Her Charming Secret (31 page)

Aiden shook his head. “Why the hell would Knight write to Jo?”

“Remember that day at Foresters Falls? She got a call from a guy called Richard. What if he’s the same one? She acted weird when she heard his name, right?”

Aiden had to admit that Alex was making a point. He had solved this mystery in minutes. He had to agree that all evidence pointed to the fact that Richard was the same R.K.!

He nodded. “His voice had the same arrogance when I first spoke to him.”

“Dude, we got a problem! If he’s threatening her and she isn’t telling you the truth, there’s gotta be a connection. Why the hell is he talking about her love? Clearly he’s talking about
you
!” Alex stared at Aiden, a wave of uneasiness washing over him. Was Aiden in some kind of danger?

“Listen, here’s what we can do. We’ll leave after lunch. First we’ll talk to Jo and find out the truth, then we can confront Knight,” Aiden said.

“Yes, we can do that, but now let’s go find out where this note came from. I know just the person who can help us.” Alex smirked and asked Aiden to join him in his office. His friend, Dylan, had connections, and they found out that it had come from Richard Knight’s office, as they had guessed, and it was in his own handwriting. Aiden was still shocked to see what was going on and he made his way towards his office in a daze.

When he opened the door, he was taken aback to see Richard Knight himself sitting on the chair near his desk.

“What are you doing here?” Aiden asked him without offering any pleasantries.

“Good morning, Mr. Reid. I was waiting for you,” Richard smirked.

Aiden sat down on his chair, trying to stay calm in front of Richard. He felt a surge of anxiety sitting in front of this smug man; all his instincts were screaming at him to punch the guy, and he wanted to leave right away before he did something he would regret.

Richard pointed towards the paper on his desk. “Looks like you read my note,” he said, “But it wasn’t meant for you. I guess your girlfriend wouldn’t mind you reading her messages. Do correct me if I’m wrong.”

“What do you know about Josephine?”

“Oh, a lot more than you know about her, actually. I did have a chat with her before; maybe she didn’t get the message right. Aiden Reid, stay away from her. I’m telling you this for your own good.”

“Oh really? Is that a challenge?” Aiden frowned at him.

Richard got up and adjusted his wristwatch before replying, “A challenge it is!” He walked towards the door and opened it. “Do me a favor. Stay away from Josephine, or I’ll destroy you!”

He tipped his imaginary hat and walked away, leaving Aiden dazed and confused about what he had just said.

- Chapter 28 -

Memories Of An Ardent Love

She wouldn’t do this to me . . . It’s absurd! Jo wouldn’t lie to me!

The words kept repeating in Aiden’s mind as he tried to concentrate on his work. He completely and utterly trusted Jo and knew that Richard had been trying to get him riled up. Aiden decided to forget what happened that morning and move on; only when he heard a knock on the door did he realize that he was still at his office and there was no time to sit idle.

“Come in,” he called, and Jen walked in, looking a little tense.

“Mr. Reid, the Chairman has called a meeting and he has asked you to join him in the conference room.”

“Now? Was there a meeting scheduled for today?” He opened his phone to check his calendar, but there was no reminder about a meeting. “It’s not in my diary.”

“No, sir. The Chairman just called an urgent meeting. The Vice President will be there too,” she replied.

Alex is also going to be there? 
Aiden thought. William never called a meeting without prior notice. He sighed and nodded. “I’ll be there in a minute. Thank you.”

Jen nodded and stepped out. Aiden got up, straightened his tie and walked to the conference room. When he opened the door, he was stunned to see Richard sitting there along with Joseph Knight. Alex sat on the opposite chair, looking a bit nervous.

“May I come in?” Aiden asked to get William’s attention; he was reading a file. Placing the file aside, he said, “Please come in, Aiden. Have a seat.”

Aiden sat next to Alex and looked at Richard, who was smirking at them.

“I assume Nicholas wouldn’t be joining us.” Joseph stated, his voice cold and stern, making a chill run down Aiden’s spine.

“No, Joseph. He is in New York this very minute,” William replied.

“Well then, we can proceed with the meeting. William, two years ago you mentioned in an interview that a relationship between employees was not acceptable in your company.”

Aiden stared at him in horror as he spoke. “Does that rule count for everyone? Even your family?” Joseph asked.

“Of course, everyone is treated the same here. Why do you ask about that now?” William asked, confused. He looked at Alex, who was just as confused as he was; but Aiden was glaring at Richard, which made him even smugger. Aiden was usually the sensible one; for him to be almost openly hostile was strange.

“Richard would like to show you something,” Joseph smiled and asked Richard to continue.

“Would you mind if I use the projector?” Richard asked William, who shook his head and asked him to carry on.

He switched on the projector, connected his laptop and opened a folder. He looked at Aiden one last time and smirked before putting on a slideshow.

The minute the slideshow began to play, Aiden’s heart skipped a beat in horror and shock. He sat there, stunned at the pictures that were being projected before him.

Every single one was of him and Jo; hugging, kissing, holding hands while walking or just cuddling and laughing. It was from their dates – each and every one of them. Two pictures bothered him a lot; the first one was taken in a park on the other side of the town where Jo sat under a tree with his head on her lap. The photo had expertly captured him pulling her head down and kissing her passionately. The second was at Niagara Falls where he had had his doubts about a photo being taken; now he knew that he had been absolutely right. The pictures left no room for doubt. Clear and enlarged, it was pretty obvious that the couple in the picture were Aiden and Jo. William turned and looked at his nephew, shocked.

Alex, meanwhile, was lost in his own thoughts regarding the pictures. This was obviously a set-up. The photographs were professionally taken, and he had absolutely no doubt that someone had been secretly spying on Aiden and Jo for a really long time. Now he knew that the photographer had been hired by Richard. But he still couldn’t figure out why Richard had it out for Aiden. It had something to do with Jo, but the question was 
what
?

“Mr. Knight, this still doesn’t prove anything,” Alex spoke. “What 
our 
employees do has nothing to do with you.”

“Of course, Alexander,” Joseph replied. “However, I would appreciate it if you understood how delicate a matter this situation is.” He pointed to the photos. “I would care less if this was just about a
mere
employee.”

“Joseph, I don’t understand what you are trying to say,” William spoke loudly.

Richard spoke to William. “Excuse me, sir. The situation here is about your family and 
ours
.”

Aiden, Alex and William stared at him in surprise. 
Where did his family come in this matter?

“I beg your pardon?” William said.

Richard looked at Aiden and spoke, “The business deal between our companies is very profitable, but you tried something severe that ensured that this deal would easily land on your side. I didn’t realize that the great Aiden Reid, whom everyone praises, uses such underhanded methods.”

Before Aiden could say a word, Alex spoke, “Richard Knight, it would be beneficial right now if you didn’t speak in riddles. We weren’t the ones who approached you for the deal; we were never interested in the first place. Either you speak clearly or leave at once.”

“Alex!” William raised his voice in warning.

“Save it, dad! I speak to this person as the Vice President of this company and I’ve every right to. This guy has been blackmailing Jo by sending stupid messages, and now he shows a few pictures trying to prove something?! No, dad, this won’t happen in my presence.”

“You are accusing me after what 
your
 cousin has done?” Richard asked him incredulously.

“Oh really? It’s Aiden’s fault, now? Please enlighten me!” Alex glared at him.

“With pleasure! Your cousin has been having an illicit relationship with Josephine for a mere business deal!”

“What?” Aiden spoke for the first time, his face filled with confusion and curiosity.

“You used Josephine to get your hands on this deal!” Richard raised his voice and glared at Aiden.

“Whoa! Stop right there! USED HER? Are you out of your bloody mind?” Alex shouted. “Why the hell do you bother about what happens with her?”

“Because she is my daughter,” Joseph said, calmly. “And yes, Richard cares deeply for her because he is her brother.”

“Half-brother,” Richard corrected him.

“Brother?” Aiden muttered.

“Yes. Wait, she didn’t tell you about me or our father?” Richard asked in surprise.

Aiden shook his head. He sat there, stunned, as Richard glared at him. Jo wouldn’t have hidden such a huge truth from him, would she? Even as he contemplated the amount of truth in their relationship, he heard Richard say, “You are a vile creature. You used my innocent sister! You disgust me!”

That was it; Alex snapped, he got up from his chair, stalked towards Richard, pulled him by the collar and punched him in the face. Everybody was shocked, and Alex punched Richard again. William recovered first and pulled Alex away, but then he threw himself on Richard and punched him again, looking completely satisfied when he heard a crunch that signified that he had broken Richard’s nose.

“SECURITY! Escort this man out of the building!” Alex yelled, enraged. Wiping his hand on his trousers, he stormed away towards his office.

William shook his head in disgust. He saw Richard walk out before two guards came up and he was escorted out. Joseph, looking resigned, said, “William, we will talk again when everyone has calmed down.”

He then followed his son out, and William went back to the conference room to see Aiden watching the pictures again, his face unreadable and his eyes filled with confusion and pain.

“I never expected this sort of behavior from you, Aiden. I’m really disappointed. As your boss, I’m suspending you for two weeks. Josephine will no longer be your secretary when you come back; she will be Alex’s P.A. starting from tomorrow. You may leave.”

Aiden nodded and walked away, his mind roving with questions. Jo hadn’t been truthful to him. What if she had helped Richard with this plan? How had the photographer known their exact location? Did she inform them, too? Could he trust her when she hadn’t trusted him? What were lies and what was the truth? Had he been played? Many such questions arose regarding every aspect of their relationship. He walked towards his office in daze, feeling completely humiliated and disgusted by how their secret was revealed.

Without any conscious thought, he opened his MacBook and typed a long letter, printed it and signed his name on it.

Then he walked out to William’s office and knocked the door.

“Come in,” William called. He wasn’t surprised when he saw Aiden there, and he asked him to take a seat.

“Sir, what I have done has caused a lot of trouble to everyone, so I’m here to rectify my mistake,” Aiden said, placing the envelope on the desk. William pulled the letter out and read it, only to be shocked by what was written on it.

“Are you sure about this, Aiden?”

“Yes, sir. I apologize for my carelessness,” Aiden said before walking out.

His head held high, but his heart was broken into pieces.

Aiden didn’t waste another minute; he got into his car and went to the publishing house where Jo was. When he reached, he called Jo.

“Hi, Aiden!” she exclaimed.

“Jo, I’m waiting outside. I want to meet you now; can you come over to the park at the end of the street?”

There was something in his voice that had her on edge, but it didn’t look like he would talk over the phone. Feeling that something was very wrong, she said, “I’ll be right there. Love you.”

He didn’t reply, instead he cut the call. Jo wondered if she had done something to upset him. Quietly, she excused herself and made her way towards the park. It was a special place; they had come here before, spending the whole evening just seated under the tree with his head on her lap. It was one of their best dates and one of her favorite memories.

She walked in to see him standing near the same tree where they sat before. He had his back to the tree and a grim expression on his face. She couldn’t help but frown at how lost he looked, and she wondered what had happened. Putting on her best smile, she made her way towards him.

“Hey, Aiden,” she called and threw her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her and sighed deeply. When she pulled away, she noticed the painful expression on his face. “Are you alright?”

Aiden nodded and pulled away. He sat on a bench and patted the seat, asking her to sit next to him. When she did, he spoke, “Do you love me?”

Jo smiled. “Of course! Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”

“Then why don’t you want to marry me?” He didn’t look at her as he spoke, but there was a slight quiver in his voice that sent a chill down her spine. She sighed. “Aid, we spoke about this before; you know I’m not ready yet.”

“Really? Is that the reason? Or wait, I guess I know. You got carried away while acting and ended up confessing, and I thought that you loved me and like a fool believed every single word you said and asked you to marry me!”

“What are you talking about? What act? I love you and you know that!”

Aiden turned around to see her face filled with shock. “Just stop pretending, Jo! I know the truth. I know you were just playing me. I can’t believe I fell for your act. You must have had quite the laugh – laughing at poor gullible Aiden who is so in love with you that I actually proposed when you weren’t even really in love with me!”

“Wha . . . what are you trying to say?” Her voice shook and her eyes glittered with unshed tears.

“You know exactly what I mean. Where is our relationship heading? Do you ever want to get married? Will you ever be ready? Are you actually in love with me? I feel like this was never meant to be. That 
we
 were never meant to be.”

When he got up, she did the same and grabbed his coat tightly. “Is that what this is about? You don’t love me anymore?”

He managed to laugh, but it was awkward. “That’s the problem, isn’t it? I love you and I’ll always love only you.” He touched her cheek and bent down to place a soft kiss on her lips. While he breathed against her lips, he whispered, “This is a goodbye, Josephine. And I’ll love you forever!”

He slowly began to walk backwards, away from her, before turning and walking off, not even once looking back in her direction. She stood there in disbelief before she felt something wet on her cheek. Touching her cheek, she realized that she was crying. Gasping like she couldn’t breathe, she crumpled on the park bench; heart-wrecking silent sobs wracking her apart. She hugged herself, wondering if she was in a nightmare, and if not, what exactly had happened that her fairy tale had suddenly been ripped apart.

Twenty minutes later, Jacob noticed that Jo was missing. Someone told him that she had gone to the park, and he decided to go check on her. But the sight he saw made his heart stop. Jo was crying as she clutched herself. He ran towards her and pulled her into a hug. She cried into his chest, not telling him what was wrong.