CHAPTER 225: BLEEDING FROM HIS NOSE.

"Freda, let’s go." Augustine stated as he walked past Freda and Charles who quickly trails behind him.

With hurried steps, Augustine stormed out of Mr. Edison’s mansion, his heartbeat thundering louder than the chaos he’d left behind.

He didn’t stop to breathe. Didn’t look back.

He ran straight to his sleek black car parked along the roadside, the cool night air doing little to calm the fire racing through his veins.

"I need to get going," he muttered under his breath, the words meant for no one and yet heavy with meaning.

Augustine yanked open the passenger door and slid inside.

Reginald was already in the driver’s seat, hands firm on the wheel.

Freda and Charles who had been trailing behind CEO Augustine suddenly halt. "Umm, we would take a cab and go home." Freda whispered beneath her breath.

She has a feeling that Augustine wants some time to be alone due to the outcome of event that had taken place tonight.

Augustine let out a loud sigh as his shoulder dropped down in exhaustion. "Can you please seat at the front with your boyfriend? I want to be with Charles." Augustine whispered with a low voice.

"Charles?" Freda thought to herself because the request of Augustine seemed a bit weird.

"Alright," Freda purred as she opened the front door, slide inside the car, shut the door and immediately, she fasten her seat belt.

Charles remain immobile.

"Hey, are you mad at me because of what I sai..."

Before Augustine could complete his phrase, Charles quickly chipped in as he cut Augustine off from completing his sentence. "I don’t know Augustine." Charles stated, more tears streaming down his eyes as he nervously play with his finger nails.

"Just... just sit beside me." Augustine purred with a pleading voice.

’Exhale!’

A loud exhale left the lips of Charles as he slide into the passenger seat, closing the door with a soft thud.

Charles lifted his gaze over to meet the eyes of Augustine and for some split seconds, neither of them have the courage to utter any more words out of their mouth.

"I..."

"Augustine, can I tell Freda about us now?" Charles inquired, grabbing the wrist of his lover as he gave it a gentle caress.

Augustine averted his gaze over to the front seat as he nod. "Yeah," he mumbled with a forced smile. "By the way Reginald, I’ll greatly appreciate it if you start driving right away." Augustine added.

Reginald turned on the car engine while Freda who has always been a curious individual averted her gaze towards Augustine and Charles.

"Freda, the man I told you about? He’s Augustine."

Scoffed.

Freda scoffed as a mockery smirk became plastered on her lips. "What the fuck are you talking about?" She asked with a sarcastic tone which was laced with an edge of curiosity.

"I’m Charles’s boyfriend. We’ve been meaning to tell you properly, but... it’s best you know tonight," Augustine declared, his voice calm but laced with fierce conviction.

Freda’s lips parted in stunned disbelief, her eyes wide as the weight of his words settled in, but before she could fully process what he’d just said, Augustine was already reaching out, cupping Charles’s face with both hands.

Augustine’s thumbs brushed along Charles’s cheeks as he gently turned his gaze toward Charles, locking their gazes with a soft intensity.

"Pookie," Augustine murmured, his voice low and rich with a seductive warmth that made Charles’s breath hitch. "I know you’re probably upset about how I handled things but... but I’ve been preparing myself for a day like this, Charles."

Augustine’s thumbs stroked soothing circles into Charles’s cheeks, grounding him in the moment, in the truth of his words.

"I love you so much that hiding us no longer feels like protecting us. It feels like losing myself."

And with that, Augustine leaned in, his hand sliding to the back of Charles’s neck as he pulled him close, sealing his words with a kiss... slow, deep, and full of all the emotion he could never put into words.

’STUNNED!’

All through the time that Augustine was speaking, Freda was complete taken aback by the scene which was right in front of her.

A flood of questions rushed through Freda’s mind all at once.

’When did Charles and Augustine start dating? Who confessed first? How long had they been keeping this a secret? And what else were they hiding?’

But despite the rising urge to interrogate them on the spot, she bit down hard on her curiosity, pressing her lips together to silence the whirlwind in her chest.

With a deep breath, Freda forced a composed smile as she crossed her arms gently and nodded like everything was perfectly fine... even though it wasn’t.

Freda turned her gaze around to stare at her front and meanwhile, the lips of Augustine and Charles were still clasped in a blissful kiss.

Seconds later, Augustine lean away, his lips curving into a brief smile. "Charles, I need to tell you something." Augustine began, his tone serious.

Charles nod. "Yeah, what’s it about?" He inquired with tilted brows.

"Umm, well... while I was away in China, your parents took really good care of me," Augustine began, his voice soft, almost hesitant. "Your dad even went as far as introducing me to his brother."

Augustine let out a nervous chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck as he avoided Charles’s eyes for a moment. "Your uncle was so nice and caring that it almost felt like if he was related to me."

"What?" Charles breathed out with a frown. "We can catch up on how your trip to China felt later, but right now, we need to figure out how to get the board members at your company to stop panicking and save your position as CEO before someone tries to..."

Charles statement was halfway completed when he felt a thick liquid rolled down from his nose prompting him to become immobile for a complete second.

"Ba... babe I think I have blood on my nose." Charles stammered, lifting his hands towards his nose as he touch the liquid that had rolled out.

Indeed... it was blood.