"So, what did your mom say about Ares' proposal?" Elena asked me once more, leaning into my cubicle.
I chose to ignore her and focused on my work, stealing a glance at Ares' still-empty office. Elena was already beside me, eyeing my arm.
"What happened there?" She asked, her tone serious and a bit threatening.
I swiftly adjusted my dress, pulling down the blouse's sleeve to cover my arm. I avoided her gaze and started stapling the scattered papers.
"Aren't you going to take any action? I'm swamped with work, Elena. Let's talk later," I evasively replied, but she didn't seem to take that for an answer.
She grabbed my arm, making me look at her. She looked at my bruises. I winced as she raised her eyebrows. That was where Matthew gripped me last night. I couldn't even come up with an excuse because his fingers had left scratches that turned into bruises.
"Has Sir Ares seen this?" She pressed on, and I simply shook my head.
"We haven't spoken about it," I replied sparingly. Then I heard her sarcastic laugh.
"I can't believe you're still allowing your brother to do this to you. It's too much, Ana, just so you know," she began and sat down next to me.
I turned my gaze to the computer and let out a tired sigh.
"Because I didn't follow his orders when—"
"Girl, you better be joking. Your excuses won't change the fact that he's been abusing you all along. The audacity! You're already giving them money, and they're still hurting you. What's wrong with your family?" She said, her patience clearly worn thin.
Before I could respond, I saw Ares hastily entering his office, appearing quite displeased. I glanced at Elena and motioned that we'd talk later. She simply stared at me and hurried back to her own cubicle.
Once she was gone, I hurried to organize the papers that Ares needed to sign and adjusted my demeanor before heading towards his office.
I knocked before entering. As I stepped inside, I immediately heard the anger in his voice as he spoke on the phone.
"Stop making excuses. If it weren't for dad, I wouldn't have allowed you to come back here after what you did!" He exclaimed emphatically to the person on the other end.
I debated whether to continue or not, but in the end, I approached. I quietly placed the folders on his table and looked at him. He turned towards me.
"You've been a major disappointment to our family since then. Why should I even bother— No! I'm not competing with you. You're just his illegitimate child!"
My mouth fell open upon hearing that. His tone was filled with anger, so I figured he was speaking to his half-brother in another country. This is how he spoke every time he talked to him. I'd always wondered why he treated his brother like this, but I couldn't help but ask him the reason. It dampened the mood every time it was brought up.
Later on, I heard Ares unleash a string of expletives before hanging up the phone. I even caught a glimpse of his mild shock when he saw me.
"You're here..." He said promptly and approached me, kissing me on the forehead and pulling me into a hug. "I'm sorry. I didn't even notice you coming into my office. What's wrong?" He said softly, his gaze fixed on me.
"I just brought the clients' contracts for you to sign. Are you okay?" I inquired, noticing the furrow on his forehead as he watched me. He seemed troubled.
Instead of answering, he gestured for me to sit on the sofa and quickly headed to his mini pantry.
"Did you have breakfast? I couldn't pick you up earlier due to an urgent meeting," he changed the subject. I simply looked at him while brewing coffee.
Noticing my silence, he turned his gaze toward me, pausing in what he was doing as if he'd just realized something. He quickly closed the distance between us.
"I'm sorry..." he muttered while looking at me intently.
My forehead creased. "Why?"
"You waited for me, I know. I just … damn …" He almost whispered to himself and slightly rubbed his forehead, then closed his eyes firmly.
I swiftly took his hands and kissed them, causing him to look at me again.
"Tell me what happened, and I'll forgive you," I simply told him, still holding onto his hands.
He was about to speak when there was a knock on the door, and we both turned in that direction. Shortly after, it suddenly swung open, revealing a stunning woman. Tall and fair-skinned, she looked like a model.
I released Ares' hand and stood up, and Ares did the same. I wanted to maintain professionalism and not bring any personal matters between Ares and me into the office, even though many already knew. If I could move to another company, I would have. Ares didn't want the case.
"Lorraine, what brings you here? Our meeting is over," Ares' voice was serious and troubled. I stood silently beside him. I saw this woman glance at me for a moment, he called her Lorraine, and then she smiled.
"So, this was your doing while I was away, huh? Is that why you neglected the partnership my dad offered you?"
I bit my lower lip upon hearing that. Maybe she wasn't referring to me, was she?
"Don't take everything personally, Lorraine. I already explained the reasons in our earlier meeting," Ares replied coldly, turning back to his desk. He gestured for me to stay, so I just nodded.
I observed as the woman approached Ares' desk, standing in front of him with her arms crossed over her chest. I sized her up from head to toe.
Judging by her attire, it was clear that she also hailed from a wealthy family like Ares. She exuded sophistication and a formidable presence. Though we were about the same height, I was slightly fairer than her. Who was she?
"Isn't this getting personal for you now? Dating your secretary—"
"She's my fiancée now, Lorraine," Ares firmly interjected, cutting her off. I looked at him, surprised by what he said.
I caught a glimpse of shock on the woman's face, even though I could only see her from the side. After a moment, she turned abruptly and focused her sharp gaze on me, causing me to instinctively take a step back.
"So, she's really the reason why dad didn't pursue the partnership with your company. How low," she remarked arrogantly, scrutinizing me from head to toe.
Upon hearing that, my frown deepened. At the same time, Ares strode quickly in front of me, making me blink in surprise.
"I was the one who chose not to proceed, and you can inquire about the real reason from your dad. Don't involve my personal life here, especially Ana," Ares firmly stated to her in his baritone voice.
The woman's face wrinkled even more. "But Ares, you can still reconsider—"
"I will never change my mind, so please leave and don't come back here trying to insult my soon-to-be wife," Ares cut her off. I sighed in relief.
I remained silent as I watched them exchange a tense gaze for a moment. Eventually, the woman stormed out with a huff, and Ares quickly turned to me. I greeted his concerned expression with a reassuring smile.
"I'm fine," I quickly stated, anticipating what he was going to ask, but he ignored it.
Instead, he wearily sat on the sofa and suddenly pulled me to sit on his thigh, causing me to let out a loud yelp.
"Ares! We're in the office!" I shyly reminded him, attempting to extricate myself, but he hugged me even tighter. I even felt his head sink into my chest, leaving me stunned.
"Stay here. I just need to rest. I'm so tired..." I heard him whisper, accompanied by a lazy sigh, making me feel more fatigued as well.
"What happened? Who was that?" I asked, tapping his back gently. He continued hugging me.
"She's the heiress of the Chua clan. I withdrew the partnership her dad proposed to me a month ago," he replied in a lazy tone, which widened my eyes.
"Are you serious? Why would you do that? Haven't you wanted to merge your companies for a long time?"
In fact, he had been eagerly awaiting the Chua family's response to the proposal made by Don Damien for several months, and only last month did they respond.
The Chuas were the second most successful business tycoons in the country, with the Aragons being the only ones ahead.
Leading the way were the Galvez, who, to my knowledge, were also distant relatives of them. Ares had been eager to surpass them since then. So, when he received the response from the Chuas regarding Don Damien's partnership proposal last year, he was thrilled.
And now, he withdrew it just like that?
I heard Ares sigh once more, his hug around me tightening.
"I found out they've been involved in fraudulent activities recently. I know Dad; even if he favors them, he wouldn't want our name associated with illegal activities. It's better that I discovered this early," he explained to me, and I simply nodded.
I wondered why Lorraine seemed so angry at me earlier.
"I'm sorry for what Lorraine said to you earlier," Ares apologized. I shook my head and hugged him tightly.
"It's okay. I'm used to it," I laughed, being truthful. "Just rest, Ares. I'll stay here for a while until you're feeling better," I changed the subject.
Instead of responding, he suddenly pulled away from me and looked up. His eyes were already gentle, making me feel even more remorseful. He clearly hadn't had proper rest yet.
"I talked to your brother earlier before coming here. I'm sure he won't do that to you again, but please let me know if he does anything to you. I'm really angry, but I don't want to ruin my relationship with your whole family," he told me seriously, and my mouth fell open.
I didn't know what to say because I wasn't sure if he already knew. I also didn't know how I would react to what he had done, so I just nodded.
"I will. I'm sorry ..."
"Let's have lunch together if you want me to forgive you. Come on. I'm hungry," he quickly declared, and I just laughed, gazing at him.
-
"Just tell Sir Ares about it later, okay," Elena told me again while we were in the elevator.
I looked at her and frowned. "Why?"
Elena looked at me meaningfully and winked. "Riley and Via are going home now. We've arranged something for you," she seemed excited to tell me, so I shook my head immediately.
"I don't want to," I stated firmly and stepped out of the elevator ahead of her.
"You don't have a choice this time, Anastacia Solei. I've already informed Sir," she chased after me, and I turned to her. She just smiled and walked past me.
"You're getting married, so you should try new things before tying the knot. You might regret it," she said and left me there.
What else does she have in mind?
I shrugged and headed to my cubicle, typing a text to Ares about what Elena had mentioned. While waiting for his reply, I noticed a man swiftly passing in front of me and heading straight into Ares' office. I even caught a whiff of his cologne that lingered in my vicinity for a while. When I looked at him, I could only see his broad back in that coat. He was tall and clearly muscular. I wondered who that was...