Chapter 140 In his eyes

Meredith couldn't believe it. The moment he walked right through those doors, she became stiff. Her entire body was stuck to the ground as the man that commanded this feeling walked toward her.

"Anthony". She managed with the last breath she had left.

His eyes were on her. The tension was evident but he paid no attention to it. All the emotions he thought he had gotten rid of came crawling back into his chest and it hit him; the owner of his heart had come knocking again. Years, even years couldn't in any way affect what he felt for this woman. This woman virtually owned his entire soul. He was quick to steady his breath before it became noticeable.

" Mrs. Ross".

His eyes never left her gapes. They were bold and had so many emotions flickering in them. It was as though the things he left unsaid laid in them and was looking for a breather— if only eyes could talk.

Her breath was precisely not hers anymore, and it was no surprise to her that it was his effect.

"Mr. Corrigan?" 

She called his name as though she was asking a question, still not averting her gaze from him.

"You're still the same". Lord knows how hard he tried to keep those words in but he just wasn't in control of his entire sense organs. He wasn't even in control of his thoughts.

The duo stared at each other without a single skepticism from the people in the room. They only saw each other at that moment. It was so intense that anyone who saw them for the first time or strode into the room, seeing their eyes completely devouring each other with their gazes like that, would think they were a couple.

He didn't even realize that he was lost in the eyes of his misfortune, but when it occurred to him, he broke the stare and settled for a handshake.

Her eyes strolled from his eyes to his hand that was in front of her as she took it slowly. Unsurprisingly, she felt it. In his eyes, she saw it. The unspoken words, the desire, the passion. It engulfed her, took her breath, stole her mind, trapped her soul, paralyzed her thoughts, claimed her emotions, electrocuted her organs, stripped her of her senses— scratch that; actually, he drove her insane. Yes, those calm acts of hers were being replaced by her wild senses as seconds went by.

She started trembling nonstop. Their hands were still merged. His thoughts had wandered into madness.

" um... Ma'am, shall we begin the contract signing?" Her assistant called from behind her when she noticed the pull her boss had from this handsome investor. It was as if he knew her a long time ago;  as if they shared a history.

She broke the stare instantly and pulled away. 

"Y-yes, let's get to it". She managed, moving back to her seat.

While the others took their seats, his eyes were on her. He didn't move an inch from where he stood. For fuck's sake this woman broke into his head and took him unaware when she decided to take control of his heart and reason and somewhat walked away like she had the right to. 

All he had ever wanted was to prove to her that he was better off without her, that he could live without her, that his life would still be the same when she leaves, but clearly, he has failed. Making a contact with her was the biggest mistake he made. The moment her skin came in contact with his, the desire to claim her again filled his thoughts. 

His entire body now wanted the only woman that made him feel whole, the only woman that completes him, the only woman that makes him question his supposed principles.

" y-your seat is this way, sir". His assistant Micah whispered to him calmly. He was no psychologist but could read a room when he walks in. The tension seeping out from his master and miss Alviero Ross was just unimaginable and every soul in the room could sense it.

Immediately he took his seat, and the meeting began. The lawyers, on the other hand, carried out their jobs professionally. They brought out the documents regarding why the meeting was held and they talked about it.

Lawyer one (from Ross's empire): Rigorously, we have gone through the contracts as stated here and have seen your terms and conditions. Need I remind you that these conditions only apply to one enterprise for a given period of five consecutive years.

Her eyes were still on him from the other end of the table, directly opposite him. The only thing she could do was sit and let the lawyers carry out their profession. For the main time, she just kept staring at the man in front of her.

In just a couple of years, he had changed so much. Yes, his emotions were still written in his eyes but he was far from the person she gave her entire being to. She kept wondering if she was still in those nightmares of hers that kept eating her up.

That daunting past of hers has ended up ruining her life and family, but this was all real. This was too real for her. She had been running away from him for years and finally, he has caught up with her. 

Looking back at it now, if she could turn back the hands of time, could it have been different? Would things between them be different? Would things have ended up this way? Would she be in a situation where he would be her distraction? Her weakness?

She had made so many mistakes but he is the most beautiful mistake she had ever made. Even if she denies it from time to time, her heart still races for the man in front of her. Her body still recognizes him as its owner because basically, he is. He is the only person that penetrates where no one had ever penetrated before.

Lawyer two (from the Corrigan empire): yes, Mr. Howard, we have taken note of that. We have also seen the required capital and we are interested in this union. 

Lawyer three (from Ross's empire): Since we have agreed with everything, I suppose we can begin signing the contract then?

Lawyer two and four (from the Corrigan empire): very well said.

"Yes, we shall".

Anthony's eyes stayed fixed on Meredith. He hadn't said anything but his actions were noted by everyone in the room. 

"And what if the terms and conditions are not followed but rather compromised?" 

He chipped in out of the blue. Somehow, she knew that he was going to say something, and she was praying silently for everything to just go smoothly. Somehow, she knew he wasn't going to just stay calm. She knows how passionate and expressive he had always been about his feelings and emotions. 

The moment he stepped in without causing a scene and not making a big deal out of their past, she knew that he was still going to lash out in some kind of way.

"What do you mean, sir?" One of the lawyers stated— from the Ross empire.

He didn't even pay attention to the question the man asked, he just kept looking at her as he spoke.

"Breaching a contract is something you are accustomed to or am I wrong, Mrs. Ross?"

His eyes stayed fixed on her as he spoke. She felt the tears penetrating as she fought to blink them back without showing weakness. 

"Leave us". She ordered, standing to her feet and no one questioned. They all left. They felt an awkward situation from the moment they started meeting.

The logic of not doing something crazy was no longer in his catalogs as he stood up from his seat and started walking towards her. 

The tears she was fighting so hard to control didn't seem possible anymore as he stood right in front of her. Her body started reacting. This was no dream. This was the future she abandoned. This man right there in front of her was her weakness, her only vulnerability.

" why?"

She managed to sprout out that word, but before she knew what was happening, she was In his arms. He held her with such vigilance and fragility. He held her as if his life depended on her.

At this point, she was speechless. She didn't know what to do, she didn't know how to feel, and she also didn't know what to say. Her hands stayed by her side, as the tears just kept pouring down without a promise of stopping anytime soon.

She stayed in his arms for a while, and he comforted her in the way he could before she pulled away from him.

"I'm sorry".

Were the words that left his lips. He didn't want to hurt her this way. He just panicked. He just wanted her to know that he was hurting as much as she was. He wanted to make her understand that they are a match made in heaven whether she agrees or not.

Her eyes were on him. 

" I promised to never intrude anymore, but I keep breaking that promise whenever I see you living a miserable life".

His eyes stayed on her as he spoke not wanting to waver.

"I am fine".

" Without me?... Yeah, you just keep lying to yourself".

He walked closer to her and continued. "I see the way you look at me, I see the way you react to my touch".

His hands strolled to her face and he was just a breath away. She closed her eyes slowly from his touch as his fingers caressed her cheeks.

" I know you want me as much as I want you, I know you long for me, Meredith".