Chapter 11â²â² Seeing her again âAny news?â Aaron asked the same question heâs been asking ever since they returned from Whitpalm City two weeks ago.
Enock pushed his glasses up, gulping as he braced himself to answer. He knew the boss was about to be moody after telling him the words he didnât want to hear.
âThereâs nothing, Sir.â Enock answered gingerly.
âHave you called the search team already?â
âYes, Sir.â
âHave you checked with the media houses? No one called to have seen her?â
âYes, Sir. I started checking with the media houses first.â
The temperature in the office dropped to a negative. Aaronâs eyebrows wrinkled tightly and his jaws clenched.
âHave you checked her old house in the Countryside? Maybe she went back there.â
âSir, Iâve meticulously checked everything that could help us find Tessa.â
At the way he casually called her name, Aaron arched an eyebrow at Enock, his eyes narrowed dangerously at him, compelling him to change his words.
âI â I mean, Miss Hilton.â
Aaron only retracted his icy gaze after Enock addressed her properly. He had told him she was the future lady boss so he should practice addressing her accordingly.
âHave the guys manning the airports and the harbor contacted you?â
Enock wanted to yell in frustration. His boss was going crazy trying to look for a woman who had disappeared for five years!
Nevertheless, he still preferred the mystery woman to Serena Winston who was a pretentious vixen.
âSir, thereâs been no positive news about Miss Hiltonâs location so far.â
Aaron felt like a hand was squeezing his heart. He took in a sharp breath, feeling like someone was pricking needles into his heart. If he knew losing Tessa would make him feel like he was dying, he wouldnât have taken her for granted.
He glanced at his phone, his eyes looking rather expectant as if he was waiting for a call. A smile crossed his lips when he recalled the new little friend he made last time...
Unfortunately, she hadnât called as promised. Aaron was surprised about why he would wait for her call too.
Perhaps he craved to have a family of his own with Tessa. So he felt a deep connection with the little girl. whose eyes reminded him of her.
Just then, the phone on his desk suddenly rang and his smile curved downward, his eyebrows creasing. His mood suddenly dropped seeing that Serena was calling and a chilling aura emanated from his body.
âHow dare she call me after what she did?!â
Aaron had never blocked anyone on his phone before because he thought it was childish. But after what Serena tried to pull when she blackmailed him to go out for dinner with her over the weekend, it was better to cut her off.
âFlashback to the previous weekendâ
Aaron was having some drinks with his friends at the club but his phone kept on ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket and when he saw who was calling, his gaze darkened and he left it to ring without picking up.
When It rang again, his friends couldnât take it anymore. Tony was the first one to speak out. âJust answer the damn phone. It seems urgent.â
However, Aaron just narrowed his eyes and sat back in his leather seat, taking a sip of his bourbon.
âNo.â
His tone was cold and lifeless as he responded flatly. He had no time to entertain Serena.
A few minutes later, the phone rang again and a wave of anger rushed through him.
âWhy donât you just tell her off? Tell her to leave you the fuck alone. How hard can it be?â It was Graham who remarked this time.
He was playing cards with Victor while Tony and Aaron watched. Normally, he would have been at the military base but he took some time off to relax with his friends.
He had also had it up to here with Aaron being hesitant about completely cutting Serena off when he clearly didnât want her.
Aaron did not respond to that. His friends didnât know how persistent Serena could be. He had already made it clear to her but she didnât want to give up. Aaron now visited his father less because she was always there, trying to get a glimpse of him and stalking him like a creep.
He had moved into the apartment he had given to Tessa, wanting to feel like she was close.
Perhaps the mistake he made was to suggest they remain as friends even if the plan to get married fell through.
In the end, he picked up the call because the noise was irritating him.
âIâm busy-â
âAaron! Iâm going to kill myself if you donât have dinner with me. Iâve already bought the rat poison. I will leave a note and send it to the reporters! By tomorrow, your name will be all over the papers.â
Aaron narrowed his eyes dangerously. He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth harshly.
He wasnât afraid of Serenaâs threat but a part of him that still valued the friendship between their families couldnât just sit and let Serena kill herself.
âWhere are you?â He asked flatly, chugging down his drink until he finished it. He then looked at his friends. before saying. âSee you later.â
Chapter 11 Seeing her again Aaron was forced to have dinner with Serena that night. His face was devoid of any emotions while Serenal had a huge smile on her face. She had dressed up in a short revealing dress for this date but Aaron didnât spare her a glance. In fact, he couldnât wait to get out of there.
It was some good twenty minutes later when Aaron began to feel a little strange. His throat felt parched and his bodyâs temperature began to increase rapidly.
His manhood which had been dormant for a long time suddenly stood to attention and the desire to lay with someone soon consumed him.
âWhat did you give me?â He questioned, his eyes dilating and his breathing becoming laboured.
âWhat do you mean? Aaron, are you ok?â
Seeing that the drug had taken effect, Serena got up from her seat and approached Aaron. âDo you feel hot and uncomfortable?
I can help you with thatâ She purred and bent down to caress his chest.
For a moment, Serenaâs face overlapped with the face in his memories so Aaron didnât stop her. He grabbed her hand, his eyes turning wistful. âTessa, are you back?â
Anger surged within Serena when he called another womanâs name and she lost her cool. âIâm not that bitch!
Iâm Serena!â
That seemed to snap Aaron back to his senses. His blood boiled when he realised what Serena was up to. He wanted to teach her a lesson but he knew he had to leave that place at once before he did something he would regret. He got the glass of cold water on the table and poured it over his head before he left and drove off.
It was a dangerous situation as he was driving while feeling dizzy and he could have easily been involved in an accident. Luckily, his friend Victor who was a doctor was always prepared.
While he was giving Aaron an injection in the private room at the club, he joked.
âHow did you manage to resist such a powerful drug? My friend, are you sure youâre ok down there? Are you functioning well?â
The other men laughed while Aaron wore a scowl on his face. He didnât want to tell his friends that Tessa was the first and last girl heâs been with. And the only one he wants to be with.
âEnd of flashback.â
Aaron immediately cut Serenaâs call and blocked her line. Her number was then sent to the blocked contact list.
Something caught Aaronâs eye and he frowned. âWhy is Tessaâs old line in the blocked contact list? I never blocked her.â
He clicked on the details and realised she had called him several times five years ago. There was also a message of her asking for help and he soon felt like shit when it dawned on him.
So she didnât ignore him. It was he who apparently ignored her when she needed him the most. But who could have blocked her number?
And then it hit him. He had left his phone with Serena on several occasions five years ago. Itâs obvious she was the culprit behind all this. She made him a bad guy in Tessaâs eyes.
Fury wrapped around his chest, almost suffocating him. Aaron hated those who schemed and played tricks. He was even feeling guilty that he didnât marry Serena as per promise. Who knew she was such a viper?
He raised his head and glanced at his assistant.
âSend out the order. Serena is banned from being the companyâs brand ambassador. If I ever see her in this Company again, Iâll fire you.â
Enock was stunned but he was happy to accept the order. That woman was vicious and acted as if she owned the place.
Aaron felt like someone had cut through his heart the way a knife cuts through butter. No wonder Tessa ran away from him. She thought he refused to help her.
But it was also his fault for not realising she meant so much to him and chased her away.
âCan she forgive me for what I did? How I treated her?â
His sins were far too huge but he couldnât live without her. Life had been hell for him for the past few years. He felt like the walking dead and Aaron didnât want to go on like that anymore. He just had to find her.
He suddenly got up and told his assistant. âLetâs go to the mall.â
Enock was stunned. âUm, Sir. We donât have that visit lined up on your schedule-â
âNow we do,â Aaron replied coldly as he approached the door.
For some reason, something had been compelling him to go check on his recently purchased mall. Perhaps he hoped to bump into his play daughter to brighten his day.
Meanwhile, with the help of Michelleâs familyâs connections, Tessa was able to get a few contracts from new clients. Her children had successfully been enrolled into school so she was able to concentrate on her work fully.
One of her clients was a boutique owner who was renting a shop at the same mall on the first floor. Tessal was on her way to the shop to examine it and take measurements so that she could begin to draw up something for the interior designs of the shop.
She strode confidently along the wide open space in the mall. Tessa looked professional in a navy blue suit- smart pants and a slim-fit jacket with a white shirt underneath. Her long silky black wavy hair was left open as it cascaded down her shoulders beautifully. She had put light makeup on her face and wore nude stiletto- pointed heels.
Above all, she smelled good. She had sprayed a mouthwatering perfume that would turn heads.
At the same time, Aaronâs car had parked at the entrance. When he stepped out, he looked at Enock and said, â
I just want to take a look around. Thereâs no need to follow me.â
After all, thereâs nothing really that he wanted to do here. He didnât want his assistant to know he was just strolling around to relieve stress.
He had just walked into the mall and moved a few steps forward when he stopped in his tracks. His hands at his sides trembled slightly as he looked at the dazzling beauty that was coming his way.
His heart leaped with joy when he recognised who she was. âTessa! Sheâs back! Iâve found her!â
Aaron couldnât deny that Tessa was a beautiful woman. She was incomparable. He wondered why he couldnât see it earlier.
âI must have been blind. Sheâs breathtaking.â He mused.
Watching her saunter over gracefully, Aaron gulped. It was as if he was seeing her for the first time. She was glowing like the sun shining brightly in June.
As if she could sense someone staring at her, Tessaâs gaze shifted and their eyes finally met.
Time stood still.
Tessa looked like a deer caught in headlights. But she soon recovered and her eyes turned icy cold.
She continued to walk as if she hadnât seen the man who was looking at her with a longing gaze.
Seeing that he was being ignored, Aaron felt a lump in his throat and he panicked.
Just as Tessa was about to bypass him, he grabbed her arm anxiously and desperately asked, âTessa, canât you see me?â
Natie Author Thank you for reading. Thank you for the gems too.