CHAPTER 113: LAISSEZ A FAIRE DIANA
"First things first," James continued, his voice firm. "We need to secure everything. Make sure there are no loose ends."
Jared nodded. "I'll handle it."
He stood up. "Next, we're going to my wife's office."
"Okay, Chairman". Angelo immediately responded.
"Bro, can I tag along?" Jared asked.
"No, Jared," James declined firmly.
Jared smirked and nodded. "Alright, I'll get back to work, then."
As they made their way to Diana's office, James kept turning over the name and the face he saw in his mind. He was sure he had encountered this man before, but for the life of him, he couldn't recall where.
When they arrived at the building, they headed straight for the elevator and took it up to the Chief Executive's floor.
They made their way to her office, their footsteps echoing in the quiet hallway.
Vanessa, the receptionist, was seated at her desk when James and Angelo stepped into the reception area.
"Mr. Alfred!" Vanessa beamed as soon as she saw him.
James gave her a curt nod without responding to her smile or greeting. Angelo, however, stepped forward.
"Good evening, Miss. Is she in?" he asked, gesturing toward Diana's door.
"Oh yes, you can go right in," Vanessa replied, smiling again.
James nodded, his expression masking the turmoil within him. He quickly pushed open the door and stepped inside, closing it quietly behind him.
Diana was so engrossed in her paperwork that she didn't even notice someone had entered.
James stood at the door, quietly observing as Diana worked intently, scribbling on a notepad with a pencil.
Her focused expression, the way she scribbled notes with a determined glint in her eye, filled him with a sense of admiration.
From where he stood, it looked more like she was drawing than taking notes. He watched her in silence for nearly ten minutes before he finally cleared his throat breaking the silence.
Diana looked up at the sound and jumped when she saw him. "What are you doing here?" she asked, clearly surprised. "And how long have you been standing there?"
"I've been here for ten minutes," James responded calmly.
"Ten whole minutes? Why didn't you say something sooner?" she asked, still catching her breath.
James merely shrugged and continued, "I called you about 35 minutes ago, and you asked, 'Who is this?' Does that mean you didn't even save my number?" His voice carried a hint of hurt.
"What? That can't be possible," Diana replied defensively as she reached for her phone.
"What's impossible, Diana?" James pressed. "The fact that I called you, or that you didn't recognize my number?"
She didn't respond right away. Instead, she unlocked her phone and saw that he had indeed called and even sent her a message that she hadn't noticed. Diana sighed, lowering her phone.
"Okay, when I picked up, I didn't check who it was, and you didn't say anything either. Plus, I was really busy, as you can see," she said, gesturing to the pile of paperwork in front of her.
James stared at her, stunned. Was this the same woman he'd just spent 22 minutes driving to see, leaving behind important work? And now, all she had were excuses.
"Diana, is that really what's important right now?" James asked softly.
"What's important right now?" she retorted, folding her arms defensively.
James shook his head, turned, and opened the door. "You can reply to my messages later," he said flatly.
He had just stepped halfway out when he felt her arms wrap around him from behind. He froze, then slowly shut the door, his fists clenching as he tried to keep his emotions in check.
"What? You're not so busy anymore?" he asked, his voice tight.
"Well," Diana whispered, "you, my husband, are definitely a welcome distraction." Her tone was soft, almost playful.
James turned to face her, his expression conflicted. Gently, he ran his thumbs along her cheeks. "Don't do that again, Diana," he murmured huskily. "You made me feel like you didn't care earlier."
Diana leaned into him, standing on her tiptoes as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm sorry," she whispered, giving in to the moment and pressing her lips against his in a tender kiss.