Braelyn's POV

I was in his bed cuddled up with him with my face pressed against his chest. The white sheet had us draped up while I was mindlessly drawing patterns on his chest with my fingers. I couldn't lie that his frequent kisses on my hair didn't make me feel all mushy.

"Are you gonna tell me what you are going to do about her?" I heard him sigh.

"I'm buying her company." He said after a small pause.

"What?" I looked up at his face.

"I mean, she won't make it easy for you." He let out a small chuckle.

"She won't be having much of a choice either." There was something smug about the way he said it. I furrowed my eyebrows, asking him for an explanation.

"Suppose two of the shareholders at her company decide to sell their shares. Guess what happens." I tried and ignored his warm hand that was unconsciously rubbing my back.

"The stock prices go down significantly?"

"Right. It's going to be difficult getting any company to invest. Now if a big and reputed firm like mine offers to buy the company, the investors and shareholders are going to pressurize her into selling it to me." He looked down at my face for a reaction. I couldn't suppress the smile falling on my lips for liking what he was going to do. Call me evil but I didn't feel a bit of sympathy for that woman.

....................

"Mom sent this." Cora handed me the box of brownies. Her mother could bake the best brownies in the world, I swear. Whenever she bakes, she packs some for me.

"Rose is an angel." I exclaimed, causing Austin to chuckle. However, Cora wasn't smiling. She was staring at me like she was trying to figure out something.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked, giving her a weird look.

"What's the reason that you had to bail on our movie date?" She folded her arms and gave me a scrutinizing stare.

"I told you I wasn't well." I said with a nervous smile. The small smirk on her face told me that she didn't buy it. Just then a pair of footsteps was heard which garnered everyone's attention. Evan. He cast a quick glance at me.

"Ms. Taylor, my cabin." I nodded but seemingly to myself because he had already left, barely letting out the order.

"See you at lunch then?" I nodded at Austin before he left but Cora didn't move an inch. She was still staring at me.

"You're giving me that look, why?" She pushed back the hair behind my shoulder.

"If you think I haven't noticed the hickey just under your left ear, you're seriously mistaken." My hand flew up to locate the exact spot. Was I so dumb that I really missed it or she was just tricking me?

"You won't find it. It's not there." Yup! The latter it was.

"But my suspicion is true. There is definitely a new guy in the picture I know nothing about." She folded her arms and narrowed her eyes at me.

"Fine, you're right. I'll tell you and Austin everything but now I need to go." She shrugged in agreement before getting back to her seat while I made my way to Evan's cabin.

I knocked and heard his gruff 'come in'. As I walked in, he got off his seat and took long strides towards me. In a swift second, he circled his hands around my waist and pulled me towards him.

"Evan?" He chuckled at my surprised face.

"Ms. Taylor." He said in a low voice, his eyes flickering between my eyes and lips. I pressed my lips together, feeling the blush rise to my cheeks.

"We are in the office." I wiggled in his hold which only made his hold tighten around me.

"Wrong! We are in my cabin where no one can see us." Saying this put his lips on me. Keeping my hands on his chest I pushed him away only a bit.

"And suppose if anyone barges in?" I asked with a playful smile.

"Well, let me remind you, I am the boss here. No one would enter without knocking." He again kissed me to which I responded but I was smiling so hard into it that it broke the kiss.

"I missed you." He caressed my cheek with his thumb.

"Yeah right! As if we hadn't had our breakfast together earlier this morning." He gave me a blank stare before rolling his eyes.

"Still I missed you. You didn't come with me in my car."

"I can't. No one here knows we are a thing." A frown fell upon his handsome face.

"So let them know." I shook my head.

"Not like this. Everyone will point fingers at me. They'll think I'm sleeping my way up in my career." His face hardened at my words. By the change in his expression I knew what was in his mind.

"You know I don't blame you for that day." He did it because he was brutally hurt and vengeful and he knew I was the cause of it. No matter how unjustifiable his act was, I couldn't bring myself to blame him without blaming me.

"You should." I circled my arms around his neck and looked him in the eyes.

"But I don't." He stared at my face with mixed emotions; guilt, adoration. He cleared his throat.

"So what are we gonna do? What is your master plan to break the news of our patch up to the world?" I shrugged before speaking.

"Well, that has to begin with-" I cut myself off when the door to his cabin was opened without notice. We pulled apart in a second before we saw Evan's mother standing there. She looked too stunned at the sight she had just witnessed. I would've been too if I were in her place.

"I clearly interrupted something." She spoke, the harsh edge prominent in her voice.

"Mom. What are you doing in my office?"

"What is she doing here?" Her hard stare was directed towards me.

"She works here." Her head snapped towards Evan in an instant.

"And you didn't fire her, why?" I heard him sigh.

"Mom, I want you to know something." He put his hand forward for me to take it. He pulled me closer towards him. Victoria's gaze shifted from our faces to his hand that was resting on my waist.

"Brae and I are together again." Silence, a moment of unnerving silence before a furious look overtook her features.

"Is this some sick joke?" She gritted the question out.

"Victoria-"

"Shut up!" She roared.

"The last thing I want to do is listen to you speaking." The glare she was throwing my way could make any one piss their pants.

"Mom, a lot has happened over the past few months." There was a hard tone in his voice.

"I am not keen on knowing all that. All I know is that when this girl had left you at the altar, you had a really hard time picking yourself up." I blinked, the guilt resurfacing in me. The reminder of that day never failed to make my stomach churn.

"I guess his current financial status will be enough to provide you security, huh?" I couldn't bear to look into her eyes filled with hostility and disgust towards me.

"I'm surprised that she could worm her way into your heart after everything she had done." She sounded so disappointed in him.

"Mom, you need to listen." His voice had raised a notch, frustration too evident in it.

"I think not." Saying this she stormed out of his cabin leaving us to stare at the now closed door.

None of us said anything to fill the silence. I swallowed the lump forming in my throat.

"I'll get back to work." I cast him a quick glance before sprinting out of his cabin.