The passive aggression was so pronounced, that one could almost cut it with a knife.

It was as though Athenaïs' world had crumbled before her very eyes, the little light that once thrived in her heart, went out completely.

The blood that ran through her veins paused for a moment, unbeknownst to Athenaïs that Keith has been engaged.

All this time while they frolicked in each other's bed. In each other's arms, night after night... he couldn't find a moment to mention in all that time, that he was affianced to another woman.

In a twinkle of an eye, she relived all the beautiful moments they shared and how it has now been dashed into the dust.

The bitter look on her face couldn't be mistaken.

"Please excuse me," Athenaïs said as she walked away. Keith didn't try to stop her.

Her efforts to hold back her tears were futile, she bawled her eyes out in her car in the parking lot.

"What was that about Keith?" Flynn said with furrowed eyebrows.

Keith turned to frown at her.

"What are you doing here Flynn? This is my place of work and I didn't get a call that you were coming,"

"Oh come on baby don't be like that... I wanted to surprise you, and London is so boring," Flynn retorted with a flirty sigh, attempting to kiss him but he swerved his face.

"You know very well I do not like surprises, I've had my fair share of surprises from you... I'll have Sam take you to your hotel,"

"Hotel? Keith, we're going to be husband and wife in a matter of months, why can't I stay at your place?"

"Because I don't want you at my place and you should bear in mind that this farce of a marriage is merely a business contract... NOTHING HAS CHANGED!"

"Are you fucking her?" Flynn said with a fiendish smile.

Keith glared at her and walked away without saying another word.

Cavorting with her boss has come back to bite her hard in the least way she expected. She locked herself in her room and turned off her phone.

Martha catered to her and tried to make her feel better but nothing could heal the excruciating pains she felt inside.

Someone knocked on the door, it was Keith, Martha opens the door.

"I'm very sorry but I don't think she wants to talk to you right now,"

"Just tell her I'm here, if she refuses to see me then I shall leave" Keith replied.

Martha closed the door and told Keith to wait outside while she spoke to Athenaïs.

She knocked on Athenaïs' door, Athenaïs hesitates to open it but eventually did.

Her eyes were red and puffy from all the crying.

"He's here... he wants to talk to you," Martha said softly.

Athenaïs glared at Martha.

"I don't want to talk to him, tell him to leave now!"

"Do you really want that? You don't want to talk to him?"

"What could he possibly want to tell me? Huh?"

"Just hear what he has to say, okay?"

Martha said and dabbed Athenaïs' face with some moist towelettes on the dresser.

Athenaïs reluctantly opened the door for Keith to come in, and Martha gives them privacy.

Her countenance was cold and distant.

"Athenaïs, I- I-" Keith fidgeted.

"You what?"

"I'm sorry.."

"For what? Huh? For what?"

"For everything..." Keith said calmly.

"So you have a fiancé..."

"Yes... we are getting married in a few months,"

"Wow! Congratulations sir!! Now you can leave,"

Athenaïs walked towards the door and opens it; showing Keith out.

He walked towards the door.

"You had the guts to come here to confirm it to me! To rub salt in my wounds, get out!"

"I'll leave, just came to apologize... I'll never forget the times we shared Athenaïs,"

Athenaïs brewed hot in fury.

"Leave now! And don't try to reach out to me."

Keith stepped out and Athenaïs slammed the door hard behind him, it made a huge bang. Her back against the door, she fell to the floor crying. Martha comes to comfort her, Athenaïs held Martha crying bitterly.

Keith sat in the car silently groaning in misery; he slammed his hands on the steering wheel repeatedly.

For a few weeks, Athenaïs didn't keep in touch and Keith didn't reach out to her either.

Athenaïs decided to move out of the house and return the company car and also submit an official resignation letter.

Everyone at the office speculated that Athenaïs got fired because Keith's fiancé didn't like her around.

One evening Athenaïs showed up at the office unannounced. It was almost the close of the day.

Everyone was surprised to see her, they approached her to express their concern and delight to see her again.

She walked right into Keith's office, he was there all alone. Keith was surprised to see her but pleased.

"Athenaïs..." he said with a soft gaze.

Her attitude wasn't friendly or inviting, she placed an envelope on his table and turned to leave but he stopped her.

"Wait... can we at least talk? For real this time," Keith said as he opened the envelope.

Athenaïs turned to face him with a cold stare. He reads the content of the envelope and squeezed it and thrashed it in the bin.

"You're quitting?" Keith said with a frown.

"Yes... do you have a problem with that sir?" Athenaïs asked with raised eyebrows.

Keith walked up to her and stood before her.

"I don't want you to quit, Athenaïs, please..."

"What you want is worthless, it's useless to me," she said and turns to leave but he holds her by her wrist.

"You don't want to quit, Athenaïs..." Keith said staring right at her.

"Oh really??"

He leaned closer to her.

"If you wanted to quit, you won't be here to deliver that envelope to me in my office at the time you knew I might be all alone in here... do you want to quit, Athenaïs?"

Athenaïs went speechless and Keith kissed her. They kissed deeply and passionately. At that moment, Athenaïs knew she couldn't let Keith go. All that anger melted away like fire on ice.

Her mind said no but her body said a huge YES.

He laid her on his table. Every attempt to tell Keith to stop failed. They made love as if nothing had happened.

Kissed her all over, worshipped every inch of her body. She didn't want to leave; she confessed how she felt about him.

As they cosied up in each other's arms, she said.

"I love you, Keith..."

Keith looked at her and his mood turned slightly sour.

"I've been wanting to tell you for a while now... the day your fiancé came here, was the day I wanted to tell you, I sent you a cryptic message,"

"I got the message... In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you."

Keith said looking at Athenaïs, her heart heaved in her chest hearing those words from his lips; then he looked away.

"Chapter 34... pride and prejudice... I got the message Athenaïs, that's why it hurts me to say this to you,"

"Say what?" Athenaïs said, knowing her heart was about to get broken yet again.

"I committed myself... to marry her, I love what we have but it can't be more than this... not even if I wanted it to be,"

Athenaïs takes Keith's hand and held it close to her.

"You feel something for me, Keith, I know it. I can feel it. When we make love; the way you look at me... why fight it?" she said looking at him, making his gaze meet hers.

"You won't understand..." Keith said and looked away. Athenaïs sensed the pain in his voice.

Athenaïs sniffled her nose. Her eyes welled up a little. Keith wiped underneath her eyes with his thumb; trying to console her.

"Very well, then this can't continue... we have to stop seeing each other behind fallen curtains. My heart won't be able to bear it," Athenaïs said.

Keith stared at her looking sad.

"I completely understand..."

Flynn settled in her suite, she sat on her bed and lit a cigarette. Flynn recalled Athenaïs' reaction when she told her she was Keith's fiancé.

"He better not be screwing her," she soliloquized and scoffed as she blew the smoke out of her mouth.

Athenaïs resumed working for Keith, they travel to Tampa again to proceed with overseeing the project.

They maintained a strict boss and employee relationship.

Meanwhile, in California; Flynn is living her best life, enjoying the luxuries of being Keith Levinson's fiancé. Spa appointments, high fashion shopping and a few wedding arrangements.

She picked up her phone to call Keith but he declined her phone call. She smirked.

Then dialled another number, and the person answered almost immediately after the phone rang.

"Hey..." the person said at the other end of the call.

"Where are you?" she said in a seducing tone.

"I'm at work..."

"I've missed you, I'm lonely"

"Tired of him already?"

"You know Keith... never has time,

I'm at Le Meridien... the penthouse suite,"

He smoldered. "I'll be there in an hour.."

"Martin..."

"Yes, baby?"

Flynn smiled to herself.

"Wear that cologne I like..."

She heard a knock on the door and opened it... surprising him with the beautiful sight of her in a red lingerie. Embraced him with a deep kiss.

"What took you so long?" She said twirling fingers around his chest.

Scanning her from head to toe slowly... like a lion staring at a gazelle, all he wanted to do was devour her that instant.

"My brother is such a fool for letting you feel lonely," Martin said with his eyes still scouring her body.

"Shhh let's not talk about your brother right now..."

He pulls in to kiss her with his hand on her waist "Don't marry him..." he said.

She snickered derisively. And continued to kiss him and starts to unclothe him but Martin wasn't keen on making out, his subconscious was unsettled.

"Flynn...Flynn!"

"What?!" Flynn angrily stops making out with him.

"How long are we going to keep hiding, you don't have to marry him,"

Flynn frowns at him with folded arms.

"You've lost your mind!" Flynn retorts.

"No, you've lost your mind! You know very well my brother no longer loves you, he's going to emotionally torture you and make you feel miserable and unwanted for the rest of your life... Or do you think he's forgotten about what happened back then?"

Flynn stares at Martin bitterly. Her eyes began to well up.

"Wake up Flynn! He doesn't love you, you don't love him but I've been in love with you from the first day you showed up in our summer home..."

Flynn starts to cry. Her voice quivered.

"Martin... it's not that easy!! I know why I have to marry your brother; you have no right to judge my decisions," she walks away from him.

He follows her.

"If I could make him love me again; I would make things right, what you and I have is wrong Martin,"

He knocks off the lamp from the table and Flynn gets startled. "Don't be a fool!!" he said.

Flynn glares at him.

"Don't marry him, please..." Martin said with a soft gaze.

"Flynn I love you and it will kill me to see you so unhappy... he's using this marriage to get revenge for how you broke his heart, he will make you suffer and I won't be able to bear that,"

Flynn embraces him, her head laid on his chest, sobbing.

"Martin... l have to try to win your brother's heart back, I'm going to marry him and we are done,"

"But you don't love him, you love me,"

Martin held her hand and hugged her tighter. Her silence only meant one thing; he was right.