Chapter 19

“I was beginning to think something happened to you.” Taylor had stormed into his office, her hands on her hips as she saw him very much alive and in good health. *Pity.* She would rather see him injured that have to accept that he purposely forgot about her.

Gabriel had been conversing with his secretary which explains why she was able to run in uninterrupted.
Gabriel dismissed the frantic employee with a wave of his hand. Her speech had paused and she glanced back and forth between Gabriel and Taylor as if there was impending doom. She scurried off at the wave of his hand, dodging past an impatient Taylor whose eyes pierced her as she moved by. She was thankful to avoid drama between her boss and his mistress.

The door shut behind his secretary locking him in with Taylor. He pushed back on his chair, the tiny wheels allowing for a fluid movement. He extended his long legs and pulled himself upright, his eyes barely looking at her.

“Why didn’t I hear from you?” She was persistent, her feet tapping against the floor as she traced his movements. Since the incident, she’d neither heard nor seen Gabriel, apart from her imagination, of course. It was clear that he didn’t approve of her behaviour but she felt that he was being too harsh. He loved her, how could he have spent all these days without her?

“Because you took matters into your own hands instead of trusting me.” He confirmed her suspicions. He walked over to a tiny table close to a ceiling to floor expanse of glass. He eyed the crystal jar and poured himself a drink. With drink in hand lending him some limited patience; he turned to look at her.

“I wanted to help.” she plopped her handbag down on his desk and walked closer to him, her eyes looking through the ceiling to wall glass. The sight of the tall glass buildings standing proudly in the distance temporarily took her breath away.

“I told you I had it handled.” He drew her attention away from the view as her skin grated against gravel. He re-created the distance between them, walking over to his desk again and taking a seat.

“Is it true that what she said?” That single question was the reason she’d waited this long to reach out to him. Mia’s words had played in her head like a catchy tune.

“What who said?” he furrowed his brows and shook his head, he was getting bored.

“Mia.” The word soliciting such a ferocious burn in her throat that she had to pause for it to subside before she continued, “She said that *you* were the one keeping her tied to the marriage.” After she’d said it out loud her heart drummed in a beat that foreshadowed regret. Could she erase the last few seconds? She wasn’t sure if she actually wanted to know the truth.

“This is why I couldn’t reach out to you.” He looked at her. Her pleading eyes causing his libido to stir, “you have no trust in me.” He shrugged his shoulders, appearing hurt. Was he really pretending? No, parts of his emotions were true. He was disappointed that she’d gone rogue, his reign on her not as secure as he’d once thought.

“No, I do.” She insisted, moving away from the large expanse of glass and coming around his desk to kneel down next to him. “It’s just, so much happened.” She placed her hands at her chest in an appeal. “I was impatient to start an honest life with you.”

“You let your impatience cause trouble. I don’t know if we should continue this.” He was on his feet again, his chest swelling at the sight of her clambering to her feet in desperation.

“Please don’t leave me.” She’d grabbed hold of his arm with both her hands.

“I don’t want to leave you, Taylor.” He leaned forward and looked into her eyes. He had the gall to appear saddened, “but how could I be with someone who is so volatile? You disrespected me and my decisions.” He whispered, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“I won’t do it again.” She promised. She had to trust him, her self-destructive tendencies would cost her the relationship she’d fought tooth and nail for. “I need you, Gabriel. Give me another chance.” Her grip on his arm tightened, she couldn’t accept an answer that wasn’t favourable. She wouldn’t be able to bear it.

*****
Mia barely stepped one foot into her sister’s house when her phone vibrated in her pocket. In a daze she answered.

“You didn’t tell me some of your students have gorgeous age-appropriate siblings, well,” Fallon paused, “age appropriate for me.” Her voice lowered and she chuckled scandalously.

“Hi Fallon.” Mia said in a sing-song voice, a slight smile on her face. This was the only co-worker that dared to be so unabashed in her thoughts and opinions.

“Hi Mia.” Fallon echoed her tone and giggled.
“What are you going on about now?” The amusement in her voice alerted Amber to her arrival. Mia signalled that she was on the phone and dove upstairs. She didn’t want to have a conversation just yet about her visit to the law office.

“Harvey Regal.” Fallon droned on in a dream-like fashion. Mia’s heart did a flip in her chest at the mention of that name.

“What about him?” Mia feigned disinterest, her mouth going dry at the thought of his strong jaw and long fingers.

“He is a strapping God!” she all but squealed, Mia had to pull the phone away from her ears in response.

“You called me on my day off to drool over my student’s family member?” Mia mused. If only she had the luxury.

“Yes, and also to let you know that you should call him.” Fallon turned serious.

“What?” Mia exploded on her end. *What was it with everyone wanting her to call him?*

*A sign from the universe.* her subconscious had awakened, She stretched out like a cat and laid her head down on her paws sleepily. Her eyes hooded as she glanced at Mia.

“He wanted a performance review of his sister, I told him you’d be in touch.” She clarified.

“Oh.” It was just about his sister. This should be a relief. *Then why do you have such a lost look in your eyes?* She groaned inwardly. She was relieved! She had to be.

“I’ll give the family a call right now and schedule a meeting at the school.” Mia continued. She said her goodbyes to Fallon and the call ended.
Before she could talk her mind out of it, she scrolled down to his number and let it ring in her ears. With each ring her chest heaved harder and faster.

Harvey had scarcely allowed himself the luxury of hope. So when his cell phone rang out during his mid-evening meeting the sight of an unknown number didn’t excite him. He did, however, suspend the meeting and took the call on the off chance that she would finally be reaching out.

“Hello?” he rubbed the palm of his free hand on his right temple. If this was Uncle Scott again, he would trip.
His rich tenor enveloped Mia’s senses to the point that she focused on nothing else but the waves of serotonin pulsing through her. It was true that certain sounds were capable of offering solace. She sucked in a huge breath, her throat tingling.

“Mr. Regal? It’s Mia Evans.” She cleared her throat. Her voice had come out in a trembling line.

“Ahhh, Mia.” He said her name with warm familiarity, an uncharacteristic smile gracing his lips. He ignored the chatters of his workers as the last few exited the conference room. “You sure are a difficult person to pin down.” His mood improving greatly.
She chuckled, his deep baritone ringing through the phone and causing her head to spin. Is it possible to overdose on a feeling? “I apologise. I heard you wanted to speak about your sister’s performance review?”

“Yes about that.” He scratched his head and paused. Was the progression of the lie really necessary?

“We can schedule a day that is convenient for you to come into the school.” She rushed on before he could continue.

*Blast that damned lie!*

“About that,” he repeated again. “I lied.” He waited out the two second silence, giving her time to react.

“I am sorry?” Mia didn’t know what she was supposed to be thinking.

“I was asking a lot about you and she assumed that was what I wanted, I just played along.” He shrugged his shoulder knowing fully well she wouldn’t be able to see them. He wasn’t guilty about it, it was what it was.

“So what do you want?” Mia was panicking now. The words sprinkled out in a gust of uncertainty.

“If I haven’t made it annoyingly obvious by now,” he paused, “I want you Mia.” The words were soft almost like a caress. “I am not interested in a cat and mouse game.” He continued. There was no use being subtle with her. Subtle had earned him days of waiting.

“I don’t underst—” she began, her head muddled and confused.

“I’ll be waiting at your favourite coffee shop tomorrow night from sundown. We can talk in person then” The line went dead before she could respond.