Her Corporate Takedown: Entangled with a Billionaire

*CHAPTER 69: MY CONFESSION, MY CHOICE*

I have a confession.

"Lei, I'm so glad you made it! It's great to see you again. Your dress looks lovely today, by the way."

The truth was, I had been seeing someone for the past couple of weeks.

"Thanks," I replied while twirling in my dress.

I was met with a radiant smile outside of the wine distillery where we were supposed to meet this Friday evening. After another long week of adjusting to being on a new team, the Silver team, and being handed down the judgement of doing another disgraceful assignment for Jeremy, his radiant smile instantly cleansed me of all the fatigue that had built up.

"Are you trying something new? Your style is different than before."

"Actually, I am. I hope it doesn't look weird."

"No way, I love it."

"Great. I'm glad."

To think that, in the end, I caved in and agreed to see him again after all his repeated ambushes and persistent messages which had continued for a while after I saw him at the café.

"This place hasn’t changed since we last came here, Daniel."

"You're right. I'm glad it's still got that rustic atmosphere."

Honestly, the real reason I agreed to see him again was because of my Netflix counsellor. I couldn't get that scene out of my head from the time I watched that show. I don't know for sure whether I should give Daniel a second chance, but I started to feel as though I was running away from him because Andrei had conveniently reappeared to replace him.

Thus, to appease this guilt, I decided to face him one final time.

"Look, they have a lot of tastings now. Which one do you want to try?"

I indulged in the refined tastings of around seven different wines accompanied by some snacks. Later in the evening, we went on a tour of the large scenic vineyard, then we set up a large picnic at the top of the small hill behind the vineyard.

Daniel still had traces of strain on his face, which I suppose would remain once he was still with Michelle, but I could tell he was trying very hard to be considerate and affectionate, maybe even more so than when we were together.

The strange thing is, I didn't feel uncomfortable or awkward around him at all. We sat close together, we held hands, he even cuddled up beside me, but I didn't once feel flustered. I would like to attribute it to the loss of the innocent sentimentality I once had, but I couldn't convince myself, since I still get very flustered around Andrei.

Even though I felt much calmer with Daniel, this peace was not something I disliked. I would even say I preferred it over living in constant anxiety and being endlessly worked up and manipulated by that other guy.

"Do you remember the random event that happened the last time we were here?" I asked after my thoughts left me feeling reminiscent.

"Yea, we watched the traveling circus that was passing through. "

"Yes, that's what it was. There were so many interesting characters."

"They even stopped to show us a few tricks."

"That was pretty cool of them."

"Yes, it was and it was fun to watch."

After a long pause, Daniel looked at the sky and said, "We are totally different people compared to just a few months ago."

"Yes, we are."

"But, I still think it's possible for us to come out of this on the other side…together. Like I told you before, I still feel the same, no, even stronger, about you than ever before."

I looked at his regretful eyes burning with the affection of lost love. The love he lost and was desperately trying to regain. My love.

In lieu of a definitive answer, I placed my hand on top of his and gently squeezed his to let him know I heard his thoughts. However, I can't let this go on anymore. I needed to make my decision soon, otherwise one or both of us might end up hurt.

After walking along the path on the way back, we arrived at the entrance of the distillery. We parted ways after sharing a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Thirty minutes later, I arrived at the new event spot that I was scouting for my business. On the way here, I couldn't help but think about the muddled state of my mind. Ever since Daniel found out about Michelle's misdeeds, I felt like I couldn't stop thinking about how we ended things.

I couldn't stop thinking about which route was better for me to take, Andrei or Daniel. There are reasons both for and against both parties.

I never thought that I would even face such a situation in the first place. It's like I'm two-timing…

No, I really am-

"Surprise!" shouted a frightening voice behind me.

I almost jumped out of my skin and screamed, but after recognizing whose voice it was, I slowly looked behind me into the eyes of the bane of my anxieties - one of the alter egos of the man who found enjoyment in incessantly playing around with my life.

"A-A-A-" I paused for a second before I made a mistake, then cleared my throat. "Malik, what are you doing here?" I asked, still unable to hide my surprise.

I almost passed out from how fast my heart was beating at that moment. The impulses of my heart could certainly not keep up with how fast I needed oxygen in my brain to calm the excessive guilt pervading my entire body.

This was the worst situation. Seeing Andrei immediately after I went on a date with Daniel set off an internal crisis reaction. Since Malik said he wasn't coming with me to the event, I went ahead and agreed to see Daniel today, so I wasn't expecting Malik to show up out of the blue. This feeling of excessive guilt is way more than just feeling flustered; I felt like I was about to explode.

The fact that Andrei suddenly appeared like this was also not a good sign. How long was he here? Was he following me? Did he know that I was just with Daniel?

I could not get myself to calm down. No matter what I tried, none of my inconspicuous internal reset mechanisms worked to turn off the current panic mode. All of my other remaining options were too conspicuous and would immediately trigger red flags. In that case, it was better to proceed in this state, than give anything away.

So, I did just that.

Although it would take longer to dissipate this state of panic, I tried to interact with him as normally as I could as Melissa while only half of my mind was present, and the other half was off fighting the internal emergency.

"I finished all of my work in time to make it here. These weird dates are our thing, aren't they? It seemed like a waste not to come."

I was about to accuse him of lying, as I thought he had followed me here hours ago, but he indeed looked quite tired. Ideally, I would have come here on a day when he was available - I wanted to go with him after all - but since I also had to meet Daniel nearby, I didn't want to come to this city twice.

My mind was still in confusion as I went straight into the next date, but I still enjoyed it. This time, I found a very interesting place. It was a tour of a botanical garden on a hill near the vineyard I just went to. At the end of the long tour through the luscious greenery, we arrived at the location of the main event.

We entered the massive canopy which overshadowed us with its thick overlapping fauna. Once we were some distance along the path, it became completely dark. Two minutes later, the path glowed under the light of hundreds of fireflies and a soothing song filled the air.

From what I was told, there were about a hundred and forty birds scattered along this canopy that sang like an opera in a Broadway musical. The rumours were a little exaggerated but the birds' singing was indeed magnificent and induced a feeling of tranquility. It may not have sounded like a professional opera, but I wasn't here to grade the technical aspects, considering I can't hold a candle to anyone when it came to singing.

We walked slowly through the canopy, immersed in the songs of the birds. It was yet another experience that I wish would never end.

By the time we exited the canopy, my eyes had to readjust to the night light. I also noticed I was clinging snugly and tightly on to Malik's arm. He looked at me disapprovingly when I was about to let go, so I remained clutching on to this arm for the rest of the date.

I didn't have a chance to ask Andrei for help in rescuing Karren from Jeremy's clutches, but the more I thought about asking him, the more I felt like it was the wrong thing to do. It wasn't just because it would severely compromise Andrei's secret, but I felt like there was a much bigger piece of the puzzle that I could not see. In any case, I decided to keep quiet about Karren's situation for now, and wait to see if we could help her without leaving any traces.

"You're being unusually generous today," Malik commented after accepting the souvenirs I bought for him.

"What? No. How is this unusual? I just bought a normal souvenir for you, since we can actually get one on this date." I'm sure that my long-winded dyspneic explanation only served to reinforce his suspicions.

"I see. Well, I accept your gift as I would a treasure."

He didn't give it another thought and he smiled without a care as he held the keychain and the small bird plushie close to his chest as if it was my heart he held in his hands. It had to have been my own heart he held, for I felt a gentle heat like never before, deep inside, in an untapped zone, where I vowed never to return. Simultaneously, the heaviness that accompanied the guilt of trying to cover up a crime was enough of a reminder that this was my one and final instance of two-timing.

The strange phenomenon felt like it lasted for merely a few seconds. When I returned to reality, I was already at the station and Andrei had already processed our return tickets.

"Wow, you know how to use the subway!"

"Of course I do," he said matter-of-factly, but it was more surprising than it was obvious. Then again, Shelli also rode the subway that time we went to the FBI.

"It's nice to see you doing normal people's things for a change."

"Don't I eat, sleep and live like a normal person?"

"No, no you do not."

"Ha-ha, that's harsh."

While I didn't feel exactly the same for each of the two men, because of a certain person, I am once again faced with the dilemma of choosing between the two.

Or maybe that was his intention this entire time - to clean the slate and leave me to make my final decision without harbouring any ill feelings. When I think about it like that, it does sound like a reason for Andrei to help me clear the air with Daniel.

Regardless of the reason, I'm sure he won't remain silent on this matter for much longer. He will definitely approach me about it when he can't wait any longer and I'll need to have an answer by then.

At the moment that time limit arrives, what choice will I make?