Chapter 8

Tracy...

"HAVE you still not told Caleb that you love him?" I turned to Neon, who suddenly spoke from behind me.

"Shh! What are you doing?" I gestured for her to be quiet. "Someone might hear you, or even Caleb. What are you doing here in Simonne Clothing's designer's office?"

"I just thought I'd visit." She smiled, and I stared at her red hair that reached her shoulders. "So, what's the situation? Haven't you told my cousin that you love him yet?"

I rolled my eyes at her. "You're here just to be nosy and gossip, aren't you? He still doesn't know. Do you think if he finds out, I'd still be here? For sure, he'll distance himself from me. You know Caleb's preference, right?"

"I know, but maybe things will change if you tell him."

"If anything changes, it'll be between us, and everything will become awkward. I'd rather choose our friendship over what I'm feeling."

She leaned back and nodded. "Okay, if you say so."

"Did you dye your hair again?" I changed the topic.

"Yeah, it grew longer, and my natural hair colour started showing. I didn't want to get a haircut until my hair was completely red, so I dyed it. I'll get a haircut when I feel like it." She looked around as if searching for something. "By the way, where's my cousin, the one you love?"

"What's wrong with you? I told yo—" I straightened up as Caleb suddenly emerged from his office. "Caleb!"

"What's going on here?" he asked Neon and me.

"Nothing, I was just visiting," Neon said. "I came to see Trace and check how she's feeling."

"Feeling?" Caleb looked at me. "What's going on, Trace?"

I fell silent, glancing back and forth between them, desperately seeking help from Neon. She rolled her eyes and sighed, taking charge of the situation. "Trace is not feeling well. She told me earlier, so I came here to..." She pulled something from her pocket. "...bring her these chocolates."

I looked at the chocolates she handed me, then accepted them as she offered them to me.

"Sick? Chocolates?" Caleb furrowed his brow.

"Um, well... you know about our 'thing.' I asked Neon for chocolates as a request. I didn't know she would actually give them to me," I explained.

"Ah," Caleb nodded. "Alright, I'll step out to request some coffee. I have a lot of work to do, so I'll head back to the office, guys."

"I'll bring the coffee to your office," he said with a nod, then returned to his office.

"Give me back those chocolates," Neon whispered as I began preparing coffee for Caleb.

"I thought they were for me?"

"I just said that to save you from Caleb. They're really for Rain."

I handed her back the chocolates. "Thank you for not exposing me to your cousin."

"Just be grateful that I'm kind." She grinned. "Alright, I'm leaving."

"Okay, you should go for real!" I rolled my eyes and looked at her as a parting word. "Take care!"

When I entered Caleb's office, I saw that it was in complete disarray with papers strewn about the floor, and the trash bin overflowing with crumpled paper.

"You seem frustrated," I remarked.

He looked at me and sighed. "Who wouldn't be?"

"What happened?" I placed the coffee cup on his desk and sat in a nearby swivel chair, moving closer to him. "Hey."

"Cysco purchased shares in Simonne Enterprise. I don't know how they found out that we opened slots for investors. I only learned about it when Uncle Julio called me this morning," Caleb said angrily as he kicked some of the scattered papers. "Those Cysco people are too cunning. They were able to invest in our company using underhanded tactics, using other people's names and companies, and now they've entered. And we have no idea how they outsmarted us."

I looked at him, my chest rising and falling rapidly due to the deep breaths I was taking in response to his anger.

"Calm down," I said, standing up and patting his shoulder.

"Y'know..." He looked at me. "...we've suspected for a while that there might be a spy here, we just don't know who it is. But I swear to God, if we catch that person, if that ever happens, I'll make sure they regret working for those people."

I swallowed hard at Caleb's words. I knew I'd been trying to resist Marc's demands for a while, but I also knew I was the reason for all this trouble.

"Before, I didn't pay attention to the rumours and tabloids about my sexuality. I was fine with it. The men they sent to seduce me and the hidden cameras – even when I declined, there were still issues. I'd memorized their dirty tactics. It was okay to ignore those, but recently..." He shook his head, and I noticed a tear rolling down from his left eye. "They ruined the event of my cousin's clothing line because I designed the outfits. I mean, yeah, they want to destroy me, but they've dragged important people in my life into it. Hotel bookings dropped because of the scandals that claimed I worked miracles there. Do you know how embarrassing that is for Gael?"

"Caleb, calm down. I shouldn't have prepared you coffee. Let me take it back," I wanted to leave, feeling like I was the reason Caleb was hurting.

"Trace... Tracy, I'm still talking to you." I sighed and approached him again. "Don't you want to listen to me? Are you tired of my life rants? You're the only one who listens."

"It's not that. It's just that I can't handle seeing you like this, sad and in pain."

"That's why I love you." He held my chin, and I smiled at him. "Don't ever leave me, okay? No matter how ugly my image in public gets, I don't care, as long as I have my family and you, especially you, I'm okay."

I nodded. "What else did you want to say?"

"I'm just frustrated. I'm annoyed because I don't know what their next move is. What do they want to do to me now? It's hard when you're just guessing what the enemy will do next. You know, if it were just me, I'd be fine with it, but my family is another story."

"I understand." I comforted him, running my hand along his back. "Everything will be okay. I promise."

He smiled at me. "So, have you thought about it?"

I furrowed my brow. "About what?"

"That maybe we should just get married."

I playfully tapped his forehead. "You're at it again, teasing me."

"Because you never take me seriously."

"Well, you keep making jokes."

"You know, we're practically like a married couple. We live in the same house—"

"But in different rooms."

"We're always together—"

"Because you're my boss, and I'm your secretary," I began picking up the scattered papers.

"You're the one I always talk to about my problems. It's like you're my life partner—"

"Because I'm the one you're always with."

"You take care of me—"

"Because you're my friend. You took care of me too, housed me for years, gave me a job, even sent me to school. Don't I owe you something in return?"

I was surprised when he lowered the trash bin I was holding and gripped both my shoulders.

"Did it never cross your mind even once to be interested in me?" He gazed into my eyes. "I mean, yes, you know my sexual preference, but didn't you ever consider that possibility?"

I furrowed my brow. Why was he asking such a question? I had thought about it several times, but even if I had, I would never admit it to him.

"From the very beginning, you told me what you were, so why would I read something into our relationship?"

"What if I kissed you right now, Trace? Would it change anything?"

"Huh?"

"If I kissed you right now, would it change your mind about us?"

My brow furrowed even further, and I had to stifle a laugh. "Let go of me. You're back to your teasing."

I tried to break free from his grip, but he was holding me too tightly. I could only manage to squirm a bit. "Caleb."

"Trace."

"Hmm?"

"Tell me if this will change anything." Before I could react or respond, he used his right hand to hold my chin, gently pulling me closer to him. Slowly, he brought his lips to mine, and all I felt was the touch of our lips meeting.