I will lower the moon for you Read online

  I was feeling quite edgy attending such high-end events; it was totally out of my comfort zone. Anyways, my girlfriends made me shop for all the events, just in case. We spent a great day, and I was exhausted when I reached home. I still had to pack, but before I did, I video called my parents and updates them on my upcoming plans.

  Before hitting the bed, I decided to search online about Aurora Borealis. I scrolled through various bookings and reservation options for seeing the northern lights. I was too fascinated by them, and if I was supposed to be there, I made up my mind to take a small detour and visit the place. When my eyes couldn't be kept open anymore, I shut my laptop and slid beneath my comforter.

  Contented with the way my life was heading, sleep came easy, and I dozed off within seconds.

  ****

  Next day I woke up with a smile on my face. How I wished this could become the general norm.

  I rushed through my morning routine and spent the time tidying up my apartment. After cooking and eating breakfast, I started packing for my week-long trip. It was almost noon by the time I finished.

  I was exhausted, so I decided to visit my favorite coffee house, located two blocks away. I often went to that place as they had the best coffee in town, the interiors were cozy and calm, and more importantly, I was very fond of the lady who owned the place.

  Aunt Amy was a single lady in her late fifties. Her husband died a couple of years ago, and since she had no kids, she ran that place by herself.1

  The weather was pleasant, and my short walk ended sooner than expected. The place was almost empty, and I saw Aunt Amy brewing a coffee for the only customer who sat at the far corner.

  "Hey Emma, how is my beautiful girl doing today?" She gave me a broad smile as I approached closer to her.

  "I am good aunty. How are you? Do you need a hand with that?" I gestured at the open account book laying on the counter. She seldom struggles with maintaining accounts, and I had been helping her on and off with it, whenever I got the chance.

  "That's so nice of you, my lovely child. I will get your usual coffee in a minute. Here take this, I finished half of it." She handed me the book, which I took to a table placed next to the glass window and started filling it for her.

  Many minutes passed, and I felt an unusual vibe, there was a presence behind me, and it felt someone was observing me, up and close. I turned around and was dumbfounded to see the person standing next to my table, looking down at me with a smirk on his face.

  God, not him again!

  "What the hell are you doing here? And then you feel offended if I call you a stalker." I almost snapped at him, I don't know if it was the adrenaline or my pulsating nerves, but Jake always managed to get extreme reactions from me.

  "Ouch. Well, hello to you too, Emma. Somebody seems to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed today." Jake chuckled as he took a seat across me. He was wearing a light blue casual shirt matching the color of his blue eyes. His hair was styled casually, and he looked effortlessly handsome.

  He might have noticed me checking him out, "Are you done drooling? You could continue if there is still any more left." He teased as a smirk crept up his lips.

  "In your dreams, you ass. You didn't answer me, what are you doing here?" I collected myself before replying with the same sass again.

  He shook his head as a short laugh erupted on his mouth. "Always so curious. I come here very often. I love the coffee they serve." He shrugged, stating simply.

  "Really? Ironically, this is so close to my place. And isn't this cafe too small for your stature?" I fired another round of questions. He was taken aback by my coldness and didn't come up with a remark immediately like I expected him to. His eyes bore my skin, and I felt like hiding away from his torturous stare. He had no clue how much affect he had on me, I was captivated by his blue orbs, and shamelessly enough, if given a chance, I could stay his hostage all my life.

  "You judge too easily." He whispered as he averted his gaze, and his eyes dropped down to the cutlery on the table instead.1

  "Sorry? I didn't get you."

  "Nothing Emma, I was anyway leaving. Have a good day ahead." With that, he swiftly got up and left the cafe without looking back.

  What was that? Did I offend him?

  It was almost evening, and I was done completing the work that Aunty Amy gave me.

  "Here you go." I hugged her before getting ready to step out.

  "Emma, how do you know Jacob?" She asked me as she lifted her spectacles from the tip of her nose and carefully folded them in their box. I was surprised by her question.

  "You know that self-obsessed idiot too?" I retorted without thinking and earned a chuckle from her in response.

  "He is anything but that Emma. This only means you don't know him like I do, he is very kind actually. Such a good boy." Her eyes twinkled in admiration, and her motherly affection was evident in her body language.

  "Really? Are you sure we are talking about the same Jacob?"3

  "Yes, he just left. I saw him talking to you. He has been coming here since he was a kid. He used to come here with Augustin, his care-taker I think."

  My mouth went dry. I had no clue about Jake and his personal life, or about people in his family. I was firing unnecessary questions at him, jumping to far-fetched conclusions without any consideration.

  I tend to assume the worse when it comes to him. And I somehow get proven wrong every single time, and yet I never learn.

  "He uses to fondly sit down here for hours and listen to stories while helping me with little chores in the cafe. After my husband died, I was struggling with finances, and it was Jacob who helped me. He never failed to check on me ever since." Aunt Amy was almost teary-eyed, and suddenly something in my heart melted. He was the businessman of the decade, and yet he found time to visit Aunt Amy and check on her well-being?

  I was in awe. My mind was engulfed with a myriad of emotions. Was it even possible to have Jake cloud my heart and mind any more than he already did?

  "Wow. I had no clue. I just work in one of his companies." I could barely whisper.

  I heaved a deep sigh and felt a strange heaviness on my chest as I bid goodbye to Aunt Amy and left the cafe to walk back to my place. I was carrying a lot of different sentiments, guilt being the most dominant.

  Jacob Richmond, there was so much more to you than one could see from the outside. And I sure owed you an apology.

  Chapter 14

  His Girlfriend

  Emma

  Monday morning came sooner than expected. The world was still deep in slumber when I woke up and got dressed to catch possibly the first scheduled flight of the day. I rushed to the airport, creating mental notes of all the possible things I could have forgotten, and after checking all my belongings for the hundredth time, I entered the queue to my airline stall. As promised, Mark greeted me with a smile as he was already present in the main lobby.

  "Hey Emma, all set?" Being the courteous lad he was, he offered to help me with the luggage.

  He looked different. Good different. He was wearing a basic light-green round neck cardigan that inched perfectly on his toned upper body, along with casual brown pants. He was a delight to eyes, and I felt staggered to not notice before how good looking he actually was.

  "Wow, Mark, you should dress casually more often. It suits you more."

  "Thanks for the compliment Emma, you look amazing yourself. Come, let's get ourselves checked-in."

  Mark was vibrant and energetic, unlike my grumpy self. He sure looked like a morning person. There were also two other members from his legal team that were joining us for the meeting.

  We all boarded our flight and were seated in business class, the perks of working in an esteemed organization like Richmond Corp. The flight was very comfortable, and I slept for the majority part of it. Soon, we reached the company's arranged hotel, which was also the venue for all the business conference meetings and parties.

  It was a beautiful hotel with
extravagant and luxurious interiors. We were given our rooms, and I decided to stay in my room to settle in and relax after the long hours of travel. I ordered in-room dining for dinner, and after unpacking a bit, I hit the bed.

  The next morning, we all convened at the conference hall for the opening ceremony. The entire top management from both Windsons and Richmond’s were present.

  Mr. David Windson was the CEO of Windson Inc. He looked like a powerful and sharp man roughly in his mid-thirties. Whereas, Jake looked way younger, but still intimidating nevertheless.

  The moment I saw Jake, my world stuck again, his presence alone emanated prominence. He looked confident and well composed, but there was something about his personality that made his opponents feel alarmed, he wasn't the one to be taken lightly. I never thought Jake could appear this dangerous just by the looks of it. As the meeting progressed, I caught him staring at me a couple of times, which made me highly uncomfortable. I chose not to look at him and just focus on the proceedings.

  The entire day went by, and it was time for the dinner party.

  I went back to my room, freshened up and got ready. I was wearing a navy-blue short business dress paired with black heels. I tied my hair in a sleek pony and applied some light make up to finish my look.

  After glancing in the mirror for one last time, I went down to the dining hall.

  As soon as I entered, I saw Mark smiling and talking to his colleagues.

  "You are looking beautiful Emma." Mark complimented me with most genuine expressions.

  "Thank you, Mark," a small blush that crept my face.

  While others excused us, I was mainly left in his company, and we talked about the deal and other business-related things.

  Suddenly, Mark became attentive and greeted someone from behind me. I turned around and saw it was none other than Mr. CEO himself. And he wasn't alone; an extremely good-looking girl had her arm entangled in his, as they walked towards us.

  This girl looked straight out of the runway like some famous model. With her closeness with Jake, they looked like they were more than business associates.

  I felt uneasy. I did not like her holding his arm. Fury and rage seemed like the only known emotions at the moment, and if given a chance, I could rip her perfectly toned arm from his strong muscular ones, without any mercy.

  Was she his girlfriend?

  "Good Evening, Mark. Ms. Carter." Jake greeted us as he stood a few steps away from me.

  "Good Evening, Boss. Ms. Muriel." Mark was the first one to return his greetings.

  Ms. Muriel? That does ring a bell.

  "Call me Erica. Nice to meet you, Mark". She reciprocated with a hint of smile.

  "Good Evening, Mr. Richmond," I said softly, avoiding eye contact with him and nodding at Erica.

  "I hope you guys are enjoying the party," His eyes were cold and attitude so stiff. My already enraged mind could barely register the sudden haughtiness in his manners. It was anything but friendly.

  He was shamelessly staring at me even when he had the company of another girl standing right next to him.

  "Yes, boss. Since this isn't my first time here, I was letting Emma know about Norwegian attractions and how amazing their local museums and art galleries are."

  "That's nice. Ms. Carter here looks well taken care of in your company, Mark" His eyes were still lingering on my face, piercing into my flesh like an unwelcomed guest.

  Why was he behaving so rudely, and what was with his sarcasm? And here I thought of apologizing to this jerk!

  Now, Erica too was staring at me, up and down, from head to toe, giving me a distasteful look. She seemed to be annoyed with Jake's constant attention on me.

  "Come on, Jake. Make me a drink, honey." She pretentiously dragged him away with a fake giggle plastered on her lips.

  "What was that?" Irritation evident in my tone.

  "Well, That's Erica Muriel for you. She is Ben Muriel's only daughter. They are the owners of BLK, whose acquisition proposal you prepared."

  "Close friend or Girlfriend?" It came as a spontaneous question. The moment I asked, I regretted my words. Why was I so bothered about his personal life anyway? And what will Mark feel about me, poking my nose in somebody else's life?

  I nervously opened my mouth again to explain, but before I could say anything, Mark replied, "Rumor has it that they are a thing since a couple of months now, but you never really know these days." He stated indifferently, stopping a waiter for another drink.

  I nodded silently without pestering any further. I did not want to sound curious about office rumors and gossips.

  I felt uncomfortable at dinner after that. My mood and appetite were no more the same. Mark was sweet to keep me company throughout.

  Jake could do whatever he wanted. He sure had a reputation with girls. I am sure he might have had many flings before her and must be sleeping with her too. She did look amazing, though. Looking at her gorgeous slender figure, curves at all the right places, even I could drool. If I were a guy, I might flirt with her too. My mind went in circles thinking about their closeness, and it was getting hard to convince my pathetic self that this situation had no effect on my tiny, fragile heart. Suddenly a screech from the other end of the hall got me out of my reverie. I looked around and found it to be Erica.

  "You fool you spoilt my dress!" She retorted at the waiter who by mistake dropped a drink on the floor and splashes of it went on Erica's dress.

  To everybody's utter shock, she went ahead and slapped the poor guy. Jake immediately rushed to her side and took control of the situation. He apologized and dismissed the waiter, and took Erica's hand, making her way out of the hall.

  "That was uncalled for! She is a piece and matches what people say about her". Mark stated slowly, making himself audible only to me.

  "Really? I don't understand how could she slap him?"

  "Yes, she is a drama queen. Everyone in the upper circle knows how much she is full of herself. I sometimes feel sad for boss, how does he stick around with her?"

  Maybe she is too good in bed, or maybe they are genuinely in love, whatever it was, I don't care.

  Thankfully, I didn't say that out loud.

  The day took a pathetic end, and I excused myself from Mark, letting him know that I was tired and was heading back to my room.

  Jake was seeing Erica; he had a girlfriend and was involved for a couple of months now. No wonder he asked me to act professional around him. Not that I was planning to make a move, but I felt hurt, nevertheless.

  This was the last straw I guess; I had no right to even think about somebody else's man. It pained my heart to imagine him with somebody else. I didn't even realise, but I had tears rolling down my cheeks.

  I removed my make-up, changed into my nightwear and hit the bed. Before I cried myself to sleep, I was only sure about one thing. Jake was a closed chapter for me now.

  Chapter 15

  Being watched?

  Emma

  "Thanks a lot for your help." I gave a soft smile to the lady at the concierge desk and headed to the elevator to get back to my room.

  It was Friday already, and tonight was the end of the week-long meetings after the masquerade ball. I had some spare time so I decided to meet the hotel concierge to plan my bookings for the weekend.

  I had booked a Norway aurora tour to see the Northern lights in a small island called Lofoten.

  As I walked back, I could sense somebody's eyes on me, when I looked around, I barely saw anybody I recognized. Feeling alarmed, I rushed into the elevator and pressed my floor button. I took brisk steps to my room while constantly looking behind to check for the unusual presence I felt.

  The haste led me to bump into someone, and I hushed out a slight shriek out of sheer fright.

  "Careful Emma." Mark grabbed me and held my waist to stop me from tripping down. I gripped his shoulders to restore my balance, and was relieved to find him to my rescue.

  "Thank God it's you. I got so scared
for a minute." I heaved a deep sigh and collected myself. I didn't realize but I was actually standing extremely close to him.

  His gaze was soft and for the first time I saw intense emotions in his deep grey eyes, the feeling made me flinch. I always saw Mark as a good friend but for split of a second his eyes said otherwise. His lips were inches apart and his strong cologne filled my nostrils. My pulse was racing through my veins, as his grip on my waist created an unusual sensation. I cleared my throat and stepped back from our uncomfortable position.2

  "Umm… what got you so scared Emma? I was looking for you." Mark broke the awkwardness and quickly retained the calmness in his voice.

  "Umm... I went to the reception area to confirm my bookings for tomorrow. I am planning to visit Lofoten Islands." I stuttered; my mind still stirred with my odd encounter with Mark.

  "That's amazing. Their hikes have such beautiful views. You should definitely try that if you get a chance." He recommended.

  "Yes definitely. I am planning on it."

  "So, when will you be flying for the States? Will you be taking some time off?"

  "No. I am flying out on Sunday evening. Owing to the time difference I would still be back in US by Sunday evening, and would be able to report to office on Monday morning, so no time offs." I felt confident as I planned meticulously, and was sure that nothing could go wrong.

  "Great. I am flying back tomorrow morning though."

  "That's nice. I also have to check-out early tomorrow so I might recede to my room early tonight."

  "What? Why? Will you not attend the Gala?"

  "No Mark. It's anyway not my thing. I think I will give it a pass." I shrugged indifferently.

  "No way. You must come, else I will get bored. Come on Emma! It's the last event, you should definitely attend." He insisted with puppy eyes. I smiled at his persistence, and reluctantly agreed. His eyes twinkled in excitement at my consent.