"Silvan..."
Our eyes met and a gentle smile formed under his slightly trimmed moustache.
"Didn't think I'd see you here, Naya. What's up?" He said, a glint of excitement in his dark orbs.
He wore a milk coloured cashmere shirt with two cold buttons on the chest. Underneath was a finely ironed brown trouser, long and dropping over the brown shoe he wore to match it.
And he had a small, white bag in his hand.
His outfit was a bit distracting, making me stutter as I tried to speak.
"Just came to, uh, check some things out, you know? CEO duties. Yeah?"
"Yeah. Great," he responded curtly. "Actually, I was about heading to your office to meet you there."
"Yeah? Any problem?" I asked.
"Just wanted to know if there's anything I can help with," he said. "I can't shake off this thought that the whole launching and partnership thing could be going over your head right now."
I managed a smile. "Thanks for caring. There's nothing to worry about. I'm doing totally great."
He nodded slightly. "Alright then."
He turned around but I called him back before he could leave. "Um, I'd like to have a word with you… in my office."
He followed me to the elevator and, after I pressed the buttons, it moved up to my floor where my office was.
Zara was arranging some documents on the table when we got to the office.
She politely greeted me and Silvan. I left her to continue what she was doing while I took Silvan to my desk and offered him a seat.
"Sit," I said to him.
His rich eyebrows moved slightly. "Is that…"
"No, it's not," I said sharply. "It's a request."
He let out a brief chuckle before he uttered, "That's not what I'm talking about."
Surprise went right through me, and my lids went wide.
His eyes were glued on something behind me.
A wave of curiosity surged into my mind, making me turn around immediately.
A weak sigh left my mouth. All this while, he had been staring at a portrait of lines of code hung behind me.
"Is that C#?" He asked.
"Yeah." I nodded.
"So you coded with C# as well?" He asked.
I shook my head. "That's Riguel, not me."
His mouth hung open at the response.
"Those are the lines of code he used to write his first game at the age of five." I bragged.
"Er… Um…" He looked like he was yet to believe what I just told him. "That's amazing. Really."
I smile.
I closed my laptop and pushed it away, making sure that there was nothing between the both of us on the table.
Resting my elbows on the clear table surface, I leaned closer.
"I need to discuss something with you," I whispered.
He nodded, then his eyes moved over to Zara and back to me.
"I'm convinced you brought me here to discuss whatever it is in private," he said. "Don't you mind that she's here?"
In truth, I didn't mind. But for some reason, I felt it'd be better if it was just the two of us here.
"Give us a few minutes, Zara," I said, my eyes locked on Silvan. "I'll let you know when we're done talking."
"Yes, ma'am."
She dropped what she was doing and exited the door.
"Now…" I said when the door closed.
I noticed his chest heave up slightly.
"I'm confiding in you because you already know of my divorce," I said. "And I do have this feeling that you're the person I'd get a perfect response from."
"Sure."
"So tell me how a divorce is going to go. I think I'm missing something."
He took a brief second before he spoke. "First… You get the paper work done with your lawyer. Then, you get it signed by both parties. And lastly, you go to the court and finalise it."
My eyes widened immediately when he mentioned the last one.
"W-wait a minute." I pressed forward. "What happens when you miss any of them."
"You can't miss any of them," he said. "But if it turned out you did, then know that you never divorced your partner."
My chest sank with the weight of cold realization. I wanted to believe that I was dreaming.
"So all this while…" I muttered to myself, gazing emptily at the table and trying to absorb this new reality.
"If the divorce processes aren't completed, then he'd still have every right to call you his wife," Silvan let out.
I bit down on my lower lip. How the hell could I be so careless? Ignorant.
All I did was sign the papers and send them back to him.
So, Declan is still my husband?
"So, you and that idiot never divorced, Daisy?" Silvan suddenly asked and a jolt of fear ran through my body.
The realization was just so harsh.
I stood up from my seat and rushed over to him, grabbing his hands. "Silvan, please, keep this between us."
"Sure, sure… I will," he said. "Don't fret about it."
"I'm so fucking screwed." I panicked, running a hand through my hair. "I should have known."
Silvan stood up and placed his hands on my shoulders. "It's not your fault, Daisy. This happens to many other women. They fall into the hands of manipulators like Declan. All you have to do now is invite him to the court and finalize the divorce."
"Thank you so much," I cried, hugging him.
He patted my back gently. "Don't mention it. And always remember that I'm here for you whenever you need me."
Wiping my tears, he handed me the bag he was carrying and smiled at me.
"Congratulations on your launch here at home," he said to me.
With that, he left the office and I sank into my seat to check out what the bag contained.
A memory flashed through my head as I opened the bag. Back when I launched my company abroad, I received a gift that said "congratulations on your launch abroad, Daisy."
I chuckled at how similar it sounded to what Silvan just said.
But that wasn't my problem now, so I tucked it into my back and decided to face what was.
That marriage had already expired — my love for him and every feeling we ever had for each other. Whatever games he wanted to play with the incomplete divorce procedure wasn't going to work.
I grabbed my phone from the table and started typing a text.
"I have the signed copy, let's meet at court by 1pm tomorrow."
Satisfaction hit my nerves as I sent the text to Declan. He'd be so surprised that I figured out his dirty game.