The next day, when he woke up, unsure when he removed his shirt, the first thing Andrew noticed on his phone was a couple of missed calls from an unknown number, his brows furrowing immediately.
He exhaled sharply upon receiving a message from his wife, pinching the bridge of his nose. Not now.
Rather than opening the message or calling back the number, he placed the phone aside since it wasn't an urgent company matter and grabbed his shirt from the side.
A soft knock on the door made him look up.
"I brought you coffee." Beatrice smiled, balancing the cup of coffee in one hand and a plate with snacks in the other.
Andrew's forehead lines deepened, and he got up before taking the plate from her hand and placing it on the table.
"Why are you doing this? It's not your job. And what kind of motel is this that can't even give a tray? Let's get out of here first. I have a meeting. I can't believe I slept for so long," Andrew murmured the last sentence to himself.
He wore his socks and shoes before stuffing the tie in his pocket.
"You should drink the coffee first," Beatrice said.
Andrew shook his head as he looked for his car keys.
"I don't have time. I need to go home to freshen up. Elara must've made something. I'll just grab a bite and—" He stopped talking and looked at Beatrice with a soft expression when he realized something.
His gaze shifted to her bandaged feet, and a sigh left his mouth.
"Why are you so caring? The doctor told you to have a proper rest and look at you." Andrew caressed her hair before taking a stuffed bun from the plate and eating it.
"I'll ask Jason to take your stuff to the villa. You can stay with us for a couple of weeks until you get better. Have some rest there. I will inform Elara beforehand. She will prepare some nutritious soup for you," he said.
He was about to leave when Beatrice stepped forward, her quick action making her breasts press against his biceps, and the man froze for a second, his heart skipping a beat.
It wasn't hidden knowledge that he had once been head over heels for the woman and that he had truly wished to marry her. Thus, standing so close to her in such an ambiguous position was definitely alarming for his heart.
"I am sorry. I just stumbled and—" Beatrice started to explain, but Andrew placed his hand over her mouth.
"You don't need to explain yourself." He said, his gaze neutral, and the girl smiled awkwardly.
"I just wanted to ask if it would be all right. I have stayed at the villa in the past, but only for a night or two. I don't want Elara to misunderstand anything." Beatrice blinked her eyes innocently.
Andrew waved his hand in dismissal.
"Don't worry about her. She liked cooking food. I barely eat at the villa. She would probably be thrilled to have someone by her side," he explained.
Beatrice shook her head.
"You don't understand. I don't want her to think something is going on between us. Some women get jealous quickly, and I don't want to come between your marriage," she said, her clear eyes evidence of her good intentions, and the man sighed.
He cupped her cheeks before smiling.
"You are my friend before my secretary, Beatrice. If she can't understand that much, I have no obligation to entertain her tantrums. Don't worry, I'll handle it. She has a habit of throwing tantrums here and there, but I won't let it affect you," Andrew said before he left the motel room.
Rather than going to the villa, he went straight to his office when he remembered he needed to study a file before the meeting. Since the office was in his way, he stopped midway.
"Boss, where were you?" Jason asked when he saw the tall, muscular man striding towards the office.
Andrew quirked his brows as he walked past Jason to enter his office.
"You act like a wife, you know?" He asked.
Jason cleared his throat.
"My apologies, sir. But this is something you would like to see. I tried reaching out to you multiple times, but you weren't available. I asked the PR team to suppress it as much as possible. However, they still needed your permission to make the rumors fully disappear." Jason's words made Andrew stop mid-step, and he looked at him.
"Rumor?" He asked.
Jason nodded and quickly stepped forward to show him the tabloids and news articles that went viral overnight about him being in love with a woman.
Since his marriage wasn't exactly public and known by many, he was still considered a bachelor.
Naturally, people would ship him with any woman they would see him so close to.
Andrew's gaze darkened when he looked at the tabloids, his annoyance peaking.
"Do these news channels have nothing better to do than pry into others' lives?" Andrew commented.
But, sir, that's their job. Jason wanted to comment, but kept his words to himself.
"Get this sorted. I don't want to hear about it by the time I return for the meeting." Andrew commented, his mind suddenly wondering if Elara saw the tabloids too.
But if that had happened, she would've already caused havoc at the company like the last time she wanted to when she saw Beatrice tending to his wound.
He shook his head and grabbed his file to leave.
"Sir, we should arrange a meeting with Mr. Macros. He has returned to the country and is available today. My resources told me that he would be available at the horse riding track near the Pan lake," Jason interrupted Andrew.
The man looked at his assistant briefly before nodding.
"Beatrice knows how to ride a horse. Tell her she can come with me if her foot is okay. This will be a great chance for her," Andrew ordered.
As he passed by his colleagues, he heard them whispering about how lucky Beatrice was and couldn't help but press his lips.
This kind of rumor was really a nuisance.
He charged his phone in the car as he drove towards the villa, an irritated sigh leaving his mouth when he saw his friend's call.
"Well, well, well, what's cooking? I thought you were married to Elara, but it looks like you know how to enjoy the affairs too," Sean Turner said.
Andrew rolled his eyes.
"Shut up before I make you. You know I am not the kind of man who would two-time," he said.
Sean chuckled.
"I know that, but I also know that your marriage to those goody-shoes is the only thing stopping you from approaching Beatrice. You can't fool us on that. You still have feelings for her, don't you?" Sean's words made Andrew pause.
He didn't know what to say. Was his marriage to Elara the only thing stopping him from courting Beatrice? He wondered for a second before shaking his head.
That wasn't true. But was it entirely false?
"I am driving. I'll talk to you later," Andrew snapped before he ended the call.
He cut the engine outside the villa, his gaze raking over the so-called place that was his home, and a sigh left his mouth.
He just hoped Elara had not yet seen the news. He was too bummed out with the headache to deal with her drama.
With a sigh, he walked inside the villa, finding it strangely quiet.
Well, that was a good thing. Maybe she was still asleep.
He nodded to himself before he went straight to his room to freshen up and change.
After half an hour, he walked straight to the kitchen, his brows furrowing when he saw the table empty.
In his three years of marriage and two months of dating Elara, this table had never been empty like this.
He walked inside the kitchen and saw how clean it was. It looked like no one had even touched it.
He pulled out his phone to call Elara when he couldn't find her in her room, only for it to ring with the same unknown number.
"Hello?" he asked.
"Hello, this is Julian Myers from the civil registrar's office. Am I talking to Mr. Andrew Lloyd? This is to notify you that your wife has filed for a divorce. It will take effect after the 30-day cooling period. Either party can choose to withdraw during this time." The woman on the other side said, and to say Andrew was surprised would be an understatement.