The CEO's Secret

June 2018 P R O L O G U E: D E S T R U C T I O N. "Ms. Briggs, you have someone here to see you." Her PA, Cheryl called in through the speaker of the phone on her desk. Katie was busy writing something down she did not want to forget, and so didn't question who that someone could be. She took a sip of her bitter coffee and turned in her office chair to do some work on her computer. Katie had completely forgotten to answer her PA and had only realised when she spoke through her speaker again. "Um, Katie? He seemed pretty eager to see you, should I let him through." "Hmm, yes. Okay." Katie said nonchalantly. She wasn't thinking straight, too caught up in her work as usual. She had no scheduled meetings for that day and therefore this person could not have been that important. She should have questioned Cheryl. She should have at least been curious enough to wonder who it was. She should have stopped Cheryl from allowing this stranger into her office. She should have done all of these things, but she didn't. The noise of her door clicking open was what had finally taken her mind away from her work. The thing was, this someone was not a stranger at all. Katie's eyes strayed away from her computer and caught with a pair of deep blue ones. He hadn't seemed to change at all, physically that was. He was dressed in an expensive dark suit, a grey overcoat and designer shoes. For a moment, he took in her appearance too and noticed how a lot of things had changed. She looked different, but the only question on his mind was were her feelings different too? Katie sat there with her mouth slightly agape, her palms were beginning to get clammy, her heartbeat was quickening. She was clearly beginning to lose her composure. She was panicking but trying so hard to hide it. She had no plan. As much as Katie had wondered if she would ever meet him again, she highly doubted that. She did not fill her head with hopeful daydreams; she was a busy woman now. "What the hell are you doing here?" Katie almost spit out. Her tone was harsh but not harsh enough. Her shock had been replaced with anger and all she could do was question this situation in her head. How could he come here and stroll in like this? How could he just show up now? After what happened, after everything that happened. "I'm here to see you of course..." he gave her a small, nervous smile. His voice was gentle and slow, almost apologetic if you asked Katie but she would not fall for this again. He wanted to fix things but Katie knew better. She was surprised to find him stepping closer and taking a seat in front of her. The surprise was not a pleasant one. "Why?" her voice was monotonous and she crossed her arms as she spoke. "I- I... I wanted to mend things. I wanted to say sorry for everything I put you through-" "Oh save it Colin. I don't want or need an apology, it's five years late anyway." Katie couldn't stop the bitterness from coming through in her words. But if one was to know the full story, they would not question her clear disgust and stubbornness at the entire situation playing out before her. "I needed that time, to make myself better. For me and for you." Katie was beginning to discover she was not the only one who had changed. Colin was not his usual confident self. His eyes had become a person in themselves, they were pleading and his head was not held high like she had always remembered. Suddenly his voice rang in her ears, 'I never beg for anything Katie, you'll be the only one begging.'. Although the old Colin was someone she had grown to love entirely but hate completely, she wanted him to go back to the way he was. For her own sake, Katie needed him to be a part of her past the way she had left him. It was better for her to hate him the way he was than to see him the way he had shown up right then. She wanted him to be a part of her memories and nothing else yet here he was, right in front of her, almost coming back to haunt her. Katie was unsure about everything and was still trying to process a lot of things in her mind. "You've really made it big haven't you. I always knew you would do well." His voice was tender and kind. Her subconscious had welcomed it with open arms, wanted it to wrap around her like a warm blanket but she knew better. His words were the truth: she had made it big. She was a someone now, just like him. She was running this magazine, better than anyone had before. She was doing what she loved, finally. "Talk to me Kate." Colin urged her, his voice going back to how she had remembered it all those years ago. "I don't want to say another word to you." It was then that he noticed her voice was at its calmest since the beginning of the conversation, although he knew she was not lying. The way she sighed and shook her head after the confession made his chest tighten. "Katie I'm sorry, I really am. But things are different, I've changed. I'm clean now." This discovery was something she was not expecting, it was making her want to jump into his arms and tell him how proud she was of him but she didn't. The discovery awakened a small seed of feelings in her again, one she knew would only bloom into something unneeded in her life in that moment. That was why every other part of her wanted him to leave and never return. Her heart might hate her head for it at first but eventually there would be no regrets. "Get out. Get out of my office now and don't come back." Tears pricked her eyes as she spoke. He didn't want her to be upset, he just wanted to thank her. Through the four years of absolute hell, she was the one thing his mind had kept itself focused on. He would not have gotten through everything without the thoughts and memories of his dear Kate. He owed her everything and yet she still deserved more. She had stood up then and came around to the front of her desk to stand facing him. Colin quickly got to his feet too but was only disappointed when she began to usher him to the door hurriedly. He knew not to be confused by her feelings or actions, he had put her through too much to know this reunion would not be a happy one. Colin should have never gotten his hopes up. It did not matter, he would keep trying, regardless of how long it took. He froze the door and turned to look at her. He placed his hands on both her shoulders and urged her to look right into his sea-blue eyes. But it was all too much for Katie and so she shook herself out of his arms, wiping a tear from her cheek before opening the door. "I don't want to see you here again, get out!" she said before pushing him out of her office, all the while he kept repeating 'Katie please, I'm sorry'. Katie slammed the door shut and was met with a quiet stillness in her empty room. Her back was to the door, her hands spread wide. She slowly fell to the floor in a bundle, hugging her knees in her tight pencil skirt. She sat there for what felt like hours, bawling her eyes out as all the memories of Colin crashed into her thoughts like a deadly tidal wave causing as much destruction as possible. That was all he was to her- complete and utter destruction.