Vince’s POV
My body shakes uncontrollably before the loud voice pierces my eardrum.
“Vince! Vince! Vince!”
The shaking continues as I struggle to pinch my eyes open. My fist clenches as I continue to struggle.
“Vince, wake up! Oh, shit! What the hell is happening to you, Vince? Look at me! I’m here. It’s Ann. Annette.”
The trembling stops. I let go of my balled fist. My shoulder relaxes, and I start to open my eyes slowly until it comes ball to ball with Ann’s beautiful brown eyes.
Relief settles over her face, and I see her straddling me as she touches my face with both hands. “Are you okay?”
Slowly, the realization dawns on me, and I shoot to my feet instantly, making her drop to the floor.
She lets out a wince. “Shit!”
Unable to ignore her and stalk off in embarrassment like I intend to do, I lean down to help her up.
My gaze shifts to the wall clock. It’s 6.
Shit!
I am not done with my work yet. I can’t believe I slept off. Not only that. I had a nightmare in front of Ann and I was unable to control it.
“Vince, are you okay? You were shivering so hard and sweating profusely. I was so worried. Are you okay?” She blocks me from leaving, with worry and concern in her expression and tone.
“Yes, I am fine. It’s nothing to worry about…”
“Of course it is. Was it a nightmare?” She demands without any fear. All colour seems to drain from my face as I turn around and slump back to the wooden chair where I slept off.
Ann isn’t supposed to see me in this state, which is why I haven’t been coming in here to sleep. I barely slept, but I didn’t want to risk coming here and sleeping in the same bed with her.
What does she think of me now?
“Vince?” She murmurs softly, touching my thighs. “Should I get you water or coffee or some chocolate drink?”
I can’t bring myself to look up at her or answer until I feel her touch disappear and realize she has left.
Before I can get myself together and leave, she rushes back inside with a brewing cup of chocolate drink.
“Here, you should feel better after taking this,” she says as she stretches the drink to me, not looking me straight in the eyes like I thought she would.
I take it and sip on it immediately. The hotness drips down my throat, soothing my inner turmoils. I have never had a chocolate drink, but it tastes nice.
She sits opposite me, watching me sip at it silently and slowly until I am left with just a drop of it.
“Did you enjoy it?” She asks in curiosity, and I nod. “That’s my favourite drink. It’s my go-to drink at all times, especially when I am down.”
The smile on her face sends shivers down my spine.
Suddenly, my heart skips a beat, and I place a hand on my chest at the strange reaction.
“Vince?” The concern is back in her tone as she grabs my hand, making my hand tingle with a weird sensation. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I reply quickly and stand up, careful not to hurt her this time. “You made me stay back with you when I had tons of work to do. I should get back to work now!”
That sounds harsh, but I don’t wait to see the hurt on her face before strolling out.
While inside my home office, I stalk towards the desk and slam my fist on it in rage. I was supposed to thank her for the drink, which made me feel a lot better, but I didn’t.
I am so mad at the fact that she saw me struggling in my sleep, having a nightmare.
Should I give my therapist a call? I can’t go there right now because I need to get my work done.
Before I can make a decision, a knock comes on the door. I stare at the door, wondering who it is.
When the sharp knock comes again, I take long strides towards it, my anger very much present, and I pull the door open to see Ann standing with stretched arms.
My tablet and phone are with her.
The moment I take them from her, she turns to leave, and I mutter. “Thanks for the drink. I feel much better.”
She doesn’t acknowledge my words, so I grab her hand, pull her inside with me, and close the door behind her. Her eyes widen on me.
Her chest heaves up and down, making me stare down at the enticing silly nightwear she has on. Last night, I tried so hard not to stare too much, especially at the little flesh of cleavages she was showing.
I never thought I would love a material like silk. And definitely not on a woman.
On Ann, it looks so lovely, complimenting her milky skin.
“I’m sorry about earlier,” I force my head to focus. “I was just…just..”
“Embarrassed?” She chips in on my behalf, still staring at me in amazement. “Really? You’ve seen me in the worst situations, Vince. Why are you even embarrassed in the first place? It was beyond your control.”
Exactly that. That is precisely why I am embarrassed.
I thought I had everything under my control but not this. I have been battling with that nightmare since my father died.
I didn’t want to patronize any therapist because I thought I had it in control but turned out I didn’t, and I found myself going to a therapist last year.
Her therapeutic sessions have been so helpful, but I don’t attend every session until it strikes back, harder, just like it has done.
Unsure of what else to say, I utter confidently. “Thanks for the drink once again.”
She nods, the anger simmering away as she takes a step closer. She lifts her two hands and holds my face, making the pounding from earlier to return.
I furrow my brows.
“Do you want to talk about it?” The soft voice enthrals me, tempting me to spill the secret I have kept to myself all these years, which resulted in those terrible series of nightmares I have been having for almost four years now.
“Do you mind?” She demands again, speaking softly to get me to talk.
I nod and take a step back. She follows suit, pushing me backwards with my heart thumping Wilder in my ribcage.
Does this have anything to do with the fact that I don’t want to talk about the nightmare? Why does my heart keep skipping and pounding hard?
“Vince?” Finally, she stops, jerking me out of my thoughts. “Are you running from me? What’s the matter with you?”
“I told you I was fine. You should go, I have loads of work to do.”
“I didn’t mean to stay anyway, you pulled me into your office, remember?” She retorts back sharply, anger making its way back into her brown pupils.
Before I can defend myself, she turns back and takes the exit out.
With a sigh, I move to the swivel chair before grabbing the intercom to give Kyra a call. She picks at the third ring.
“Can you book me for this weekend?”
After a moment of hesitation, she replies. “Sure. Are you okay?”
“Yes. The nightmares are back, this time stronger. I can’t control them anymore. The drugs are not working either. You need to give me something stronger this time.”
“Is Saturday 1 pm fine for you?”
“Yes,” I answer firmly and drop the intercom. I lean backwards and swerve around to face the window.
There is a lot on my desk. I won’t let this nightmare ruin my day or my plans for the Silicones attacks.
We are planning an attack on Sunday. That is a rest day, and they won’t see it coming. It would be best to see Kyra a day before that.
I expect the shipment to arrive today, so I wanted to finish up my paperwork before morning so I can meet the boys at the warehouse before heading to the company.
Now that I am not done and a little distracted, I guess I need to take my time to finish up before heading off. I can manage to skip the office today.
Maria does a great job with the supervision, especially when I am not around.
When I swivel back to get to work, a knock resounds on the door again, and I let out a frustrated groan.
Ann left in anger, so I doubt it is her.
“Come in,” I mutter as I put on the laptop.
Luca strolls in with urgency, and I glance up. “Madam left the house just now.”
“What?!” Confusion replaces the curiosity on my face.
“She ordered no one to follow her. She left alone.”
“What?!” I exclaim again, shooting to my feet. “What are you still doing here?” I charge towards him and throw him a punch.
If I wasn’t home, would he wait till I was back before taking action?
He straightens up quickly and turns to leave but I hurry past him, with my chest heavier than ever before.