AUTHOR'S POV

EXR Enterprises,
09: 58 am

" Edwin, sir." Edwin stopped in the parking lot hearing his name from his secretary instead of being followed by her.

He turned to see her standing beside his car. " Sir, I need a day off." She asked nervously.

Edwin tilted his head in response asking the reason indirectly.

" I'll come to drop you off." She spoke lowly thinking he won't be agreed.

" Take the car." Just with that, he walked away.

Jane didn't believe her ears at first as he easily agreed. He didn't even give her time to thank him.

Not wasting a moment she grabbed the door lock of Edwin's Mercedes to open it but suddenly felt someone's presence behind her.

The voice of footsteps echoed in her head as the surrounding was silent. She gulped looking at the person in the reflection of the car's window well knowing who he is.

" Jenny." She heard him whispering in her ear.

She has been avoiding him by being around Edwin all the time who has been silently pampering her. But this time Maxwell finally got her alone.

She quickly opened the door to escape him but suddenly got pushed causing the door to lock again. She immediately faced him finding him too close for her to breathe.

" We need to talk." He said politely.

" Nothing left to talk-"

" But I have." He raised his voice cutting her words off. She slightly flinched but tried not to make it obvious. " You have to listen to me this time." He added stubbornly.

" Move or I'll call the security." She tried to sound stern.

Maxwell sighed looking at her hands clenching her uniform. " Just this once." He insisted and took a step backward, providing her some room. She was able to leave if she wanted now but she stayed.

" I can't... I don't want to bring this back. It ended long ago." She pronounced the last words above a whisper. 

" What ended? What was between us which is no more?" He asked civilly.

Jane finally looked up into his desperate eyes. Those twinkling eyes she was once mad about. " Everything... Everything ended that night. You can't act innocent." She gulped hating herself for sounding weak in front of him.

" I accept it was my fault too. I shouldn't have done that but-

" Yet you did." She cut him off in between. " You are a coward. A person like you can only love your reputation, ego, and money. Not someone else." She added bitterly and tried to walk away but he grabbed her arm and pulled her back making her back bump into the car.

" You ran away not me." He defended himself.

" YES, I RUN AWAY BECAUSE MY WHOLE FAMILY DIED THAT NIGHT." She shouted causing him to stare at her. Tears made their way down her cheeks and she didn't bother to wipe them.

" Your family?" He opened and closed his mouth but no more words came out.

Jane nodded with teary eyes. "Only Alice survived. I know I shouldn't have interfered your family gatherings but you were the only person I had...to run to when I got the news. But you were blinded by your ego. You were ashamed to say that I was your girlfriend in front of those guests. In front of your parents. I needed a hug but you insulted me in front of everyone, I remember you saying I was some random girl who is obsessed with you. They laughed at me...all of them because I was the only outcast there. Their laugh still echoes in my head, Max. You could forget that night but I can never." She cried biting her bottom lip.

" I never forget. I remember everything clearly because that's the night-" He paused palming her face gently. "That's the night I realised... How necessary your presence is for me."

Jane tried to be strong but her tear didn't support her. It kept on falling uncontrollably.

" Jenny, I know I ruined everything. That was so sudden. I wasn't able to conclude anything at that moment but I need a chance now. Please." He pleaded wiping her cheeks with his thumbs.

" You are lying." She said in a broken voice.

" I'm not." He whispered. " Ask Hazel, I directly came to meet you after the party but no one knew where you disappeared. I swear...I tried to search for you but you were nowhere. I'm sorry." He apologized. " I want to help you with anything." He insisted connecting their forehead.

His chest was heavily moving back and forth. Their heavy breathing was the only this present between them. Jane placed her palm on his chest and pushed him back gently.

" Don't show yourself to me. Ever. This is all you can do for me." She said in a whisper.

Maxwell nodded. " Forgive me and I promise I'll never come in your way. I'll leave after this project."

" If is this all you want to hear then..." She lifted her gaze and glanced into his guilty eyes which didn't raise again. "I forgive you."

He held her hand and this time Jane didn't try to pull them back. He raised it and kissed the back of her palm. She witnessed his tear falling on it. " I still love you, Janny." He pulled her into a tight hug.

Jane's hands were down, her eyes got closed. All the memories flashed in front of her eyes. Her giggles at first then her sobs that turned her eyes cold again.

" I still hate you." She muttered letting another tear left her eye. " I'll never stop hating you, Max."

Maxwell squished her between his arms before pulling back. She closed her eyes as he kissed her forehead before unwantedly making his way toward the elevator.

His red eyes said he has loved her genuinely all the time. He just failed to speak about it in front of his parents. Watching her like that shrunken his heart badly.

He has grown up in a royal family, almost lonely all the time as his parents were busy and strict, he was only an heir to them never a son. Even after being surrounded by luxuries he fell for Jane in his first year of college. He treated her like a queen. His high standards or her being middle class was never a problem between them in his eyes but he knew about his toxic parents. He had enough courage to introduce her to them one day but when she suddenly went to his house he didn't dare.

But after that night he searched and searched for her, even went to the small town where she use to live in search of hers but failed to find her.

And years later she suddenly appeared in his own office for the meeting. Since that day he tried to reach out to her. Hazel's engagement ceremony was an excuse to give to his parents, he actually came to New York for Jane. There he got her address and also got to know about her greedy house owner.

It took him a few hours to reach out to him to buy the place but Edwin had his eyes on him as he knew as he saw them kissing he'll definitely chase Jane.

Maxwell offered the owner double amount to buy the place but it got sold out the very next day ten, it was sold at ten times the price. The new owner turned out to be Edwin.

The door of the elevator opened pulling him back to the present. He lifted his gaze to find Edwin standing there. Maxwell stepped inside the elevator while Edwin outside.

He swept his eyes all over Maxwell before walking back to the parking lot.

Surprisingly he found his car still parked there. He walked near it hearing the sobbing sound. He took a turn around the car only to find Jane sitting on the floor on the other side with her head buried between her knees.

His eyes softened and a frown formed on his forehead. " Jane?" He called sitting on his ankle in front of her.

She moved her head up, her eyes were all red and puffy, tears were falling uncontrollably, and she was hiccuping.

He hated the sight, hated her seeing miserable, it's better when she acts cold and shows no emotions despite feeling hollow inside.

" It was Maxwell right?" His eyes turned dark with rage and his jaw clenched. " I'll kill that m*therf*cker." He stood up angrily.

" Don't." Her weak voice entered his ear and he felt his wrist in a loose grip. He turned to look at Jane who shook her head.

Her hand slide down from his wrist to his fingers before falling back beside her.

There was Jane's mobile that lit up and a notification plopped on the screen. The sender named Reed Sir.

' The surgery has begun. Alice was waiting for you. But don't rush. I and your aunt are here.'

Edwin read that. He proceed for a long moment with crashed eyebrows before looking back at Jane. " Is it eye plantations surgery?" He asked.

Jane nodded wiping her cheeks.

" Why didn't you tell me?" He asked as if she shares everything with him. " Get up." He said making her obey him. " Get in the car." He commanded.

" But the meeting?" She asked.

" Get in the car I said." He said sternly this time. Jane without arguing sat inside and secured herself with the seatbelt.

He sat on the driving seat and hand her his handkerchief and started the engine. " Which hospital?" He asked. Jane gave him the address and Edwin started to drive silently.

Wiping her tear-stained cheeks she glanced at Edwin who was driving with one hand while the other's elbow was resting on the window.

The car helt at the signal. His dark orbs were reflecting the red light. " Did he touch you inappropriately?" The question was unexpected.

Jane's gaze turned towards him from the view outside. " He didn't." She shook her head.

" Good for him. " He mumbled under his breath.

His mobile rang. He glanced at the screen to see Hazel's name. He received and brought that to his ear.

"Hel-"

" Where the hell you and Reed at?" Hazel's frustrated voice asked.

" We have signed all the necessary documents, manage the rest," Edwin explained shortly.

" Edwin, be for real. We are literally in EXR, waiting in the conference room. Reed isn't picking up my calls as well. Three of you ain't present for the freaking final meeting. How do you think I-"

Edwin hung the call rubbing his forehead. He knows Hazel's concerned but she's skilled enough to take the lead and cope with situations like this.

He stole glances at Jane who was a sweating mess, looking desperate to see Alice.

The car finally stopped at the destination, Jane rushed towards the operation theatre followed by Edwin. Her aunt was sitting outside mumbling prayers under her breath while Reed was nervously walking from left to right gazing at his feet. His coat was removed and his hands were in his pocket.

" Alice?" Jane's voice made Reed lift his head. She came rushing to them.

" Everything's going well." Reed tried to calm her as she went towards the door and peeked from the small window on the door.

There she was hardly able to see surgeons operating on Alice who was lying unconscious.

Jane stared blankly, her hand clenched the door holder and she lost her strength. " Jane?" Edwin caught her before she could fall as her feet went numb.

She glanced at Edwin with no emotions in her eyes. " Alice." She mumbled.

" She's gonna be alright." He helped her sit beside her panicked aunt and handed her a bottle of water.

Nothing was helping her, she needed to be taken to a room to rest because of facing hypertension.

Now Reed was sitting outside the operation room with his face in his hands. His elbows were resting on his thighs and he was gazing at the white tiles beneath his feet.

" Who's paying the bill?" Edwin's voice made Reed face him. He turned his head to see him sitting beside him with Alice's document file.

" The surgery date came out unexpectedly close. When I got to know it, I offered Jane financial help but she was being stubborn so I told her to pay it back in installments. I promised her that I won't tell anyone about this deal. You got to know this but I want you to be the last." Reed explained getting Edwin's nodding head in response.

" How's she now?" Reed asked.

" She's resting," Edwin replied. His gaze turned to the transparent covered file in his hands which caught something. He double-checked to confirm it before making his way hurriedly toward Jane.

He pushed the door wide open and found her lying alone in the room with her eyes closed. "You sign for the second donor." She opened her eyes hearing Edwin's voice. He was standing with a clenched jaw. " HAVE YOU GONE MAD OR SOMETHING?" He growled throwing the file on the bed.

Jane sat up and smiled painfully looking at Edwin, she knows for some reason that these brothers do care, they indeed got good hearts. " Could you listen to me for some minutes? I need to talk." She asked, her insisting tone softened his heart. He sighed letting her speak out her heart.

"There was a nigh, Edwin Sir. The night when I lost everything. I wish I was dead because I thought I was the weakest person alive. But then I found out that Alice lost her eyesight. I tried to spend a-a minute with closed eyes. That was enough for me to understand how easy my life is compared to hers. She was always so full of life. She desires to see the world. Especially this city because when I used to go home on my vacations and tell her how beautiful this place is. Her eyes used to twinkle.  I promised her that I'll show her every corner of this city but I feel like the promise was breaking. I got scared thinking she will never get the way she was. I signed to donate my eyes to her because I have no desires left no more anyway."

" It's not a compromise this time, this is a peak dumb decision. Do you think Alice would be happy to find this out? Do you realise what you were going to do with yourself?" He tried to make her understand as if he won't die for his brothers.

" I just wanted my last breath to be a sigh of relief."

•  She made pain look beautiful.

Chapter Published On: 16 April 2023.

⭐ Don't forget to vote.

I want Vots in k on Broken Angel. Only 76 votes and it's done. Do vots guys that's my most underrated book...🥺

Check these out,👇 you won't regret