Chapter 444 Withstanding the Storm
“What do you mean? Did he agree not to tell anyone?” I asked as I tried to keep myself from panicking.
“Don’t worry, Rina. He won’t tell anyone,” Ace replied with certainty.
“How can you be so sure?” I asked as I started frowning from worry.
Ace pursed his lips together as a thoughtful look overcame his handsome facial features as he thought about how he should answer my question. I waited impatiently for his answer as I kept on staring at his face.
“Well, it was just a feeling but if I have to put it into words then, I guess I can’t imagine him doing anything to hurt the girl that he likes,” Ace finally replied before showing me a charming smile.
“Is that why you thought that it would be ok to tell him about us?” I asked.
“I guess that was partly the reason. Also, I thought that things might become a little easier for you at work if we just admit to it. As I said before, sooner or later, he’s going to have to find out,” Ace explained calmly.
“I see. I hope things really work out the way that you think they will...” I mumbled.
“I have to admit that I’m not a big fan of him liking my girl. So, telling him that we’re dating will probably help him get over you as well. Better this way for him and also for us, if you ask me,” Ace said before smiling brightly at me as if he was proud of the solution that he had arrived at.
“Sometimes, I really don’t understand how that mind of yours works,” I mumbled as I stared at him with widened eyes.
“Are you impressed?” he asked teasingly.
“Umm...I guess...” I replied hesitantly.
I wasn’t sure if things were going to work out the way that Ace hoped for or not, but I couldn’t stop myself from smiling. Although I didn’t want to be overly optimistic, I couldn’t help but see the future playing out exactly the way that Ace wanted. It never occurred to me that confessing the truth about our relationship to someone could feel quite relieving.
“Let me know if something is bothering you. I can’t help you if I don’t know about it,” Ace said before grinning at me.
“I don’t know about that. You’re so busy with work and the merger. They’re probably the most important things right now,” I replied softly.
“That may be true, but I can try to make time,” Ace replied without backing down.
“Right...I’ll let you know. I’m fine now, though. Thank you, Ace,” I thanked him with a genuine smile.
“Don’t look so worried or you’re going to make me regret my decision,” he said with a small laugh.
“I’m sorry. I just can’t help but worry about it,” I confessed before letting out a sigh.
“Just like I told you before, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with our relationship. With that in mind, I don’t mind announcing it to the world that we’re dating,” Ace said with confidence.
“You can’t do that!” I exclaimed without meaning to raise my voice.
“We’ll just have to wait for the right time,” Ace replied calmly.
“Yeah...” I murmured in agreement.
Personally, I didn’t think that there was anything wrong with the fact that we’re dating either. Simply because it wasn’t conventional and widely accepted for a subordinate to date his or her boss, that didn’t mean that it was wrong. I’ve always thought since the first moment that I heard of it that the anti-dating rule of this company was just crazy and illogical as well. However, if we were to live and survive in this society, we had to play along with the rules. That was probably where Ace’s and my thoughts started to diverge.
...
**A month later**
After spending a few days walking on eggshells all around the office, I started to realize that the worst had passed and that nothing major would be happening. So far, I haven’t heard a word from the disciplinary committee and Jeremy has made no attempt to contact me. On one hand, I was extremely relieved that Ace’s guess seemed to be right, and that Jeremy hadn’t told anyone about our relationship. However, I couldn’t deny the fact that it felt like I had lost a precious friend in the process. n(o(Vel-u(S.b-.-c-O-m
I wished that things didn’t have to turn out this way between Jeremy and me, but I also realized that that was just wistful thinking. While simply worrying about not getting my way, I knew that I was just being selfish. I was always considering how I felt and what I wanted without actively noticing just how hard it must have been for Jeremy. Although things did not unfold in the right order, he did put the effort into confessing his feelings for me properly.
On top of that, he also had that conversation with Ace. Even though I wasn’t there to sit through the entirety of it, I was certain that it must have been a very difficult conversation indeed. Perhaps not immediately, but over time, I hoped that we could mend things between up.
The weeks passed by without any change in our lives while Ace continued to devote his time to pushing the merger through. All I could do was focus on my work while making sure to steer away from trouble just as Ace had strictly advised. Tagging along with Richard and making sure that I focused solely on my work helped so much in achieving my goals.
It was a windy and cold evening when I received great news from Ace. The day that would change our lives started out as quite a normal one just like others. I woke up and went to work while Ace went out to deal with what he had to do. It was late in the afternoon when I received a call from Ace.
“Rina, shall we go out for dinner?” he asked invitingly the moment that the line connected.
--To be continued...
