My phone almost slipped from my hands as soon as I saw the message. I looked around to find Matthew, but he was not anywhere. With my shivering fingers, I texted, "Matt! I can't. What is it? Text me."
I tapped my fingers on the screen waiting for his reply. Even though I was happy that I got his message, I couldn't go and meet him discreetly. If, by chance, Mr. Wolfe saw it, it would be the end of us.
Matthew: Please, Elira. Can't you spare me at least five minutes? Mr. Wolfe is outside busy with his phone call. One of the workers I appointed is watching him. Let's finish talking before he comes back.
Beads of sweat formed on my forehead after realizing what Matthew was playing at. My body trembled after receiving his next text.
Matthew: If not, I'll come to where you are.
His texts shook me to the core. I could not figure out what he wanted or the reason behind his stubbornness, which would bury us in our own graves.
My heart thumped in my chest, and I heard its sound as if it was beating right beside my ear. I paced back and forth for a few seconds, not knowing what to do. My mind seemed to stop working to even make any decision.
Hurriedly, I ran towards the exit to see Mr. Wolfe still talking on his cell phone. I was glad that the sound system arranged in the room made it impossible for him to take his call inside, and he had to go out. Thank god, he didn't drag me out along with him.
Taking a deep breath, I ran towards the terrace and saw Matthew already there, waiting for me.
"Matt?" I inhaled the fresh air.
"Elira!" He stepped towards me and held my hands affectionately.
"Let's… Let's talk later, Matt. Please. I will…" I looked around, paranoid. "I will call you. Please. Let's leave now."
My heel turned to my right to leave, but then I rooted to my ground after I heard him shouting, "Leave him."
Tears filled my eyes while my head and heart couldn't take all the possible emotions at the same time.
"What did you say?" I looked at him with my teary eyes.
His eyes turned glassy as he held my forearms and pulled me closer towards him, shouting, "You don't know how much it hurts and angers me to see him touching you, dancing with you, and staying with you like he owns you. My head hurts to watch you both being that close."
Tears rolled down my cheeks while my entire face turned red after hearing his words. He pulled me further closer to him, saying, "I know you don't love him. You love me."
"I can't believe this. Does your hatred on me finally ended?"
He didn't answer. He only looked at me with his hurt-filled eyes.
I pulled myself back, angrily. "I can't. You don't know my situation, Matt." I wiped my tears away. "I can't go away from him, not at least for the next few months."
He looked at me, confused. Then after a few seconds, he spoke, "Did he make you sign a contract?"
I was taken aback. I gulped down my fear, asking, "How do you know?"
"Just now you said you couldn't go away from him for the next few months. It means only one thing. You are tied to him in the name of something. Apart from a contract, I couldn't think about anything."
"No! No!" I shook my head. Holding my forehead, I started to cry, saying, "This is confidential. If he figures out you know about the contract, he'd stop Mira's treatment. He won't stop there. He's going to ruin us all. He's going to kill us."
I fell to my knees, frightened. It felt hard to even breathe. My chest felt heavy while my anxiety took a toll on me, making my entire body tremble.
"Elira!" He knelt before me and pulled me into a hug, calming me down. "How will he know? Who will tell him?"
He cupped my cheeks and made me look at his face. "I told you I'd wait. After the contract, you'd leave him. Elira, I still love you. I will wait for you. Come back to me."
I looked at him, furrowing my brow. "You can't be serious."
"I am serious." He shouted. He stayed silent for a few seconds and then said, "We can still love each other without him knowing. Then after the contract, you leave him and come to me. I know he's a man who doesn't care about things or people if the contract ends. This way, I won't be on Mr. Wolfe's bad side, and there won't be any problem relating to the investment as well. Once I achieve my success and my AcadM becomes famous and profitable, Mr. Wolfe and I can terminate whatever business relationship we have, and I can take care of Mira as well."
My head started to ache while processing his words. The moment he realized I was sleeping with Mr. Wolfe, I expected an end to our relationship.
His words truly shocked me instead of bringing me joy.
"This isn't right." I shook my head negatively.
"What's not right?" He yelled. "Don't you love me anymore?"
His eyes reflected the love that I always wanted to see and feel. Those eyes didn't just beg me to say 'yes' but made me recall every moment that we shared since we were young. He had been my crush, and his love was the first thing I truly wanted to have.
But, somehow, it didn't feel right. I was confused about things I didn't know, and if there was confusion, how could I trust that my heart totally wanted him?
"Elira!" He shouted again. "Look into my eyes."
I looked into his eyes while my brain was a messed-up web. His words started to take away everything that I was feeling and started to fade all my thoughts, taking me back to the time when I waited for hours just to get a glimpse of him during my school days.
"Let's wait till the contract ends. Let's end things with Mr. Wolfe on good terms… both of us. This is the only way we can survive, and his wrath won't fall on your AcadM." The words that came out of my mouth left me surprised.
A satisfied smile appeared on his lips, and he kissed my forehead after nodding his head.
"We should go before he spots us." He said.
Then I hurried my steps to the sofa. Luckily, I reached it a few moments before Mr. Wolfe entered and pretended as if nothing happened while my mind kept yelling the same phrase.
We shouldn't play with fire.