Chapter 109

109 The Unavoidable

“Well, yes...” I replied.

“He’s so selfish. Why would he do something like that? He knows well that it’s against the rules of the company. None of the company’s senior management or his producer has heard that song and no one has the file except for you and him. Regardless, can you give the file to me?” Mark asked desperately after having complaint to his heart’s content.

“Why can’t you get it from EROS?” I inquired.

“He’s refusing to hand it over until he’s confident that it’s good enough. He’s being super stubborn about it. He told me that if it isn’t good enough, he’ll just delete it all and announce that he won’t be releasing a single anymore. This is crazy. The upper management is going mad all over it,” Mark said, and I could hear the frustration in his voice.

I guess EROS hasn’t told him that I already approved of the new song.

“The truth is, I already spoke to EROS and told him that the song is good enough. EROS will probably release the song, so you don’t have to worry about that,” I explained.

“When did this happen?” Mark asked in shock.

“Umm...Sunday night. EROS didn’t tell you?” I asked with slight confusion.

“No. He didn’t tell me anything. Why am I surprised? He never tells me anything...” Mark began complaining again and it was like he was on the verge of losing his mind.

.....

“Anyways, I think that it’s best for you to talk to EROS directly. You don’t have to worry too much. I’m sure that EROS will release the song,” I said reassuringly.

“Thank you. I can’t thank you enough, Elena,” Mark said before sighing with a mix of exhaustion and relief.

“I didn’t do anything so there’s no need to thank me,” I replied honestly.

After that Mark thanked me over and over again until I had to invite him to leave so that we could both get on with our day. I walked Mark to the elevator to send him off. Judging from the dark circles under the poor man’s eyes, I bet he hadn’t slept well for a few days. EROS really was causing trouble for everyone around him. Now that the single would be released, I hoped that things would go well for everyone, EROS included.

“So, are you going to meet with the CEO?” Justin asked the moment that I returned to the room.

I knew that he was referring to Brandon.

“Should I?” I asked for a second opinion.

“That’s up to you but if you asked me, I say that you should,” Justin replied with a firm nod my way.

Maybe he’s right. There’s no point in me running and hiding away from Brandon. If he wanted to, he could find me anytime. The fault was partly mine, I let my guard down and I slept with him. Then I just got all confused with memories of the past and the present.

“What about I just do dinner with him?” I suggested.

Spending the rest of the day with him would be a little much since there’s so much time left. I also had no idea what he had in mind, but I wasn’t sure that I was comfortable spending almost the whole day with him.

“He’s open for anything actually in his request. I’ll propose dinner...or do you want to talk to him directly?” Justin asked but it was more of a suggestion.

“Sure. I’ll give him a call...” I replied before offering Justin a weak smile.

“Hang in there, girl. If these billionaires don’t have one of two screws loose, they wouldn’t be paying you for a job like this,” Justin said encouragingly.

“I bet they have more than a few screws loose...” I mumbled.

“I’m sure that there’s nothing that you can’t fix,” Justin said with a comforting smile.

Oh, how I wished that was true.

“I didn’t graduate from mechanical engineering or anything like that...” I joked.

“I’ll help you work on the new contracts based on your request but if you ever feel uncomfortable...” Justin said before trailing off.

“Thanks,” I replied with a smile.

I knew what he wanted to say. If I get uncomfortable, I can terminate the contract from my side too. Although, it may come with some penalty fees.

...

Running away from reality wasn’t an option for me and the monthly repayment schedule for my debt was a harsh reminder of that. Regardless of my discomfort, I decided to face Brandon head-on and meet him for dinner. I’ve been to this restaurant a couple of times before with my friends from my previous life as George’s wife. Personally, I liked the atmosphere and the food, but I didn’t remember ever having a good time there. Perhaps, it was the company of the people that I was with that was to blame for that.

I picked out a deep red dress that hugged my figure well to show off the curve of my breasts and my hips. The dress was knee length and after pairing it with patent black heels, I had to say that I looked quite delicious. After inspecting myself in the mirror, I started thinking that this might be a little too much provocation considering what had just transpired between us the last time that we met.

Come what may...

The traffic was light, so it didn’t take me long to arrive at the restaurant where I was supposed to meet Brandon. When I took Brandon on as one of my clients, deep down, I knew that it was highly probable that we would rekindle our physical relationship even if we couldn’t bring back what we once had as a couple. I also had sex with him even before we signed the contract. He must have liked it...sleeping with me...

After ordering our food, I started to feel nervous as I sat opposite Brandon in our private dining room with nothing but a beautifully lit candle in between us on the table.

–To be continued...