The Trap Of Ace

Read The Trap Of Ace [by Eva Zahan] Chapter 13 – “So you mean, he literally declared that he wants you? That you’re his?” asked Cassie, with her jaw on the floor.

“He didn’t exactly say that.”

“But this is what he meant with whatever he said. Even a kid can see through it!” she argued.

I threw the cards we were playing on the table and sat back against the couch, huffing. After the auction I got a call from her to meet at her place. With a feeble flu, she was getting bored out of her mind. So I came to give her company.

“G*d! I’ve seen people being crazy in love before. But this? This is insane!” She shook her head in disbelief. “Buying an entire company just to bring you closer to him, forcing you to join the board meetings so that he could meet you more and wasting a million over just a canvas?”

At the mention of the ‘L’ word, I sat up straight. “There’s no love! It’s- it just could be a want of possession or obsession of his. I don’t know. But there is nothing like that you’re implying!”

She raised a brow. “Even Jeff Bezos wouldn’t do something as crazy as buying an entire company that would cost him a fortune just to bring a girl close to him he wants.”

I rolled my eyes, but the skip of my heart didn’t go amiss. After I found out from Tobias that OC Textiles’ owner was Ace, and not Caleb, I was shocked. I even had a doubt that he’d something to do with my transfer, it wasn’t just Caleb. Though, I wasn’t sure. And when I told Cassie accidentally about this, she got this illusion that he bought that company from Mr. Cooper for me. Even though I didn’t want to believe her, but it did make some sense.

“He must’ve had some other agenda behind it. And it could be a pure coincidence that he found out I’d be working in that company, and so he told Caleb to transfer me here. That’s it.” I still denied.

“Really? And what about the message he sent you just the previous night? That you can’t escape from him anymore? Your time was over and blah blah? Can you explain that?”

I opened my mouth and then shut it. Crossing my hands over my chest, I shrugged.

She gave me a look. And to my utter surprise, she changed the subject. “How’s Warner?”

I cocked my head. “Uh, he’s good?”

What was she trying to do now?

She nodded. “You guys talk everyday?”

“No. Both of us were really busy the entire week. But he did call this morning.” I checked my phone but there were no calls or messages from him. “He was supposed to call me again tonight.”

“So long-distance is already at its work,” she hummed.

My brows creased. “What do you mean?”

Her shoulders lifted as she grabbed her coffee mug and took a sip, sniffling. “Isn’t it simple? Even strong relationships don’t work with long-distance most of the time, and here we’re talking about your one sided relationship.”

“It isn’t one-sided.”

“Oh?” She raised her brow. “So you love him?”

Silence.

“Knew it. Look, Em-” placing the mug back on the table, she leaned in, “-you and I both know that what you and Warner have, isn’t gonna last long. And now that you’re worlds away from each other, and with your a new, slash old lover is back in the picture, you should take a decision on your relationship with Warner now. You and he, both are aware that you were never in this. You never had any feelings for him other than seeing him just as a friend. Yes, maybe he does like you, but trust me, in deep down, he also knows that you won’t be able to love him no matter how much he tries.”

I looked down at my lap. “It’s not my fault that I can’t do it. I tried, I tried my best to love him. But…”

“But your heart still belongs to someone else?”

“No! I don’t have any feelings for him anymore. Yes, he does effect me still, but… it’s just the awkwardness. Nothing else.” I averted my eyes from her piercing ones. “And I

as much as you did back at you siblings’ birthday party that night. You’re just scared to get hurt again, that’s why your denying your feelings, aren’t you?” she asked. When I didn’t answer, she sighed. “Don’t you think

my hands. I knew I wasn’t doing fair with Warner. It’s been eating me out for a long time now. But I was too selfish to let him go. Though I didn’t love him, but his friendship did give a huge support. Truth to be told, him being my boyfriend helped my mind a little bit to assure myself that I’d moved on. I could show it to

eyes pricked as guilt cut through me. Though even I was thinking to talk about it with him for last

feeling. But don’t. It’s not your fault. Though Warner doesn’t know about Ace, but he does know that why you agreed to be his girlfriend. Talk to him, I’m sure he will

him. But not now, I need to do this when we’re face to face. He’s

tell him about

“I will just talk to him about us. I just

hand.

shifted and

“So?”

to her. “So

the issue of Warner is sorted,

breaking up with Warner so that

that you weren’t going to do that in some time anyway. Specially now that Ace is

I scowled at her.

helping my best friend with her love life dilemma. You and I both know what’s is your heart’s desire. And I know, in deep down, beside the fear of another heartbreak, you were stopping yourself from leaning towards Ace

for real? I’m not going to do anything with Ace. And

It will be better for his own good anyway. Because assessing your Valencian’s obsession with you, I don’t think he would take

about this!” Red in the face, I

want, girl. We both know that Achilles Valencian has played his card. And now, you’re stuck in his

stared at her, waiting for her

to escape. Your heart won’t

***

up for another person to reach their destined floor leaving only me and Liza inside. My one hand was filled with files and the other occupied with a cup of tea. After

accept my fate, the change and him around me again. It didn’t scare me as it did the first couple of days. And it scared me the most. It’s just been not more than twenty days I met him again, and I was already thinking about him more and

go there. You can’t fall weak this time. Be strong, use your head. Don’t let yourself fall into his trap. You don’t know what happened seven years ago. Even if he knew

Tess did say that she didn’t love

there was? Or it could be a moment of heat between them? But do best friends

anymore. All my life I had been thinking that my sister betrayed me, but the truth was she didn’t. Or she said she would never

actually happened seven years ago. But I didn’t know how to start this conversation with

preparations for the meeting with Arabs is taking a real troll on

the way everyone

big deal the boss wants to crack with them. He doesn’t want it to go to our rival company. These chipmunks now started a new clothing line when they found out about our new business in this field.” She shook

reached the last stop, forty-ninth floor. It was a fifty floor building, then why there

here,” she announced, once

It’s a fifty floor building,

one can go there other than his closed ones. So the common elevator doesn’t have access there. They go there by the VIP one.” Her chit jutted towards the other elevator beside the ordinary

The golden one.

I didn’t know only that one had access to the fiftieth

we d*****d our heads in the work to finish the final touches. As Liza said, the boss, meant Caleb

finally done! How much time is left for the meeting?” asked Matt, a guy from the management department.

worry, Matt. There’s still one hour

much of time. The boss can arrive at any

let me print those papers in the meantime,” I said, gathering the