Tears stung Emily’s eyes as she stood on a spot.
“Nde.” She forced out, trying to fight back her tears.
She turned and faced Joel that was sitting comfortably relaxed on the couch.
“Kamsahamnida.” She bowed her head and made to walk out of the lounge.
“Let’s…. not meet again.” Joel stood up on his feet and took long strides towards the stairs.
Emily gasped, tears slowly streaming down her face. She helped herself out of the villa.
As soon as she reached outside the huge gates of the villa, she looked back and waved her hand. It was heart-wrenching that she didn’t get to say goodbye to Little Pumpkin. She walked down the driveway slowly, crying profusely.
She, indeed, left.
As she walked past a car, still crying, she heard someone honk the horn of the car. She stopped walking, wiped her tears with her palm, and turned around. Sitting in the driver’s seat of the car, her life-saver waved his hand at her through the car window. Emily smiled.
“Miss Emily, get in.” He grinned at her.
She nodded her head, opened the door, and got in the seat, beside him.
Vincent smiled and wiped her tears with his thumb. “Pretty girls like you shouldn’t cry for anything in this world.”
Emily stared into his eyes and broke down in fresh tears. Vincent let out a small smile and hugged her.
⛲⛲⛲
Joel crushed the phone in his hand as he watched the driveway’s CCTV camera’s footage. He threw the remote control away, panting in annoyance.
“Aishhh!” He yelled.
What was wrong with him… was he falling for that nitwit-he didn’t know. He pushed everything that was on his desk down onto the floor violently.
And his study turned into a mess within a twinkle of an eye.
He balled up his fists. ‘So, she has a boyfriend after all…’
Though he didn’t get the full glimpse of the person the girl hugged in the car, he knew it was a guy. And to him, the guy was that girl’s boyfriend-no doubt.
He sat down on his chair and rocked it gently, trying to suppress his anger.
He was supposed to be in Italy for a meeting but he had taken the day off because he wanted to spend it at home with that girl around him.
Throughout the weeks the girl was with them, he didn’t know why, but whenever he was at the office or away on a trip, he was always looking forward to going home just because of that girl.
And when he had asked her to leave, he thought she wasn’t going to just… leave, he didn’t want her to anyway.
When he told her he didn’t want them to meet again, he lied. He wanted to always see her every day.
He had thought she would refuse to leave. He thought she’d stay. He thought she was going to be adamant. He thought…
“Fuck!” Joel cursed under his breath and lightly slapped his forehead with his palm.
To be sincere, everything about the girl amused him-the way she ate, the way she walked, the way she looked, her sense of reasoning-everything!
He just never showed it-he was the ‘Almighty CEO Joel’; the man that could make anything happen with a snap of his finger-just how on Earth could he fall for that lowlife. How?!
“Uncle JJ!” Little Pumpkin’s breath hitched as he barged into Joel’s study room without knocking.
He ran up the stairs into his uncle’s study just for one reason-the sweet noona.
Joel turned and stared at his little nephew. His face softened immediately.
“Where is she?” Little Pumpkin stared keenly at his uncle.
Knowing who the ‘she’ his nephew was talking about was, Joel, sighed.
Little Pumpkin had already told him that morning before he left for school not to send the pretty noona away.
“She left kiddo.” He broke the bombshell.
The bombshell hit Little Pumpkin like an iceberg. He didn’t argue with his uncle, he just stared at the ground, and walked out of his uncle’s study room dejectedly.
Tears brimmed down his face as he walked down the stairs into his room.
Michael who was standing at the bottom of the stairs watched his son intently, and immediately he noticed the tears on his face, he instantly knew that his brother had sent that girl away. He pouted and also walked sadly to his room. The villa would once again be boring.
Nightfall on the fifth day…
Michael ruffled his hair tiredly as he paced around the lounge. “We don’t know what’s wrong with him. His temperature is high.”
He sighed frustratedly and stopped to watch the doctor do whatever he was doing to Little Pumpkin’s body with his telescope. “His body temperature keeps rising by the day.”
“Ahhh… since when has he been like this Sir?” The doctor asked, pausing what he was doing to look at Michael.
“It’s been five days right?..” He asked, looking at his brother.
“Umn.” Joel let out a nasal reply in affirmation.
“Yeah, five days.” Michael shifted his gaze back to the doctor.
The doctor let out a gusty sigh, “… there is nothing wrong with the young master.”
“Nothing?!… his body is burning up!” Joel yelled in annoyance.
The doctor flinched. “Sir, I’m confused too.”
“He is okay. I don’t know…” he added thoughtfully. He twitched his lips, “perhaps…”
“What?” Joel groaned.
The doctor turned to face Michael, “is there something the little master wants that you’re not giving him?…”
Michael furrowed his brows. “Something?..”
“Yes… like a toy or pizza or something he requested for…” The doctor stated, putting his telescope in his briefcase and snapping it shut.
“If that be the case, you need to get him what he wants. It might help. I’ll be leaving now.” He bowed and took his leave.
Joel and Michael thought for a while and stared at each other like they were thinking the same thing.
It had just occurred to both of them that Little Pumpkin had been sick since the day that girl left.
Now they knew exactly what he wanted. It wasn’t a thing, it was a person.
“I’ll be back.” Joel grabbed his key from the table.
He carried Little Pumpkin’s fragile body on his shoulder and made to head out of the villa.
Michael stared wearily at his brother, he knew exactly where he was headed. “It’s late, Joel.”
“You want him to die?” He asked and walked out without waiting for a response.
He punched on a button on the steering wheel as he drove out of the villa, and in no time, Noah’s voice came on.
“Boss…” Noah called.
“Send me her address now!” He blurted out bluntly and pressed the button again.
The line went off.
Within a few minutes, he received a message with the girl’s address and drove straight to the girl’s apartment.
???️
When they arrived, Joel parked his car in the parking lot. He took two face masks from the dashboard, he wore one on his face, and wore the other on Little Pumpkin’s-He didn’t want people hovering around them like ants.
He looked up at the building-the girl lived on the 16th floor, room number 207.
He carried Little Pumpkin, stepped out of the car, and headed into the building.
“Haaaa!.. isn’t that the CEO of Empire World?!” On spotting him walk into the building, a lady pointed her finger in Joel’s direction.
Instantly, he froze on a spot.
Her friend rolled her eyes. “CEO?… It isn’t him. What does he need here? He can never come into this place.”
“I’ve told you to stop taking alcohol but you won’t listen!” she sighed in frustration.
“Kaja!” She dragged her friend by her hand and pulled her away.
As her friend pulled away, the drunk lady turned to look back at the man had seen, but he was no longer there.
She could have sworn it was the CEO of Empire World.
‘Maybe it’s the effect of the alcohol I drank..’ she thought.
“That was close.” Joel sighed as he walked swiftly to the elevator.
He adjusted his mask with his left hand and punched a button on the elevator. Its doors slid open.
There were three people in the elevator; two ladies and a man.
Joel froze.
‘This is it.’ Joel bit his lip.
“Aren’t you coming in?” One of the ladies asked.
Joel lowered his head and got in the elevator, with Little Pumpkin sleeping on his shoulder. He stood behind the three of them, and the elevator slid close.
“I just want him to talk to me. Just once in my life.” One of the ladies squeaked to the other as they rode the elevator.
The other lady rolled her eyes. “Nugu?… CEO Joel? Forget it.”
“That man is so full of himself.” She added bluntly.
“I dislike him with so much passion. I wanna quit working at Empire World,” she added again, irritably.
“Ahhh.. never. I’ll never do that. My handsome CEO Joel.” The other lady smiled dreamily.
Joel sneezed.
Of course, he’d sneeze, they were talking about him. No wonder he sneezed almost all the time. tsk tsk tsk.
So many people talking and saying bad things about him behind his back… his employees included, so bad.
He threw daggers at the lady that had bad-mouthed him with his eyes.
She suddenly felt his cold presence. She felt like she was being watched by him. She shuddered. Hastily, she looked back, but it was just some random guy, carrying a boy who was probably his son, that was standing behind her.
The elevator dinged as soon as it reached the 16th floor and Joel took long strides out of the elevator.
She watched the retreating form of the guy and furrowed her brows before the elevator slid close. ‘how come that guy walks just like the CEO.’
‘You want to quit your job right, I’ll help you.’ Joel smirked as he walked down the corridor of the 16th floor.