"Great, I think we can conclude the meeting this afternoon," said Thornton's finance executive, Mr. Phil Lambert, with a smile. "If everyone's happy with the arrangements that we discussed today, we could proceed with the contract and legalize everything so we can start with the project as soon as possible."

Once the meeting ended, Thornton approached Sebastian. He was about to ask his little brother to have lunch with him and Ava at their house when he noticed that his brother had his eyes fixated on his phone screen. With one glance, he could tell that he was staring at someone's photo. It was a photo of his secretary sitting on her desk reading what looked like a contract, there was a serious look on her face.

Thornton stifled a sigh. If he was being honest, at first he had minded his brother having a relationship with his secretary. Mixing business with pleasure was always dangerous. Anything could happen and if Sebastian was not careful, he could be blackmailed or being used or worse, have his heart broken. And that was the last thing he wanted for his brother especially after experiencing heartbreak himself when Ava had cheated on him with their neighbor, Josh Dvorak. Yet since then, he had seen Andin from time to time, paying more attention to her whenever he had gone to Sebastian's office and she seemed to be a good person. Looking at his brother now, seemingly obsessed with his secretary, he wondered whether they would be hearing wedding bells anytime soon.

"Jav, you did not even realize that the meeting is over," greeted Thornton as he took the seat next to his brother.

Sebastian quickly pressed the lock button at the side of his phone and slid it into the pocket of his pants. "What's up?"

Thornton pretended that he did not notice how flushed his brother's face was. "Do you want to have lunch with me and Ava? She has cooked some Indian food and asked me to invite you over."

"I do not think I can join you for lunch." He took the cup of coffee on the table in front of him and finished its remaining content. "I have to go back to the office."

"Why? It is lunchtime now." Thornton frowned.

"I have some pressing matters I need to handle." Sebastian rose from his seat.

Thornton followed suit and together they walked towards the door. When Sebastian started to walk away, Thornton called him out. "Tell Andin I said hi."

His little brother came to a halt, a small frown settled on his forehead. "What makes you think that I am going to see Andin?"

"I don't know, Brother," said Thornton as he shrugged, a wide grin spread on his face. "Maybe the fact that it is written all over your face?"

Sebastian rolled his eyes then turned around and walked away. His brother was not wrong. Right now, nothing he wanted more than returning to the office so he could find Miss Williams and perhaps take her for lunch. Since she still wanted to hide their relationship, perhaps he could ask her to go back to his place and have their lunch there. Who knew, one thing may lead to another and he could persuade her to pay a visit to his bedroom. His lips curled into a smile. After all, tomorrow she would go to her mother's place and he would not be seeing her for a few days. Damn, thinking about it alone made him start to miss her.

"Be careful not to hit a wall on your way out, Little Brother. With that smile on your face and how you could not wait to get out of here, I think you might," said Thornton from afar.

Sebastian shook his head and ignored his older brother as he kept on walking. Right now nothing else mattered, all he wanted was to find Andin.

* * *

He parked his car in his usual parking spot and killed the engine. Once he gathered his briefcase from the backseat, he started to walk towards the elevators when his eyes caught sight of Andin sitting inside her car behind the wheels. As he approached her car, he realized that she was not alone. Out of curiosity, he came closer then his footsteps came to a halt. There he witnessed Andin and a guy sharing a hug. She looked like she was in so much pain, at some point he could swear that he saw tears pooling in her eyes. Curious as to who the other person whose back was to his was, he took another turn and that was when he felt chills run down his spine. It was none other than Piers.

If this had happened several years ago, he would have approached them and demanded answers but he knew that they were all adults. Furthermore, what rights did he have anyway? Despite his claim of calling her his lover, there were no strings attached between them. For her, they were nothing more than two people who casually had sex. His hand curled into a ball of fists as he turned around and walked back towards his car. He opened the door and as soon as he got inside, he took a deep calming breath, then pulled out his phone. He typed rapidly and sent a text to Andin.

Where are you? The meeting has just finished. Want to grab lunch at my place?

Then he waited. Several seconds passed and she had not replied. He began to worry. He wanted to walk to her car again and find out what was happening. He tried not to think of the worst but images from the previous trauma kept haunting him, flashing before his very eyes.

He was supposed to go back at five that blasted day but one of his professors got stomach flu thus the class was canceled. The first thing he had done was send a text to his three years girlfriend, Aimee, asking if she had any plans that day. His face was full of happiness, a smile forming on his face as he thought of the prospect of spending more time with his girlfriend.

Everyone had always said that he was still too young to have a serious relationship but Sebastian had not believed that. He was convinced that Aimee Sonata had been the one for him. She had been her first. Hell, they had been each other's first. First love. First sex. They had shared nearly everything. Albeit being only twenty-two years old, he had always been sure of what the both of them had. He knew that one day he would get down on one knee and ask her to marry him.

When Aimee had not replied, he figured she was busy and drove home so he could get a shower and get ready for a date that he had in mind. Except he had not gone that far, he had only reached his bedroom when he heard noises. He swung the door open and stared in his horror. His world had crumbled right there and then. Laying on his bed was his brother and riding on top of him fully naked with sweat on her forehead and back was none other than his girlfriend, the one he had been convinced to be the love of his life.

Sebastian closed his eyes and refused to believe that the past would repeat itself. He refused to believe that there might be something going on between Andin and his brother. His phone chimed, telling him that he just received a text. His eyes fluttered open and he quickly checked his phone. The text was from Andin.

I left the office early. Mind if I take a rain check on that? We could have lunch when I am back from visiting my mother. Andin.

He grabbed his briefcase and got out of his car once again. He locked his car and walked towards the elevator. Out of curiosity, his head turned to the left. She was still there, resting her head on the steering wheel but his brother was nowhere to be found. Now he had two choices. He could either approach her, which would prove that she had been lying about leaving the office early, or he could pretend he did not see her and walk to the elevators.

The choice was in his hand. Whichever he chose may lead to a different outcome.

* * * * * * *

Sebastian walked towards the car. He knew that if he faced her, she might feel embarrassed having been caught lying. Yet at the same time, he could not stay here and watch her break down alone. No matter what had just happened between her and his brother, he trusted her. Perhaps even more than he trusted his brother. Thus nothing else mattered as long as she was not hurt, as long as she was not crying. However before he could reach her, she had driven the car away, ready to exit the building.

He pulled his phone out and was about to call her when he realized that she was currently driving right after she cried her heart out in the parking lot so calling her might not be a good idea. Feeling a bit frustrated, he shoved his phone back into the pocket of his black pants and strode to the elevator.

By the time he reached his office, Maria Gonzales greeted her. "Good afternoon, Sir." She offered him her usual smile although she was a bit daring today by trying to help him take off his coat.

He stepped aside as her hands tried to reach for him. "It is fine, Miss Gonzales. I can take it off on my own."

"Alright, Sir. I am sorry," she replied then moved behind Andin's desk.

Sebastian frowned. Even though Maria was supposed to replace Andin at the end of the month, he could not help but feel a bit odd watching someone else, other than Andin, using her desk. Then there was that fear of his that she would end their relationship once she was no longer working for him. In all honesty, he had considered persuading her to revoke her resignation however he felt that it was best if he let her decide on her own instead of telling her what he thought she should do. "Where is Andin?" he asked even though he just saw her in the parking lot downstairs.

"I think she left early, Sir. I believe she also left you a note on your desk." Maria gave him another smile. "How was your meeting?"

"It was fine." Sebastian walked past the connecting door and into his office. He hung his coat on the coat hanger next to the door. "It was just a business with my brother's company and since we are brothers. We only want this alliance to work and we pretty much had a good negotiation. Everyone wins."

"That is really great." She was beaming and doing a little clap then she threw her arms around him.

"Miss Gonzales," he warned her. Although his voice was low and his tone was polite, there was no mistaking the warning that lay in those two words.

"Oh, I am so sorry, Sir. I am just so happy that it worked out well." Her cheeks reddened in embarrassment and he felt slightly bad.

"It is alright." He sat in his seat and turned on his computer.

"Do you need anything from me, Sir?" asked Maria, her tone wary.

"Not at the moment." He turned his gaze to the screen of his computer and started to read the emails sitting in his inbox. He thought he made it clear that he did not need her assistance yet she remain stood there so he glanced at her and said, "You may go, Miss Gonzales."

"Yes, Sir. I was just going to remind you that Andin's note is there." She pointed to the paper on top of the folder on his desk. "I will be at my desk." She finally turned and left.

Sebastian sighed. He already knew where Andin's note was, that was the reason why he had tried not to run into his office but he was going to read it when he was alone. Although he doubted that Andin would leave her note on top of his desk should it contain anything personal. He picked up the note and began to read. His forehead scrunched into a frown and as time passed by, the lines grew deeper and deeper.

Dear Mister Summers,

I am so sorry that I have to leave in the middle of the day. I have important matters I need to tend to. I also have to inform you that as I take my leave, I will not return. I decide that it is best for me to leave now. I do not mind forfeiting my salary. Thank you for letting me work with you. It has been a great pleasure. I shall take what I learned here with me to my next endeavors.

Kind regards,

Andin Williams.

He put his phone down and turned his focus back to his computer screen. Even though he was reading emails and contracts, his mind would not stop thinking about Andin. He had never been as worried as he was at the moment and he realized that it was the most unpleasant feeling he had ever felt. He did not like it, not even one bit.

At around four in the afternoon, he turned off his computer and rose to his feet. He grabbed his phone off his desk and walked to get his coat off the hanger. Maria's eyes widened in surprise as she saw him walking past the connecting door. This was the first time she had ever seen him leaving the office before five o'clock. "Are you alright, Sir?"

"Yes. I am going to leave early, Miss Gonzales. Let me know if there is anything urgent." Before she even replied, he dashed out of the door and towards the elevator that would bring him to the parking lot in the basement.

In no less than twenty minutes, he had arrived in Andin's place. He parked his car and nearly forgot to lock the keys as he rushed towards her building. Standing in front of her door with sweat on his palms, he rang her doorbell. No one answered. He tried ringing it once more and waited. Still, there was no answer.

When a door finally opened, it was not Andin's. "She is not home, you know. You missed her," said a familiar voice.

Sebastian turned around and noticed that it was Damon's door that was recently being opened. Damon himself was leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded against his chest. "She has left."

"Left?" All of a sudden, he was having trouble breathing. It was almost as if the air was being sucked out of his lungs. He felt empty and his chest hurt. "Where did she go?"

"Her mother's place. She is taking on leave to celebrate her mother's birthday, is she not?" One of his eyebrows lifted curiously. "Anyway if you get the message, just go home. Be smart. Do not go after her. At least not now."

* * *

Andin managed to concentrate enough to get the car and herself into the right lane that would take her north to her mother's place in Seattle. All she had to do then was virtually follow the car in front of her, which was just as well, because she was in a tangle of torment over what had happened today. It had started as a normal day, a happy one even. She had had a romantic dinner with him last night and in the morning, she had an interesting talk with Sebastian's sister, Clarabelle. Everything was alright. It was nearly perfect. Then her world was turned upside down.

Suddenly feeling nauseous, she pulled over at the nearest gas station and quickly went to the toilet. She opened the toilet lid and bent over. All her breakfast and lunch went down to the drain. She put down the lid, hit the flush button, and sat. She was not feeling well. Perhaps this was her karma for telling people that she caught something in the office and now she truly caught a virus. After washing her face and cleaning up, she went back into her car and continued the rest of her journey.

She parked her car outside the fence and spotted her mother watering the plant in the garden. Taking a deep breath, Andin hauled herself out of her car, shut the door, and walked towards her mother. She beamed a smile full of teeth at her mother. "Hello, Momma."

Eleanor Williams gaped at Andin, who had forgotten that she had changed her style of dress in the turmoil of everything else since the last time she had met her mother. "You look different," she said weakly, clearly not knowing what to make of anything yet.

"Different how? Good or bad?" She burbled on, projecting unquenchable enthusiasm.

A wave of belligerent self-assertion lifted her chin at her mother's continued silence. Judgments were undoubtedly being made and any second now they would start raining down on her head. She could only hope some kind of truce could be drawn so this short break was not a complete disaster.

Finally, her mother opened her mouth. "You know, you have worn glasses since you were in primary school," her mother mused with a little shake of her head. "You look quite lovely without them, Andin."

The soft comment was so unexpected and nice which was uncharacteristic of her mother and Andin ended up grinning. "Thanks, Momma. I finally decided to get contact lenses. Damon helped me out at first but I am now quite used to it."

"It makes a real difference to your face. And your red dress is stunning. I would never have dressed you in red but it suits you, especially with your hair down."

Andin's heart suddenly soared. For perhaps the first time in years, she was finally getting compliments and not criticism. She had thought she would never see the day her mother would finally accept her. "How about putting down that garden hose so I can give you a birthday hug, Momma?"

Her mother actually laughed. The hose, of course, could not simply be dropped. The garden tap had to be turned off. Long-time habits were not discarded in one fell swoop, but her mother did move briskly and her arms were open, ready to hug her daughter back when Lucy met her halfway between the car and the tap. "It is so lovely to see you, Andin," her mother murmured, then pulled slightly away to offer a wry little smile. "It has been months since the last time I saw you."

"I know. But I will never miss your birthday, Momma," Andin reassured her in a rush of guilt. "I have just been caught up in lots of things lately."

A bit of sadness mirrored in Andin's dark eyes. At that moment, she wished she and her mother were close. She wished that they were so close that she could talk to her about her issues and what was bothering her mind. But they were not and all of her life, her mother had been her severest critic. She knew that once she told her mother that she was involved with her boss, her mother would judge her. Long before she even had a chance to tell her what the real problem was. Just like herself, her mother was not a huge believer in fairytales and happy endings.

She let out a sigh as she let go of that wish, knowing that it was nothing more than mindless dreaming. Even though she wanted her mother to be understanding and listen to her, her mother's arms being around her, hugging her was enough for now.