MY EX WANTS ME BACK

Chapter 4

Charles Pov

I was getting impatient while talking to my acquaintances at the party I attended. I didn't really plan on going to this party, but Linda, my secretary, reminded me that David Wilson, the CEO of Wilson Company, would be here.

Wilson Company is a newly established company, and even though it only entered the business world last year, it's slowly rising. This company has potential in the field of Artificial Intelligence, so Linda suggested that I should cooperate with the CEO of Wilson Company. That's why I'm here at the party, to personally meet the CEO of the said company.

I couldn't stand the boredom of the conversation with the people I was talking to anymore, so I excused myself to go to the restroom. But I didn't actually go to the restroom; instead, I went to an area where there were fewer people.

My forehead creased when I saw May's smiling face approaching me. I wanted to avoid her, but she already knew I saw her, so I had no choice but to talk to her when she got closer.

"Hi, Charles. It's nice to see you again," she greeted me with a sweet smile, her voice laced with a hint of endearment, making me shake my head.

May is a beautiful socialite. She's the daughter of one of the biggest textile companies in the country. She's rich and spoiled. And whenever we meet at parties, she never misses a chance to flirt with me.

"It's nice to see you too," I replied in a cold voice. I don't like women who practically throw themselves at me. It's a big turn-off for me. And May is one of those women.

"Can we talk somewhere? I want it to be just the two of us. Or maybe we can go to the bar," she asked with a seductive smile. I know what she wants, but I quickly brushed her off.

"I'm sorry, but I'm waiting for someone important," I said without a smile. She asked me out to hang out in a bar several times, but I always refused her. I don't know if she's oblivious or just doesn't understand that I don't want to go out with her.

"Why do you always turn me down when I ask you to go to the bar, Charles? Am I not beautiful in your eyes? Many men are eager to date me while you always turn me down. And it hurts my ego," May said to me, her voice laced with annoyance.

"I don't have time to go out for leisure," I replied briefly. I didn't want to explain myself because if I told her the truth, it would only hurt her more.

"Liar," she said with a frown. "One day you'll fall for me too, Charles. Remember that," she threatened fiercely before turning her back on me without a word. I just shook my head as I watched her go. What she said wouldn't happen because my heart has long belonged to another woman. Even though I haven't seen her again and don't know if we'll ever meet, she's still the one in my thoughts, and her name is etched in my heart.

I finished the contents of my glass and took a deep sigh. Instead of dwelling on May's words, I scanned the room, searching for the face of David Wilson that Linda had shown me before I came to the party. But instead of seeing David's face, my eyes caught sight of the woman I'd been longing to see again.

"Erika," I whispered her name, my voice barely a breath. My heart pounded in my chest the moment I saw her. Her effect on me hasn't changed, not one bit, from then until now.

Erika looks stunning. She's every inch a lady. The innocent look and demeanor that first captivated me are gone. She looks smart now. Though I liked her innocent looks before, I also like the way she looks now. She's even more beautiful than she was five years ago. I can't blame the male guests for staring at her whenever she catches their eye.

I felt a surge of anger because I wasn't the only one who saw her beauty. I wanted to pull her out of the function room and away from the admiring eyes of the men inside the party.

I know I have no right to feel this way because I hurt her before. I was diagnosed with a brain tumor during a checkup because I had frequent headaches. The doctor said I only had a few months left to live because my tumor was stage 4. I didn't want Erika to be hurt when I died, so I chose to hurt her instead, hoping she would be angry at me and easily forget me.

But I was wrong to do that. Because not only did I hurt her, but I also hurt myself. And most importantly, the doctor was wrong in giving me the results. The results showing a brain tumor weren't mine but belonged to the patient who was also getting checked up at the same time as me. It turned out that my headache was just a simple migraine and I only needed a few days of rest.

It was too late when I found out the truth. Erika was gone when I went to her house to explain and apologize for what I did to her. After five years, I never thought our paths would cross again.

Erika looked around as if her eyes were looking for something. She looked at me by accident and our eyes met. I was so nervous that when a waiter passed in front of me and carried a tray with drinks, I immediately grabbed one and sucked all the contents of the glass.

When Erica suddenly turned around, I quickly followed her to talk to her. When I got to her, I grabbed her arm, but she quickly moved away from me as if she had burned my hand.

"What do you want, Mister Evans?" she asked me in a cold voice.

"I just wanted to check on you, Erika," I replied. "I just want to know if you're okay."

Erika raised an eyebrow at my words. "As you can see, I am fine. We're not close for you to check on me. And what makes you think that I am not okay? For your information, I am perfectly fine. Because I'm living a perfect life without you in my life."

A tiny prick of pain shot through my chest at her sharp words and cold treatment. But I deserved it.

"Erika. I want you to know something." I paused, loosening my tie slightly because I felt suddenly choked and struggled to breathe. Erika stared at me coldly. It felt like I couldn't continue what I wanted to tell her, knowing she wouldn't believe me anyway.

"Whatever you want to say, I'm not interested in hearing it, Mr. Evans," she replied in the most business-like tone.

"Erika. What happened before was—" I was cut off when an arm suddenly grabbed Erika's arm. My eyes narrowed as I saw the man, as tall as me, holding her arm. I suddenly felt possessive of her. I didn't want any other man touching her except me. "Who is he?" I asked her in a possessive tone.

"I am David Wilson. The CEO of Wilson Company and Erika's business partner." The man answered my question. So he was the person I was looking for. I didn't recognize him because the picture Linda showed me was too bright, making me think David Wilson was fair-skinned. But it turns out, his complexion was tanned and far from the picture I saw.

"Does he know about our connection, Erika?" I asked again, my face was serious. I wanted to show David that I wasn't just an acquaintance of Erika's, but instead, our relationship was deeper than he thought.

"Since you took over my parents' shares in your company and cheated on me, we haven't had any connection, Mr. Evans. I cut off whatever relationship we had a long time ago," Erika replied, her voice colder than ice.