CHAPTER 41: THE AFTERMATH

[Reid Enterprise—Alexander’s office ]

The city outside was drowned in glass and sunlight yet Alexander’s office felt heavy with silence.

He stood near the window with his sleeves rolled up and his tie hanging loose, staring at nothing.

The same report had been open on his desk for the last thirty minutes but the words refused to make sense.

He hadn’t slept for the whole night.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Evelyn standing close to him with her eyes wide, lips trembling and her breath catching when he told her everything he shouldn’t have.

He had spent years perfecting control and mastering silence and keeping his distance. But something inside him snapped when he saw her with another man last night or maybe it was Lucas’ provocative words.

Just then someone knocked at his door then the handle turned before he could answer.

Lucas strolled in with two coffees in hand and with his sunglasses still on despite being indoors. "Well, good morning, lover boy."

Alexander exhaled slowly. "Please don’t start Lucas—" He slumped on the chair and pinched the space between his brows. He was having a really bad headache.

Maybe it was the lack of sleep or the fact that he had done something stupid slowly creeping in.

"Oh, I am not starting," Lucas said cheerfully, setting one cup on the desk. "I am continuing."

He casually took a seat right across Alexander, "You disappeared halfway through the gala with Evelyn Carter and then she came back looking like she had walked through a storm. You, on the other hand, left without saying goodbye. So—" he took a dramatic sip of his coffee, "what did I miss?"

Alexander gave him a sharp look. "You seem unusually invested in my personal life."

"Invested? No. Entertained? Absolutely." Lucas grinned. "Come on, Alex. What happened? Did you confess your undying love and sweep her off her feet? Or did you just stare at her like an emotionally constipated statue until she left out of pity?"

Alexander rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Emotionally constipated?" he frowned. "Who talks like that?"

"Well—" Lucas shrugged and leaned forward. "So seriously, What happened?"

There was a long pause.

"She knows," Alexander said finally.

Lucas blinked. "Knows what?"

"How I feel."

Lucas straightened. "Wait. You told her?" he widened his eyes in shock.

When Alexander approached Evelyn last night after his intense provocation, he had thought Alexander would just drive the man away and keep Evelyn company. He hadn’t expected him to confess his feelings.

Alexander didn’t answer right away but the silence was enough.

The disbelief on Lucas’s face slowly melted into a wide grin. "You actually did it. Holy hell—" He slammed his hand on the table. "And here I thought I would die before seeing Alexander Reid confess feelings like a normal human being."

Alexander’s jaw flexed. "It wasn’t supposed to happen that way." He always wanted to tell Evelyn how he felt and had the whole thing planned. What he did last night now felt too rushed and not necessary.

All she was doing was having a polite conversation with a man and trying to socialize but he had let his jealousy overpower his sense of judgement.

Alexander was also worried that his actions might have scared Evelyn and had increased the already vast distance between them.

"Well, I won’t lie to you. It does feel a little rushed," Lucas sighed. "So what did she say?"

"She didn’t," Alexander said quietly. "She didn’t say anything."

"Oh." Lucas leaned back. "That is something."

"I f*ucked it up, didn’t I?" Alexander sighed, dejected. "But she didn’t walk away so maybe that is something, right?"

He looked at Lucas, eagerly waiting for a response or maybe a reassurance. He wanted someone to tell him that he didn’t fully mess things up and that there was still hope.

And that shut Lucas up for a moment. There was something in Alexander’s tone that almost sounded like fear.

"You know what? I say you did the right thing. " Lucas said after a pause, "You have already waited long enough, waiting more would have just complicated things."

"Are you sure?"

Lucas nodded. "Of course and in a way, it’s good that it’s finally out there."

"What do you mean?" Alexander asked curiously.

"All these years, you had feelings for Evelyn but you never told her because you were not sure what she would say so you kept liking her secretly," Lucas snapped his fingers as he continued, "But now that you have told her how you feel, you will find out if you love is reciprocated or not."

When Alexander gave him a blank look, Lucas frowned, "Why are you looking at me like that? Did what I just said not make sense?"

"Maybe a little—"

"But maybe you should have waited at least till a second date." When Alexander’s expression turned dark, Lucas quickly added, "But then again, the sooner it is said, the better."

Before Alexander could kick him out, Lucas quickly got up. "Well, I will leave you to your brooding."

"Lucas—" When he looked at him, Alexander asked, "Do you think she feels the same too?"

Lucas shrugged in reply. "I do know that she feels something but I am not sure if it’s as strong as yours."

Alexander couldn’t help but agree. "Maybe you are right."

Lucas sighed as he reached the door. "I am always right. This is why you should have told him before getting all emotional and vomiting everything in front of her. But what is done cannot be changed. So—" He crossed his fingers. "Let’ss hope for the best."

When the door closed, the quiet returned.

Alexander leaned back in his chair, his gaze drifted to his phone which was lying on his desk.

He hadn’t called or messaged her after leaving the charity event yesterday and neither had she.

Last night, he had opened her contact several times but never called and had typed different kinds of messages but did not press send.

He wanted to give her the time but he wasn’t sure if he had the patience for that.

.....