Roger

How could Arin say that she doesn't want to talk to me? I was nothing but nice to her. I...

I don't know how I could justify what I did to her. Arin was the one who tore down the walls I held up, telling me she loved me and all I could do was walk away from her. I broke her heart.

I was an idiot to ignore what she felt for me. To be so blind to ignore her words and deeds. I had missed what was there right in front of my eyes.

"Ahem."

I looked up. Mrs. Rose stood at the threshold, holding files the size of a carton in her hands. "Come in. You never have to ask for permission."

She smiled, placing them on my table and moving back. I checked the sheets placed on top of them. "Legal documents?" I questioned her. She nodded.

"Yes. Arin was handling them. The place is swarmed with the merger and Brandon's suit for me to ask help from anyone."

Mrs. Rose had never asked for my help. She was always willing to be there for everyone. I rolled my sleeve up, standing up.

"Tell me, what is that you want," I asked.

She pointed to the stacks to the color-coded papers. "I don't understand legal or tax much, child. Any chance you can help me?"

Without further words, I dived in. There were some legal papers, I placed them onto the side. Tax papers weren't that many. Most were company card statement. One such stood out.

Highlighted with a marker, it shouted out the payment that I did for Arin's calls for a grand. My first phone call to her, the first time we talked. Master and babydoll.

God. It brought back so many memories. I looked at the paper, the time and date stamped of October.

"Gosh," I uttered, looking at the highlight. Mrs. Rose looked up, questing my reaction. "Nothing. I just saw something about Arin." Memories filled my mind. I was quick to check the date again. "Who highlighted this?"

I looked at Mrs. Rose who held a secret in her eyes. With a crooked smile and raised eyebrows, she answered. "Arin. Who else?"

I shoved the paper on the table. Mrs. Rose was aware of how we met and manger to play along with all this. Arin had confided in her.

"Did you know about this?" I asked. She shrugged her shoulders. Her lack of answers made me aware she was completely aware of what I was asking. "Please tell me Arin found this some time now."

I can't begin to imagine if she knew about it all along. Mrs. Rose placed her stacks on the side and pulled out a chair. "Arin knew the very next day of the call, your identity."

Her answer shook the ground beneath me. I fell back on my seat. Only a month back, I came to know about Arin's identity as babydoll. But she knew all along! From the very next day. And she played along. Why?

Another throat clearing made me look at Mrs. Rose. Her expressions matched mine, of concern. Placing both her hands on the table, she leaned forward.

"I treat you like my own child like I do to her. You both had a bad past, although yours was worst." I nodded at her words. "But she suffered badly in other ways. No girl should be forced to do something like this for survival."

But Arin did. And I was sad to know that somewhere, I was a part of it. Guilt flared inside of me. Mrs. Rose stood beside me, hands bridged on my shoulder, reminding me of how mom used to pacify me.

"If you are searching for an answer that she knew about you late as you did, you are wrong. And you are very wrong to let her go," she uttered her words of wisdom.

She was telling the truth, the hardcore truth. She wouldn't shy away from stating facts.

"I know. But there are things about me... of what I am..."

She raised her hands, "I will stop you right there. Let me ask. In all these years, have you done drugs?" I nodded sidewise. "What about hookers?"

"No. Where are we going with this?" I asked.

"What about hitting a woman? Have you ever physically assaulted anyone?" Another nod from me before her face lit up with a smile, "Then you are not your father," she said softly.

Have you ever experienced realization?

It's when your entire existence falls into question. I had that today. Deep down, I always carried the fear that l was like Brandon. I might one day slip into drugs or end up assaulting a woman, just like he did.

It took Mrs. Rose's words to open up my eyes. I stood on my feet, pulling my coat off the back of the chair.

"Where do you think you are going?" she asked.

"Arin." I gestured to the doorway but her hands lowered, instructing me to sit. I followed like a puppy in training.

"You heard this and want to call her back?" She asked for which I nodded again. Gosh, this woman was so darn right all the time. "And tell her what? Come back? You have an existential crisis because she isn't here, sorting out your papers? Or you gonna tell her she is a good girl and you need to plan things out after how the merger goes?" she stared at me hard.

I had no answer. I didn't think of what to say to her. The first realization I had after Stella's betrayal and I wanted to make good on it. Call back Arin. Convince her to come back but with Mrs. Rose's words, I knew it wasn't good enough. She pulled the stacks of papers with her, walking out the door with a line of instructions on her wake.

She will tell me when I can go talk to her. When to go meet her. Till then, I needed to focus on work. On the merger and lawsuit.

*

A week passed since Mrs. Rose and I had our little talk. I don't know if she realized what was asked of me. Every day, I walk over to Arin's entry cabin and walk back. Every night, I dial up her mansion number. There are days when help picked it up, launching my heart in my mouth.

But when I hear a stranger's voice, a wave of disappointment would hit me.

*

"We have all the data here. How is it that you are saying it's not good enough?" My attorney argued over numbers on something.

I was more focused on the times I had checked my mailbox, in case Arin had mailed me something. Every waking hour, I checked my phone for a call. Nothing, she didn't call, nor a text was sent. She was busy in her new place while I struggled here.

A month passed without any contact with her.

My chest always seemed to spasm nowadays, whenever her name was bought up.

"I don't care about the numbers. If my fiancé has confirmed that it's not the right numbers, then it isn't." I shouted at him.

"Have you talked to her?" The attorney questioned.

I felt a fire lit inside me when he asked me that question. No, I haven't talked to Arin. She had talked to everyone around the office including our ex-employees, asking their help for Brandon matter but me.

Against Mrs. Rose's advice, I had sneaked a few messages to Arin, asking her to call me back. She still hasn't responded.

"Roger," I heard my name on the call.

"WHAT? No, I haven't talked to her. She is in the States." My tone flared up.

"I know," he sighed. "I had a word with her yesterday. She said the numbers I presented are fine. You are referring to her past mail."

I shoved the file down. All I heard in his answer was that he too talked to her.

"We will discuss later," I said, walking out of my office.

I entered Mrs. Rose's cubicle. She was on the call, smiling. Upon seeing me, she raised her hand, asking for a minute. I wanted patiently, tapping my feet and looking around the office.

Never in the history of this place, had the office looked so bleak. The place felt as if all the happiness was sucked out of it. When Mrs. Rose ended the call, I was quick to announce my decision.

"Arin is ignoring me. She is answering to everyone but me."

She nodded in denial. "No, she is very busy, Roger. She just asked me to help her with some documents. And it's quite late in America but she is still working."

Those words were a slap to my face. Arin was talking to Mrs. Rose. What have I done to deserve this?

"You were talking to her now?" I asked. She nodded. "You can't be serious." I banged my hands on her table. People in nearby cubicles bobbed up to see who created the ruckus.

It was their boss.

"What happened?" she placed her warm hands over mine.

"Please come with me," I said and walked into Arin's empty room next to her cubicle. Mrs. Rose beeline. With the door closed, I wanted to scream my lungs out. "Why is she doing this to me? She is attending everyone's calls but mine. She had talked to Xavier, Malcom... even our attorney." I walked around a bit before my voice intonated. "Oh, did you know she canceled her newspaper subscription to her old apartment? Peter, our newspaper boy told me."

I was dying on the inside. Falling on the couch, I rubbed my hand over my face as pain radiated from my chest. Why was I treated differently?

"Why is she doing this to me?" My voice quivered when I asked the question, feeling like a teenager asking why the other person doesn't like me. Mrs. Rose ran a hand over my hair, patting my head.

"She is simply protecting her heart!"

"What about mine?" Tears welled in my eyes. I was dying out here, unable to talk to the one person I wanted to talk to. Unable to listen to her voice. Unable to tell her what I wanted, needed.

"Go.." Mrs. Rose whispered. I looked up at her. She was smiling down at me, nodding. "It's time," she said. Patting my head one more time.

"Time for what?"

With a sigh and continuous smile, she replied. "Time to bring her back."

I was confused, watching her expression for signs of mockery. When none were shown, I pushed off the seat.

"I don't know what to say to her." Wiping my face, I told my newfound fear. She waved her hand as if it was the least of her concerns.

"You will find the thing you want to say when you meet her."

That was her blessing for me to leave and left I did. A four-hour flight and cab ride from the airport later, I stood in front of her room. The penthouse was what Charles assigned her while he stayed in various hotels, coordinating his business in The States.

The elevator ride to her room was nerve-wracking, the door knock was almost like taking a bullet. When it opened, my heart skipped a beat. Arin stood at the door, dressed in navy blue- an office attire which probably was for some meeting.

Her eyes widened when she saw me before it travelled down over my clothing. Yes, I didn't go home. I couldn't get a chartered flight. First and Business classes were booked so I traveled in the economy.

"What are you doing here?" Arin asked, placing a step back. Still standing at the door, I scrambled for words. This was the most I had missed her, unable to talk to her or see her. The most I have found to have valued her.

"Please come back," I whispered.

All my inhibitions faded away. The mask melted off my face upon saying that. She wasn't here to hurt me. She would never hurt me. But it was I, who didn't understand it.

"I have things to take care of here, Roger. Dad needs me here," she looked away. "The Oswalds' need me."

A hand clasped over her pendant made me feel as if she was keeping it as the last barrier to protect her heart. I was an asshole to have hurt her from the very beginning.

"What about Murphy?" I questioned.

She looked back at me, bridging her eyebrows. "The company will survive without me for a few more weeks, Roger."

I smiled at her words. Her soft voice was music to my ears.

"Babydoll, I was talking about me." Her confusion was readable. She was unable to understand what I was saying. "I won't be able to survive a second more without you by my side."

Mrs. Rose was right. I did find my words.

"Your idiot fiancé took time to understand that he was utterly and madly in love with you, babydoll."

~~

Dearies

Hope you liked this chapter. I loved torturing Roger. Did you enjoy reading it?

Let me know in the comments.

Next chapter will be sappy ;)

Love

S