UNBROKEN [ MAX VERSTAPPEN ]

14. Engagement

"Good morning." - I hear someone talking and I put the phone back, Charles is with a big smile on his face - "I can wake up every day with this view" - he says and leans over the bed kissing me on the forehead - "What time do you need to be at the airport?"

"The plane leaves at 2 p.m., but I still want to go home to finish packing" - I speak

"Fine, we can have breakfast, I'll drive you home, you finish getting things ready, we'll have lunch and I'll drive you to the airport"- he speaks and I don't even blink - "A lot, sorry, I just want to spend time with you before you go."

"Charles, it's fine with me, I'd love to." - I say - "I just don't want to get in the way of your day by walking me back and forth." - Charles smiles and sits down next to me, pulling me into his chest.

"What I want most is to have work with you, you can give me all the work you want." - he speaks and pulls puts his hand on my chin, lifting it and making me face him - " I just want a chance, but I don't want to get involved in any kind of trouble, I'm serious, I want to be with you."

"And I am with you, if I wasn't do you think I would be here with you Charles?" - I question

"I just don't want to get in between the drama between you and Max, but if I have to get in between to protect you, I will do that Vic, I won't let him hurt both of us, your life and your career just because he has feelings for you and can't accept that we are together."

"He's with Kelly"-I speak and he laughs facing me

"Him being with Kelly doesn't mean he doesn't have feelings for you, because I know, you know, even Kelly herself knows he has them, that's why she sees you as a threat." - he continues - " And you can be sure that she will do anything to you look bad"

"She may try, but she'll never succeed, they know me" - I speak

"I will never leave you helpless, if you need a team, I have a team" - he speaks.

"I don't want people to think that I got jobs because I'm dating you Charles." - I say

"Fuck what people think Victoria, whatever you need, I will do anything to make sure you get it." - he speaks.

"Thank you" - I speak and give him a small kiss on the lips - "But can we please go eat? I woke up hungry"

"Sure, let's go" - he gets up and stretches out my hand.

[...]

"Charles?" - I look at him who is sitting on the edge of my bed fiddling with my phone as I finish putting my clothes in my suitcase - " I have a hair curler in my closet, it's in the first drawer under the mirror, can you please get it for me ?" - I speak and he puts the cell phone on the bed and gets up heading to my closet while I continue to pack things in my suitcase.

"Victoria?" - I hear Charles question my name

"Yes?" - I say and look back and notice he is standing in the doorway - "You didn't find it?" - I say and laugh, but my smile ends when I realize that he doesn't have my curler in his hand, but a small box in his hand. - "Shit" - I say and he continues motionless

"I didn't want to open it, but curiosity was bigger, and I opened it." - he speaks as he opens the box and shows its contents - " This is an engagement ring, but a big engagement ring."

"You weren't supposed to see that" - I speak frozen looking at him, Charles' look is incredulous, and for the first time in my life, keeping this ring was a mistake.

"I assume it wasn't" - he speaks and closes the box again - "Is there anything you want to tell me?"

"No." - I speak

"This is an engagement ring Vic." - he speaks and lifts the box, I walk towards him and take the box from his hand and open one of the drawers, and put the box inside it.

"Yes it is"- I speak and return to the edge of my bag and continue to put things inside.

"And you're not going to explain it to me?" - he speaks - "Victoria, this is an engagement ring, you're kidding me, you're engaged ?"

"Is that really what you think about me, Charles? That I would be able to date two people at the same time ?" - I speak indignantly to him

"No, that's not what I think Vic, but damn I just wanted an explanation, is it that hard?" - he questions.

"If I don't explain anything, it's because I don't want to explain anything." - I speak and finish closing my bag - "When the time is right and if I want to I'll explain."

"Have you ever been engaged to anyone?" - he questions

"Yes, I have been" - I head to the edge of my bed and open my backpack, grab my laptop, and put it inside, along with the charger and my headphones.

"Victoria, stop for a moment and talk to me" - he says and I finally stop and face him the look on Charles' face is one of desperation and I realize how unfair I am being to him.

"I met Matt when we were in college, it was a connection, at first sight, we dated for many years and he asked me to marry him and I accepted" - I speak

"I assume one of the two of you called off the engagement" - he speaks as he sits on the edge of the bed, standing with his back to me

"I called off the engagement" - I speak

"Why?"- Charles questions.

"He wanted to set the wedding date and I was too busy traveling, so he made a threat, either him or career." - I speak - "No one knows why we broke up, everyone thinks it was because I didn't want to get married and have kids, but the reality was not that, I wanted to get married and I wanted kids, but not at that time, my career was going international, I was starting to do contracts and deal with major brands in the international market, if I stopped I wouldn't make it back"

"Why didn't you tell everyone the truth? That he made you choose?" - Charles questions.

"I didn't want to denigrate his image, his family is quite important, it was bad enough I called off the engagement, the bad name it gave his family, if I told the real reason, they could destroy my career" - I speak

"How long ago was that?" - he speaks and finally faces me

"Three years ago." - I speak.

"Do you still have feelings for him?" - Charles questions

"I don't, I stopped loving him from the moment he forced me to make such a choice, no one who truly loves you would put themselves in a position to lose you" - I speak - "No one knows this story, Max's sister knows I was engaged, but doesn't know the real reason it ended"

"Why are you keeping the ring?" - he questions

"To remind me that I will never put myself in such a situation again, whatever kind of love I have for the person." - I say

"I would never put you in a position of having to choose between love or career" - he speaks and stands up walking towards me - "And I apologize for my reaction"

"And I apologize for my attitude, I should have been honest with you from the beginning" - I speak - "But it's not a topic I normally talk about on first dates"