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“Next!”
I was now back with the man who had turned me away earlier. He looked at me suspiciously.
“You waited? I don’t know who you’re expecting to find in there, but I hope it was worth the wait.”
I could only hope so too as I entered the building. After walking down a small corridor, I entered the main hall. Inside tables filled the area with counters serving hot food lining the sides. It was there that I spotted him. My eyes widened at the sight of the almighty billionaire CEO with a hideous blue net covering his hair, dishing out food to hungry people. It appeared that no one seemed to know who he was as they filtered past, picking up their lunch as they walked by. I once again found myself joining the line as I walked around the hall. The volunteers eyed me with confusion as I rejected the food and inched my way over to him. It wasn’t until I was directly in front of him did he look up, shock registering on his features.
“Selena?” he gasped, “What are you doing here?”
“Funny, I was about to ask you the same question. Has this been your mysterious Friday meeting all along?”
Eddie called over to one of the other volunteers to take his place as he ushered me into one of the backrooms. Closing the door behind him, he turned to face me. I was still waiting for answers.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner,” he said, cupping my face, “I didn’t want to draw any attention to my identity. No one knows me here. I’m part of a different world. I can just blend in with the volunteers and give back to the community without any ties to my last name or the company. The anonymous donations I give help keep the place running every year, and I know that I’m doing something to help without needing any credit for it.”
I was taken aback for a moment, unsure of what to say. A man who was so fearless in business, so serious and unyielding in his emotions up to a few weeks ago, had a soft side that no one was aware of. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that Edward Huntington spent his Friday lunchtimes volunteering at a soup kitchen, let alone donating considerable amounts of cash to keeping it running, all while remaining anonymous. I was seeing him in a completely different light.
“Eddie, this is amazing. I can’t believe you do all of this.”
He smiled and gently grabbed my hand, “It’s not impressive, just the right thing to do. I have so much, and these people have nothing. It’s the least I could do. I’m actually glad you’re here and get to see this side of me. No one else has any idea about this, yet I can’t think of anyone else I’d like to share it with. Which I guess brings me onto something I’ve been meaning to talk to you about.”
A sense of dread settled over me. I started to panic, thinking it had all been too good to be true. How could someone as perfect as him want to be with me? I remained silent as I waited for him to confirm my fears.
“I know we’ve only been seeing each other for a few weeks, but I’ve known you for years. I wish I had been honest with myself back then and valued the time I had with you, but we are where we are today because of the decisions we’ve made. It's taken a lot of time for me to get to this point and to admit my true feelings for you. It was quite the discovery, to say the least. But now I know more than ever how I feel towards you, Selena. I love you.”
My breath caught in my throat at his words. It wasn’t until tears sprung to my eyes that I realized just how happy I was and just how much those words meant to me. It was also a self-discovery for me when I realized I, too, felt the same way. I didn’t think it would be possible for my feelings to grow so much in such a short time, but Eddie was right. This had been accumulating for years. And it was finally time to say it out loud.
“I love you too, Eddie.”
When our lips met, I knew I had made the right decision. I knew that from this point on, there would be no denying the relationship between us.
It was time to announce it to the world.
THIRTEEN
~ Edward ~
I had everything planned.
The private jet was booked for our flight out to Great York under the pretense of a work trip to visit Elden at his office. He had taken great amusement to my story as to why his office held a significance to mine and Selena’s relationship. Even after all these months, it’s still been one of the defining points of our journey. It was the place where I finally allowed myself to give in to my emotions and allow myself to discover my love for her. We had filed everything with HR, and the office was aware of our relationship. Only one person was left in the dark, and I would have been happy to keep it that way if I didn’t need something from her.
It’s time to get the family ring.
When I made the call, I could hear the excitement in my mother’s voice. She kept asking me questions, but I shut her down, telling her it would be better to speak in person. I knew that way she wouldn’t be able to throw herself out the nearest window when she inevitably had a breakdown. Regardless of her emotions, I was no longer going to hide my relationship with Selena. She was too important to me.
“Edward!”
I looked up from my laptop to see my mother waltz into my office, a smile plastered on her face. As usual, she hadn’t bothered with knocking.
“Mom, it’s great to see you.”
“It seems I’m the only person you’ve seen in a while. Your pesky assistant is missing from her desk. Have you finally fired her?”
I bristled at her words. We were already off to a bad start. It would take nothing short of a miracle to turn the situation around. Gritting my teeth, I signaled for her to take a seat. She barely had time to sit down before she started firing off questions.
“So, who is she? What’s she like? When do I get to meet her? It really is awful that you haven’t introduced us sooner. What am I going to tell the girls at the country club? Never mind. I brought the ring.”
She didn’t wait for me to answer as she slid the box across the table. Carefully, I picked it up and flicked open the lid. Inside was a ring that had been in the family for generations. The diamonds were flawless and tactfully placed. Unlike most things in the family, it was refined and subtle—a perfect fit for Selena. I was so caught up in admiring the ring that I didn’t notice Selena slip through the open door. It wasn’t until I heard her clear her throat that I looked up in surprise.
