Her Corporate Takedown: Entangled with a Billionaire

*CHAPTER 13: CONFESSIONS*

"Aren't you hungry? Let's eat," he said as he walked away.

I followed him to the kitchen where Ari had taken out the Italian takeaway she bought. I was immediately won over by the feast and quickly sat down to indulge. But I didn't forget my objectives. I was going to ensure I got clear answers before leaving here today.

"You don't have to be in such a rush," Andrei said. "We're all staying here for the week."

"What do you mean? I don't even have a bag." I couldn't believe he declared I would be staying over for a whole week without even a heads up.

"Not a problem. There's an entire store's worth of clothes and supplies here, more than you would ever need for a week."

"Even still, you could have told me beforehand."

"Consider this week your orientation. Since you start working at the company next week, there is some training that you need to start before then."

"So you'll actually answer my questions now?"

"Yes [as much as is possible]."

"Fine. I heard that last part you slipped in by the way."

"Appreciate your compliance," he said in an arrogant tone. It made me mad, but I didn't have a choice.

There were so many questions I wanted answers to and I could barely contain the chaos inside my head. Now that I was given leeway, my mind kept rambling with question after question. However, I settled on what was perhaps the most pressing of them all.

"So first of all, why is it that your ex-fiancée is working so closely with you after you broke up long ago?"

Ari got to the question before he did. "It is necessary for me to work with him. Besides, I still love him regardless of whether we work together or broke up once before," she said candidly while twirling her creamy fettuccini noodles.

That took me by surprise; I almost looked up at her in shock. She seemed to be announcing some kind of rivalry but I pretended not to hear her and continued picking away at the chunky pieces of penne pasta covered in a cheesy mozzarella sauce.

Andrei finally spoke again. "I had loved you since childhood, Ari, but I ended our engagement because I fell in love with Leiya. And of course, she is the one I still love to this day."

The pasta that had just touched my lips fell as I stared at my plate in shock.

'Why are they passing around love confessions like they are passing around bread at this table?!'

"I would love for you to pass me some bread too, Leiya," Andrei said to me.

His comment caught me by surprise but I calmed down and pretended not to know what he really meant by that.

"Isn't the garlic bread closer to you anyway?" I asked when I noticed how far it was from me.

"So, would you like me to pass you more bread? I can give you several, in fact," he kept going.

"No, thank you," I replied in a hurry to shut him down.

"What are you doing?" Ari asked Andrei.

"What are YOU doing?" He asked Ari in reply. "Why are you creating unnecessary confusion here?"

"I am simply making the situation clear to her," she said objectively.

"Well, I am also making sure there are no misunderstandings here," he in turn replied while giving Ari a fairly stern look.

Tension was rising amidst them. I needed to change the subject before this got worse.

"Do you really think that your mother is going to approve of her?"

She went right for a potential landmine. I really need to change this subject.

'His family situation, though, is definitely something I'd like to know more about.'

"I'll make sure that she is trained and ready before I introduce her to my parents."

'Why are they talking about family introductions? This conversation is getting way out of control now.'

Ari stood up suddenly and jerked the table as she slammed her hands down. "Are you really going to train someone who hasn't even expressed her commitment to you and will leave you without a moment's notice?" she shouted to Andrei.

Ari could no longer hide her frustration. Her eyes, which were almost tearful, gave me a piercing glance of disapproval. She quickly packed up the empty containers on her placemat and threw them in the garbage bin. Without looking at either of us, she left the kitchen and went upstairs, leaving Andrei and I to finish eating in silence.

Andrei continued eating his lunch with a slightly painful expression. Even if they weren't engaged, he still cared about her. It was clear that she was more to him than just his chief operating officer. I wondered what kind of relationship they could possibly have, that even after a broken engagement they still could not be separated from each other. That even after a declaration of affection for and evident involvement with a new person of interest, she did not or could not leave. Will that change if I reciprocate his feelings? Is there truly no risk that his prior feelings for her will return? What about during the ten years we never saw each other - did anything happen between both of you or with anyone else, for that matter?

My mind fell into a whirlpool of questions and doubts. I didn't want to think about these things, but I couldn't help it. And the more I did, the harder it became to swallow. A knot formed in my throat and a tightness in my chest. I stopped eating for a second and I got up to get a glass of water. I banished the whirlpool from my mind and I calmed down. When I returned to the table, Andrei had nearly finished eating.

"The best place to start so you can understand is probably with the first question you were originally going to ask," he said as he finished the last of his lunch and placed his fork down.

"Honestly, there were so many questions that I don't even remember what I wanted to ask first."

He chuckled at that.

"Why don't you just tell me everything about yourself? Including how you became CEO of that company."

"Alright, then. I will talk about everything over dessert."

"Why not now?" There's no need to delay this conversation.

"It's better for me to talk about it while we start your training this evening."

"We're doing that today?"

"Yes, so why don't you have a shower and relax before then. Meet me back here at 5:30."

"Fine. But no more delays. You will start telling me everything."

"I promise," he said smiling.

I packed up all of the empty containers, including his. After disposing of the garbage, I went upstairs to shower. The house was quite large - it had three floors, five bedrooms and five and a half bathrooms. I guessed that I could simply choose an empty room to crash in for the week, but Ari was waiting for me at the top of the stairs.

"Sorry, but you can't just pick any room," she said, as if reading my mind like a certain other person. I started to figure that it wasn't a special telepathic ability, but instead, I was just that easy to read, which kind of annoyed me.

"I'll show you to your room," she said as she walked ahead of me. She took me to the room at the end of the corridor on the second floor. She showed me around the room, which had a walk-in closet filled with clothes and shoes, drawers with tons of undergarments and a large bathroom fully stocked with rags, towels and hygiene necessities. The room also had a queen-sized bed fitted with fluffy sheets giving off a springtime aroma.

"Thanks Ari," I said in reply to her hospitality. "Will you be joining us this evening? Andrei said I would start my 'training' today."

"I heard. I'll come by later in the night though."

"Oh, I see."

Ari stood by the door for a second, then she turned around to face me.

"How do you actually feel about him?" she asked softly. By reflex, I looked away to avoid eye contact. There's no way I can give a straightforward answer right now. I'm still sorting out my feelings after everything with Daniel.

She didn't give me any time to think. She continued, saying, "You are not good enough to be his partner. You have nothing to offer him; neither skills nor resources. And even with a lack of those things, you can't even reciprocate his feelings for you. If you think that you can be with him with those half-hearted feelings, you are going to be disappointed. Stop getting his hopes up. Cut him loose so he can stop wasting time on you already."

She just went on and on, when I'd done nothing to deserve being talked down to like this.

"Listen Ari." I cut her off before she said anything further to upset me. "I understand how you feel about him, but our relationship is between Andrei and I. You don't get to decide who he should be with. If he allowed me to be in his life and involved in whatever secret affairs you all have going on, then that's his decision. Whether I become romantically involved with him or not is also my decision that I will make when I'm ready."

"I'm sorry to tell you, but your relationship is not just between you and Andrei. You know what, why doesn't he tell you all about that himself." She left the room smiling as though she'd won. Well, she probably did, since she left me feeling irritated by what she just said.

I couldn't get her words out of my mind after that. My peaceful bath was disrupted by the whirlpool of thoughts and questions about him and his life that returned more violently than during lunch. Nothing I did to distract myself worked. My thoughts could only be quelled by the answers I would receive this evening…if I actually get my answers this evening.

The realization that I would finally learn his secrets started to take effect and my thoughts ran wild with all sorts of conjectures. Was he some kind of mafia boss? He has been so kind and sweet since junior high that the thought never crossed my mind that his family background could actually be so dangerous that I'd wish I had never met him. At that moment, I felt like there was a wrench in my stomach. I wanted to deny the possibility that anything in his past or his family would prevent us from being together.

Of course, deep down I already know that I do love him. Otherwise, I wouldn't feel this way. Maybe I should've just passed him the bread when I had a chance.