"I don't like this one bit." Naomi grumbled. The annoyance in her voice had started to screech pitches higher.  "Callie would kill me if she found out that I'm working with someone as obnoxious as you are to spy on her boss. Jesus, this is worse than I thought."

Damien Pierce glanced at her wryly, his fingers gripping the steering wheel alot more tightly. "Relax, already. You've been babbling throughout the ride. It's becoming a little annoying, even for you."

"Fuck you, Pierce. In fact, I'm getting the hell out of here. I'd rather confess to Callie than to go through any of this."

Damien Pierce wore a self-satisfied expression that looked more smug than usual. "It's too late for any of that now. We're already here."

Naomi felt a gnawing pit in her stomach. This truly was a terrible idea. Damien's car was parked right in front of this familiar house. The place she had picked Callie from.  The security man at the entrance asked for who they were, and Damien cockily explained that he was a Pierce. Naomi almost rolled her eyes at the panicked look in the security man's eyes. Of course, even he knew how revered the Pierces were in town.

Within seconds, they were inside the lot and out of the car. Naomi took a long look at Damien Pierce in his tailored tuxedo and warned. "Don't do anything stupid. Follow my lead and we'll be fine."

Damien Pierce took a step closer, trying to intimidate her with his looming height. "This is the part where I ignore you and do what I fucking want."

The irritated look in her smoky-grey eyes didn't waver. "Not on your life. Follow. My. Lead. Got it?"

"Whatever you say." With the smirk etched on his lips, Naomi was tempted to punch his face in. Narrowing her eyes at him, she led herself in and watched him with her side eye, not trusting an inch of anything in his mouth. Naomi whipped her head around when she heard Damien Pierce mutter in disgust. "That's him."

Standing only few feet away, Larkin Hammell was huddled around a group of middle aged men, deep in conversation. He actually looked more attractive in person, the pictures Pierce showed her didn't do justice at all. Besides the long, thick scars dancing over places on his face, he really was one of those pretty boys that wasn't her type. Curly blond hair covered a patch of his forehead, and for a brief moment she could see his distractingly lovely emerald eyes glittering from afar. He exhuded enough confidence and charm while he spoke to his guests around in his full, great height despite the surprisingly not-so-expensive suit he wore. Naomi could sniff out designer suit from a mile away, and this one clearly wasn't.

Naomi continued to trail Larkin's every move, trying to catch him slip up and show his true self. "Calm down. We're just here to watch him."

Damien Pierce snarled. "Fuck that. Not if he's hurting mi Bella."

Naomi threw her hands up indignantly. "For God's sa—"

But for once, Damien Pierce didn't listen to her angry threats, he hurled towards Larkin, almost throwing a punch at him, which Larkin was lucky to dodge.

"Stay the fuck away from Callie, you little psychopath." Damien Pierce roared. Larkin went still, his gaze hovering over Damien's flushed face. The calculating look in his eyes seemed to rile Damien Pierce up. "I know everything about you and I'll spill the beans."

Larkin squeezed his eyes shut. This couldn't be happening right now. He was getting tired of pulling off a confident, unaffected front for everyone, and right now, this dude was pushing his last buttons. Today HAD to be perfect.

"I apologize for any of this. It seems that our guest has had too much to drink." Larkin tried his best to say loudly in an oddly confident tone that seemed nonchalant enough to make the people in the room to believe him. "I'll just take him out."

Larkin took Damien's arm roughly, and whispered. "Be quiet or I'll have people drag you out in a way you won't like." Seeing the panicked look in Damien's  sheer blue eyes and the slow nod he gave, Larkin gritted his teeth. "Let's go."

Naomi followed them out quietly, until they reached the entrance of the house and every polite action Larkin seemed to show his guests had started to wash away when no one seemed to be around. "You crossed a line." Larkin snapped.

Tailing behind them, Naomi pleaded and Larkin's eyes seem to narrow as she spoke. "I'm truly sorry about that. My friend's not usually like this. He's just—"

"Who the hell are you?" Larkin's tone dripped with coldness that made Naomi almost shiver. "And what are you doing at my party? You're lucky I didn't have security to kick you both out."

Damien Pierce uttered proudly, his arms stretching wide. "I'm Damien Pierce—"

"I don't care if you're the Queen of England, I'm not in the mood for this." The frown tugging his lips slipped off and a slight hint of vulnerability twisted Larkin's words as he took a moment to rub the back of his neck. "But you mentioned Callista and I don't like what you said."

"Callista? It's Callie, you dipshit." Damien Pierce glared angrily at him, daring to take a step further.

There was a softened tilt in the way Larkin spoke. Vivid green eyes met their gazes, his expression mixed with caution. "Can you just stop talking? Did Callista say something about me?"

"You like her, don't you?" The sudden tenderness carrying his voice made Naomi's eyes pop wide open. Larkin didn't respond back but Naomi already knew. She lowered her head slightly, her words filled with regret. "And I'm an idiot for coming here."

Larkin stared at her for a moment. Naomi's body tensed. It was so hard to figure out what he wanted to do with them. Hating the situation they were in, Naomi tried to come with a coherent apology but then she heard a familiar voice say,

"What the hell is going on here?" Everyone looked alarmed to see Callie standing right there, wearing a look of sheer confusion. Met with complete silence, she crossed her arms over her chest with worry stiring along her other emotions. "Well?"

Naomi tried to say. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have believed Pierce. He's a piece of shit."

"Wait, let me explain." Damien Pierce said, almost simultaneously with Naomi's babbled words.

"Honestly I don't have all day to listen to this, so whatever's going on with your friends, you should deal with it by yourself." Larkin said darkly, his hand twisting the knob of his cane. Callie knew better than anyone that he was pissed, despite how calm he tried to make himself look.

"You look great in my suit." Callie's response seemed to catch him off guard. He had worn a soft, hurt expression that made her heart flutter. He really did look great in the rented suit she got him. It held every inch of muscle in his lean figure and made him look more regal that she expected. He really was too handsome for his own good. "I didn't plan on any of this happening."

The longing look in Larkin's almost distant eyes had been brief but not enough to hide the bitterness he felt. "Why are you here, Callista? I thought you were done with me. You were pretty clear last time I saw you."

"I'm sorry about how I behaved. I have a horrible temper that I got from my dad but that doesn't excuse my behavior. You deserve better than that and I don't even know why I quit my—"

His face stirred with unreadable emotions, Callie's stomach churned at his hardened gaze. "I know why you quit. You do that when things get too complicated. Just like you stopped doing gymnastics after your mom died. Just like you left, right after everything that happened yesterday." For a moment, his hard exterior melted away and the Larkin she knew and loved, had answered softly. "I really want you to be happy and I don't think you've been happy in a long time." Taking a few steps away from her, he had put enough distance between them, not just by his words alone. And it hurt like hell.

Her eyes stung. "But you make me happy."

"But is it enough?" Brief tension hung in the air and Callie could feel it. It was static and an icy tone layered his deep voice. "I don't think so. I have a lot to deal with and I don't think you're ready for any of it. I have enough on my plate already."

"What are you talking about, Larkin?" He looked slightly uneasy and unconciously darted his eyes back and forth between the manor and Callie. Realization seered through her and she mumbled softly. "You're nervous about the party with the board?"

He wasn't sure he wanted to admit anything but this was finally the moment to make the right decision for the company and a huge part of him was ready for it, despite his nerves. Larkin raked his fingers through his blond curls, forcing out a tired sigh. "Your idiot friend almost ruined my party and you know how important today is. I'm at a space where I'm really agitated. So I don't want to think about anything but tha—"

A young guy in a waiter's uniform walked up to him, interrupting Larkin's words and whispered something to him. He stiffened at whatever the guy said and swore loudly. Rubbing his temples, Larkin cast his beautiful green eyes at her and said. "I'm sorry, Callista, but I have to go."

Callista blinked, completely shocked by his words. Larkin walked out without a backward glance. And with that, her heart broke.

★★★

Larkin entered the ballroom in his house, ignoring the curious looks on everyone's faces and heading straight to the podium. He glanced around the massive room, admiring the bronze coated roman pillars surrounding the interiors of the white walls that made the place look more magnificent that it already did. When one of the ushers came to inform him that the board members were getting annoyed by his absence, Larkin had to abandon Callista even though he didn't want to. He had to be selfless, even though he hated to. He wanted to talk to her longer but the anxiety of this event had gotten to him. It made him act reckless but he didn't want to give much thought to it. Not till he dealt with this first.

He leaned closer to the microphone and announced confidently in his stoic, baritone voice. "I apologize for the interruption. I gathered you all here to try and let you fully understand my situation. I know I've been negligent to the company and I'm really lucky that Hammel Corp. is a self-sufficient conglomerate that runs well on its own without worrying about a major decline.
But still, that's not an excuse to avoid doing my duties and I'm sincerely sorry, once again, for not prioritizing this company enough."

"After my parents died, I struggled with the loss, alongside my mobility issues and my scarred face. For a long time, I used that as an excuse to hide myself from the world. But the truth was that I was ashamed. I was ashamed of who I had become and I didn't want anyone to see that side of me. Because of that, I denied myself the chance to have a life and to be happy."

"That is why I had been struggling these past weeks on how I'll wrap up this party. Life gave me the chance to live anew and I finally found the courage to keep going." Larkin bounced his gaze over all the faces in the room, watching the stormy looks they wore and trying hard to put his words delicately. "That's why I have decided to temporarily step down as the CEO of Hammell Corp and assigned my duties to my attorney Mr. Edgar Callum, who has been loyal to me through my difficult times. He'll run the company under your supervision until I return to take my place."

A rumble of whispers broke through the room, interrupting his speech. Larkin cleared his throat, slithering his gaze to a visibly shocked Callum. Larkin almost chuckled. It was nice to finally catch him off guard. Edgar Callum had been helpful this past year and he couldn't imagine anyone else doing it. The lawyer had already been his acting-CEO without him even realizing it, but it was nice to finally make it official.

Larkin continued. "I know this is very confusing to many people but it's a necessary choice that I had to make. Let's be honest, I'm in no place to run a multi million dollar company and I'm truly thankful for your patience so far. However, I need time to graduate college and prioritize myself before I can do anything to take Hammell Corp to greater heights. I am neither abandoning nor letting go of the company. I am, however, aiming to be better so that I can fulfill my parents' legacy and to build this enterprise into something that'll benefit all of us. Thank you."

Larkin walked away from the podium. The confused whispers didn't seem to simmer down, but Larkin had other things on his mind. He knew he had one more bridge to burn. In that instant, he caught his aunt's rigid form from a distance. The lilac, designer dress adorned on Aunt Zoe's slim body made her look as elegant as usual. Her river green eyes narrowed when she spotted Larkin limping closer to her in his crisp black suit.

Aunt Zoe cast him another wry look. "I guess you came here to gloat."

"No, I'm here to appreciate you. You were right.  Thank you for all the years of service to this company. Despite all our differences, you've always had Hammell Corp. as your priority, unlike me and I know you're going through some pain that you don't deserve. I'm really sorry for the heartbreak my parents caused you. I can't judge them for their decisions but you didn't need to suffer like you did. Even though you've shown me nothing but unnecessary resentment, I still appreciate your dedication. "

"This doesn't mean I forgive you or anything." She threw a scoff at him. But then Larkin shrugged, despite her words and Aunt Zoe's voice surprisingly softened. "But thank you for what you said. I really needed to hear it. I'm trying to be better, but it's not easy. "

With a small smile, he answered. "We both needed it."

"So what now? What are you going to do with your life after this?"

He shrugged again but the rare, playful grin on his lips had his aunt's mouth hanging. Her bewildered expression strayed from her regular, composed behavior and it seemed to make his grin widen. "I don't know yet. But that's the best part." Aunt Zoe morphed her face into an understanding one, without saying anything else to him. Larkin really wanted to stay and interact with everyone in the room but he still had to rest his legs. With so much happening so quickly, the adrenaline pumping through him almost made him forget about his little dilemma.

Looking around the ballroom filled with the board members one last time, Larkin gave a satisfied sigh. For once in his entire life, he felt like he made the right call and it felt so damn good.

★★★.
I guess you guys didn't expect any of that. 😈😈

Larkin stepping down had always been my plan all along. Not only was it a realistic move, but it was something I had wanted for this character. He needed it to take care of himself and I'm so happy that he'd grown into this person that finally makes sacrifices for both himself and everyone around him. Besides, why would a nineteen year old be running a multi million dollar company, ey?

One another note, there are only four more chapters left. This book's already wrapping up so quickly. 😭😭😭😭😭😭
Still, I'm so happy with the progress. Once again, I truly apologize for the very long break. Though it was unexpected and necessary for me, it didn't seem fair to my loyal readers who keep reaching out to me (which I honestly appreciate).
Xoxo
Jasmine.