Ash’s pov ;
I walked into Elijah’s office, still puzzled about why the shoot was suddenly postponed today.
"Mr. Stone will be here shortly after his eting," Daniel inford .
"Alright," I nodded in understanding as he walked away.
As I stepped inside, the familiar surroundings brought a new wave of unease and curiosity. Wandering around his office was an old habit of mine, sothing I did every ti I visited here. And Elijah never seed to mind it, he never showed any kind of dismay.
I let my fingers trail across the surface of Elijah’s polished desk, glancing at the neatly organised papers and the array of expensive pens. The place reeked of his ticulous nature. Humph! Clean freak.
I moved around the room instead, my eyes landed on a file cabinet. My stomach churned abruptly. What if I found sothing again? Sothing like those secret investigative files about I stumbled upon last ti?
The mory of that discovery still haunted . I hadn’t fully processed it, and the details of my past ntioned in it gnawed at my mind. What were Elijah’s true intentions at that ti? Or even now? Why does he have those files, and what is he planning?
I shook my head, trying to push the thoughts away. I shouldn’t snoop around for the sake of my own peace even if the temptation is strong. The cabinet seed to call out to but taking a deep breath, I decided against it and turned away. Instead, I focused on the rest of the room.
I noticed a few personal items: a frad photo of Elijah’s graduation day, a couple of awards on a shelf, and a small plant in the corner. The plant looked well-cared for, just like everything else here.
Why did he call here today though? What did he want to talk about so suddenly?
Suddenly, my eyes landed on sothing familiar. Tucked away in the corner of Elijah’s desk was a small, delicate bracket. My heart skipped a beat as I recognized it imdiately. It was the special and limited edition couple bracelet I had gifted Elijah on his birthday.
I have one too, but I never told Elijah about it. I was too ashad and insecure, afraid that if Elijah found out it was a couple pair, he might not accept it.
I walked over and picked it up, fidgeting the bracelet between my fingers. A small smile appeared on my face as I looked at it. Elijah might never have valued these little things, the couple gestures that I cherished, dates, and giving each other cute and morable gifts, but to , they mattered a lot.
But Elijah was just a workaholic and unromantic old man.
All my life, I just craved a stable relationship, but due to my bad luck, I never got one. This bracelet symbolised a connection I longed for, a bond I hoped we could share. But now, even this beautiful bracelet is abandoned, just like .
Finding it here gathering dust makes my heart ache. The poor bracelet is just like , forgotten and neglected. It’s covered in a fine layer of dust, proof of its abandonnt.
Did Elijah really throw away sothing so precious? How an.
Sotis I couldn’t stop myself from deluding and believing in a reality that might never co true. No matter what, I couldn’t stop myself from having feelings for soone who might never like back. Even last night, when he let sleep in his arms, I couldn’t stop my fluttering heart. I didn’t sleep the whole night because I was afraid of missing a single second of being snuggled in his soothing embrace. His warmth, the endless rhythm of his breathing, everything about that mont felt perfect.
But it was temporary, sadly. Just like this bracelet, it felt like a small, precious mont destined to be overshadowed by the harsh realities of our relationship. I knew I was just fooling myself, but I couldn’t help it. Elijah was everything I wanted, and yet, he was always so far out of reach.
A sudden creak of the door made jump, causing the delicate bracelet to slip from my grasp and clatter softly against the desk. Elijah’s sharp eyes snapped up to mine, his frown deepening at the sight of my confused self.
"Why do you look so terrified?" he asked, a hint of amusent in his tone. "Were you up to sothing suspicious?"
My cheeks flushed with embarrassnt as I shook my head. "No, nothing like that."
As Elijah settled into his chair, I walked over to him and extended the bracelet towards him. His eyes widened as soon as he saw it, a mixture of surprise and recognition crossing his features.
"Where did you find this?" he questioned, taking the bracelet from my hand.
"I found it in that drawer," I replied, gesturing towards the open drawer on his desk. A glimr of hope sparked in my chest as I wondered if he really had unintentionally put it there and forgotten about it. Or really just throw it away, thinking it’s just trash. I observed his expression closely.
He nodded, examining the bracelet closely. "I rember taking it off one night when I showered here and thought I had lost it. Maybe Daniel accidentally placed it there."
"So, you didn’t throw it away?" I asked excitedly.
He raised an eyebrow defensively. "Why would I throw it away?"
My heart fluttered at his words as I blushed deeply. "Yeah, why would you throw it away?" I echoed shyly, a small smile tugging at my lips.
But before he could respond, a knock at the door interrupted us. Daniel entered and inford Elijah that the director had arrived. Curious about what was happening, I turned to him.
"Why did you call the director?" I asked inquisitively.
He looked at with an apologetic expression. "Just sit and listen," he said, his voice soft and sincere.
I was taken aback by the genuine sincerity reflected in his eyes and could only nod in response. I settled into a nearby chair, my mind buzzing with a mix of anticipation and curiosity for what was to co.
The director, Lucas, and Daniel entered the room after being granted permission by Elijah. Lucas took the seat beside , but not before shooting a tight-lipped expression. He then turned to Elijah with a polite smile, asking, "What is the purpose of this eting today, Mr. Stone?"
Elijah’s presence alone was intimidating, his calm exterior barely masking a seething anger underneath. His powerful aura seed to shrink the space around us.
"Daniel read the report," he said smoothly.
Daniel proceeded to read his report. "Mr. Ash has been subject to mistreatnt on set. Despite being the lead, his scenes were significantly cut, and he has been isolated during promotional events. The current script revisions diminish his role, which has led to backlash from fans and affected audience reception negatively."
Elijah’s expression grew darker and more dangerous. His eyes blazed with an icy fire.
When Daniel finished reading, he asked in a controlled tone. "Why is it so?"
Lucas started sweating. "The overall urging from the netizens and the other co-stars’ fans demand was too high, so—"
Elijah cut him off sharply. "So you decided to cut Ash’s scenes or maybe not just that, but completely make him nonexistent?"
I was beyond shocked. Did he especially call the director to scold him, just for ? I felt moved, a warmth spreading in my chest despite the tense situation.
Lucas stamred, "Mr. Stone, it’s not that simple. The pressure was imnse, and we had to—"
"Imnse pressure does not justify undermining the integrity of the production. Ash passed the audition fair and square. He deserves every scene as per the original script." Elijah cut him off again, not giving him any chance to speak.
"But Mr. Stone, the backlash—"
Elijah leaned forward, his eyes narrowing dangerously at the director who stiffened in response. "I don’t care about the backlash. If the script is not restored to its original form, I will stop the entire production. Am I clear to you?"
Lucas looked helpless, his face was turning pale. He nodded, accepting defeat. "Yes, Mr. Stone. I understand. We’ll make the necessary changes."
"Good," Elijah said coldly. "You may leave now."
Lucas quickly exited the room, clearly relieved to escape Elijah’s wrath. Elijah turned to Daniel. "Do not proceed with the shooting until the script is back to how it was."
Daniel nodded and left too.
I sat there, my mind reeling from the events that had just happened. He really stood up for . Stop beating so hard, stupid heart.
We sat in an awkward silence and I finally gathered the courage to break the quiet and asked. "Why did you help ?"
His gaze shifted away from mine before returning with a hint of hesitation. "I am not helping you as an individual. I am simply fulfilling my duty as the head of this company. If anyone else were in your position, I would do the sa."
His words stung deeply, staining my face with sadness and embarrassnt, and I could feel my cheeks burning with humiliation. Here goes my delusional self again.
How foolish of to believe for even a mont that I held any significance to him beyond being just another employee.
Our conversation fell into a lull. Then, out of nowhere, his voice broke through the silence.
"Are you free tonight?" his question posed with nervousness.
Startled, I lifted my gaze to et his. His usually confident deanour was replaced with an anxious one, and I couldn’t help but be intrigued by this new side of him.
Is he being shy now?
"Why?" I replied, trying to hide the smile that threatened to spread across my face.
He hesitated again, blinking profusely and fidgeting with his hands as awkwardness crept into his voice. "Ryder’s company has opened a new theatre, and tonight is its inauguration. He asked to bring you as well."
I couldn’t contain the small laugh that bubbled up from within at the sight of his ears turning red. He sounds as if he’s trying to defend himself.
"I’m free," I answered, trying to keep my voice steady despite the flutters in my chest.
Relief seed to wash over his features, and for a mont, I could see a softness in his expression that made my heart skip a beat.
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