#itcanbepossible

After all, it was your birthday party.

You painfully stood by your fiance’s side, greeting each of the guests in the huge ballroom. You had honestly lost count of how many forced smiles you had to oblige, your mind zoning out as you struggled to get through the dreadful evening, your actions falling into a routine of smiling and greeting and stopping yourself from reacting to the sexist and quite crude jokes carelessly thrown out of your fiance’s mouth.

At that moment you resented your father more than anything, with your hand linked with the source of your tribulations as he acted as if you were both of his sun and moon; and boy did he play his part with dedication, finding the utmost pleasure in his twisted act.

“Excuse me,” You couldn’t take another moment by his side, excusing yourself as you spotted a familiar face in the crowd.

“Where to, darling?” Your eyes moved to the tight grip on your forearm, raising an eyebrow as you met his gaze. Of course he was wearing the most affectionate look on his face, probably making the ladies swoon at ‘what a great gentleman he was with his fiancée ’. But you knew better than to think that his grip was anything but controlling and driven by anger.

“To see my friend!” You spat at his face, furiously ripping your arm from his grasp. As relieved as you were to be leaving his quite unpleasent company, you couldn’t help the anger running in your vains at the thought of actually being tied to that man.

“Ashton!” You raised your hand to catch his attention, making your way towards him when he noticed you.

“If I didn’t know how terrible Denis’ company is, I would’ve thought you were happy to see me.” Ashton joked as you came closer to him, pulling you into a tight hug as he whispered “Happy birthday” in your ear. You pulled away, smiling genuinely probably for the first time in the whole evening. It wasn’t hard to when you were in the company of someone you actually enjoyed being with. Ashton was the head of the HR Department at your firm, but after years of working together a genuine friendship set place between the two of you. Thus, he was aware of your current displeasure –to say the least.

“So,” Ashton began, grabbing a drink in his hand as he carried on, “How’s the fiancée life treating you?” He asked with a smirk, earning a playful slap on the chest from you.

“Don’t joke about this! It’s possibly the tenth time I’ve been asked this in the past hour.” You grumbled as you recalled the past events, cringing at the look the snobby guests would give you as they expected a legitimate answer.

Ashton was barely controlling himself, finding it unusually funny how you were struggling to control yourself, knowing fully well that you weren’t the type to bite back your words much. “If you think that’s funny, than you should hear about the question the women would ask. I mean, they ask me in all seriousness about the shoes and clothes and wedding dress and actually wait for me to answer them. But –god forbid- if anyone asked me about business, Denis would turn to me and go ‘Can you grab me a drink, dearest’” You scoffed, your face turning into a grimace as you imitated his words.

“Quite the catch you’ve got there,” Ashton commented, wondering just how much you were going to keep going before you unveiled your wrath.

“Tell me about it,” You grumbled, grapping an appetizer from the buffet you stood next to. Unvoluntarily, your eyes roamed the over crowded hall, anxiousness filling your chest as you looked for him. Was he not coming?

“Well, I’m off to see Michael,” Ashton quickly dismissed you, putting down the glass and walking past you, mumbling something along the lines of ‘Prince charming finally showed up’. Your eyebrowns knitted together as you tried to make sense of his words. Great. You were left alone again, a most likeable prey for someone to come up and start talking about the engagement again. That was not an option.

How ironic really; the –so said- birthday girl sulking by the buffet during her own celebration. But you’d much rather hide in a corner than attempt to socialize with any of the guests throwing fake compliments and deceitful smiles. Formal events were never your preferences, your interests more directed towards the hard work rather than its outcome on your social life.

“Happy birthday.” A sound resounded behind you, making you take a sharp breath in. The same words had been spoken to you at the beginning of the party by the owner of the ring on your hand, twisted with malice and wicked humor. But as your ears picked on the voice of the speaker, his words were nothing like the previous ones. On the contrary, they were spoken with care and genuine delight.

You slowly turned around, a smile already visible on your face as you were faced with Luke. “I thought you weren’t going to come,” You couldn’t help the words that you let out, just like you couldn’t help the break in your voice that didn’t go unnoticed by him.

“I had a late shift at work,” Luke explained, frowning at your words, “But I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” He reassured you with a smile, immediately earning one from you. You hadn’t seen him much since the encounter in his office a few weeks ago; you had both been engrossed in your adding pile of work, not really finding much time to talk or discuss the situation at hand. Altough Luke was persistant to send out a ‘good morning’ and ‘good night’ text as much as he could, hoping for you to know that he hadn’t dropped you in any way. He was still true to his word.

“How’re you doing?” Luke took a step closer, his question reaching deeper as his crystal blues filled with concern.

“I haven’t killed him yet, so…” You shrugged, offering a little laugh although it wasn’t about to mask the truth from him. If anything, Luke hated being in the same room as him as much –if not more- as you did.

Luke took in a breath, changing the subject as he didn’t want either of you to get your moods down, “I got you something,” Luke’s hand fiddled with the pocket of his pants, giving you a sheepish grin, “Turn around, will you?”

You sent him a questionning look that he shrugged off, complying nonetheless and doing as he asked. You had been standing with your back facing him for a couple of minutes as he fiddled with something behind you, until you felt a cold sensation on your neck as a light object fell on your skin. You hand shot up to touch the small pendant resting on your chest, feeling the delicacy of the charm as you looked down to examine it. A breathless chuckle escaped your mouth at the sight.

“A star?” You whispered as you turned around, Luke sending you a warm smile. Not even one of the expensive gifts were you given by people who didn’t know much aside from your last name could match the simple accessory you clutched in your hand. The star was Luke’s symbol; for you knew about the pleasure he found in gazing at the star peppered night sky when his stress levels went high. And at times, he would invite you too to come along with him, resulting into him naming the many constellations he knew, his finger pointing at the stars in the sky whilst you admired the ones residing in his eyes.

“A promise,” Luke corrected with a nod of his head, feeling content that you liked his carefully chosen gift.

Before either of you could say anything else, your father’s voice boomed through the speakers, requesting for everyone’s attention so he could make an announcement. Your eyes nearly popped out of your head, a joyful look adorning your face upon hearing his words.

“Luke, I’m sorry but I have to…” You turned around to excuse yourself, but he was already nodding his head, ushering you to get going. You couldn’t contain your excitement, the announcement you’ve been waiting for in years finally coming to be. That was it; that was the sealing moment to all of your hard work at the company.

“We’re gathered here to celebrate my daughter’s birthday, an incredibely hard-working and independent woman. And what a pleasure to see her stand alongside her futur husband,” You couldn’t help but roll your eyes at the mention of Denis, but even he couldn’t ruin the moment for you. You were clutching your hands together, your breath speeding up as you waited.

“And there’s no better opportunity to make my announcement. My years working at the firm have been very rewarding and pleasant, but as times change I find it mandatory to leave the Hotel in capable hands.”

Go on, Go on!

“And so I’m more than glad to be presenting your next CEO, my futur son-in-law, Denis!”

What?

Have you heard wrong?

Did he just?

That wasn’t the deal! He wasn’t supposed to hand the firm to him!

Your vision became blurry as you struggled to escape the crowded room, your thoughts scattered all over the place. It was all wrong. You were supposed to be handed the firm, not him. You had been promised by your father that for your current birthday, his gift for you would be handing you his spot. You had been waiting for that birthday ever since you had started working, waiting for the day your hard work would be rewarded. It was the motivation and hope pushing you to keep going and hit the finish line, knowing that when you reached an age that your father deemed old enough you would finally take over. 

The deal has been confirmed between you and your father; he had given you his word. But apparently it didn’t mean much, although you were sure that his actions were driven by Denis’ power thirst.

Undoubtedly, he must’ve found a way to pressure your father again, because you knew your father wasn’t stupid enough to hand him the Hotel he had spent years building up after seeing how his own company had reached the bottom.

“Hey, wait up…” Cold hands were on your skin, attempting to stop you as you tried to break free, “It’s me, it’s just me.” The soothing words finally reach your ears as you stopped your movement, allowing your body to trun around and face his concern-filled blues.

“Are you alright?” Luke asked, not really needing an actual answer as he knew you clearly weren’t, but feeling like you could use someone to talk to. His hands let go of your wrists seeing that you settled down, moving to cup your face as his thumb swept across your tear-stained cheek, his neck bending down to match your gaze. All it took was for you to shake your head ‘no’ and he was instantly wrapping his arms around you, 

“It’s ok, it’s gonna be ok.”

But even his shushing calming words couldn’t disspate the raging hurricane shaking up your heart. Your hands softly pushed him away, shaking your head as the hostility of your anger surfaced.

“It’s not! It’s not going to be ok because this was my last chance! This was my only hope to fix things, and now it’s all gone!” You couldn’t care less about screaming as loud as you were, your hands flailing around as angry tears descended your face. 

Pain filled Luke’s chest upon seeing your state, hating your distress. But he couldn’t bring himself to stop you or quiet you, because he knew that you were right. He understood your frustration at the situation and your rage, and he was aware that if kept in, those feeling would only harm you.

“Everything is going wrong! This was supposed to be my night and I was supposed to be free. This was my salvation.” Your screams had died down, turning into bitter, numb words. You had studied the situation at hand, and realised that becoming the CEO was truly the best chance you had. Had you become in control, you would’ve tried at least to find a way out of the deal, you would’ve fought to break the bond. As a CEO, you would no longer have a controlling hand hovering above you, and you wouldn’t be forced to carry on with the ridiculous plan you were trapped in.

Truth be told, you had seen it as your salvation before the whole Denis Drama; precisely ever since you cut things off with Luke. You had been waiting day and night for the day you’d finally become CEO, for it would be the day you’d unhit the pause button and rejoin what you both shared.

But with the sudden turn of events, a bitter laugh made its way out your throat, scoffing at your childish beliefs that you could find a way out; that things would work your way.

“Tonight was supposed to be spent with you, not with…” You quietly admitted, closing your eyes as you recalled your hopes of finally setting things right with person who has never left your mind. You opened your eyes upon feeling a close presence, meeting Luke’s smiling face.

“It can still be.” His hand was offered for you to hold, the palm of his hand inviting you to accept. However, you couldn’t help the sad smile you sent his way. You were thankful for his attempts, but it was far-fetched. “Luke, it’s not…”

“Yes, we can.” He interrupted you, nodding towards his hand, “Take it,”

His hopeful eyes gauged your every movement, noting how your hands were anxiously playing with your fingers as your cautious stare was glued on his inviting hand. Slowly, you raised your hand, smiling when it was fully in his grasp. Intertwining your fingers together, your hands never lost touch as he led you to the stairs, urging you to keep going until you reached the very end.

“We’re at the roof!” You exclaimed, taking in the breathtakingly beautiful view it granted. Luke shrugged off his vest, setting it aside as he walked closer to you. A tired smile appeared on his face as he slowly pulled you in by the waist, a tender look in his eyes.

“I thought you could use a little bit of silence,” His hands pulled in a little more, making you rest your hands on his biceps, feeling the material of his white button up. You scrunched your eyebrows together, sending him a questionning look once he began swaying the two of you together, his thumb softly moving against the fabric of your dress.

“What are you doing?” You let out a breathless giggle, your heart nearly bursting at the fondness in his eyes and the tiniest smile on his plump lips.

“We’re dancing,” Luke softly mumbled, his raspy voice betraying just how exhausted he really was. His eyes were moving from your talking lips to your cold cheeks, eyebrows knitted together as he tried to memorize how the city lights illuminated your features.

“I hate to break it to you, but there’s no music.” Your words were spoken in a hushed tone, enjoying the silence in the roof compared to the buzzing noise back in the ball room. More so, you were enjoying the cherished moment you were having.

Luke playfully scoffed at your words, pulling away as he got his phone out of his pocket, fiddling with it before a tune filled the quiet atmosphere. Putting his phone down, Luke walked back towards you. One of his hands found the curve of your back again, the other holding your hand against his chest. Your head found its place right above his heart, the warmth radiating from his body enough to keep you from shivering due to the chilly night.

“I was going to try and say something romantic, like we’re dancing to beat of our hearts, but you turned out to be a party pooper.” Luke’s teasing words received a small chuckle from you, grumbling that you weren’t a party pooper like he claimed.

Please let me know that my one bad day will end I will go down as your lover, your friend Give me your lips and with one kiss we begin 

“Blink 182? Who would’ve guessed?” You mumbled against his chest, recognizing the tune of ‘I’m lost without you’ playing from his phone. You smiled, feeling the vibration as he hummed out a yes, “I was quite the punk kid in my teenage years,”

You raised your head from his chest, your lips forming a wide grin at his words, “I will need visual comfirmation of that!”

Are you afraid of leaving tonight Cause I am, I’m lost without you

Your bodies swayed together, your feet clumsily moving around, silence lingering aside from the song playing in the background. You wanted nothing more than to engrave that night’s memory in your mind, wanting to remember how his touch felt and how his calming his presence was, because you didn’t know if you could be brave enough to go on after the night reached an end.

“I’ve missed you,” You finally spoke up, his grip on your hand tightening as his thumb moved to rub the skin on your knuckles. “I know.” Luke’s words were mumbled against your skin, his mouth moving to peck your temple. Every day since you parted he had been wanting to tell you, yet he couldn’t do so as he didn’t trust his voice at the moment. Knowing that holding you in his arms was only temporary, knowing that by the end of the night you’d be expected to stand next to another man; he couldn’t bring himself to say a word, simply wanting to make the best of the time he had.

But as his hand let go of yours to cup your cheek, his thumb stroking your skin, his face leaning closer and closer until you could feel his nervous breath; you immediately detached yourself from his warm grip. Your eyes shyed away from him, your chest feeling heavier by the second as you tried to form the correct words in your head.

“I’m sorry” Your eyes finally met his, sending him an apologetic look, “I can’t do it. I can’t- ” You couldn’t bring yourself to string Luke along, not when you both knew that you were spoken for, that you weren’t his to have.

Luke nodded at your words, his hands sliding into the pockets of his pants. But as he lifted his eyes to meet yours, the sad smile you wore on your face made his stomach knot. He almost understood what you were about to do, whitout you needing to speak it. Luke shook his head, his breaths uneven as he stared at you.

“Thank you for tonight. You gave a little getaway from everything, and I can’t thank you enough.” Your voice shook but you maintained a smile on your face, your eyes fixed on the man you loved more than anything. It has to be done.

“Don’t!” Luke’s voice was barely a whisper, his hands froming into fists, wanting nothing more than for you to stop. He knew where you were headed, and it wasn’t something he could take.

“I didn’t have any worry with you tonight, all what mattered was us,” Letting out a little laugh, your vision blurred but you urged your heart to stay strong. It needs to be done. Every fiber in your being fought against the words you so desperately wanted to hold back in, but the overbearing truth that you had both of our feet stuck in the mud was enough to keep you going. Luke was still in the safety of the land, and you knew that he would be more than ready to launch himself in the sinking mud to help you. 

“Baby, don’t do this, please.” The crack in his voice felt like a twisting dagger in your heart, the vulnerability in his words filling your eyes with the tears you could no longer hold back. 

Taking a few steps towards him, your hands reached out for his. Your thumbs brushed against the smooth skin of his knuckles, your eyes afraid of meeting his. The fact that you couldn’t meet his gaze made Luke sick to the stomach, alarming him of your intention but –dammit- he couldn’t allow himself to accept it. You knew you were hurting him, the thought almost cutting your oxygene supply.

“If it’s not destined for me to have a happy ending, I’m glad I’ve had mine with you tonight.” Your barely audible words were sealed with a chaste kiss on his knuckles, your lips lingering a little too long on his skin. A tear drop landed on the back of his hand as you squeezed your eyes shut; but to Luke it felt like acid burning his skin, and your lingering lips never felt as painful as they did. Because Luke knew.

He knew that for the time being, you were kissing him goodbye.

Luke’s hand dropped numbly to his side, your grasp leaving him cold and hollow. He feared that you dropping his hand meant a greater deal; he feared that it meant you were dropping him. 

“Please stop, you can’t-“ Luke could hear the desperation in his pleas, his words mirroring his internal agony. Warily, he lifted his hand back, sending you a bright smile though his teary eyes. 

“Take my hand, baby, we’ll work it out, yeah? We will-“ His head was frantically nodding, his arm extending a bit more thought he couldn’t bring himself to touch you. It felt as if you were nothing but a shadow that would fade away with his touch; he feared that you had become a mere specter of everything he couldn’t uphold. 

But you had stepped away from him, the small movement filling him up with frustration to the brim. “Dammit! Take my hand! Don’t you dare walk out on me like this!” Luke roared, angry tears falling from his eyes. You were shredding his heart to pieces and he couldn’t take another moment of that agonizing pain.

“I love you.” You croaked out, heart dropping as you gave him one last look; one last look to your friend, your lover, your home. And as you dissapeared from his line of vision, Luke couldn’t budge out of his place. Normally, he would’ve been more than delighted to hear those words. But he couldn’t shake the way you spoke them as if it would be the last time. He couldn’t bring himself to say them back because that would make him feel like it was sealed, like it was all done.

Standing there in numbness as the song playing in the background carried the tune of his broken heart, it felt like the weight of the world came crushing down on him. He had thought that nothing could ever hurt him more that the first time you left. He could still recall how hard it was for you both to come to the decision, and how harder it was to execute it. 

But as he stood on the rooftop with a heavy heart, he knew he had been wrong for the pain felt much, much worse. Whilst Luke had a small spark of hope when you had parted for the first time, your second departure had robbed him off of every trace of it, sending him sailing on a sea of agony and despair.

Running down the countless stairs, your hand was clutching your mouth as you tried to hinder your sobs. You couldn’t shake the look on Luke’s face no matter how hard you tried, just like you couldn’t forget his words. At the end of the stairs, you spotted a panting Ashton despite your blurred vision. 

His eyes softened at the sight of you, his welcoming arms urging you to come closer. Of course he knew you’d do that; not that you had told him but simply because he knew you. You were thankful for his tight grip as it felt like your body was about to collapse, finally letting go and allowing your sobs to break through. 

“You silly girl,” Ashton sadly mumbled against your hairline, and although his words were reprimanding he knew you’d done the right thing. He only wished that it didn’t have to be that painful to you. 

“Take me out of here, ple-ase” You begged him as your grip tightened aroud him. The last thing you needed was to be surrounded by snobs whose faces were permanently etched into a hypocritical smile. “Take me out,”

That first night, neither you nor Luke was able to close your eyes. The two of you mourning over the ‘could have been’s and ‘never were’s. And as one sleepless night turned into two, and a day became a week, you had both needed a way to find your sleep again. Going on like you were wasn’t an option in the life you both lived. 

But as Luke found the urge to drive every morning to his company and work with all feelings aside, you had distanced yourself from work. You needed some time to accept how things turned out, you needed a little bit of space to get over your father’s current decisions and Denis’ futur ones.

Coming back from your morning jog- the best way you had found to ignore the million thoughts buzzing in your head- you hadn’t exactly expected to find tall body leaning on your doorstep. Taking your earphones off and rolling them around your phone as you pocketed the latter, you made your way closer to him.

“No offence Ash, but what are you doing here?” You snickered when he faced you, a mocking look on his face to mirror yours, “Well hello to you too,” 

Moving past him, you unlocked the front door, kicking your running shoes off and gesturing for him to follow you. You made your way into the kitchen in order to fech yourself some breakfast, and Ashton took that as his key to speak.

“It’s been well over three weeks, you can’t just stay at home forever,” He bantered, folding his arms against his chest as he leaned on the counter. Your first few days of absence had gone unnoticed, but as the days started piling up it could no longer be hidden.

“Ashton, I’ve lost everything!” You turned around with a scowl, “Do you just want me to get back there and forget that what’s mine has been taken away from me? Do you want me to stand there and watch my dear husband rip apart all of the hard work that’s been put?” 

You stopped with a sigh, your hand picking up the coffee filled mug and handing Ashton his. “It’s not easy for me to just accept that, I’ve lost everything.” Your words repeated like a broken record, the pain still visible as you spoke. Even the thought of having Denis as your boss was cringe-worthy, the attributes and aspects of that man far too crude for you to handle.

“You’re not just talking about work, are you?” Ashton brought his mug to his lips, his eyes gauging your reaction to his words. “Did you hear from him?” He pushed further, watching as you shook your head a no. You sighed, setting your mug down, “And quite honestly, I can’t expect him to. It wasn’t fair for me to drag him in the first place.” You shrugged, your words spoken in a futile attempt to console yourself.

Ashton walked closer to you, his hands on your shoulders as he spoke assertively, “I can’t possibly understand what you’re going through exactly, but I know this; you’re a hard worker (y/n). No matter what spot you take, whether it be a CEO or a codirector or a CFO, you do your best with the utmost dedication. It would be a shame to lose someone like you at the firm.” 

Nodding at his words, you offered him a small smile, “I know, I just need some time.”

And time you took. But it appeared that somewhere between your meeting with Ashton and the boring days spent at home, you had found your desire and will again. Truly, you couldn’t really part from work, not only because you grew to love it but also because it became an extensive part of your life. Staying low and ignoring the cuffs chaining your hands was nice for a while, but it couldn’t go on forever just like you couldn’t sit back and wait for your father’s next move, feeling like a chess piece in his grasp.

And so with a stern look, you barged through the spinning doors, heading straight towards the elevator. Needless to say, your presence had shaken the entire place, every eyes turning towards you upon hearing the click of your high heals.

“Bring me a copy of all the latest activity, as well as what I missed. My office. Now.” You barked at your assistant, your eyes hidden behind your shades as you headed towards your office. No longer than ten minutes later, your assistant came barging in with a stack of papers in her arms, words leaving her mouth in a scurry as your eyes roamed over the documents. 

Apperently, Denis becoming CEO wasn’t finalized yet, although the paperwork was practically done. Once left alone, you hands picked up the papers, going through them and focusing on the littlest details. You needed to know where everything stood exactly before doing anything- if you were to do anything.

A knock on your office door brought your attention from the dangling necklace you still couldn’t bring yourself to take off. A promise. You lifted your head up as you let go of the chain, smiling at your guest. 

“I heard some interns complaining about someone terrorizing them, so I figured my favorite workaholic is back.” Ashton moved to take a seat on one of the chairs in front of your desk. 

“Oh hush, I didn’t terrorize anyone, I’ve simply asked for work to be done in time.” You offered a sheepish smile at Ashton, aware of your impact on them.

“Either way, I’m not complaining.” You raised an eyebrow at his words, a sly smile creeping on your face, “Oh really?” You taunted, “Cause it feels you’re just happy to have my treats back.”  You bantered, sliding a freashly brewed coffee cup towards him along with a croissant, knowing that he most likely didn’t have his breakfast. 

Ashton wasted no time to sip his coffee, “I’ll admit, no one here thinks about bringing me a cup of coffee,” He scoffed, faking his annoyance as he took a bite of the pastery.

“I gotta ask,” Ashton spoke up after a while, his drink set aside, “How’s everything, I mean, you came back to work, so…” 

You sighed, setting the papers in hand aside, “Honestly, I don’t know.” You admitted, leaning back on your chair, “But all I know is that I can’t sit back. I will fight. Even if it means that I have to go through every paper and every contract, I will. And if he somehow manages to tear everything down, I’ll be here to bring it up. He won’t win.” 

Determination shone from your eyes at every spoken, earning a proud smile from Ashton. “That’s the woman I know.” He responded with an encouraging smile, showing you that he had your back no matter the outcome.

Going back to your papers, you averted your eyes from Ashton whilst he picked up the day’s newspaper from your desk. But as your eyes shot back towards him, the question you meant to ask him left hanging in your mouth at the sight. Your eyes frantically stared at the bolded headline, your mouth hanging ajar as you struggled to take them in. what? Standing abrubtly from your desk, you snatched the paper from Ashton’s hands. You waisted no time in responding to his confused words, your feet marching towards the main office. You threw the door open, eyes dangerously staring at your father’s.

“What on earth is this!” You exclaimed, slamming the paper on his desk. He only spared a nonchalent look at the item, his eyes moving back to the book in his hands as if it were nothing. How could he be so calm? The ground was shaking at your feet, threatening you more than anything and he was unphased?

“You’ve seen it. Tragic really.” He only spared you a few words, the words lazily rolling off his tongue. It only angered you more, your eyebrows knitted together at his words, tragic? “Do you have any idea what this could mean?” You insisted, unable to stop looking at the headline.

‘Denis Greer, CEO of GREER INDUSTRIES caught for fraud and other charges.’

The news, however delightful, weren’t as simple as it was stated. “It means that you’ll be taking that ring off, we can’t be seen in relation with him at this time.” Your father commanded, his eyes still not meeting yours and quite frankly you were getting irritated by the second. 

“DAD!” you slammed your hand against the desk, the unusual action catching him off guard. “Do you have any idea what this could do to us? If he goes down, we go down!” you screeched, your eyebrows rising as you desperately tried to get a grasp of what was happening. Surely, if Denis was capable of blackmailing your father not only once but twice, he would find a way to drag you into his mess –you were sure of it.

 Your father dropped his book with a sigh, his face showing his true emotions at last, and he was just as puzzled as you were. “It seems to be safe so far. The documents of my previous trade with him weren't brought up,” he offered the bit of information he knew, the words making you take a seat as you shook your head. 

“How?” You barely managed to let out, the situation making no sense.

“I don’t know. But the files that were held against him didn’t have any mention of our name. I have no idea what happened, but he has no evidence of our trade, like it just vanished all together.” But as your father’s perplexity grew, your understanding of the situation became clearer. Could he have done it?

A sudden feeling took over you, making you dash out of your father’s office, not even grabbing your phone or coat as you ran out of the building. And as your father’s words played over and over in your head, your need to know the truth became more persistant. You needed to know if he had anything to do with it, you just had to. You slid into your car, barking out the adress for your driver; your gaze fixed on the empty spot in your left hand, the ring long forgotten as you threw it on your father’s desk before leaving. Your nerves hit the maximum level when the car came to a stop, making you run through the office doors. Everything was a blurr, although you could remember running into a few people and the voice of his assistant trying to slow you down. But none of it mattered, and none of it managed to stop you until you were faced with him.

“Did you-?” You stuttered out, moving inside his office to mimize the distance. Luke got up from his desk, a small smile on his lips as he walked closer. He offered you small nodd, comfirming your previous suspiscions. A promise; the word came back to mind, knowing that he did take of care of things. 

“H-how?”  The question was met with a frown from Luke, uneasiness filling him up at the thought of answering it. Luke didn’t like getting his hands dirty, and he certainly didn’t need you to know in detail what he had done. Instead, he simply stated that it wasn’t important.

Beyond doubt, Luke knew that there were boundaries he wasn’t going to cross. 

As much as he wanted to help you, there were things he couldn’t allow himself to do, not if it meant tearing his own business down. Not because he wasn’t ready to lose everything for you, and definitely not because you weren’t as important as work for him. It was essentially because he knew his actions wouldn’t affect him only; Luke was at the top of the food chain, and one wrong move from him could not only hurt him, but everyone at the levels beneath him, starting from the business men he worked with and sliding down to the lowest level of the pyramid consisting of workers that basically lived off of his payement. It wouldn’t be fair to endanger all of them.

Moving closer to him, you threw your arms around him, bringing him into a tight hug. “Thank you” You whispered in his ear, “Thank you so much.” Tears filled your eyes, letting go of his grasp to gauge his reaction. You honestly couldn’t blame him if he was mad at you. Instead, a smile krept on his face, easing down part of your worries.

“About that night-“ You began, but Luke was quick to shush you. 

“I know.” He stated. And he knew. After you had left, the night of your birthday, Luke was confused and extremely perplexed. He had given you his word, so why were you letting go of him instead? At the time being, he couldn’t make sense of your actions. 

But his confusion surely turned into livid anger. How could you drop him the way you did when he was ready to waste every second he had on helping you? How could you just walk away from everything after you stated your love for him? And as the fire that fueled his anger died down, all he had left was the numbing pain in his chest, the reminder of what he desired but couldn’t maintain. 

Yet it was only after all of it that he came to his current state; understanding.  Luke was finally able to understand you completely; you both needed that. He knew that there was chance that things wouldn’t have worked out for the best; he knew that there was a chance that he wouldn’t have been able to fix things. And in that case, what you both needed was a goodbye; a closure so that both of your hearts wouldn’t go roaming around, holding on to what would only scar you. Truthfully, Luke was thankful that you were strong enough to go through with it.

“I was afraid it was our last goodbye.” You admitted, jaw tightening as you looked down. Luke’s fingers gingerly took hold of your jaw, lifting your face up to meet his gaze. 

“I wouldn’t’ve let that be.” He reassured you, and reassurance you needed. You had feared that it was all thrown in the wind, convinced that it couldn’t be mend. But there he was, assuring you that he was still by your side; that he has never left. 

“Now, I realise that you might be busy in the next few days, but I’m hoping you’re free for today.” You knitted your eyebrows together at his words, confused as to why you’d be busier. Nothing was changing. 

“Why would I be?” you questionned, shaking your head at him questionably.

“Well, I’m supposing that with your beloved Fiancé gone, you’ll be the one promoted to CEO. That’ll be time consuming.”  His words caught you off guard, making you want to pinch yourself. Of course! You had been too worried about who did what and who helped to figure that Luke’s words were true. It was finally happening. But that also meant that…

“Wait! Does this mean that-?” Your words were caught in your throat, your lips moving into a joyful grin. 

“Yes, it means I can take my girl on a proper date.” 

Luke’s velvety voice hit your ears, making your stomach churn at his words. You couldn’t look away from him, completely mesmerized by his sun- illuminated face, the rays making his eyes look like the calmest lake and giving his locks and stubble a golden allure.