"Was he actually upset with me? Is that why he didn't stay?"
Eileen watched as I got into the car and drove away.
A slight frown creased her brow.
"Don't worry about it."
Marcus let out a cold laugh. "A few years abroad, and his little jealousy games have gotten more sophisticated, I'll give him that. Playing hard to get now. Honestly, I'm starting to wonder if one day you might actually..."
Eileen pressed a finger to his lips.
"I told you. You're the only one I want."
The truth was, I really did have things to do.
I'd started an internet company with a college friend. Business was picking up fast, and I had a dinner meeting with a client that night.
My partner sent me a message:
Heard you're back in the country. Got a BIG surprise for you!
I fired off a quick reply and didn't think twice about it.
If I'd known what that surprise was, I would have told her to cancel it immediately.
I hadn't planned on crossing paths with Eileen again.
But one of the family elders had a birthday coming up, and given how far back our families went, we'd inevitably end up at the same party.
When I arrived with a gift in hand, though, what I walked into was no birthday celebration.
It was a proposal.
Marcus was down on one knee.
The moment he spotted me, a mocking smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. He slid a diamond ring onto Eileen's finger with deliberate slowness.
"Congratulations!" My parents were the first to start clapping.
I stared at them, bewildered. "Isn't today Grandpa's birthday?"
"It is! But your grandfather said he wanted to double the celebration."
I frowned. "You were all this eager to rush their engagement? I genuinely thought this was just—"
My father cleared his throat. "The reason we kept it from you... well, we were afraid you'd try to ruin it."
"Did you know? Eileen just became the national director at Apex Group."
Apex?
I froze.
That was my company. The one I'd co-founded with my college partner.
"A daughter-in-law like Eileen doesn't come along every day. Of course we had to lock down the engagement while we could." My mother's voice softened. "We know you have feelings for her, sweetheart. But you can't force these things. She's never felt that way about you, not in all these years. It's time to let go."
I said nothing.
I looked down at my phone and messaged my partner:
Please tell me the surprise isn't Eileen Mason.
She sent back a laughing emoji.
We all know you're crazy about her! I handled the national staffing myself. She reports directly to you now. You two are going to be joined at the hip from here on out~ haha~
I pressed my palm against my forehead.
"Hey, isn't that Russ Farley? Eileen Mason's little puppy dog?"
"Oh my God, it is! He actually showed up!"
"Look at his face. That poor, tortured expression. I almost feel bad for him."
The whispers needled into my skull like a migraine. I gave up on the party and ducked into a side room to call my partner and sort this out.
After I'd finished explaining that I was over Eileen, I opened the door.
A hand shot out and locked around my wrist.
I was dragged down the hallway and shoved into the stairwell.
"Eileen!" I pulled back, caught off guard.
She released me with a flick of her wrist.
"You saw what happened tonight." Her voice was ice.
I frowned at her.
"Marcus and I are engaged now. It's time you found someone and settled down too."
"Settled down?" I let out a dry laugh. "Not in my plans at the moment."
"So you're just going to keep clinging to something that was never yours?"
I blinked.
Then it clicked. She'd misread me completely.
"What I mean is, I'm not looking to get married because my career is still taking off. That's all."
Eileen studied me for a long moment.
