Free Web NovelChapter 13: Chapter 13
Kyra’s POV
I was half-listening to Chris’s apologies about the bouquet incident, but my attention kept drifting to where Nathan stood across the hall. I couldn’t help but glance in his direction, and every time I did, I’d catch him looking at me as if he were waiting for me to notice him.
"He rejected our bond for Sophia," Sylvia growled sharply. "Stop looking."
Yet I couldn’t help it.
Chris’s voice pulled me back. "I didn’t mean to cause trouble with the flowers."
I gave Chris an awkward smile. "I just hope we can clarify our relationship next time because, you know, it might create a misunderstanding." ƒreewebɳovel.com
"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention, please? Good evening..."
Our conversation was interrupted when my assistant went up to the mini-stage and greeted everyone. She was the one in charge of hosting tonight’s party.
I reached for a cocktail, then hesitated. I was pregnant, so I grabbed an orange juice and sipped it before looking at the mini stage again.
"We are pleased to have everyone at this important event. Tonight is the 60th anniversary of ADE. Cheers to another year!"
I smiled and lifted my glass. I smiled at Chris too before sipping my juice, but I coughed in shock when I found Nathan’s eyes on me again. I couldn’t believe he was still watching me. Even Sophia was looking in my direction now, and I felt like she had noticed she’d been talking to the air the entire time.
"You okay?" Chris offered a handkerchief.
I shook my head and wiped my lips with my own handkerchief. I noticed Chris’s troubled expression as he stared at my lips, and that’s when I realized I wasn’t wearing my kiss-proof lipstick because it was still missing.
"Uh... your lips..." he said, almost in a whisper.
Before I could react, a familiar minty scent enveloped me. Nathan snatched the handkerchief from my hand, his touch startlingly gentle as he wiped the juice from my mouth.
"Give me your lipstick," he ordered, his voice low. "You’re going onstage."
Sylvia bristled. "Since when does an ex-mate give orders?"
Yet my traitorous fingers obeyed, passing him the lipstick. Nathan tilted my chin up, his thumb brushing my lower lip. He did it very slowly and carefully, his eyes focused on what he was doing as if a little distraction would ruin the masterpiece he was painting on my lips.
What was he doing again? Why was he here? Why did he look mad? He was so confusing. I didn’t know why he was acting jealous when, clearly, he wanted Sophia more than me. He loved Sophia and I was just his best friend. I wanted to believe that. God knew how much I wanted to believe he didn’t have feelings for me, but he kept showing me the opposite.
Should I hope? Should I take another risk? But I’d been taking risks all these years, and look where it had got me. I was still just his best friend.
When he let go of my chin, I realized I had been holding my breath the entire time he was putting lipstick on my lips. His eyes stared down at me for a few seconds before I looked away nervously. He grabbed my bag and put the lipstick back inside before he started walking away like nothing happened.
I swallowed hard. My heart was still racing like crazy and, even though I could feel Sophia’s sharp glares, I didn’t give her a single glance. I stared at Nathan’s back until I felt Chris nudge me.
I gasped and looked at him. "Y-you were saying?"
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. "If it’s too much, you should give up. You’re just hurting yourself, Kyra."
"Chris—"
The call to the stage saved me.
"Let us call the Vice President to the stage for a heartwarming message. Miss Kyra Monroe, everyone, the Vice President of ADE."
I pressed my lips together and started walking toward the stage. I smiled at everyone when I got the microphone.
"Good evening, everyone. First of all, thank you for attending this important event. As the Vice President of ADE, I am so proud to have all of you as part of the company... Without your support, I don’t think I could perform my job properly. That’s all. Thank you, and happy anniversary."
I gave the microphone back while everyone was clapping, and as I slowly walked down the two steps from the stage, Nathan was walking in my direction. And once again, I felt the carnal desire, the burning sensations as we moved toward each other in the middle of the crowd.
The distance kept shrinking. He was one step away from me when darkness suddenly consumed the hall. It was like a switch. All the beautiful feelings I had vanished and were overtaken by pitch-black darkness. My hands started sweating and trembling. The crowd around me grew noisy, but I couldn’t hear them clearly. It was as if my brain shut down and I could only feel extreme fear.
My lips trembled and my knees weakened. The pitch-black surroundings scared me so much that I lost my balance as I slowly lost consciousness. Thankfully, a pair of warm arms caught me before I fell flat on the floor.
