THE BILLIONAIRE'S CRYBABY
Chapter 101: PONDER

Chapter 101: PONDER

Ace reclined into his seat in his office at SPADES, and loosened his tie a little. He couldn’t concentrate on the documents in front of him that needed to be worked on.

All he could think about was Fay, and the previous day. She had shown a different side of her that he was quite certain she was also surprised by.

He didn’t know if it scared or excited him. All he knew was that no matter how much he tried, he just couldn’t concentrate.

His office phone rang, and he sighed. He had told Grant that only calls that were extremely important should be directed to him.

Zapping out of his clouded thoughts, he took a deep breath and pressed on the receiver.

"Hello Mr Ace, this is Trent Rhodes. I’m your new shipment officer."

"Have the new goods arrived?" He asked.

"Not yet. There’s a slight delay in customs. I thought it was normal but it seems like some external forces are behind it. Do I have your permission to launch a full investigation or do you want to handle it on your own?"

He inhaled testily, as his fingers massaged his throbbing head.

"Do what you have to do. I’ll also look into it on my own end. Call me if you discover something."

He ended the call, and hugged his seat again. Tapping his feet on the carpeted ground, he stroked his chin in deep thought.

There were only two people that could possibly tamper with his shipments. Reign had done it before. She wasn’t the kind of woman to pull the same scheme twice. The other person was Celine.

He could see her doing a thing like this. She was that diabolical. However, something in him could not just wrap his head around it.

If it was neither Reign or Celine pulling this shit show, then there was a third player out to get him.

Everywhere he turned, a new enemy surfaced. It was exhausting, and tested his patience.

A knock sounded on his door, dragging him out of his head for the second time in barely ten minutes. Raising his head up, he watched as his secretary walked into his office.

"Sir, there’s someone here to see you," she said.

"Who?"

"Mrs Lynette."

"Lynette?" His brow furrowed. "Alright, let her in."

She bowed, and turned around. Halfway to the door, she stopped when he called her name.

"Tell Grant I need him in my office in the next one hour. Landon too," he ordered.

She bowed, and walked out of the room.

For the umpteenth time, he sighed as he closed the tabs on his screen, and covered the documents.

There was suddenly so much work to do, with little or no inspiration to do it.

His head briefly trailed to that morning. He had walked to Fay’s new room to see if he could get a peek of her.

Unfortunately, he had been too much of a coward to continue.

Turning halfway, he had returned to his room and began preparing for work.

Now he was left wondering what she would be up to today. If she would smile, or giggle with laughter.

In a way, he envied Marilyn and Alice. They got the best version of her.

"And whose fault is that?" A chiding voice in his head asked.

He was in the middle of muttering an answer when the door opened, and the sound of clicking heels filled his ears.

His gaze shot towards the door, and he found a big smile waiting for him.

"Ace darling," she drawled cattily, sauntering towards him.

He chuckled, genuinely amused. Lynette had that effect on everyone. She was a woman who never conformed to societal standards.

A funny, vibrant woman who could out smoke a chimney.

She slid into a seat across him, and crossed her legs in front of her.

"Hello Ace. You look as dashing as always," she said.

"You’re the one to talk. Every time I see you, you get prettier."

Her face turned crimson, as she shyly averted her gaze. "You flatter me baby boy. You know we could have been pretty epic if you had accepted my proposal to be my lover." She pouted.

"You should have asked me a year prior. Would have accepted in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, you asked when I wasn’t in the right mental space. That’s not my fault now, is it?"

"Never, darling. It could never be your fault. You’re way too pretty to take the blame for anything." She threw him a wink.

He chuckled, chucking his worries aside for a moment. "You’re always a delight to have around, but is there a reason you stopped by?"

"To check up on you, of course," she hissed. "I saw the recent foul play by your Aunt. She’s digging deeper into the dirt."

"She is," he sighed. "Did you believe it was just me being violent?"

"God no!" She shut it down quickly. "You’re the greatest person when it comes to returning energy. Whatever that creep of your uncle did, I’m certain he deserved it."

His thoughts drifted to that night, and he became aggravated all over again. His fist tightened, and his eyes darkened. "Creep is the perfect word to use to describe that guy."

Lynette studied him carefully. With his lashes drooped and his eyes darkened, he looked like a predator ready to pounce on its prey.

Even then, he still managed to look hotter than the average man.

"What did he do?" She asked, knowing he may not tell her, but hoping he would.

"He tried to sexually assault my wife," he answered, much to her surprise.

His tone held a cold note. She knew he would probably kill the man if he was standing in front of him.

It had to be a marriage of love then. She had speculated before that it was something he just did for the heck of it.

Probably in hopes of keeping the company.

She couldn’t claim to know the dynamics of his family, but she could see how the Atticus could move that way.

She had a different perspective now. He had to love the girl if he was willing to beat up his uncle over her.

"She must have been so scared." She settled for, still observing his reaction as she spoke.

He sighed, and in that moment, looked completely drained. She understood him. Once upon a time, she had to fight various battles to clinch her own inheritance.

The war was only just the beginning for him. It was the curse of having a large family. Worse would come when one of his other uncles or aunt’s, convince themselves and their kids that they deserved the position of president of SPADE’S more than he did.

"You should have done more than break his nose," she said in a vicious tone.

"Oh I did. If it wasn’t for my wife, he would be a dead man already."

"Ace," she leaned out of her chair, and grabbed his hand into hers. "I understand that you’re in such a difficult position. It sucks to be attacked over something that’s rightfully yours. But you can’t stop fighting. I don’t know your dynamics with that girl, but you brought her into this. You have to do everything to protect her."

"I know," he said, looking at the spot where their hands were joined together. "But who is going to protect her from me? Or me from her?"

He blinked the second the words left his mouth, and pulled his hand away. "Sorry about that," he muttered.

"No Ace. You need to learn that being vulnerable is not something to frown upon. It doesn’t emasculate you. With time, I hope you learn that," she rose to her feet, and smiled at him. "Hey, I brought you something."

Reaching into her handbag, she pulled out a bottle of whiskey.

"Here," she stretched it towards him, but as he moved to grab it, she pulled away. "You have to promise to drink responsibly," she whispered conspiratorially.

He smiled, and was about to grab it when a thought rattled his brain. He quickly withdrew his hand, and shook his head.

"What’s wrong? Don’t you like the packaging? It’s really good though. I dare say one of the best whiskeys my brewery has produced," she said, looking confused.

"It’s not that," he sighed. "I just can’t drink for a while."

"Okay," her face fell, as she returned the bottle to her handbag. "Let me know when you change your mind."

"I’ll call you first," he promised.

"See you later handsome," she turned around to leave when the door opened, and Landon stepped in. "Hello, handsome!" She swiftly drawled, giving him a once over.

"Pretty woman. I heard you were in the company and couldn’t resist coming to see you."

"Oh you treat me better than your friend does."

He laughed, as they hugged.

"You’re leaving already?" He asked when they pulled apart.

She opened her mouth to answer when the door pushed open.

"Sir, I said you can’t just barge in!" Ace’s secretary ran after the intruder who had successfully entered his office already.

"Mr Kings?" Lynette called, looking around for an explanation.