The Merger

Chapter 43

Lucas

The sky outside was gray. The plants in his office were a desaturated green. Everything lost its vibrancy making him even more sure about the decision he'd spent the last couple of weeks thinking about. Talia would hate him even more if she found out about it, but did it even matter if she already hated him?

After he had tried calling her multiple times with no answer, he realized things between them were officially done and she wanted nothing to do with him. His younger self fucked it all up before they even had a proper chance to be together.

Lucas lost the one person he'd ever truly loved. He couldn't eat, he couldn't sleep, he couldn't do anything without replaying his conversation with her. Seeing the hurt he'd caused her felt as though he was being stabbed a thousand times over.

A week ago he had called Andrew's dad in a last-ditch effort, but any semblance of hope he'd carried for reconciling with Talia had been squashed instantly. The man did indeed fire her based on what his son had told him all those years ago.

And now, the day they'd been anxiously waiting for had finally come. The strategy presentations. Not only was he sweating over what he'd be sharing with the board, but he'd be seeing Talia again before she went into the room. They each had one hour to present and Talia was up first.

With his stomach in knots, he made his way over to the seating area outside the conference room. His pulse spiked as soon as Talia came into view. Her tall heels clicked as she paced next to the door in her battle-ready business attire, waiting to be summoned by the board who was already in the room. Every time Lucas laid eyes on her, she took his breath away. As he approached, she looked over at him and froze.

"Hey," he said, breaking the deafening silence between them.

"Hey," she responded while briefly moving her gaze over his suit.

"Are you ready?"

"Born ready." The firmness in her voice made it clear she was still very angry with him.

Lucas' stomach hardened as he held his chin up. "You're going to crush it."

A moment of hesitation flickered across her face. Wringing her hands together, she took a deep breath and nodded.

Shadows moved through the drawn shades of the conference room and Lucas' heart picked up speed. Someone was coming to get Talia very soon and his moment alone with her was slipping away as fast as it came. "I still love you, Talia. No matter how much you hate me. No matter how much bitterness you carry towards me right now. I will never not love you." Just as Lucas finished speaking, the glass door to the conference room opened.

"We're ready for you Talia," Bill called out.

Her eyes grew wide before she straightened her back. She looked over at Lucas and for a moment pain shot through his chest as he registered the sadness in her features. "See you around, Lucas," she said before disappearing into the conference room.

Lucas released the breath he was holding and ran a hand through his hair. Keep it together, Lucas! He made sure to distract himself for the next hour by packing up things in his office. Before the hour mark was fully up, he went back to the seating area to wait until she finished.

His knee bobbed up and down rapidly as he waited and kept his gaze glued to the glass door. Sounds of clapping traveled to his ears and he shot up when he registered movement in the room. Talia came out with a bright smile covering her face.

"Hey," was all he managed to say. His stomach flipped seeing her smile. "How did it go?"

"Really well."