking morbid it is for me to be with you?"

"I" he tries to say something. "You're right." He backs away in defeat.

"I'm sorry," I whisper.

He's the person for me, but the situation doesn't let me be with him.

I will never replace anyone like him, and I know that that's why settling with Alexander is my best option.

Looking for love again would be futile. Xavier ruined the chances of every other man on the planet.

Every time I saw him my heart would flutter but somewhere, in the back of my mind, I was terrified.

He has the power to break me, and he can do that so easily, it's laughable.

"Did you ever love me?" he asks and my heart cries.

"It hurts that you would ask that." I sigh.

"I don't know anymore, La. Please tell me."

My eyes press shut at his tender and hurt voice. Tears fall faster and faster and I stand there silently crying for a second.

"I always loved you, Xavier. Even when I thought I didn't, even when I was out to ruin you, even when I told you I hated you," I confess before taking a pause. "Even now." "That's nice to hear." He smiles, but he looks away.

"I apologize for everything I put you through," I say weakly, what were my words going to help now.

"I put you through worse." He laughs. "Goddamnit." His laughter is sad.

"Xavier-"

"We'll take our separate paths here, Miss Davis. I hope I'll receive an invitation to your wedding." He smiles boyishly.

"Of course. I'll see you at work," I say.

A part of me is okay with letting him go because he will never truly be away from me. We're the biggest businesspeople in New York, and we're partners.

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One way or another I would always be with him, even if it was from a distance. And it was enough for me.

"I think I'm going to drop out of Atlec," he says and my heartbeat races. "Don't worry. You can keep the investments I put in. I just won't be there anymore."

I was suddenly feeling so paranoid and sick to my gut.

"Okay. I'll have to see you again at least once-just sort that out," I let him know.

"I look forward to it. Goodbye Miss Davis." He nods in my direction and turns around walking away.

"Bye Xavier," I say, but he's gone.

I take my phone out of my purse and call a cab. I take a few tissues from the tissue box the driver had and dry my tears.

I was okay.

Everything was going to be okay.

A lot of people end up not being with who they want, this wasn't the end of the world nor was it an uncommon situation.

Sure, I'll cry for a few days, eat a couple pints of ice cream, and lock myself in my room, but I'll get over it.

I'll be okay.

The cab stops outside the Pyramid building. I thank and tip the driver before going through.

Everyone from their cubicles and desks is staring at me, probably because I was wandering around Alexander's office in a ball gown.

When I finally arrive, I see him, sitting alone and working silently. I was half expecting

to see him with a girl or something but turns out he was being honest for once.

"Amelia?" He looks up at the sound of his office door opening. "You look gorgeous," he says after eyeing me.

"Thank you," I murmur.

"Why are you here? The banquet doesn't end for ages?" he asks.

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"We got paired with people we already worked with so we both decided to leave," I explain.

"Sit." He gestures to a chair opposite his, the desk between us. He looks at my face for

a few moments, his face churning into a confused expression. "Have you been crying?"

he asks.

I look down to the floor, hiding my face, my hands sitting on my knees.

"Hey." He stands up, leaning over my desk and lifting my chin up with his finger. His

soft hands held my face. "What's wrong?"

At that moment I didn't know why he was being so soft, so gentle and caring.

Was it the guilt eating him up?

"I'm overwhelmed, Alexander." I sigh and I slump back into the chair. "The only thing

that's constant in my life is you," I lie.

He smiles softly. I was bewildered at how he was acting.

Like he really loved me.

I know he doesn't, but this facade is enough to keep me content.

"You came here to see me?" he asks.

"Return the favour for when you picked me up from the hotel." I chuckle. He nods in understanding, and we sit there in comfortable silence, the only sound being the tapping of the keyboard.

"There's something on your mind," he says rather than asks. "Spill it."

I say nothing for a moment, the only thing in my mind was what happened a mere 15

minutes ago.

We'll take our separate paths here, Miss Davis.

Xavier King is a man of his word.

He has never told me he would leave me, but now he has.

So I know...he's never coming back.

I knew I was in love with him but loving someone doesn't always mean being together,

sometimes loving means you need to distant yourself and let them blossom without

you.