David said to George who appeared a bit surprised, "Let's go, George."
'What the heck is wrong with him?' Carissa thought, flustered.
Carissa obediently went out of the hotel. The scorching sun which immediately came out seemed to melt her skin in contact with it, causing her to grumble.
Meanwhile, as they entered the elevator, George said lightly, "I'm sure you're only scaring your new P. A because you're irritated today. You don't really want her to stand out there under the killing sun."
David adjusted his toe, indifferently before he shifted his gaze to George. "Does it look like I'm kidding?" He asked with a serious expression that caught George off guard.
"But…she did nothing wrong. I didn't want to say that earlier because…"
"It's my decision and it's final."
"Sorry to say, but…you're being quite unfair to her. It's her first day…."
"I don't give a damn since she decided to show up again," David said, almost yelling at his face.
George restrained himself from asking more questions despite being confused by David's words.
They went to the lounge where David was going to have a meeting with some foreign clients. After about an hour, the meeting was over. A deal was sealed and David instructed George to walk the client out.
Taking out his phone and going through some messages, he paused and farted his eyes to the window. He arose and walked to the window. Pulling up the blinds properly, he poked out his head slightly and caught Carissa standing there. The sun kissed her skin. She was almost looking tanned and he could tell it was the effect of the harsh sun.
He stepped back and returned to his seat as he took off his jacket. Deep down, a part of him wanted to order her to step into the building and he was ignoring the bother he felt.
"She deserves to suffer the same way I did years back and this is just the tip of an iceberg," he declared, clenching his fist which lay on the armrest.
George returned to the lounge, noticing David's intense gaze towards the window. He cleared his throat, hesitating before speaking, "Sir, I think it's enough. Miss Draven has been standing there for quite some time now."
David glanced at George with a stern expression. "I don't recall asking for your opinion."
"With all due respect, sir, it's not fair to her. She's just starting her job today, and this seems like unnecessary punishment."
David scoffed. "Fairness? Life isn't fair. She needs to learn that early."
"But she—"
"Enough!" David snapped, cutting George off. "I don't want to hear any more about it."
Meanwhile, under the scorching sun, Carissa was growing increasingly uncomfortable. She tried to shield her face from the relentless rays, squinting her eyes against the brightness. Passersby cast curious glances, and some even offered sympathetic looks.
Back in the lounge, George couldn't shake off his concern for Carissa. "Sir, I understand you might be upset about something, but she's just an employee trying to do her job. This is unnecessary."
David leaned back in his chair, his gaze focused on the ceiling. "She's not just an employee, George."
"What do you mean, sir?"
"She's someone I used to know—a person from my past. A reminder of things I'd rather forget."
George furrowed his brows, processing the information. "Doesn't that make it even more important to treat her fairly?"
David remained silent for a moment before dismissing George with a wave of his hand. "Leave it, George. I know what I'm doing. Let me be for a while."
As George reluctantly left the room, David continued to brood over his decision. Deep down, a mix of unresolved emotions and bitterness fueled his actions. Yet, a small part of him struggled with the harshness he was imposing on Carissa, creating an internal conflict that intensified as he watched her endure the sun's relentless assault from the window.
"In the past, I gave you everything, Carissa. My strong love and my all. What did you do?" He chuckled sadistically as he arose and started walking back to the window.
"You didn't think twice before tossing me away like garbage and going off to marry a rich loser all for prestige. You forgot everything and you probably didn't think I would still be alive after you left me to die in that hospital." He glanced out of the window and smirked. He felt victorious.
Life had turned remarkably well for him and he was bent on ruining and making Carissa's life worse than hell for her past betrayal and the hurt she gave him.
George returned after some minutes and informed David of his next meeting, prompting him to decide that they leave.
Outside, Carissa couldn't believe what was happening. She wondered if David was deliberately being mean.
'Why would he do this to me? It doesn't have to do with our part, does it?' she thought as she looked down, sighing deeply.
The only regret she had from her past was ending things with him in an uncouth manner.
"Maybe I should have told him the reasons why. Maybe I should have held onto him the same way he held on tightly to me," she thought in soft whispers.
Shutting her eyes momentarily, her mind flashed back to the past.
~~ FLASHBACK - SIX YEARS AGO~~
Carissa walked into David's unkempt room in their house. She found his clothes lying at different corners of the room, pushing her to start picking them up and putting them in their right place.
After getting through it, she took a sharp breath before the door opened and she turned to face David who entered. He was looking messy and sweaty, but incredibly handsome. He gave her a charming smile that almost set her off balance.
"My angel, you're here." He attempted to hug her but she walked away from him.
"You stink, David. It's gross to come in contact with you," she said, disgusted.
She glanced at him and noticed the shock in his expression over her strange attitude.
"Sorry. I just came out from the garage. I was fixing one of your father's cars. Wait, I thought you weren't back from campus."
"I'm here as you can see," she flatly said, looking away."
He nodded and noticed the beautiful change in his room. "Oh, baby, you helped me clean up my room again…"
"It's simply because I can't stay in an unkempt room because it makes me nauseous. Nothing else."
"Are you okay?" He asked, attempting to cover the distance between them but she moved aside, avoiding his gaze. "What's wrong, Rissa? You're acting strangely unlike…"
Turning her back to him, she interrupted, "Let's break up."
David stood there, stunned, processing her words. The room that seemed to brighten moments ago now felt suffocatingly dim.
"Break up? What... why?" His voice trembled with disbelief.
Carissa swallowed hard, her eyes avoiding his. "David, we're on different paths. Your world is here, working for my father and living in this chaotic mess. I need something more stable, something..." She paused, struggling to find the right words. "Something that aligns with my family's expectations."
"Rissa, I thought we were happy. I thought we were building a life together," David's tone held a mix of pain and confusion.
"We were, but things have changed," she said, her voice shaky. "I can't stay in this limbo anymore. My parents expect more from me, and I can't jeopardize my future for this."
David took a step back, as if physically wounded. "So, you're choosing their expectations over us? Over what we had?"
"It's not that simple," she tried to explain, but her words felt hollow.
"Nothing is simple, Rissa. But I never expected you to walk away like this," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
She turned to face him, her eyes finally meeting his. "I need to do what's best for me."
His gaze turned cold, hurt evident in his eyes. "Best for you, or best for your family's reputation?"
"David, please understand," she pleaded.
He shook his head, bitterness seeping into his tone. "I understand perfectly. You're leaving me for a wealthier man, a more prestigious life. Geez, I never thought you'd consider that rich jerk, Lucas whom your father and brother have been forcing you to like."
"That's not true," she protested, but the damage was done.
"You were supposed to be my forever, Carissa. I loved you with everything I had, and you're throwing it away for the illusion of a better life."
She sighed, realizing the weight of her decision. "Maybe you're right, David. Maybe I should have fought for us, but I can't change what's done."
The room echoed with the pain of a love unraveling. Carissa's decision had sealed their fate, leaving a void that time could only hope to mend.
~~ END OF FLASHBACK ~~
Carissa snapped back to reality, tears welling in her eyes as the memories resurfaced. She found herself standing outside the hotel, still caught in the storm of emotions unleashed by David's vindictive actions.
"I should have fought for us," she whispered to the wind, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. "Maybe if I had, things wouldn't have still ended badly. If I had the courage like you, I could have kept hanging on for us."
But she held no regrets because her major reasons for the past were significant and she felt like revealing everything to David. Carissa bit her bottom lips, trying to hold back her tears.
"Woah, someone looks like a hot potato," David uttered, tauntfully as he walked up behind her. She turned to see him smirking and staring intimidatingly at her.