SARAYA’S POV:
The boardroom felt stiff, formal, exactly how a meeting like this should feel. It was my first time stepping into Arlan’s company, and everything about it screamed business.
My secretary was beside me, quietly jotting notes, while his did the same. But my focus wasn’t on the documents or the numbers being thrown around. It was on him.
Arlan had this way of commanding the room without trying. It was maddening, really. I tried to focus, to stay professional, but every so often, my gaze would drift to him and our eyes would meet.
When the deal was finally sealed, and I stretched my hand towards him. “I look forward to our collaboration, Mr Reef.”
“Same here, Miss Newman.”
The moment his hand touched mine, I felt it; a spark, sharp and electric, rushing through me like a jolt. His hand pulled away almost instantly, as if he felt it too. I quickly looked away like it was nothing but my heart was racing heavily.
We were just leaving the boardroom when she appeared.
“Arlan!”
I turned to see a woman walking toward us. She was stunning, elegant, and confident in a way that made it hard to look anywhere else.
Without hesitation, she hugged him, then kissed his cheek sensually while looking at him seductively.
That was when I felt this twist in my stomach that made my head spin while telling myself it didn’t matter. It wasn’t my business.
But when I glanced at Arlan, he was already looking at me, his expression was filled with surprise. He could tell. He knew I was jealous at what was happening.
The woman turned to me, smiling warmly. She held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you again, Miss Newman.”
I blinked, confused. “Have we met before?”
She didn’t miss a beat. “I was at your welcome party at the Newman’s mansion.”
“Right. My parents’ endless guest list.” I nodded politely. “Thank you for coming,” I said, forcing a smile.
Arlan stepped in, his voice cutting through the moment. “Saraya, this is Matilda. She’s a very good friend of mine.”
I glanced at him, then at her, forcing a smile I didn’t feel again. “Nice to meet you, Matilda.”
“The pleasure is mine.” She flashed another smile at me.
“What are you doing here? I didn’t know you were coming.” Arlan asked.
“Well, I came to see you because there is something I have to tell you.” She replied. “Let’s go to your office.”
I watched Matilda locked arms with Arlan and giggled like a little girl. To be honest, they looked so good together. Judging from Matilda’s facial features, she should be in her mid to late thirties.
As I watched them walk away, my chest tightened in a way I didn’t understand, or rather, didn’t want to admit. I told myself it was the pressure of the deal we had just closed. That was all. Nothing more.
I exhaled slowly, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear, and turned to my secretary. “Let’s head back to the office,” I said briskly, trying to shake the image of Matilda and Arlan out of my head.
The elevator ride down felt suffocating. My secretary didn’t say much, and I was grateful for his silence. The truth was, I needed a moment to think, to process whatever this… thing I was feeling was.
***
By the time I got back to my office, I had meetings lined up and enough work to bury myself in. But no matter how much I tried, my thoughts kept drifting back to Arlan.
That spark when our hands touched, it wasn’t my imagination. And the way he looked at me when Matilda kissed his cheek? That wasn’t nothing either.
“Shit!” I slammed my hand on the table, forgetting I wasn’t alone.
All eyes were on me. “Ma’am, is everything alright?” My secretary asked.
“Yes,” Looking around to meet the glances of others. “I’m sorry about that, let’s continue with the meeting.” I muttered under my breath.
I sighed, leaning back in my chair. This is exactly why mixing business with personal feelings is a terrible idea.
“I can’t afford to lose focus, not now, not when so much was at stake and my grandmother is waiting for me to fail.” I told myself. “Arlan was right about us ending things, I should focus on business.”
Just as I was about to dive back into the meeting my phone buzzed.
Arlan: “Have you gotten back to the office?”
My heart skipped a beat, what a perfect timing, just as I was about to get him off my mind, he found another way to stay at my face.
“Why is he interested in whether or not I was back at my office.” I almost said out loud, drawing stares from everyone in the room.
I cleared my throat. “Can we go for a twenty minutes recess? I’m tired.”
Soon, I was all by myself, hesitating, staring at the message. Before I could overthink it, my fingers moved on their own.
Me: “Yes, just got back.”
I set the phone down and ran my hands through my hair, exhaling deeply. I shouldn’t have responded so quickly. He’d read into it. Or maybe he wouldn’t. It was a simple reply, nothing more.
The phone buzzed again almost immediately.
Arlan: “Can I call you? There’s something I want to talk to you about.”
My heart raced. What is there to talk about again after the morning we’d had and the way Matilda had swept him away?
I hesitated, fingers hovering over the screen.
Me: “Sure. I have some time now.”
His call came in almost Immediately.
“Saraya,” He began and what followed was a pause.
“Mr Reef, if you called, then you should say something.” I finally broke the silence between us.
“I wanted to clear the air about earlier,” he said, his voice low.
“There’s nothing to clear,” I said quickly, rolling my eyes and allowing my jealousy consume me completely.
“There is,” he countered, stepping closer. “I could tell you were uncomfortable.”
I laughed, though it sounded hollow. “You’re imagining things, Arlan.” I replied.
“I’m not.” His tone was firm, but his eyes softened. “Matilda and I… there’s nothing going on. She’s an old friend, someone I’ve known for years. That’s all.”
I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry. “You don’t owe me an explanation.”
“I think I do,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t want you having other thoughts.”
“Arlan,” I began, my voice shaky, “this isn’t… appropriate.”
“What isn’t?” he asked.
“This,” I said. “Whatever this is, is obviously confusing me. You clearly said we should end whatever it was that was between us and here you are thinking about want I think.”
A heavy silence followed my words, the kind that made me question whether I’ve said too much or not enough.
On the other end of the line, I could hear Arlan exhale deeply as though he had many things to say but couldn’t find the right words.
“You’re right,” he finally said. “I did say we should end it. But that doesn’t mean I stopped caring about how you feel.”
My heart broke at his words. “Caring about how I feel and sending mixed signals are two very different things, Arlan. You can’t have it both ways.” I yelled at him.
For a moment, I thought he might hang up, that he’d leave this conversation unfinished like the many others we’d had before.
“I didn’t call to confuse you, Saraya. I called because…” He paused, the hesitation in his voice was both infuriating and endearing. “Because it was the right thing to do.”
My breath hitched. I gripped the edge of my desk, trying to ground myself. “You can’t do this,” I whispered. “Not now. Not when I’m trying so hard to move on, to focus on what’s important.”
“Saraya, I know,” he said, his voice soft but insistent. “I know you’re trying to move on, and I know I should let you but…”
I closed my eyes and ended the call before he could complete his sentence.
“I should move on from him and not allow him confuse me any further.” I told myself with a note of finality.