Chapter 98

PAULINE'S POV
Being away from the company for quite awhile made me feel strange as I walked into the company that morning. I wasn't supposed to attend the meeting but since I had gotten back without any notice, I decided to make a pitstop at the office, attend the meeting and then head over to see Eve.
'Welcome back, Miss Harley"
'Good morning, Miss Harley"
Ever wondered how it felt to be at the top of a well reputable organisation? Not literally though but have you? Well, it felt very good. Having people at your beck and call and even getting the usual salutations in the morning felt extremely good. Even though my family had reacted coldly when I got back, I had a company full of devoted employees to fall back on.
Friendship, they say, wasn't supposed to last longer than a few years. But when it's based on a sense of mutual goal, I would say it can last for as long as both interests are met efficiently. Scraping out the fact that Eve James and I had a rocky start, we had grown into quite good friends with time. Besides, we both shared a mutual interest, Amber Swift.
'Hi, how was California?" Eve asked as she wrapped me in a small hug. I wasn't a very expressive person but Eve never took No for an answer. She was also the only one who knew I had made a trip to California instead of Connecticut.
Plastering my best smile on my face, I withdrew from the hug, 'California was fine. We are on to the next phase as we speak" I reported as I took a seat next to the desk. Eve wasn't supposed to have an office in the company but with the production in planning, Angela had insisted we arrange one for her.
'Have you spoken to Peter? What are his thoughts on the matter?" Eve was asking relevant and necessary questions but I had been too preoccupied with getting my brother to not hate me enough to hear what I had to say.
Eve noticed my hesitation as I stuttered, 'I have been busy with California and other stuff, I'll take to him soon enough" I noticed the look she gave me but quickly waved it off. Eve James was one of those friends that were best kept at arm's length.
PETER'S POV
Amber Swift was the last person I had expected to see as I walked out of Alfred's. As much as Jay wasn't a fan of mine, I also wasn't a fan of his. There wasn't much to like about a cocky stuck up spoilt brat like him and I made sure to let him know I didn't like him.
As much as bringing Jay down from his all high and mighty throne would feel good, getting under his skin was way better. It always made me feel like I had more power over him than he realized.
The way his strange blue eyes twitched whenever I said something he didn't like, always had a way to make my day a little bit brighter. It wouldn't be inaccurate to say, teasing Jay Harley was my favorite activity.
A person's eating habits usually revealed a lot about them than they knew, which was why I knew it was Amber Swift without even seeing her face. The order the person was making at the counter was the exact same order I had heard Amber repeat for as many times as she had done in the Cafe.
'Two packs of doughnuts and iced coffee, please" I had heard her say after I had also yelled at her. Yelling at her wasn't intentional, really. She was just too stuck in her head and I couldn't stand to think she was maybe daydreaming about Jay and the kiss they had had the other night.
I knew about the kiss because I had been there when it happened. It had happened at her house, in front of the porch and it had been what I had dreamt of for a very long time. Jay had not only collected everything from me, he had also collected the woman of my dreams.
I had said a person's eating habits defined them quite often but I didn't mention how the place they frequented, did its own share in exposing them. Alfred's was just everyone's place, it was in a way, Amber's sort of escape and it had led me directly to her house.
Stalking wasn't my thing but when you have a brother that makes taking everything from you seem like what he was born to do, you have to go the extra mile to get what you want. Approaching her after I had yelled at her back at the Cafe was a very well drafted plan.
My ways weren't exactly right but they weren't wrong either. Was there a law against doing what you think is right to get what you know you deserve? I didn't think so. All I was doing was using the available means at my disposal to get what I knew I deserved ten years ago and ten years after.