Alex barged out of his father's house in annoyance just as he had done few minutes ago, taking long strides to get away from him as fast and far as possible to get to Diana has quick as he could.

He needed to see her.

The scowl on his face was soon dissolved as he meet his mother on his way to his car in the parking lot. He forced out a smile but he knew better, his mother had a way of seeing through him,She had always been like that, especially when he was angry which he clearly was. Anger couldn't begin to sum up how he felt.

She was probably coming from one of her women functions she deemed fit to make an appearance once in a while. Alex wondered

"What's that scowl I see on your face son?"  Rebekah Tanner asked Alex as she gave him a hug and a motherly peck.

" How nice to see you mother " Alex said instead as he tried to change the course of her question. 

She would want to dwell on what got him all worked up. Which he wasn't ready to dwell on, as it could take hours trying to reconcile him with his father, and time wasn't a luxury he intent on wasting, now that the need to clear things up with Diana was only what his mind could think about. Clarifying his thoughts. Alex went on to say

"As much as I would love to have a catch up with you mum, am sorry this would have to wait till another time. I have to go. It's important"

"I understand Alex, just make sure  you create time to have the mother-son talk" Rebekah replied all serious and concerned about Alex.

"Will do mother." Alex agreed, opened his car and got in but not without saying the three words he had never said to any women before, well except for his mother.

"I love you" with this Alex drove off leaving his mother standing at the parking lot  watching over him as he left but with a wide smile plastered on her lips replying his declaration of love.

"Love you too son."

**                     **                     **                     **              **                   **

"Am really sorry you had to see that" Rachel apologized to her friend Diana as they both made their way back to the office, after the disaster of a lunch they had. All thanks to Alex aka  'jerk' new name she had taken to call him after she saw how destruct and disoriented her friend had been after showing her the business news headline about the 'jerk'.

"You don't have to apologize Rachel, it's not your fault you know" Diana assured her friend as she turned into her office  with Rachel hot on her trail, she followed her in closing the door behind them to probably give them some privacy. She wouldn't want someone barging in on them with Diana looking vulnerable already.

"In fact am glad you showed me" Diana sat behind her desk as her friend made herself comfortable as well sitting at the visitor's seat.

"I know, right "

"Yeah. It's funny how I feel this way, it's not like we were dating or anything, you know" Diana vent out trying to convince herself as much as her friend.

"It doesn't matter, you were planning on accepting his advances towards you earlier on" Rachel pointed out as she wanted Diana to know it's okay to feel deceived and hurt. She would not hold it against her.

"You are right, but that was before I found out about what a player he was and that he might be way out of my league. What was I thinking. To let myself believe anything he ever said to me." Diana scolded herself.

"You know I thought we had a connection, but I think on his part it was all a facade"

Damn. What was she thinking. She was not thinking clearly.

He must have laughed at her for been gullible enough to go out on a date with him so fast, now she had to suck it up and pretend as if nothing ever happened.

It sucks.

"Stop brooding over this already Diana" Rachel interjected before Diana could continue her distasteful rant about her boss who was yet to make an appearance.

She had suddenly begin to feel an ounce of annoyance with any statement her friend made.

So much for his 'enjoyment' speech during his welcoming  cocktail party.

"Look at the bright side of it. You still have Ryan, remember? Rachel joggled her friend's memory.

" My God Rachel, what are you saying? " Diana confronted, now confused.

"I just admitted that I have feelings for Alex not too long ago and now you are bringing up Ryan"

"What makes you think Ryan is nothing just like Alex?"

"Well, I know for a fact that Ryan is a gentleman, have known him for like forever. He is clearly nothing like Alex" Rachel defended Ryan strongly as if Diana was condemning him to an unpleasant fate for comparing him to Alex.

"How did we switch from talking about Alex to Ryan" Diana stood up from her seat and started to pace around her office as if it would provide her an answer and take away all the emotions that was rushing through her body like adrenaline hormone.

"Calm down okay" Rachel spoke up to calm Diana if it was of any help now.

"What I feel for Alex is rather deep compared to my feelings to Ryan, now I just have to let it go seeing the fact that I was way out of my head to think we would be together."

It was better this way. Diana assured herself.

She needed to lay it down a notch before she fell too deep.

One step towards that was to keep it professional between them  from that moment.

The next step will come to her naturally she hoped that when he finally decided to make an appearance in the office she won't be reduced to jelly just at his mare stare.

She really hoped.

Just as she made that resolve and returned back to her seat to give herself a break already did her office phone began to ring off it hook.

She was so absorbed in her thought that she didn't even bother to check the ID before picking up only to be taken aback by the voice that came out from the other end of the  phone.

It was clearly a familiar voice.

A familiar male voice that was Alex's.

She didn't quite get the first few words he said to her until he had summoned her to come see him in his office as possible with one of the financial report she and Ryan had been working on for days.

That part definitely caught her attention. To which she replied to be with him shortly.

"I take it that was Alex " Rachel said matter of fact with her friend's reaction to the phone call she just answered.

Diana shook her head to confirm Rachel's speculation " He wants me to come to his office with the financial report Ryan and I have been working on"

"Well I see the boss man has finally decided to show up at work after all. I think that's my cue to get back to work, seeing am his personal assistant" Rachel could not help but say this with sarcasms evidence in her tone as she stood up to make an exist.

"Are you okay to see him right now?"

"Am okay Rachel, you don't have to worry about me"

"This is life just giving me a quick Intel on who Alex really his." Diana admitted more to herself than to her friend. She was literally breaking inside. She needed someone to save her from this misery already.

Why did she let her heart get this involved, why did it have to be someone she couldn't have, why did he  deceive her. The why's just kept coming with no form of answer to place them at rest.

But then admist all these questions been raised in her head, she really didn't know what to think about why he deceived her. Something just felt off. A part of her  wanted it all to be a misunderstanding.

Even if it felt to real and clear to be one.

"Alright dear, see you in a bit then" Rachel said letting herself out.

Diana took in a deep breath as Rachel closed the door behind her.

She needed to get an hold of herself.

What now?

Acting like nothing happened, are we?

Two could play this game then.

Thanks for reading. Don't forget to vote by clicking that yellow star button, yeah, the one right below this message. Comment and share. If you like this chapter.