Roman slammed the phone down and ignored Phillip as he looked through the paperwork in front of him. He knew Phillip would have something to say about his behaviour but he was tired of hearing that shit.
“Are you going home tonight?” Phillip asked.
“Yes, when I finish all this. I’ll drive myself so you can do whatever you want.”
“I can order some food_”
“I’m fine, Phillip,” he said firmly.
“You’ve just shouted at Penny for no reason,” Phillip pointed out.
He’d been shouting at her a lot. He was surprised his PA hadn’t left him, too.
“I’ll send her some flowers.”
“Roman_”
“No, Phillip. We’re not doing that shit again. I’m fine. Everything is fine. Now go, please, I have work to do.”
“If you can’t handle seeing Evelyn tomorrow then I can get the car,” Philip said.
Just hearing that name almost broke him, never mind the thought of seeing her again. He knew Phillip’s suggestion was the best option but it had been too long since he had seen her. Since he had heard her voice. He didn’t want to miss that chance even if Phillip thought he’d end up in a puddle of alcohol for weeks again.
“I’ll be fine,” he repeated. “She’s just going to give me the car keys, collect her number plates and be on her way.”
“Simple as that?”
“Yes. And that will be the last time I’ll speak to her.”
Had she moved on like last time? He knew Phillip was still keeping tabs on things because he’d insisted on keeping their security teams in place but he didn’t have the balls to ask. He’d even deleted all the security apps so he wouldn’t be tempted to watch the house as she had accused him of doing before.
“It’s been a month,” Phillip sighed. “Maybe if you_”
He slammed the documents in front of him shut and looked at Phillip who was sitting in front of his desk.
“I appreciate what you’ve done for me already, Phillip. But let it go. It’s done,” he said. “I don’t have time for that now anyway.”
He’d filled up his schedule with all the things he had to finalise so he could leave the country for Christmas. He had a hotel project in Vegas that would keep him busier for a while and maybe when that was done, Evelyn would just be a pleasant memory.
“All I’m saying is maybe if you did things the right way this time_”
He felt his anger rise. The last thing he needed was any hope that he could succeed if he tried again.
“Phillip!”
“You’re not fine, Roman. You don’t eat, you don’t sleep and you’re drinking too much.”
For fuck’s sake! Why couldn’t he leave him alone? He and William had been on his case about shit that really had nothing to do with them.
“Go home,” he said, turning to his computer to continue working.
His phone rang again even though he had told Penny he didn’t want any disturbances. He’d told her that he didn’t care if there was a fire in the building, he wanted to be left alone. But if he shouted again then Phillip would comment if he told her off, as if he hadn’t made himself clear. What was he paying her for?
“What?” he said when he answered.
He ignored Phillip’s eye roll.
“I’m sorry sir but there’s someone here to see you.”
His heart hammered in his chest. His mouth went dry.
Was it Evelyn? Had she decided she couldn’t wait until tomorrow?
“Sir?” Penny asked nervously.
He cleared his throat when he realised he hadn’t answered her.
“Who is it?”
“It’s Mr. Allan Bains, sir. I’ve told him you aren’t to be dis_”
“Let him in.”
Disappointment crushed him as he set the phone back in its place. He knew why Bains was there. To beg. And the irony was that it was Evelyn who was once again robbing him of his chance to enjoy this moment.
Phillip stood to walk out but he stopped him.
“Please stay for this meeting. It’s Bains.”
It was a small admission that perhaps he wasn’t in the right state of mind to handle something so volatile. But he didn’t want anything to go wrong. Bains could easily turn the situation around if he lost his temper.
The old man walked in just as Phillip came to stand behind him. He looked at Phillip first. His driver was more than just that and everyone knew it. Bains looked nervous as he walked to stand in front of his desk.
“Hello, Roman,” Allan said.
He didn’t offer him a seat and Bains didn’t make the mistake of sitting without an invitation. He didn’t want to have to throw away his furniture if Bains touched it, never mind sharing pleasantries like they were friends.
“What do you want?” he asked instead of answering.
“I… I’m just coming from a shareholders’ meeting and I found out that you are now a major shareholder of my company. May I sit?”
“No. You won’t be here very long,” he said as he put all his sensitive information away.
“Roman, please. I built that company with my own hands. What your mother did_”
“She’s not my mother. And it’s what you both did.”
“It was thirty years ago, Roman. I can return everything that she received from the divorce if you want your revenge that much. There’s no need for you to own shares in my company at all.”
“I don’t know what you were thinking when you went public, Bains, but I bought shares of Bains Holdings legally. There’s nothing you can do about that. Now if that is all…”
“You can’t be a major shareholder and not show up to meetings to vote on important decisions,” Bains snapped.
“I guess those decisions will have to remain unmade.”
And that would be catastrophic for the future of the whole company. Bain’s face paled as he realised the truth. But that wasn’t even the worst of what he planned to do. He finally had the bastard by the balls but the victory didn’t taste sweet at all.
“I didn’t fall in love with her on purpose,” Bains whispered. “You can’t help who you love. I’m sorry that things worked out that way, but you can’t keep punishing her for something she had no control of.”
If all his childhood pain had been caused by love then he was certainly better off without it.
“I don’t need a lecture on morals from you. I know exactly what happened, and you are getting what you deserve. Leave, Bains.”
“Roman_”
He slammed his fists on the table and the older man flinched.
“I’ll escort you out,” Phillip said from behind him.
He didn’t look up as the two men walked out of his office. The audacity of that old man, trying to tell him how love worked.
He knew. He fucking knew.
He pulled his phone out and looked at Evelyn’s message again.
“I’ll be in London tomorrow to return your car and collect my number plates. Please message a time and place convenient for you to meet.”
It felt like the day she had walked out on him all over again. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t see her. Phillip was right, he was still too fucked in his head.
He still loved her.
With everything in him.