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Pathway of the Washroom in a Cozy Restaurant
Ameya's eyes met his, clear and unyielding. "I know," she said, her voice barely a whisper but firm as stone.
Rico's face fell. He couldn't believe it. "What?"
"I know," Ameya repeated, louder this time. She took a deep breath. "I don't want your explanation."
Rico was utterly stunned by her reply, his mouth parting slightly in shock. He'd rehearsed this moment a hundred times, but never for this answer. Before he could form a single word, Ameya moved past him, her head held high.
Rico literally stood frozen, shocked, watching her back until she disappeared around the corner.
A few minutes later, Rico came back to his table. Nicky and Ruby looked up instantly, their faces filled with concern.
"Where is Ameya?" Nicky asked, noticing the empty chair.
Rico didn't reply. He merely picked up his phone and keys, his movements jerky and hurried. "I have to go," he muttered, the words thick with unexpressed emotion.
Without another glance, he walked away and left the restaurant.
🏢 Herman's Head Office (Next Morning)
The large, polished mahogany table in the executive meeting room was filled. A shareholders meeting was in session, the air tense with anticipation. Rico entered, taking his seat, and the meeting officially began.
The main agenda was the voting for the next CEO of Herman's. Clara, Rico's mother and the current CEO, wanted to give the position to Rico, a move that had been carefully orchestrated. Voting was about to start.
Suddenly, the heavy oak door swung open, and someone strode into the meeting room.
Everybody gasped.
It was Angela Watson, the group chairman of the Watson Group. She had been more than a best friend to Clara; they were practically sisters, a bond that had been violently broken after the canceled engagement between their children two day ago .
Angela chuckled, a dry, cold sound that echoed in the silence. "How can you start an election without... me?" Her smile disappeared, melting into a deadly stare directed straight at Clara. "I'm the half shareholder of this company. More than... your CEO, Clara."
Clara was shocked. "What? Are you getting revenge, Angela?"
"No," Angela said coldly. "I'm saying the truth."
Rico, seeing his mother's distress, got pissed. He started to rise, about to go near to Angela. Clara quickly grabbed his hand, her grip surprisingly strong.
"I will handle it," she said quietly.
Clara approached Angela. "Come with me."
Angela merely gave a slow, knowing smile and followed Clara out of the meeting room.
A few minutes later, they reached Clara's grand corner office. Clara immediately turned on her, her voice low and sharp.
"What are you doing, Angela?"
"That's the truth," Angela said, her tone utterly coldly.
"Don't talk rubbish! And don't take revenge on us," Clara pleaded, her composure starting to break. "It's not our fault your daughter canceled the engagement with my son!"
"Yes, I am taking revenge," Angela confirmed, her eyes glittering. "But I'm not kidding."
She took a stack of aged papers from her expensive designer bag and held them out. Clara snatched the documents and began to read. Her eyes widened, her face draining of color. She dropped the paper onto the plush carpet.
"Did... you..." Clara stammered, unable to finish the sentence.
Angela smirked. "I think now you remember. This document—you signed it and had given it to me, 15 years ago. You transferred half of your company's shares to my name. Are you denying it, Clara?"
Clara looked at her with an unbelievable expression. "But... you said you didn't want it and threw it away!"
Angela smiled, a victorious and wicked thing. "But I took it and kept it. Still... now. If you mess with me, I will use it against you."
"How can you do this to your friend?" Clara's voice was hoarse, and a lone eye drop fell down her cheek.
"Don't overreacting," Angela said, utterly dismissive. "It's fine for your sin that your husband did to my husband." Her eyes suddenly turned red with deep, ancient pain.
Clara stopped arguing, the mention of her late husband silencing her.
Angela leaned in. "I registered the documents back then. If you file any complaints against me, you are the one who will get punished," she chuckled. "For you are enjoying my share profit this far. So don't... try to do anything."
Clara stood broken, the magnitude of her friend's betrayal and her own past coming crashing down.
After a few minutes, Angela and Clara re-entered the meeting room. Clara's face was a mask of cold professionalism.
"Yes," Clara announced to the shareholders. "Now onwards, she is one of our shareholders." She started to clap, her face straight-faced, devoid of emotion.
Everybody clapped, hesitant and confused. Rico was visibly shocked.
Angela stepped forward, her authority radiating in the room. "As the highest shareholder," she announced clearly, her voice cutting through the applause, "I strongly disagree for a new CEO appointment at this time."
She stared pointedly at Rico, ensuring he understood the meaning of the delay.
Angela turned and walked away.
Rico immediately came near to Clara. "Mom... What's going on?"
Clara avoided his gaze. "Don't ask anything, please." She walked away, leaving Rico utterly confused and standing alone in the center of the executive room.
🎬 Shooting Area (Evening 4:30 PM)
The day's shoot wrapped up. Ameya came out of the studio, the vibrant energy of the workday fading into the cool evening air.
She saw him. Rico was standing there beside his luxury car, leaning against the driver's door, his silhouette defined by the remaining sunlight.
I thought he won't, Ameya thought, a tiny flicker of surprise sparking in her chest.
She quickly regained her composure and tried to ignore him, walking straight past him towards the street.
Rico, however, was done with being ignored. He swiftly grabbed her hand.
"Are you ignoring me?" he asked, his voice a low command. "You are really stubborn like a kid, Ameya."
"Me?" she retorted, exhaling sharply.
Before she could pull away, Rico dragged her to the car. She resisted but was too shocked and tired to fight his sudden physical force. She entered the passenger seat.
"Why are you forcing me? I'm leaving!" she demanded.
Rico instantly locked the car door.
"Rico!" Ameya protested.
"I won't," he said, meeting her eyes. "You have to come with me," he said seriously.
Ameya had only ever seen him smiling and joking. Now he was somehow different—intense, driven, and visibly distressed. She hesitated.
"What happened?" she asked, a sliver of concern slipping into her voice.
He gave a tiny, strained smile. "Are you concerned about me?"
Ameya immediately turned her face away, refusing to answer.
"Don't worry about me," he said, the seriousness back in his tone. He started the engine and drove away quickly.
After thirty minutes, they reached a park. The same park they usually met in when they were dating.
He stopped the car and came out of the driver's seat. Ameya, too, stepped out. She was stunned when she saw the familiar old bench and the worn pathway.
"Do you remember this place?" Rico asked, his voice soft.
"Do you think I forget?" Ameya asked, a pang hitting her heart.
Rico smiled a little, a genuinely sad smile. He grabbed her hand gently, and Ameya, unable to deny him in this place, followed him.
He turned to her, and they were standing in a less crowded area of the park. The sun was setting, and the whole sky turned red and orange around them.
He came closer to Ameya and asked, his voice breaking. "Why? Don't you apologize me?"
Ameya looked at his eyes. They were honest, raw, and emotional. Ameya down her face, unable to hold his gaze.
Rico gently raised her face by his hand, forcing her to look up. "Look at me. I have no choice. Angela blackmailed me."
Ameya's breath hitched.
"She said if I don't break up with you, she won't allow me to see my mother when she is in the hospital. And she said my mother... don't want us to be together."
Ameya softened.
Rico continued, the words rushing out. "But I found out later. Angela tricked me. It's not my mother's demand. It's her demand."
Ameya searched his eyes. "Okay. But... Why didn't you tell me anything that time?" She scoffed, her voice suddenly laced with pain. "Aha... you said, 'Let's break up,' but I didn't ask you anything." A single eye drop fell down her cheek. "Because... I don't want to separate a son from his mother."
Rico couldn't see her cry. "Ameya," he whispered, about to wipe her tears.
She instantly moved one step back. Rico got upset, his hand falling to his side.
"But, then I realized... how hard I suffered later the breakup," she said, her voice now boldly resolute. "You win as a son, but not a lover. You failed, Rico. How can I believe you? What if you left me once again?"
Rico couldn't stand it anymore. He hugged her tightly, pulling her against his chest.
"I won't," he vowed into her hair. "You weren't suffered alone. Me, too. I got relief only in the night, rather than the day. Because... you came... to my dreams. We are together there."
Ameya slowly removed his hug, gently pushing him away just enough to look at him.
"So, Rico," she said, her voice heavy with resignation. "I don't want you to suffer for me. And don't want you to put in a toughest position that you couldn't able to choose me or your mom... or anything."
Rico's eye drop fell down. "Ameya... My mother actually... agreed to our relationship. It's actually Angela's trick," he pleaded.
Ameya scoffed. "Rico. Okay, now Angela. What if any other person did that in the future?"
"Ameya!" he shouted, his voice echoing her name.
"I can't bear it," she said, tears streaming down her face. "I already broke. It's better that... you live your own life. I live my own. Together is... not happen."
She turned to walk away. Rico was outraged in pain.
"Then if you don't want me," he cried out, his voice choked with sobs, "Why are you still wearing the ring that I put in your finger?"
Ameya stopped. She looked down at the ring on her finger, sparkling faintly in the dying red light. Another eye drop fell on it.
Rico, his face colder now, looked up, his eyes red. "If you don't want... me, fine. Good bye... Ameya... forever."
He turned sharply and walked away.
Ameya turned back, watching his retreating figure. She hesitated, looking from him to the ring.
She whispered, "I can't..."
She collapsed to her knees, looking at the ring, and cried louder.
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To be Continued...
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