The CEO's Entanglement

Chapter 8 - Misguided

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Shiloh

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The inviting aroma of a home-cooked meal fills the air as I enter the dining hall. Kyler and his mom are already sitting, and Kyler and I share a smile as my mind wanders back to our time together at the new apartment.

After having lunch and watching TV, we got some ice cream and went for a walk. As we walked hand in hand, I started thinking about how I’ve been in love with him all the time and didn’t realize it, and I couldn’t believe it because now that I know, it’s overwhelming, it’s beautiful, and it’s growing with each second.

Kyler, ever attentive, passes a dish my way, and the conversation flows effortlessly. We discuss our day; the events leading to the surprise, and the upcoming trip. Mrs. Steel asks if I’m excited and, of course, I am.

Jossie and Ollie couldn’t stop screaming when I informed them. Because Mrs. Steel hadn’t officially announced that we weren’t going, we were kind of half-ready, just in case.

I can’t wait to see my friends and fill them in on everything that’s happened since we last saw each other. They called me earlier but I couldn’t talk in front of Kyler. Plus, I knew we were going to have all the time on the trip.

Mr. Steel is not at the table, so I ask if he isn’t joining us, and Mrs. Steel says he’s busy taking care of something. We dig into our food in comfortable silence for a while before Mrs. Steel breaks the silence by addressing Kyler.

She asks if he spoke to Chloe and I glance at Kyler, noticing a flicker of discomfort in his expression as I wonder who Chloe is. He quickly responds, saying he didn’t call her, and I catch a glint of disappointment in Mrs. Steel’s eyes before she continues to tell Kyler that the call she received back at the apartment was from Gabby.

For a second, I wonder if she’s talking about the same Gabby that I know or another Gabby, but I don’t wonder for long as it soon becomes clear that it’s the Gabby that I know—the family friend Gabby. Well, she’s more her friend than Mr. Steel's. She once told me she and Gabby’s sister were best friends, but she passed away because of a terminal illness.

Mrs. Steel shares the reason behind the call—a distressing situation involving Chloe and her family. It appears Chloe’s brother has been appointed as the CEO, a decision that hasn’t sat well with Gabby and Chloe. Kyler’s surprise at the revelation is clear, and he says he didn’t know that Chloe’s brother was still around.

At this point, I have gathered that Chloe is Mr. Pierre’s daughter. Mrs. Steel says he hasn’t been around, adding that he was out there gallivanting while Chloe ran the business and the displeasure in her tone clarifies that she doesn’t agree with Mr. Pierre’s decision.

However, Kyler interjects, acknowledging her mother’s displeasure but also emphasizing Pierre’s autonomy in deciding about his family and business. He rationalizes that if Chloe’s father chose her brother as the successor, there must be a rationale behind it.

The air suddenly grows heavy with an unspoken tension and Mrs. Steel turns her attention to me, asking if I’m familiar with Chloe. I shake my head, admitting that I don’t know her personally but have gathered that she is Mr. Pierre’s daughter.

She confirms this, adding that Chloe lives overseas, which is the reason I’ve never seen her. After that, she delves into Chloe’s accomplishments, highlighting her brilliance. She tells me of the wonderful things she’s done for her father’s company and of how she’s grown to be a fine woman and her words ring with admiration.

As she shares Chloe’s achievements, I catch Kyler out of the corner of my eye, shifting in his seat, causing me to look at him and find a discomfort he can barely conceal. Just then, Mrs. Steel mentions how beautiful Chloe is, and as she says that she looks over at Kyler and the glint in her eyes suggests more than just a casual mention.

A sudden discomfort settles in the pit of my stomach and just then, Kyler places down his fork, interjecting with a different topic. The shift in his demeanor is clear, a clear sign that the subject of Chloe is uncomfortable for him, and I sense an impending revelation—one that fills me with dread.

However, Mrs. Steel persists, her gaze now fully on Kyler, and a disconcerting realization dawns upon me as it becomes clear with each second that this connection with Chloe extends beyond mere familial pride; there’s an underlying motive, a subtle matchmaking agenda.

A lump rises in my throat and my fork slips from my hand. “Mom, can we talk about something else, please?” Kyler exclaims in frustration and Mrs. Steel, unaware of the tension she’s creating, merely raises her hands in surrender.

There’s silence for a moment at the table, Kyler running his hands over his face, seemingly in frustration, while the look in Mrs. Steel’s eyes as she looked at him while talking about Chloe replays in my head.

I feel a strange knot forming in my stomach before a powerful urge to get out of here, but before I can say anything, Mrs. Steel turns her attention back to me again with a motherly expression on her face.

“Talk to him, Shiloh. Girls like Chloe are a rare find.” Her words, well intended, hit me like a punch in the gut and Kyler, now agitated, slams down his fork.

“Mom,” he exclaims, glaring at her, but before he can say anything more, the surge of emotions threatens to consume me, leaving me breathless, and I mumble my excuse, my appetite gone. Kyler’s eyes meet mine in a shared understanding, while Mrs. Steel says I may be excused. I hastily exit the room, haunted by Mrs. Steel’s unintentional revelation, and the corridor feels colder as I make my way to my room.

After what feels like forever, I get to it and I slam the door shut as I lean heavily against it, grappling with the weight of my emotions. I saw how uncomfortable Kyler was by his mother’s words, and I trust him, but despite my trust in him, doubt creeps in. What if my mother was right? What if the Steels, for all their kindness, cannot accept a girl like me, the daughter of their maid, as a suitable match for their son?

Taking a deep breath, I push away from the door and step into the room, trying to shake off the unsettling thoughts. But before I can collect myself, a knock resounds on the door. I hastily adjust my expression, trying to conceal the turmoil within and open the door to find Kyler on the other side, his face mirroring the conflict I’m feeling.

Without a word, he envelops me in a reassuring hug, apologizing for his mother’s words, and I take a deep breath, attempting to whisper that it’s okay, but the words turn into an admission of my fear instead.

“I’m scared, Kyler,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. He pulls back and holds me at arm’s length, his gaze locked with mine. With a sincerity that resonates through every word, he dismisses any notion of an interest between him and Chloe. He reassures me he hasn’t even seen Chloe in years and that his mother is merely meddling in his life. I believe him, but my fear persists.

“Kyler, the fact that she likes her for you indicates that she sees you with that type of woman.” I lay my vulnerability bare as I take a seat on the bed and Kyler joins me. I recount everything his mother said, emphasizing the admiration I saw in her eyes as she spoke of Chloe, even going as far as to say she’s a rare find and asking me to knock some sense into Kyler.

He said he had already told his father, and he didn’t have a problem with us, but what if Mrs. Steel does? Kyler assures me she will accept me and that his mother’s words are misguided because she doesn’t know about us. With tender sincerity, he emphasizes that there’s no way his mother would choose Chloe over me, adding that she just wants someone she can trust with him and there’s no one she trusts more than me.

As he speaks, his words dissolve the fear; his unwavering belief in our relationship and his commitment to dispelling my doubts ground me. He pulls me into a hug and connects our lips in a tender kiss when we break the hug before pulling me into another hug, one that we linger in.

When we eventually pull back, he gets to his feet and says he’s going to get Mellissa the help to bring me some food since we didn’t finish eating, but I stop him and tell him I’m not hungry.

He asks me if I'm sure and I assure him that I am. I’m supposed to go speak to my mother about us. I said I would, but I suddenly don’t know if I can do it right now. I tell Kyler that and he sits back down, telling me he understands.

He assures me again and I tell him I believe him, that I know he loves me, and that I am okay. Following one last embrace and peck on the lips, he rises to his feet and promises to see me shortly. He has to speak with his mom.

.

………...

Chloe

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“I came to speak to my daughter,” my father says, a strained attempt at calmness in his voice. I shoot him a scathing look while the pain of betrayal seems to multiply at the sight of him. “Get out of my room—get out of my house!” I demand, stepping up to him, but he cuts me off, telling me he loves me and that handing the business over to my brother was not personal.

He asserts it didn’t mean he didn’t trust me and that he knows he’s hurt me and it’s the last thing he ever wanted to do. But I cut him off, anger surging through me, causing me to scream at him, reminding him he already said those words when he threw me out of our house.

Again, I demand that he leave, telling him I’m no longer interested in hearing whatever he has to say and Isa tells me she’ll check on me later before swiftly retreating from the room, leaving my father and me locked in a heated confrontation.

“Why? If it wasn’t a lack of trust, then what was it that made you stab me in the back?" I find myself asking him even though I can’t stand the sight of him and want him to leave, and I see something change in his eyes as he steps closer to me and stops right in front of me.

“I know about you and Lane,” he says, and shock ripples through me at his revelation, sending me stumbling backward. There’s silence for a moment before I bounce back and admit that it’s wrong, but I love Lane before asking him what that has to do with what he did.

My father confesses to the fear that his hard-built legacy would fall into another man’s hands—that all his life’s work would be lost.

“It’s every man’s dream, Chloe, that his name will carry on even after he’s gone, and when your brother couldn’t meet the challenges that come with being the leader of our family, my fears returned. The nightmare of losing everything I worked so hard to build haunted me and I saw my legacy becoming another man’s legacy. I told myself that it was inevitable and comforted myself by reminding myself that nobody deserves it more than you, but when I discovered your affair with Lane, I was devastated. I still felt that you deserved the position, Chloe, that you deserved it all, but I couldn’t ignore him. I couldn’t hand you the business so he could take it from you,” he says, but I shake in disbelief.

I know I disappointed him with what I did, but Lane doesn’t need to steal from me, and he knows that. I call him out on it, asking him why he didn’t confront me and address the concerns then. Why give everything to Fabrice and then turn around and say this? He says that would have been no use. He says Lane already has his claws on me and would have found a way to get what he wants but I cut him off, telling him to man up to what he did and tell me the truth or get out of my house.

Lane doesn’t need his money, and he knows that. He has his own money. I tell him that, but the words that come out of his mouth next make me freeze. He says Lane is broke.

“Jacqueline cut Lane’s access to her family’s money years ago after she found out that he cheated on her,” he says, but Lane never cheated on Jacqueline. She knows about his first son. I say that, but he interjects, saying he isn’t talking about his first son. He says Lane has two sons outside of his marriage. He says that’s why Jacqueline cut him off. She wasn’t going to let him provide for his illegitimate sons with her family’s money. But I shake my head, refusing to believe that.

Lane would never hide something like that from me. “Lane is not who or what he seems, Chloe, and I know you don’t want to hear this, but you are a means to an end for him. What I’m telling you is the truth. Fabrice is a safe choice for us all,” he adds, attempting to hold me but I step back, everything he just said on repeat in my head.

“Please leave.” My voice comes out softer than intended and he calls my name, saying he’s sorry, but I cut him off, my voice louder this time as I scream at him to leave, feeling a burning knot form in my stomach—torn by my father's words.

I vehemently reject my father’s accusations. Lane would never betray me; he loves me. Some misguided sense of loyalty to Jacqueline fuels my father because she and my mother were friends, and they all grew up together. That’s why he’s trying to shift blame onto Lane, painting him as the culprit. He’s the one to blame; he is sexist. That’s what it is and now he can’t say it to my face.

“Lane had nothing to do with this. You didn’t give me the company because I’m a woman. Don’t you dare try to put this on someone else?” I scream, unwilling to hear any more of his justifications, as I march towards the door, open it wide, and demand he get out of my life.

He nods after a moment, turning towards the exit. However, my anger escalates when he stumbles and a groan escapes his lips, his hand flying to his arm as if something is wrong. Whatever he’s trying to do won’t work and only intensifies my anger. I open my mouth to tell him that. But the words die in my throat as I watch my father collapse to the ground.

“No! Dad!”