Chapter 28- A sign of love

Yasmin's head tilted back as she stared at the skyscraper, all curved glass, and steel.

'One, two, three, four…'

Before she could finish counting the numbers on the floor, Derrek dragged her inside, pushing the front glass door.

Yasmin glanced at the discreetly written 'Wilson's & Co.'

A large lobby welcomed them. The glass, steel, and white marble intimidated her. A gorgeous, well-groomed blonde, behind the solid sandstone desk, smiled at them. The woman looked immaculate in her black suit jacket and white shirt.

Even the receptionist was daunting.

Yasmin returned her smile awkwardly as she walked forward.

Several employees passed them on the way and smiled warmly at Derrek.

Yasmin felt alienated. Everyone here looked pristine and way too smart, unlike her, who was holding cotton candy.

Derrek pulled her into an elevator and pressed the number 25.

It was the highest number on the number pane. It turned out that the building had twenty-five floors.

She looked at the changing numbers on the LED display in a trance. Her heart began to race as the number rolled to the next. She would be meeting Declan in a few minutes. She had no idea how he would react when he saw her.

What would he say about her new look?

'Will he like it?'

"Your fluffy thing is falling," Derrek reminded her.

Yasmin came to her senses. She stood self-consciously and looked at the cotton candy that was no longer fluffy.

"I…" She couldn't say anything, her mouth set in a grim line.

'The receptionist must be laughing at me.'

She regretted buying it. She was no longer interested in eating it.

"It won't taste good," she muttered dejectedly, pouting.

"No worries. Drop it in the trash."

The elevator whisked them to the 25th floor. The door slid open, and they were in another large lobby… more or less similar to that on the ground floor. But it was much colder.

Yasmin shivered and wished she could hug herself.

'Why do they keep the temperature of the air conditioning so low? Humph… Suits Declan's nature.'

As she walked ahead, she noticed another young woman in a black jacket and white shirt smiling at them from behind the sandstone desk.

The woman rose to her feet and greeted them, "Good afternoon, Sir. Good afternoon, Ma'am."

"Hello, Melissa," Derrek smiled with mischief as he put his elbow on the counter and leaned forward. "Is Declan in his desk?"

Melissa smiled coquettishly and tucked a tendril of her hair behind her ear. "He is in a meeting." Her cheeks turned red.

Yasmin deduced from her shy demeanor that this woman was also interested in Derrek. She couldn't figure out why these women were so smitten with this man.

'This man is truly a flirt.' She resisted the impulse to roll her eyes.

"I see." Derrek nodded. "Let me know when his meeting is done. I am at my desk."

"Sure, Sir." Melissa's smile faded as she looked over at the woman next to Derrek.

The glint of hostility in her eyes didn't go unnoticed by Yasmin.

She pursed her lips as she struggled with the urge to laugh. She was going to tell her that she had no interest in him. But she stopped as a weird thought crossed her mind.

"Wow! I can't wait to see your desk," she said, grinning. "Let's go." She linked her arm to his.

Derrek raised his eyebrows in astonishment. "Okay! I was not aware that you were so eager to see my office."

"I am always eager."

Derrek nodded knowingly. "Come with me."

He led her to his desk.

They came to a halt when they noticed Declan and Francis approaching. Not only their steps, but their expressions also froze under Declan's cold stare.

Derrek wanted to flee instinctively. He initially planned to annoy him. His confidence died down as soon as he saw him. But who knew why he stood there numb, staring at him.

Declan also stopped on the track, his eyes transfixed on Yasmin. He was not expecting to see her here. Her presence pleasantly surprised him.

On a closer look, he realized she was not wearing her big round glasses. Even though he initially didn't like her specs, he slowly started to like her the way she was. But her new look was undeniably more appealing.

Declan couldn't take his eyes off her. He remembered the incident that had happened in the morning. He wished to take her in his arms and kiss her again. This thought was enough to race his heart.

His gaze moved down to her arm around Derrek's. The joy in his heart faded instantly. His hands curled into fists inside his pockets.

Yasmin subconsciously inched towards Derrek, shuddering under his piercing gaze.

Derrek was overjoyed when he saw Declan's irritated expression. That was what he wanted to see. Fear vanished from his mind.

'You irritated me by blocking my credit cards and account. Now I am going to annoy you.'

He wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her closer to him. "Brother…" He smiled teasingly. "You are finally done with the meeting. Look who has come to meet you."

Yasmin remained motionless, forgetting about moving away from Derrek.

Declan felt a searing rage, his face hardening. He approached them in a stormy mood. He yanked her arm and pulled her out of Derrek's arm. Shooting him a warning look, he dragged her to his desk.

Derrek shivered as if someone had slipped an ice cube through his shirt. His brother's angry look was really terrifying. Provoking him could bring a disaster for him.

He swallowed hard to moisten his withered throat, looking at the closed opaque glass door.

"You are quite daring, I must say," Francis said, slowly moving over to him. "You are provoking a sleeping lion."

Derrek turned to Francis. He flashed a smile, pretending not to be intimidated by Declan.

"Jealousy is a sign of love." That was what he said before heading to his desk.

Francis stared at his back, dumbfounded. 'Is my boss falling in love?'

"Who is this woman?" Melissa asked.

Francis held her gaze for a while before saying, "Take good care of her whenever she comes here. She is the boss's wife." He walked away.

"The boss's wife," Melissa murmured and plopped onto her seat. Her pupils dilated with shock.

Declan locked the door behind him and turned to her frantically. His face hardened as he looked at the cotton candy that was drooping. He snatched it from her hand and tossed it in the trash.

Yasmin subconsciously took a step back, terrified of his piercing gaze.

"What are you doing with Derrek?" He growled.

"I… He… brought me here," she stuttered, taking another step back.

"Hiss…" Declan winced, annoyed. He clenched his fists as he approached her, making her retreat further. "I can see that. I am asking why you came here with him. Did the driver not come to pick you up?"

Yasmin stopped stepping back. She stood firmly, leveling his glare. She didn't like it when people continued to question her. "Are you disappointed to see me here?" she asked, sounding irritated.

"Don't ask a question back," he snarled, holding up his index finger.

Yasmin felt wronged. His harsh tone mercilessly crushed her heart.

She thought he would be happy to see her. This morning, he was talking so sweetly, showering his love. But he was now acting as if he didn't like to see her face.

She was expecting him to compliment her. Instead, he reprimanded her as if he hadn't noticed her new appearance. He never seemed to like her. It made no difference to him whether she wore the specs or not.

'I shouldn't have come here.'

Tears threatened to fall.

"I thought we would go to the mansion together for dinner," she said, her voice faltering. "I didn't know you would be this upset to see me. Sorry to disturb you. I will go back." She walked past him to the door.

"Wait…"

Yasmin paused, her hand clutching the handstand of the door. She threw him a sidelong glance, waiting for him to speak.