I shared my fears, my dreams and passions with her, and in return, she offered a listening ear and proved to be a great support system.


    "Ana," I began one day, finally finding the courage to own up to my feelings towards her. "Please be mine."


    She smiled gently, but in a very friendly manner patted my shoulder. "I appreciate all you do for me and I promise, I do not take this for granted. However, I do not need a rtionship now. I don''t think I ever will." She said.


    What was that they said about being broken but not defeated? That was me.


    Time passed, her daughter grew and I patiently remained, refusing to invest in other rtionships as my attention stayed upon Ana, hopeful for a change in her decision.


    I wished on the stars at night, hoped on the heavens, fervently desired to see things align in my favor, granting me a chance to one day care for both Ana and her daughter, Amie.


    It worked. Our rtionship started to improve and boy, was Ipletely enamored with Ana''s little princess. I wanted her to be mine as well so I started carving out ns to ask Ana out again.


    No sooner had I groomed that thought when her ex-boyfriend appeared out of nowhere, this time as her new CEO,pletely destabilizing her and ruining my ns.


    "What''s wrong?" I asked. It was one of the the evenings where she needed my help to pick Amie up from the daycare due to herteness from work.


    It took a little more prodding before she finally conceded to my question with a sigh. "We have boss at work and it''s none other than Aiden."


    I was taken aback. "That Aiden?"


    e a new


    She said nothing else in response, turning away from me and letting her head loll to the side as she gazed out the window.


    How could I forget the painful memories that name came alongside with? It was a constant reminder to her of his betrayal of their love and it was the reason why her heart was locked against everyone else.


    It was the reason why I was still helplessly sauntering after her like an unrepentant lovesick puppy, hoping to give her a new narrative to what love really is.


    The news left me feeling very uneasy, my mind racing with doubts and uncertainties as I drove to her apartment. Did he know of her presence at thepany? What was his true aim behind the purchase of thepany?


    "...until we can find more prospective as well as evaluate the areas we arecking and find ways to tie loose ends." I zoned back to the present where the meeting droned on and on.


    "If not, I don''t see us progressing further than this point. We have a target market out there and cannot afford not to preach our gospel to win them over. Why don''t we..." The voice of the chairperson faded out as my eyes drifted to my phone.


    I realized I hadn''t heard from Ana all day. I couldn''t wait to get the hell out of the boardroom and find a quiet space where I could talk to her, to Amie. My knees bounced with impatience, counting down to the


    time where thest bounce would spring me up to my feet.


    ...with that, Mr Dennis?"


    I snapped out of my thoughts, stepping into a more confused zone as I stared about the faces holding mine down in anticipation for something. The bouncing slowed.


    "Um, yeah. I''m sorry, what was that again?" I sounded like a mumbling fool,pletely invisible to the ongoing process of whatever was been spoken about.


    "Are there any words you want to input in agreement or against the ones stated earlier?"


    "Absolutely...not. I have them jotted down but that would be discussed at the next meeting where I''d have privately gone through the presentations and drawn my conclusions" I lied, picking up my phone, pausing midway to ask. "I hope there will be a next meeting?"


    "Of course." He replied me with an unsure look. He tore his eyes rather forcefully from me, addressing the others. "The time will bemunicated to everyone present through the calendly scheduler. Thank you and good day."Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    I was out the door, thepletion of hisst words falling behind me. As I approached my car, phone in ear, 1 caught from my peripheral vision, the sight of someone waving at me from afar.


    It was ra. Her presence reminded me so much of Ana. Her smile and enthusiastic gesture offered a wee distraction from my thoughts. I returned her wave as she pulled her luggage towards me. "Hey, Dennis, you okay?" ra asked, approaching me with a concerned expression.


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