My Only Regret

Encounter With The Past

Avery’s P.O.V.

“Your coffee, Avery,” I looked up and took the mug from Bella. “Thanks, Bella… you are a lifesaver,” I said to her with gratitude and she waved her hand in the air shrugging off the matter. “And you are Wilson’s lifesaver,” she joked, making me chuckle in the end. I then sipped my coffee and moaned softly in relief. I was working overtime to finish the task that Wilson had assigned to me. Bella and two others also stayed behind with me, and I was glad that I was not alone there.

“Did you check the mail that Mr. Hawkins sent this evening?” Maria asked me after some time, and I narrowed my eyes in confusion. I guess I missed something very important. “We are collaborating with Walton Inc,” she said further, and my hand immediately paused. My eyes were glued to the laptop screen. I was still holding the mug near my lip and my other hand was on the mouse.

She continued telling me something but there was a storm inside my mind now. All the memories that I had buried deep inside my heart flooded my brain immediately. I felt suffocated. I tried to breath but it was almost an impossible task for me right now. I punched my chest to ease the pain but all those memories were hitting me like bricks.

“Avery….. Avery…. O my god…. What happened to you?” I heard Bella screaming in fear, but I was numb to everything right now. My mind was not registering anything around me. I wanted to push all those memories back but they were giving me a headache now. “Drink…. Drink this, Avery… Drink some water,” I heard someone instructing me and I felt something cold against my lips.

Without giving any thought, I closed my eyes and drank a few mouthfuls. I coughed hard, still rubbing my chest to get some relief from the pain. “Let me take you to the lounge,” I heard Bella telling me what she was going to do next. I just weakly nodded to her. She took the glass from my hand and wrapped her hand around my torso under my arms. “Let me help you.” This is my other colleague, Trisha.

Both of them supported me and soon the storm inside my mind started settling down. They took me to the employee’s lounge on our floor and made me sit comfortably on the couch. “Shall I call the doctor for you?” Trisha asked me in a concerned tone. I still had my eyes closed. “Nah…. Just give me the medicine that I have in my bag,” I answered her in a weak and tired tone.

Dad didn’t know anything about what happened to me in the past and that was why I couldn’t blame him for this collaboration. He was a businessman, and I am sure that he would have found a good opportunity there to make him enter into this collaboration. Dad didn’t like involving himself in long-distance collaborations. I didn’t know the exact reason, but I had a vague idea about someone betraying him in the past.

After giving me the medicine, they made me to lie down on the couch. I was calm now, but my mind was still reeling from those incidents. This collaboration had nothing to do with me and it might be a possibility that I would never meet anyone related to that company. Still, I needed to make sure of this.

After resting for a good few minutes, I finally opened my eyes. I couldn’t be weak now. I was weak back then and did something shameful on impulse, but now I am better than my back self. I took a few deep breaths and slowly sat down. There was an employee lounge on every floor. My father was a strict businessman, but he loved and care for his employees like a father. That was why all his employees loved him and were loyal to him. I was no exception.

“How are you feeling now?” Bella asked me in a concerned tone, making me look up. “Better,” I answered her with a small smile. “Your father called a while ago and asked you to call him back,” she told me while raising my phone towards me. I sighed internally. I was sure that someone had told him about what happened to me.

“Thanks, Bella… I will call him,” I thanked her and took the phone from her hand. “I am sending a glass of juice for you. Rest a little more,” she instructed me and then walked out of the room. I fiddled with my phone while thinking about whether to call my father now or later. I decided to call him now or else he would be worried to death.

I dialed his number and laid down once again. “Hey, dad,” I greeted him in a calm tone when he picked up the call. “You skipped your medication,” he replied to me in an annoying tone. I smiled and closed my eyes again. “No, dad…. I didn’t,” I answered him, refuting his allegation. “Then why did you have the episode?” he asked me in the same tone.

“I guess it was because of the stress. Gloria’s sudden resignation has put most of us in a tight spot and you know this. I guess I am still not prepared,” I answered him, giving an excuse that was partially true. “It’s not like this, honey…. I know you can bear more stress than you are facing now. Wilson told me that you and your team finished the whole project within the time limit that we had without delaying your projects. It….. it’s remarkable, love, but your health is more important than anything else,” he appreciated me and my team in a worried tone.

“Thanks for appreciating us, dad.. I will convey your words to my whole team. I am sorry for making you worried about me and I promise that I will take care of myself,” I replied to him while smiling a little. You could say that I was my father’s princess. I was one of those lucky girls in the world whose fathers loved them with all their hearts and could do anything to make them happy.

“Take care of yourself, love. I will be back in a few days,” he said further, still in a worried tone. I took a deep breath and decided to ask him about the collaboration. “We got your mail, Dad,” I said in a calm tone this time.

“Walton Inc. is the company of my childhood friend, Jared. His son Sebastian is taking care of the company now. He is a talented businessman with a promising future but is going through some problems right now,” he answered me in a calm tone. I blinked, processing what he told me. My heart started beating furiously once again.

“His company is going through a rough patch this time, and this collaboration is only to support him.” My face went stern while listening to him. “But this is not completely about helping him. I wanted to start a venture here, and this is a perfect opportunity to test the waters here,” he continued, but my mind was still processing the relationship between my father and Jared Walton.

“I am sending you the proposal and the presentations that Sebastian showed me. You are the future of our company, so I want you to make a decision this time,” he said to me and I frowned. “I thought that you had already collaborated,” I said to him and earned a light chuckle.

“You didn’t go through the mail that I sent to you, did you?” he asked me and I pursed my lips into a thin line. “I ….. was abo… ut to read wh… en …. You know,” I answered him in a low tone. “Take care of yourself, kiddo. Call me back after going through the presentation and other documents. But first…. Take a good rest and if you are still not feeling good…. Go home,” he replied to me in a worried tone.

“I have taken my medicine and better now…. Still I will rest for a while and will call you in the evening,” I replied to him in a calm tone. “Okay…. Take rest,” he said, and we both hung up. I took a deep breath once again while putting my hand on my forehead. Sebastian was a good businessman, but he had so many flaws. I didn’t know about his growth or fall all these years. I guess now it was time to get some information about him.

After resting for a good time, I slowly got up. I then realized that I dozed off while thinking about Sebastian and my past. I sighed and then slowly got up. I felt a bit dizzy, but I could handle this. I went to the restroom and freshened up. After drying my hands, I got out of the restroom. I took my phone from the couch and then walked out of the lounge.

“How are you feeling now?” Bella asked me immediately, as soon as she saw me. She still had that worried look on her face. “Much better…. Thanks for help, honey,” I answered her in a tone filled with gratitude. Bella had been with me for the past 4 years, and she knew about my medical conditions. I guess I was lucky to have people like her around me who genuinely cared about me.

“Don’t stress yourself much, and leave the rest to us. You have already finalized everything. We only need to give a final touch,” she said to me as if she were instructing me in a worried tone. I smiled and bowed my head lightly. “Yes, Ma’am.”

She glared at me, making both me and Trisha laugh this time. She was really a lovely lady. I sat down on my chair once again and opened the laptop. I opened my father’s mail once again and read the body first. I narrowed my eyes when I read the last line. He was kidding me, right?