Leap OF Fate novel Chapter 52

Cough!

Serene felt shivers run down her spine at the sound. Oh no, is it Justin? Having experienced Justin’s jealousy when she and Rich were running tests, she developed hyper-awareness of the space between her and members of the male species. Justin could be narrow and closed minded when possessed by the green monster.

Her head snapped towards the door expecting a tall, long-haired man standing by the door with a brooding expression. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw Al instead of Justin.

“You’re here!” her excitement was evident in her voice.

“Yes. Justin and I discussed the next phase of the project. How are you guys doing with the codes?” He walked towards the table where they worked and took a quick glance at her monitor. He squinted his eyes as he quickly scanned a few lines of codes they have written.

“I think we fixed it. We’ll just ask another test to see if the data will post and not spit out errors.” Alex answered his question.

“That’s good!”

“I’m just waiting for Rich or Leo to perform the tests,” Serene answered, craning her neck to see if either men were back from their meetings.

“OK. By the way Shen, Justin’s waiting for you to come up for lunch,” Al informed her, then gave her a wink.

Serene excused herself and went up to Justin’s office. She smiled at his secretary, who opened the door for her. She had been coming up to his office regularly for lunch, everyone in this floor knew him and her relationship to Justin.

Upon entering the door, she saw him seated on the couch and in front of him laid the lunch she prepared for them. Stir-fried beef and rice for him, and chicken caesar salad for her.

She approached him with a smile, gave his lips a quick peck, then sat on the space beside him. Just like most of the meals they shared, they ate in silence. Justin finished his meal first. He wiped his mouth with a tissue and put aside his cutlery.

“Al said your project is approaching completion,” he asked.

Serene wiped her mouth and took a sip of water before she answered, “Yes”.

“When did you plan to tell me about it?” his brow arched up and his tone a little cold.

“Well —”

“well, what? You did not intend to let me know and would rather have me learn about it from another person?”

“No, that’s not what I meant. I thought you already knew.”

“You thought I already knew?” his voice hitched a little.

“Yes. I have gone over the timeline at the start of the project and each of our major meetings. So I thought you know that we’re just a step away to completion.”

Justin stared at her. His eyes narrowed into slits. She’s right. She must have mentioned the progress of the project and their remaining items to close. He just did not pay attention because attending the meetings was just an excuse for him to be with her. Heck, he acquired Innovative Data to create an opportunity for them!

Now, they are almost close to the end. He felt uncertain. Will she stay? Does he need to ‌stall her? Annoyed, he ran his fingers through his hair, stood up, walked to his desk saying nothing.

His long, angry strides brought him back to his desk quicker than he wanted. He looked at Serene who remained seated at the couch, hands clutching her skirt, shoulders stooped, eyes looking at her hands, and teeth sinking deeply in her bottom lips.

They have just been together for three months. Although Serene had assured him of her love, and have felt that she loved him, situations like these make him uncomfortable. Will she choose him?

“Justin…” her voice broke. She lifted her eyes to look at him. He saw how the edges of her eyes glistened with tears threatening to fall. She looked pitiful, but he felt aggrieved too. He met her gaze, trying to decipher what’s running in her mind and what’s deep in her heart.

“So, what will become of us now?” he blurted. Although he liked to sound detached, his voice sounded hurt.

“What do you mean?” Serene looked at him with furrowed brows, the tip of her nose turning red.

“You’ll go back to Coast City. What will happen to us?”

“Justin, nothing will change between us. Yes, we’d be physically apart, but isn’t technology so advanced now that distance should no longer be an issue.”

“I’ll Facetime you every day. I’ll visit you every other week. Baby, we can do this.” Her voice pleaded for his understanding.

“I can’t sleep without you,” he said simply.

Serene could not believe his counterargument. Her round eyes focused on him, blinking twice from his statement. It turned out she no longer had to convince a formidable CEO, rather had to comfort the child inside him.

She got up from the couch and walked towards him, stopping when she stood in between his legs. She held his face and tenderly looked him in the eyes.

“How about this, give me a month, I will fix everything I need in Coast City so I can permanently be with you here?” she said while she stroked the length of his hair.

Justin’s face lit up from what she said. Permanently settle. He liked the sound of that. His face beamed, and he rested his face on her soft chest in response to her question.