"What do you mean?"
Sarah asked, feeling the room spin around her. Her voice came out sharper than she intended it to be, and she was thankful for that. She had all the reasons in the world to be defensive, this situation wasn't in her favor at all, and her ex's calm demeanor didn't ease her worries at all.
Elias had the decency to look uncomfortable under her stare, and after a while of silence his cousin broke the tension with professional ease.
"If it has something to do with P.Wattani being missing, then yes, it does." He shifted in his seat leaning toward her as he continued. "I am Professor Wattani's lawyer. Before disappearing, He asked for the transfer of a certain object's ownership."
That caught Sarah off guard, now she began to see Elias' unannounced visit under another light, her heart pounded as she stole a look at her Ex-fiancé's expression. He didn't seem smug in any way, but that wasn't enough to fool her, his betrayal was still a knot in her throat, hard to swallow even after all this time.
The local university's biology department, where Elias worked as a microbiology professor, was interested in their work and invited them to do a conference last year. Since their institute is a private establishment, contact with public universities was kept formal, since P.Wattani didn't want anyone to claim credit for their research.
Soon enough they realized he was right. The department's chief, professor Kinsley, revealed his motives which were the ownership of The Queen. It started with transfer invitations and job offers with dream salaries, and when nor P.Wattani nor his two team members seemed to be interested; they went to less than legal ways of persuasion. It started with simple accidents at the institute's laboratories, and destroyed delivered work material, until the day when P.Wattani's car's brakes gave out in the middle of the road, Sarah had been with him at the time, and the car went out of control narrowly escaping running off the road thanks to an SUV driver who stopped them with his car.
By that time, Sarah and Elias, who have met in the conference, were already engaged. They were open about what P.Kinsley was doing, and he expressed his worry about her personal safety. but the car accident was a breaking point, he suggested that she changes her job, which led to a passionate fight, where he revealed that his boss was pressuring him to get information from her. She didn't suspect that he caved under his pressure until the day she forgot one of her documents home, to have P.Wattani come to her the next week with the news that broker her trust in her fiancé along with her heart. Elias had given into the pressure and betrayed her.
Now, with P.Wattani missing and mysteriously leaving The Queen to someone else, she wondered if she had been wrong about him all along. She still gave Elias the benefit of the doubt, her trust in him as a person refused to budge because the man had given it a solid foundation. But it was hard to believe it now. How the Department chief managed to get P.Wattani to sign the plant over to him was beyond her, but the truth couldn't be more blunt...
"So, now that our research subject belongs to someone else, you are here to make us hand it over." She said bitterly as she eyed them, this was all too painful with Elias here rubbing it all over her.
Ray smiled at her and said "No, actually, I'm here to find a way to finalize the paperwork and hand over your new property. You are the new owner of the plant, Sarah."
Elias' smile was wry when she looked at him, her expression might have been easy to read, and she must seem like a fish out of water by now, with her mouth hanging open.
"Ray contacted me as soon as he made the connection; P.Wattani suddenly made the change last night. Ray knew that I would know how to find you, so he asked me to tag along."
"I see... but how about the professor? Where did he go?" Ray shook his head looking as confused as she was. "I don't know, but I think he went of his own accord."
"So to sum it up, the professor just left for god knows where, and left me with the plant and all the mess with the Biology department?"
"Yeah, that sums it up," Ray said with a sigh as he backed into his seat.
Sarah felt herself get over her shock as the heavy burden of responsibility fell on her shoulders, she fought to contain her anger, P.Wattani abandoned them. She knew that the recent results weighted on him, it was the same for her, she even gave up on her relationship with Elias because of it. But she never expected him to run away. Now she was all alone in this. unless... he was forced to leave and couldn't risk losing the plant...
"Sarah, you need to consider the offer I made last time" Elias' firm tone brought her back, He was looking straight into her eyes. Just like he did back then, and her response was the same too, she couldn't let herself trust him.
"No, Elias. I won't borrow one of your family's security guards. I have my reasons for not trusting you"
"Then hire someone yourself. Even you can see how things became too serious to ignore, I don't want you to be a casualty in this." His eyes held too many emotions that it became intense and strangling to look at him. Averting her gaze, she let her hair cover her face.
"It's my business, Elias. If I decide that I need a bodyguard, I will make sure to have one." Her tone was sharp and even hurtful, but Elias wasn't affected, she knew it.
"I think you might want to consider his proposition, after what I heard from P.Wattani..." Ray said somberly, Siding with his cousin and not sounding in the least unprofessional. Ray stood up and Elias followed him.
"We won't keep you any longer; if it's okay, can we meet after work to finalize your paperwork?"
"Yes, of course. That would be great. I will personally inform the police, and Mrs. Wattani."
"If you need to contact me, here are the info. As for our meeting, Is Starlight Hotel fine with you?"
"Yes, I will be there by six."
She led them outside, as she allowed her mind to wander around the corner she kept ignoring, she avoided Elias the whole month since they separated only to find that nothing changed, her long break from work which she spent trying in vain to wipe away his memory and battle against her sleepless nights was for naught, for everything she thought she managed to bury deep within her resurfaced with the sigh of his face, the sound of his gentle voice, and the unwavering caress of his gaze. She still longed for his company.
Memories of their days as they battled against time to meet up over coffee or go for long walks along the beach or the woods, or even at the university's campus when P.Kinseley hadn't started making their lives miserable yet. Those were the days that led her to fall in love with him and showed her that the Natural calm leader, has a few flaws here and there he was willing to share with her.
He opened up for her and she did the same, only now, she realised how foolish she was to think she could forget about him, she bonded with him deep in her soul, and it will taint her for the rest of her life, she would never forget about him, and she will always miss him and what they had. That's why she found herself using all of her restraint not to let it show on her face as she shook Ray's hand and went to do the same with Elias. But he was by her side before she could react and whispered.
"Please reconsider my offer, Sarah. I'll call you later."
He squeezed her elbow a little, and her heart squeezed along with it sending a rush of pain through her chest as he whispered in a tone that almost broke her heart all over again. "I miss you."
They were gone before she could compose herself and formulate a sentence, the air so cold around her after he left, that she felt her eyes fill up with tears from the loss. and for the hundredth time, she wondered if The Queen was worth it.