Elizabeth's POV

As time passes, I feel more comfortable having Paul around. Yes, I want a shoulder to lean on, and no, I'm not trying to manipulate his feelings. Maybe I'm starting to feel attracted to him. When did this even happen? Being just out of a breakup makes me want to slow things a little bit. Nevertheless, he seems keen to show his love. Every word counts, and he interprets every move of mine differently.

Indeed, I'm not an extreme extrovert, but on a scale from introvert-to-extrovert, I'm more on the introvert side. Meaning, I don't usually get along with people, but things are quite different from him.

Shifting around in my position, I turn to face him, "so," I begin. He looks at me directly in the eyes, studying every inch of my face. I get the feeling that he can see beyond my skin; he could see my bare soul with just a single look. His green eyes reflect my image, but they appear to hide different emotions; fear, joy, anxiety, and hesitation. I can sense every feeling of his. My body trembles from the way he looks at me, and my lips part for a few millimetres. The sound of silence takes over, and no one speaks.

Paul finally takes a move, "so," he thoughtfully says.

I laugh out loud not sure whether he's teasing me or we're both hell dumb. "Are we playing this so-game?" I question, crossing my legs beneath me, making myself more comfortable.

He opens his mouth to speak, but I cut him off, placing a pillow of my legs, and placing both my elbows on it, rising slightly from my seat. "Can we skip to the part where you'll tell me how did you know about what happened between me and those who-must-be-damned?"

Clean move, El. You're the master of straightforwardness. My life is breaking into smithereens, so I do have a lot on my plate already, and I have miles to go before I sleep. He looks taken aback, but I'm on edge. "Yes, sure, we can," he stutters a little.

I nod at him, encouraging him to go further, sipping slowly from my cold juice. The coldness intertwines with my dry mouth and saliva, causing my eye to twitch and my mouth to become numb. "Shish is sho cold," I point to the glass in my hand, and he laughs.

He gets my signals and touches the hem of his shirt. "Can you keep a secret?" Paul asks.

"Why does this feel so weird?" I joke, earning a straight face from him. I guess that I'm winding him up at the moment. There's this disembodied voice inside of my mind, urging me to burst out and tell him to cut the crap and tell the story. I'm all filled with anticipation and knowing desperation. Shut up, El.

Paul cuts a long story short and releases the curiosity that has been killing the cat; me. "My sister worked for a company, and she had all those crazy ideas and deals to make the company stand out. Her direct manager has given her carte blanche to invest their money in whichever project she thinks is good for the welfare of the company."

I'm on the tip of my toes, and my looks urge him to continue talking. Concentration vividly apparent on my face, trying not to blink so as not to miss any detail. I wonder how his sister is related to Kevin, Laura, and their relationship.

He clears his throat and continues, his eyes resting on every other thing except on mine. "These people, including her manager, were high rollers, and she didn't have enough money to convoy their wealth. Her enthusiasm and urge to prove herself made her blindfolded that he was manipulating her," he bangs his hand in frustration on the couch, scattering dust particles in the air. He seems not to realise it, but I make a mental note to vacuum this mess.

Out of nowhere, his voice rises, "I've warned her!"

I lean forward to pat him on the shoulder. My touch appears to soothe him. Paul puts his hand over mine; they're sweaty and hot. He moves the tips of his fingers in uneven patterns. "Don't be so harsh on her, Paul," I softly mumble. "We've all been enthusiastic until we got familiar with the work environment."

He retreats his hand, and I haphazardly remove mine too. "My sister's investments were not up to the mark, she kept losing deal after deal, and she never saw the light. Her stubbornness has thrown a spanner in the works. Then, she got trapped in a black hole of losses." He sighs, and resumes, "and you can interpret what happened after."

I've forgotten that I'm sipping from my glass until I realised it is empty. Sympathy overtakes any over feeling I have. "Your sister's manager bargained about the money, and he tried to take benefit of her."

He nods in agreement, "what's your sister's name, by the way?"

"Amanda," he replies, sighing.

Amanda's story relates to mine. We were both manipulated, and the people we trusted the most broke our trust. I smile sympathetically.

Paul exhales, getting ready to proceed. "I know you'll ask how does this story relate to you." He reads my mind. This question was just at the tip of my tongue, but he said it at the drop of a dime.

Sheepishly, I press both lips together in what seems to be a smile. I get that Amanda's situation wasn't a win-win. She lost her job, money, and dream to become independent to escape her manager's manipulation. She threw the baby out with the bathwater.

He resumes, "the company sued her, and she didn't have the money to compensate the company for their losses. Neither did I, nor our parents. It was a shit lot of money. We've tried taking loans and debts, but nothing worked. We were skating on thin ice.

"I'm out of words, so I quietly listen. "Amanda went to prison because she didn't return the money," he sniffs, "and that was a turning point of my life."

I gasp, "what happened?" Yet his focus is no more with me. His face directs towards my opened bedroom door with a pile of clothes, watter bottles, chips bags, and chargers stuffed in its entrance. I tried to clear the space for him momentarily.
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A/N: Hello, beautiful readers! Hope you're all safe and sound. If you liked the chapter, please don't forget to comment and vote! It'd mean a lot. What do you think relates Paul's story to Elizabeth's?