The CEO's Entanglement

Chapter 9 - Bitter Response

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Author’s POV

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Chloe’s Place

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Fear courses through Chloe as her father staggers and collapses to the floor and she drops to her knees beside him, calling his name desperately but he lies there unresponsive, causing Chloe to scramble for her phone, hands trembling as she fumbles to dial for help.

The emergency service operator’s voice echoes through the receiver, urging her to check his pulse. Chloe’s heart is pounding as she places her shaking fingers against his wrist, though the lifeless gaze of his eyes already tells her the painful truth.

She follows the operator’s instructions, desperately hoping for a sign of life, but there’s nothing. It hits her like a sledgehammer, sending a wave of shock and grief crashing over her, and a guttural scream escapes her throat, echoing in the room as the reality of her father’s passing sinks in.

The phone slips from her hands as she pulls his lifeless form into her arms, cradling him as if she could somehow bring him back, calling out for him and begging him not to leave her. Tears blur her vision, and everything becomes a surreal blur in that agonizing moment. But suddenly, hands on her shoulders startle her, and she looks up to find Lane kneeling beside her. For a moment, she believes it’s a figment of her imagination, as she didn’t even hear the door open.

“He’s gone, my father is gone,” she chokes out the words, the weight of the loss heavy on her chest and Lane reaches for Pierre’s pulse to confirm, even though he can also see there’s nothing left. With a gentle touch, he closes Pierre’s eyes and turns to Chloe, whispering that he’s sorry before pulling her into a comforting hug where she buries herself in heart-wrenching cries—her anchor—the man she loved more than anything in this word is gone.

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Shiloh

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I wrap my arms around myself, realizing it’s cold as I step out of the house, heading to the servants’ quarters where my mother lives.

The first thing I’m going to do when I get a job is retire my mother and get her a nice big house. I stop in front of her door and knock, and she invites me inside, telling me the door is open.

She is having dinner as I enter, and her face lights up to see me. I walk over to her, and we share a hug that we linger in because I don’t let go. “Are you okay?” she asks when we finally break apart and I settle next to her, nodding even though I’m not.

I believe Kyler; I believe that her mother is acting the way she is about Chloe because she doesn’t know about us, but I can’t help but be scared. At the same time, I can’t talk to my mother about it because she already made it clear how she felt.

When Kyler left my room, he said nothing about talking with his mother about us, but I think that’s what he went to do since we had decided that we would talk to our mothers tonight. I think knowing that she doesn’t have a problem with us will make it easier to talk to my mother about it after the Chloe thing. I can’t ease my mother’s concerns if I share the same concerns.

“What are you having?” I ask, and she tells me before asking if I would like to join her. I didn’t exactly finish my dinner, so I let my mother fix a plate for me. She asks if I’m sure I’m okay and I tell her I am.

From there, we talk about the apartment and we both can’t believe the Steels bought me a whole apartment, but then again, what’s an apartment compared to everything else they’ve done for us? Mom asks how I like it and I tell her I love it and the décor, too.

That also reminds me to ask if she had anything to do with it and she smiles, saying she helped Mrs. Steel pick out the furniture. I can’t wait to move into it.

I dig into my food, pushing away the thoughts that make my stomach churn. Kyler knows her mom better than I do. If he says it’s going to work out, then it will. And he’s right; Mrs. Steel and I have a great relationship.

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Kyler

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I take a deep breath, suddenly nervous, even though I know I have nothing to be nervous about, as I stand before my mother’s bedroom door, my knuckles rapping gently against the polished wood.

The invitation to enter comes swiftly, and as I step inside, I find her engrossed in her vanity, delicately removing her makeup. She looks up, her eyes meeting mine with a warm smile, before she puts away whatever she was occupied with, giving me her full attention. I ask if she has a moment.

“Of course, honey. What’s up? You are not mad at me about what I said at dinner, are you?” She says, patting the spot next to her on the bed, and I walk over and take a seat, shaking my head.

“I’m not mad. I know you only said that because you want someone you can trust with me,” I assure her, and her smile widens as she says that’s true. I add that her concerns are the reason I’m here. “I’m seeing someone, mom.” I continue and her face lights up in surprise, congratulating me before inquiring about the lucky girl.

Mom has always been curious about who I was seeing, but until now I had never been in anything serious. So, I could never introduce anyone to her. “It’s someone you know and are very fond of,” I continue and then I say her name—Shiloh—and the atmosphere shifts abruptly.

My mother freezes, confusion clouding her eyes. “Shiloh?” she repeats, and I affirm, explaining that we love each other. But before I can elaborate, she jumps to her feet, a look of disbelief etched on her face.

“What are you talking about, Kyler?” she demands. “You can’t see Shiloh.”

“Why not?” I ask, my shock beginning to seep into my voice. “We care about each other, Mom,” I explain, but her response is swift and firm. “You’re just confused, Kyler. Shiloh is like a sister to you. You’ve grown up together, and it’s only natural that you’re feeling this way. But it’s not real.” She says, and my head shakes involuntarily as I tell her she’s wrong. “This is real. I’m in love with her.”

However, my words don’t seem to sway her as she runs her hands over her face in a gesture of frustration or disbelief. Her response catches me off-guard. I thought she would be happy for us not try to convince me I don’t know my own feelings.

“You’re caught up in a moment, Kyler. You need to snap out of it before both you and Shiloh get hurt.” She continues, and my frustration boils over at her words. I’m not delusional.

“Why can’t you understand? I’ve thought about this, Mom. I’ve thought about it for two years. Shiloh makes me feel alive and happy. She’s who I want.” My voice comes out louder than I intended, and silence hangs between us, heavy with unspoken tension as her gaze, unreadable, pierces through me, like she doesn’t recognize me.

I open my mouth to speak again to urge her to listen to me, but she shakes her head before I can utter the words and delivers a single word that lands like a crushing blow.

“No.”

The rejection echoes in the room, and I feel a surge of anger mixed with hurt. “Why not?” I demand, my voice louder now. “You are not even giving us a chance. You’re dismissing what I feel. I want your blessing, Mom.”

But she remains steadfast. “This isn’t real, Kyler. You’re confusing friendship with something more. You need to end it before it goes too far.” She repeats and frustration and hurt propel me to my feet. “I can’t believe you’re doing this. I thought you’d be happy for us.”

“Not with Shiloh.”

“Why not? You love her,” I argue, desperate to at least understand her if she won’t understand me, and she admits she does love Shiloh.

“I love Shiloh like a daughter, but she’s not the one for you, Kyler. I won’t accept what you’re telling me, and I won’t allow it.”

“Allow it?” I scoff, stepping closer to her. “Mother, I’m an adult,” I assert, but she cuts me off, demanding that I then act like one and not make a decision that will break Shiloh’s heart.

“You are my heir,” she continues, her voice escalating, “and you have a responsibility to this family, Kyler! Do you think I’m going to allow you to get with a nobody?” she says and my breathing ceases, stunned. “A nobody?” I choke out, my voice reflecting both hurt and disbelief—her accusation a dagger to the heart as I struggle to find words. But she raises her voice even higher, affirming, “Yes, a nobody.”

Her words slice through the air, leaving an indelible mark on our relationship. She contends that I would have never noticed Shiloh if it weren’t for her intervention, insinuating that I would have looked down on her if she wasn’t living the life she is or had the things she has, and words continue to elude me.

“Do not make me regret it!” She warns, her tone final and resolute, and before I can respond, my chest tightening with many emotions, my father walks into the room. I turn toward him, desperate for his support; he doesn’t have a problem with Shiloh and me. But my mother beats me to it, demanding that he speak to me and insisting that he needs to knock some sense into his son. However, she’s met with a bitter response.

“Not now,” my father interjects, raising his hand to halt her words. His expression is unreadable, leaving both my mother and me staring at him in bewilderment as he disappears into the closet, tossing his jacket on the sofa.

My mother turns away, retreating to whatever she was doing before this confrontation erupted, dismissing the conversation as ‘stupid.’ I’m left standing there, calling out to her, my words falling on deaf ears.

After a moment of silence, the weight of her disapproval settles on my shoulders, and I storm out of the room, my emotions a turbulent mix of anger and hurt. My mother’s rejection echoes in my ears, and I’m left to grapple with the fallout of a conversation that has irreversibly altered the dynamics of our relationship. What the hell am I going to tell Shiloh?

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Shiloh

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I return to my room after a lengthy dinner with my mother, half-expecting Kyler to be there, even though a part of me dreads the outcome of the talk with his mother. Yet, as I step inside, the room is bathed in silence. He’s not here.

The unease claws at me, and a small voice in my head begins to whisper more doubts. He couldn’t still be talking to his mom. I kept checking my phone the whole time while sitting with Mom, expecting a text to tell me he’s back or something, but there was nothing.

I sigh, telling myself that maybe he came looking for me, but I was not back and decided to come back later. We never sleep without bidding each other goodnight, so he will come.

Shrugging off the lingering tension, I decide to get ready for bed. I slip into my comfortable sleepwear and I climb into bed. Grabbing the TV remote, I browse through the channels to distract myself while I wait, but my mind keeps drifting back to Mrs. Steel’s words.

Since leaving the dining hall and speaking to Kyler, I’ve tried to stay positive and tell myself that Kyler is right and that his mother will not have a problem, but the reassurance only lasts a minute and then the doubts and fear come crashing back. What if she doesn’t just reject the relationship but is angry at me too for crossing the line, as my mother put it?

On that note, I decide that the TV is not working. I need to talk to an actual person. I grab my phone and video call Ollie and Jossie, and as their faces appear on my screen, they immediately sense something amiss.

They ask what’s wrong, their eyes narrowing with concern, but I tell them it’s nothing, downplaying the worry in my voice even though their skepticism is clear. A lot has happened since we last parted and I’m not ready to go over everything now so I can finally get to the troubling part because I know they will want every detail. We dive into safer topics, discussing our upcoming trip, and Jossie eagerly shares her encounter with Ace at the mall.

“He looked so hot today, seriously. Too bad he’s after someone who’s already taken,” Jossie muses and my eyes involuntarily roll at the mention of Ace. The other ongoing joke among my friends involves Ace persistently pursuing me since high school, even though I’ve never shown any interest. Now, in university, he remains undeterred. My friends often tease me about my “boyfriend,” a.k.a. Kyler. Who’s the reason I’m not interested in Ace. Normally I rubbish their claims but this time I don’t respond, causing them to narrow their eyes at me.

“What?”

“You didn’t deny it!” Jossie exclaims, her eyes widening with realization and Ollie chimes in agreement, and as sad as I feel, I find myself laughing at their synchronicity.

“Do I have to deny it every time?”

“Yes!” they declare simultaneously, their grins betraying their amusement, and I change the subject, but despite my attempt, my friends are relentless. They prod further, pushing me to reveal that something happened between Kyler and me. As much as I want to keep it private, I can’t keep things from them.

“Okay, fine, something did happen,” I confess, and their reactions are immediate—squeals of excitement burst forth, and I quickly intervene.

“But not now! You both need to contain your enthusiasm. I promise I’ll spill all the details tomorrow.” I tease, suppressing a smile, even though deep inside I’m suppressing tears since I don’t know what went down between Kyler and his mom and their faces light up with anticipation.

They eventually let up and we start talking about the trip and just then, there’s a knock on my door. I tell them I have to go, knowing that it must be Kyler and the smiles on my friends’ faces tell me they know it's him too.

We bid each other good night, and I remind them of the time the driver will be picking them up in the morning and we end the call while I rush towards the door.

I grab the handle and open the door, anticipating the brown eyes for which I’ve longed for the past few minutes, but it’s not brown eyes that greet me. But green ones. Mrs. Steel’s green ones.

“May I come in?”