Jason's POV
It was already five-thirty in the afternoon when I finally decided to leave my office for some fresh air. My employees had already called it a day, and Sylvia was the last one to leave. Now, I was the only one left wandering the halls. Before she left, I asked her to grab me two bottles of Corona and to call Chase to come see me at the company.
I took the bottles with me to the rooftop and just stood there, staring at the city below. I cracked open one of the beers and sipped it, keeping the other for Chase. I waited as the sun began to set, watching the city gradually sink into darkness, lights twinkling everywhere. The lights around the rooftop came on too, probably triggered by one of the security guards downstairs in the lobby.
I heard light footsteps approaching from behind, and then Chase leaned against the concrete railing beside me. I handed him the bottle, and he took it without a word, popped the cap, and started drinking.
"So, what do you want to tell me?" he asked after a couple of minutes.
"I've decided to offer a partnership deal to Falcon Group. I met with their Executive Director today, and we've already signed the contract."
He paused, quiet for a moment.
"Does Shay know?"
I nodded, sipping my beer.
"I can tell she's not happy about it. I saw her today, and the change in her is... striking. But if this is my only way to get closer to her and ask for a second chance, then I'll take it."
I was also surprised by how different she looked when I walked into her office. Her aura had almost matched her older sister's nowâdominant, commandingâalmost completely devoid of the sweet, innocent personality I used to know.
"I'm sorry about what happened the other day," I quickly added.
He glanced at me, a slight frown crossing his face.
"It's okay, man. It's between you and Shay. Whatever happens in your personal life, it's none of my business. I get it."
"But I get why you were angry. You really cared about her and were just trying to protect her," I said, understanding more than I let on.
He looked away, nodding slowly.
"Yeah. Believe it or not, I kinda understand her now, what she's had to go through in her life. That's why I started liking her."
I stared at him, trying to figure out if he meant more than that. He caught me looking and suddenly laughed when he saw my serious expression.
"Hey, I meant as a friend, alright? I know she's off-limits and that she's all yours." I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding and gave him a relaxed smile.
I glanced at my watch. It was nearly 6:00 pm.
"I have to go. I have dinner plans with my parents tonight," I said, pushing myself off the railing.
He nodded. "Cool. I'm heading to the bar. This Corona didn't even sway me a little bit."
I laughed, and we both headed to the elevator. I quickly grabbed my dinner jacket from the chair in my office, checked my phone, turned off the lights, and left the building with Chase. I waved him off as he went toward his car parked in the corner, and I made my way to mine, driving to the restaurant where my parents were waiting.
I stopped the car in front of House of Prime Rib, handed the keys to the valet, and walked inside. As soon as I entered, I spotted my parents sitting at a table in the middle of the dining area. I made my way over to them.
"Oh, hi! You came!" Mom greeted me excitedly. I kissed her cheek before sitting down in front of them.
"How are you doing, son?" Dad asked, turning to face me with a smile.
"I'm great, Dad. How about you?" I asked back.
"Great, as usual," he shrugged nonchalantly.
"Have you guys ordered yet?" I asked, turning to Mom.
"Yes. Don't worry, we already ordered your favorite," she said, smiling at me.
I leaned back in my seat and relaxed.
Our meals arrived ten minutes laterâMom went with their special hummus pasta, Dad chose parmesan-baked chicken breast with veggies, and I opted for their famous honey garlic steak bites. As we ate, I noticed Mom staring at me with a curious expression.
"What?" I asked, feeling her gaze on me.
She sighed loudly, putting down her fork. "Did you talk to Shay?"
I stared down at my plate and cut through a piece of meat, trying to stay composed.
"We broke up," I said, my voice a little flat. Her jaw dropped, and she turned to Dad in shock.
"Was she the girl that your mom keeps telling me about? The daughter of some billionaire?" Dad asked, looking between us. I nodded without meeting their eyes.
"I'm sorry, Jason," Mom said, her voice softening with concern. I looked up in surprise, not expecting her to say that.
"Why are you apologizing?" I asked.
"You two broke up because of me, right? I shouldn't have shown her the picture in your drawer. I should've waited for you to tell her first," she said, her tone full of regret.
I chewed quietly, then gave her a reassuring smile.
"No, it's not your fault, Mom. That's not the reason we broke up either."
"Then what's the real reason?" she asked, dad looked at her placing a hand on her arm.
"Lisa, if the boy doesn't want to talk about it, don't press him," Dad said gently but firmly.
"But I justâ" Mom started, but Dad shot her a stern look, and she fell silent immediately.
I smiled at Dad, and he winked back at me, proud of me for standing my ground.
"We were going to break up anyway," I added, trying to sound nonchalant.
Mom scowled at me.
"But you liked her. You really liked her a lot, Jason. Why'd you have to break up? She was such a nice girl, and I liked her too. If you'd introduced her to your dad, he'd feel the same."
Dad chuckled, and we both looked at him.
"Yeah, I mean, your mother's been telling me some things have changed with you. I've noticed it too. I guess it's all because of that girl, huh? She was a good influence on you, son."
If only you knew the truth
I nodded silently, finishing my food while they continued to watch me intently. It was hard, but I kept my expression neutral, fully aware of how they were looking at me throughout the meal.
Shay's POV
"Cheers!"
We clinked our glasses together and downed our vodka shots in one go. The burn in my throat was sharp, so I quickly popped a lemon slice into my mouth to soothe my taste buds.
"Vodka has never tasted so good,"
Sylvia coughed, narrowing her eyes playfully at me.
"Didn't you hate vodka?"
I placed my empty glass on the counter and smiled.
"But this is differentâI'm drinking it because I got my heart broken."
She laughed, and I waved at the bartender to refill our glasses.
"Now you know the taste of true alcohol for soothing a broken heart. That's why I recommend vodkaâit's the best medicine,"
I chuckled, rolling my eyes.
"I want to kill him,"
She placed a hand on my shoulder, giving me a serious look.
"No matter how tough things get, let's not kill anyone, alright?"
I pushed her hand away and took another shot.
"Then let's rip his eyes out."
"Hey!"
I felt the alcohol hitting me now, and the familiar, dizzying warmth started to kick in. It felt weird but also... good.
"How could he... say that to me?" I asked, my voice slurring a little.
"Are you still wavering even after he fooled you?" Sylvia asked, raising an eyebrow.
I sighed, staring at the empty glass in my hand.
"Yeah. I guess because I opened my heart out to him, I started to waver."
"I guess you really did love him," she said softly. "You know what you should do? Watch a sad movie, cry it all out, and let yourself drown in your pain alone in your room. Afterward, you'll feel better."
I frowned at her and she raised her glass with a grin, downing her shot in one go. I chuckled and lightly slapped her shoulder.
"What kind of crap are you saying now?"
She pointed at me with a wide smile. "But you laughed!"
I started to feel lightheaded, and I slumped against the counter, resting my head in my palm.
"Shay," Sylvia started, her voice soft. "About Jason... he's telling the truth. I know he really has feelings for you. I can tell because I work with the guy every day, and I've never seen him act the way he does when you're around. You bring out the best in him."
I sat up straight and glared at her. "Hey, which side are you on?"
"I'm on your side, of course!" she said quickly. "But if you want a peek into his side of things, that's all you need to know."
Maybe she's right. But after crying my eyes out for the past few hours, I know what I need to do now. He might have finally realized his feelings for me, but he lost his chance to make things right when he should have told me how he really felt from the start. I won't let this change anything. I can still move on without him.
The bartender refilled our glasses again, and Sylvia handed me mine, raising her glass toward me.
"Cheers?"
I smiled back at her, clinking my glass with hers.
"Cheers."