13 | I Hate You

I was taken aback. My entire body froze for a second. I felt like that all the muscles in my body also froze in shock.

But then, before I could react fully, Jace let go of my lips. I looked at him with dazed eyes, still too fully shocked at what just happened. He smirked and ruffled my hair before walking off to the elevators, probably to the floor of his office. I just watched him dumbly until he was out of sight.

"Freaking hell..." I muttered to myself.

I hesitantly touched my lips with my index finger. I realized that this is the first time Jace and I kissed. Even at our wedding... well, maybe it wasn't even called a proper wedding because I just signed a couple of papers then Jace gave me my ring. He just gave it to me like he'd just given a child candy. He had already worn his ring when that happened.

That reminds me... Jace still has my ring. I remember I had thrown it to him that time I ran away. But anyway, why would I even care if he returns it or not? We're only married in paper only, so basically wedding rings aren't important.

With that thought, I walked back towards the benches and sat there, waiting for Ryan to come back and hopefully give me good news.

One and a half hour later...

"Kei!"

I jolted and blinked a few times before I saw Ryan making his way toward me. I must have fallen asleep while I was waiting for Ryan.

"How was it?" I asked, standing up.

Ryan stopped in front of me. "Well..."

I frowned. "What happened?"

Did Jace say something? I thought. Because if that asshole said or did something bad to my friend, shit is about to go down. By tomorrow, this fucking building will be buried deep underground with its fucking remains and rubble! Along with its owner!

"Hey, what's wrong with your face?" Ryan asked me, momentarily snapping me back from my furious stupor.

I blinked and changed my face expression into a stoic one. "Nothing."

Ryan hummed then started to walk towards the exit. I followed him.

"Hey, what happened during your interview?" I asked again.

He scratched his head. "Well, you see... he kinda... uh, threatened me?"

I widened my eyes. "What?!"

Ryan stepped back away from me and raised his hands, as if to avoid my rage. I scoffed at him.

"Whoa, easy! He just... y'know..."

I put both of my hands on my hips and raised an eyebrow for him to continue. Seriously, I'm gonna plant bombs in this building if Jace really did something that would possibly scar Ryan for life.

"Mr. Langlois just told me to... uh, stayawayfromyou." He said rather quickly that it didn't make sense.

"What?" I asked impatiently.

Ryan sighed exasperatedly. "Oh, c'mon! Don't let me say it!"

"Say it!"

He groaned. "Ugh, fine! He told me to stay away from you!"

My jaw dropped. What the flipping hell? Jace said that? To Ryan, my bestfriend, of all people? My nerves snapped and I suddenly had this murderous feeling bubbling in the pit of my stomach. First, he treats me like a slave and now he threatens my friends to stay away from me. Why, that motherfucking asshole!

"Ryan, stay here. I got something to do." I said lowly, starting to make my way towards the elevators. I noticed some of the employees stepped aside hastily, fearing my wrath.

"Wait, what? Hey, no wait! Stop! Kei!" I heard Ryan call me but he didn't catch up to me because I was already inside the elevator, its doors slowly closing.

I let out a breath when the elevator doors finally closed, then I pressed the last number. Thirty-third floor. I assumed that based on Jace's high rank and ownership of this building, his office could possibly be on the top floor.

After a few minutes of eerie silence, except for the whirring noise of the elevator, the doors slid open. I didn't waste time and just walked determinedly between rows and rows of cubicles. Some of the people working there stopped what they were doing and watched me very carefully, as I made my way towards the one door that caught my attention the most. A shiny, dark-brown wooden door that has a square-shaped glass in the middle. The glass was a little bit blurred so I can't clearly see what's inside. On the center of the glass is the name of Jace in gold letters.

I didn't bother to knock and just rudely opened the door, ignoring the protests of Jace's secretary.

"Sir! Wait! You can't go in there!"

I ignored her and slammed the door closed. And just in case, I locked the door. I turned around and faced Jace, who was sitting casually on his chair.

"Kei, what are you doing here?" He asked uninterestedly.

Just then, the intercom on his desk beeped and the voice of his secretary sounded out.

"Sir, are you alright? Some boy barged into your office without an appointment!"

"Everything is fine, Diana. Continue your work." Then Jace turned off his intercom and leaned his elbows on his desk, resting his chin on his hands. "What brings you here, mon beau?"

I stomped nearer towards his desk and slammed my hands on it. "Don't give me that crap talk, asshole! Why did you threaten Ryan to stay away from me?"

He raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? I didn't do anything."

I gritted my teeth at his I-am-innocent act and slammed my hands again onto the table, letting a few papers fly away and onto the floor.

"Didn't do anything, my ass. Oh yeah, sure. Let Mr. Langlois threaten some guy and get away with it without the cops arresting him." I said, overloading with sarcasm.

Jace sighed tiredly. "I didn't threaten him. I just told him to stop getting close to you."

"That's not what he said to me a while ago."

He gasped mockingly, clutching at his chest. "You believe him more than your own époux? Je suis triste."

I rolled my eyes at his antics. I admit that his prominent French features was what caught my attention first when we first met, and I so happened to kinda have a slight obsession with French men at that time. But now, it seems like I'm doubting myself. How in the world could I feel any attraction towards Jace? Who cares if he's French or not. I hate him. Plain as that. And you know what's worse? I hate how he talks to me sometimes in French. Like, how can I even understand a thing he said? I always get pissed at him if he does that, because I often get the feeling he's insulting me or something.

I pointed a finger at him. "Whatever you said, shut up."

Much to my frustration, he grinned. "It feels like deja vu."

"You know what? Fuck you. I'm leaving."

"Wait." Then, he stood up from his chair and walked nearer towards me.

I backed up for a bit, still extremely cautious of what he was about to do next. The image of Jace kissing me suddenly replayed in my head again and again, it made my head spin.

Jace stopped a few inches from in front of me, just enough for his hot and minty breath to fan over my face. He then put his hand inside his suit pocket, grabbing something for a couple seconds before withdrawing his hand back. But then, I noticed something.

The hand he was using to rummage something inside his pocket, around the ring finger, lies his wedding ring. The silver band glistening under the sunlight peeking from the floor-to-ceiling windows.

I glanced down at his hand, his palm wide open for me to see my matching ring safely laying on top of his palm. He grabbed my left hand, and much to my utter surprise, he put the ring on my ring finger daintily. I looked up to see him smirking.

"You need to have a ring on your finger before you go outside, mon beau." He said.

I frowned, snatching my hand away from his grasp. But I didn't take off the ring, much to my confusion. Huh, weird.

"I hate you." I said, now starting to walk away from him and towards the door. But before I could open it fully, he called my name.

"Kei."

I turned around impatiently. "What?"

Then, he smiled. "See you back at home."

And what I didn't expect, my heart skipped a beat.