The CEO’ s second choice novel Chapter 24

　　Elena

　　We have arrived in London, and I forgot it was winter over here.

　　The drive back to the villa in Kensington has my stomach in knots and I am fraught with nerves. Ilse will be so upset with me! She will give me that disapproving look until she was ready to forgive me, and I do not blame her.

　　Sebastian has not uttered another word to me, and I don’t know if I was thankful for the silence or disappointed. His phone rings as we near the villa, “Sebastian,” he answers his phone monotonously, and I am left wondering again what type of boss he was. “No, I haven’t forgotten about the dinner, Sarah. I’ll be in the office in the next hour or two, bring the figures along and we can go over it while we wait for Darcy.”

　　Excuse me, what? Sarah, as in his mistress?

　　I couldn’t help myself and started eavesdropping terribly. “Yes, I am aware of the time. I said I would be in the office within the hour. If Darcy or his associates arrive before I do, keep them distracted. You are quite adept at doing that.” He continues his conversation and I feel the knot in my stomach twist even more. Gosh, I hope this wasn’t jealousy. “Thank you. I will see you soon.”

　　He ends the call and pockets his cell phone, letting out an exasperated sigh. “You are quite adept at doing that.” Hmm, and how.

　　Ugh, I can’t just let this go, I just can’t. The brat in me would not allow it.

　　“Sarah is your employee?” I ask him, hoping he does not notice the jealousy tainting my voice. Sebastian chuckles and continues to stare out the window, “Not exactly. She’s my business partner at Dumont Enterprises. My COO and second in command.” He answers and I am genuinely shocked by this. He didn’t just have an affair with an employee, it was his damned Chief Operations Officer. That would mean he sees her daily and probably spends more time with her than me.

　　The burning in my chest intensifies at this knowledge. What was wrong with me? I wanted this, I wanted us to go back to ignoring one another and can’t go back on my word now. Sebastian and I got married out of convenience, not love. It is unfair for me to feel this way now. I cannot expect him to honour our agreement and not find pleasure elsewhere. He was entitled to it.

　　“I see,” was all I could say to his answer, and he pulled his phone out to open the gate. “You can’t have your cake and eat it, Elena.” He says as the car comes to a halt in front of the villa door. I know that, Sebastian. But I cannot help feeling this way.

　　“I am not expecting anything. You are allowed to do as you please, Sebastian. This is a marriage of convenience, not love.” I regret the scathing words as soon as I utter them, but they don’t cut as deep as Sebastian’s eyes as he turns to look at me, cold and apathetic. “I know.” He says, then opens his door and gets out, slamming it behind him. The driver opens my side and I watch Sebastian’s back as he walks up the steps of the villa, not even turning back to look at me.

　　Letting out a sigh, I tell the driver to bring the luggage up to my bedroom and follow my husband inside. I hug my coat closer to my body, realising that the coldness outside didn’t sting as much as his last words in the car.

　　I look up before I enter the villa and see Ilse standing at the door regarding me with disappointment. Gosh, I hurt this woman and she had done nothing but be kind to me. “Ilse, I’m-”

　　“You had your reasons, dearie. I am just glad you’re home. We were all worried about you.” She says, interrupting my apology. Tears brim my eyes as I look at her, and she wraps her arms around me, rubbing my back. She leads me inside the warmth of the villa and closes the door behind her, “I wish you would have told us where you went. Mr Dumont was up day and night looking for you, He barely came home.” She says, making me feel even worse than before.

　　She was the second one to say I did not inform them where I was going, “Ilse, I left a note for Sebastian on his bedside table informing him that I would return in 2 weeks. Did he not receive it?” I asked her with a frown and she shook her head as a look of surprise crossed her face. “No! He did not receive any note, he would have told me.” She says while shaking her head. But then her eyes widen and she sighs. “Melissa cleaned Mr Dumont’s room that day.” She says and I could see this upset her, then it hit me.

　　Melissa was the girl who had a crush on Sebastian and loathed me. Could she be the one who disposed of my note? “You don’t think she would have thrown the note away, do you?” I ask her as we sit down at the kitchen table. She walked over to the counter and I noticed that she was fixing a pot of tea. Ugh, I loved this woman.

　　“I do not want to speculate, but I will ask her about it. I would need to inform Mr Dumont of this if she did do it.”

　　“No, Ilse, I do not want anyone losing their jobs on my account,” I say, knowing Sebastian would fire the poor girl. Ilse shakes her head, “If she did it, it was out of selfish needs and we cannot trust her to work here any longer.” She says and I finally understand. We could not have someone working here who put their selfishness over that of their employer.

　　I nod sadly, signalling that I understood, and she offers me a smile. “Did you have fun at least?” She asks me as she puts tea and biscuits in front of me. Wow, I realise that I was actually starving. Did I have fun over there? Did I let my hair down and enjoy my short-lived freedom away from Sebastian?

　　The answer was no.

　　I shake my head, and a tear falls down my cheek. Ilse looks at me sadly, “If you need to get away, tell Mr Dumont instead of just leaving. He really does care about you, Elena.” She says, and I smile at the fact that she called me by my first name. I wiped my tears away, but more continued to fall, “He can’t care about me, Ilse,” I say, knowing it needed to be this way, but it did not hurt any less.

　　Whatever Sebastian and I feel for one another was over; it needed to be over before it started.

　　She doesn’t say anything to this, and I finish my tea in silence before heading back into the solitude of my bedroom. Sebastian was on his phone again as I passed his bedroom door, but I did not stay to eavesdrop.

　　I open my bedroom door and breathe in the familiar scent; this was my home, and it sure felt like it. I missed this enormous four-poster bed with its heavenly mattress and fluffy blankets, and a smile crossed my face as I took off my heels and walked towards it. Everything was familiar and I can’t believe I had run away from this.

　　But then my eyes went to the only thing in my room that was not familiar; there was a gift box laying on my bed. I sit down and inspect the package, then Sebastian’s familiar scent floats up from it. Was this from him? There was a note on top of the gift box and I started to read it, wishing I had just ignored the damned thing.

　　“ ‘Her coming was my hope each day,

　　Her parting was my pain;

　　The chance that did her steps delay

　　Was ice in every vein.’”

　　Happy Valentine’s Day, My Rebellious Heiress

　　Oh. Oh no.

　　Sebastian did indeed get me a Valentine’s Day gift, after all. I smile wistfully at the Jane Eyre quote and remove the top of the box. Whatever was inside, they had wrapped in a layer of silk that I peel back; then my heart explodes with what lay inside.

　　It was a first-edition set of Jane Eyre!

　　How did Sebastian get this? The last one was sold privately at an auction years ago. Gingerly taking the first book out, I open it and smell the lovely scent of a well-read book. This was the best gift I could ever have received, and I wasn’t even here to receive it. How would I ever repay Sebastian for this? These books were invaluable to me, and it meant so much that he went to such lengths to get them for me.

　　Swallowing my ego, I walk out of my room and head to his. I needed to thank him for this precious gift in person. A text just wouldn’t do. Not that I have a phone yet, shoot, I need to get on that soon.

　　I raised my hand to knock when I heard his voice on the other side, “I will meet you at the hotel afterwards. Yes, the usual time.” My heart drops as I realise that he was no doubt talking to Sarah, planning to meet up with her later this evening. But before I could walk away, he opened the door and stood in front of me and regarded me with confusion.

　　“Elena?” He asks with a furrowed brow, “Can I help you?”

　　Giving him what I had hoped was a warm smile, but I had a feeling that it looked more like a grimace. “I just wanted to come to say thank you for the gift,” I tell him, gesturing towards my room when he does not register my appreciation. “The Jane Eyre first editions.”

　　“Oh, that. Gosh, I had forgotten I bought those. You’re welcome, Elena.” He says, and we stood in his doorway, locked in a stare. I broke it first, then cleared my throat, “Let me let you go. Thank you again, Sebastian. You do not know how much it means to me.” I tell him and I turn around to walk away. I feel his eyes on my back, willing him not to call me back because I knew I would not be able to resist his call.

　　“Elena,”

　　I pause, my hand reaching for my door handle, and I turn my head to look at him, “Yes, Sebastian?” I answer with my voice barely an octave above a whisper.

　　“I, uhm -” It looked like he was contemplating his next words, but then I saw the resolve return to his eyes, “I hope you have a good day.” He said, then he walked away from me for the second time today.