Chapter 3

'Do you still want to be my friend?' Alex asked his best friend.

'ha-ha.... of course, we are buddies for life till death do us apart". Christopher tried to answer amid laughter. 'So there is a girl who doesn't care about this whole package?' He gestured towards Alex's body.

Alex slapped his hand so hard. He was getting angry at his friend. He was stupid enough to confide in him about his incident with some girl in the morning.

"Were you that bad that she could not wait to run?" Christopher continued

Alex gave him a look. Chris knew he had crossed the line. He raised his hand in mock surrender. However, laughter was still evident in his eyes.

"Do you want to find her? he asked Alex in a more serious tone

Alex looked at him like he had grown a third head "she was just a one-night stand," he corrected.

They both knew about the three years Alex had spent without touching a woman, not to talk about keeping in their company.

To avoid his friend's curious eyes, Alex cast his sight downwards. He alone knew how the stranger had affected him. She could awaken the passionate side, and there was something else that she had tickled somewhere deep within him. He just couldn't make sense of such a beautiful sensation.

To forget his ex, he tried to sleep with different girls. The whole idea crumbled because his 'fellow' wouldn't stand. It frustrated him to think that he may never be a man again. He had given up thinking that he was sterile. According to them, the doctors confirmed he was medically healthy, though the problem could be psychological.

Having met someone who could prove his theory wrong, Alex was sad that she just upped and left without talking to him. It was meant to be a one-night stand, as he made himself believe, but her leaving signified rejection to him.

Looking at his downcast friend, Chris couldn't take it and decided to change the topic at hand. "Did you finally sign the contract with Genius Engineers Ltd?' he inquired.

Just like he had expected, Alex answered immediately. Work was his saving grace out of the ordeals he had suffered three years ago.

Alex passed the contract that was on the table to him. Christopher cast his head down to look through the document.

Alex looked at him and smiled. He found a brother in someone so different from him. Christopher was such a good person. He knew about his true identity but did not judge him. He treated him just like any other human; there was never a time when he saw judgment or doubt in his eyes.

He knew that work kept him from all the demons around him, just like every day. The thought of uniting his family was like an open wound that won't heal despite the many medicines he rubbed on it.

'You really got Henry to sign with your terms,' Christopher stated. He didn't know how Alex did it, but he constantly hit the nail on the head when negotiating.

'I mean, aren't we the best for real estate? We need the best like them. I had to buy the firm. I need the two Engineers, Carl and Helen, on board.

Christopher finally got the whole picture that Alex was trying to do. Their company was a real estate company and had constructed some of the most delicate structures in the country and abroad. Finally, they had got two of the best Engineers on board.

'don't tell me that you aren't hearing that?' Chris said after he realized that Alex's phone had been ringing nonstop. Alex just looked at him with irritation, and he got the message.

'Just tell the girl that you aren't interested,' Chris suggested

'And you think that I haven't. If it wasn't for her intelligence and capability, there is no way I would be willing to work with her. Why can't she just get the message?' Alex, a man of few words, found it more irritating if he had to repeat himself, especially with the same talks constantly. He believes that everyone is old enough to know that one time is just enough for you to get the message.

'And you think that working with her in the same company is a good idea? I mean, she hardly stayed away when she wasn't here' Chris gave him a meaningful look. 'You get the picture, right? Now Imagine her in the same building. You will practically have no breathing space, my dear friend.

Alex got more irritated after his friend had analyzed the whole situation. Not that he hadn't thought that far but he believed that Helen was a wise woman. She always wanted to work in his company, which is such a great opportunity, and he believes that she would be a fool to jeopardize such an opportunity over some fantasies.

Being such a practical man, Alex believed that Hellen was not stupid; she was one of the best Engineers who had earned her place in the country. He had things meant for him alone; letting in someone would be unboxing his pandora's box. Better kept close to him and the few that knew.