The Billionaire's Ex

26|unexpected

Thea found herself in an unfamiliar hallway. She walked further to find an elevator looking back to ensure that she wasn't caught or followed.

Unexpectedly, she was pulled into a room and the door shut with a thud. She screamed but masculine hand muffled her voice before she could alert anybody.

"Help-"

"It's me," it was then she looked at the man pinning her to the door. She relaxed visibly before hitting him painfully. "You scared me,"

"I'm sorry,"

"It's okay-"

"Not for scaring you, for what you saw at the hall." She looked away immediately.

"So she's back," Thea said and he nodded softly. "And you had your arm around her." She continued.

"I-"

"You let her kiss you," Thea continued and the words come out spitefully.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't push her away everyone was looking." He said.

"So I am just going to be the other woman?"

"Of course not, you are the one for me, you have my heart with you and you know it."

"Save me your meaningless lecture Ashton. If you did love me again then why haven't you told her off. I can't have you deceiving me when your heart belongs to another Ashton. You should have told me that you didn't love me anymore than making a mockery out of my feelings."

He was speechless, not that amazed kind of speechlessness but the worried one. So he did the thing that came to his mind first, the thing that he had thought of doing the first time he looked at her in that hall.

He kissed her, softly. Pouring out the feelings he couldn't express with words. As they say, actions speak louder than words.

He kissed her with love. Their warm lips against each other consumed the both of them immediately. He pulled away her finally.

"Does that feel like something wrong? Something fake?" He asked her and the only reply he got was her heavy breaths.

"I love you Thea and my heart is with you not someone else. I may be with her now but I promise you, not for long, we will be together again." He assured her. "Do you understand me or do I have to show you here and now that you are really mine and I, yours?"

"I want to comply but I can afford you riping apart my clothes and scattering my hair, it was work getting it done." He smiled at that.

"Then we have come to understanding, that brings me to my question. Why are you not downstairs? I looked for you for quite a while." He said.

"I.... went to the restroom then I was too moody to come downstairs." She told him. "What about you? You came late to the party."

"About that, I'm very close to finding out who the murderer is. A bracelet is what I have to find,"

"Well do you have something for example, how it looks like?" Thea asked.

"No, but not everyone wears a bracelet these days. More than half of the women here are without bracelets."

"True," Thea said and they both thought for a while. Thea was forced to speak up when something clicked in her head.

"It isn't only women that wear bracelet right?"

"Surely, but men hardly wear bracelets. I mean I wouldn't wear one,"

"You wouldn't but others would." Thea said.

"What are you trying to say Thea?"

"I did see someone wearing a very beautiful bracelet today, a man to be precise." Thea told him.

"A man?!" She nodded. "Tell me, who is it that you saw?"

"Mr. Lockhart," she said to Ashton.

---

Thea watched the event come to an end. Standing by the side of a table, she replied a wave gesture to some guy who had stolen the rest of her evening in chats and dance.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" She sighed at the feminine voice, knowing who it was before she even turned.

"Yes, I did, Thank you." She made an attempt to leave.

"Stay away from Ashton, Thea. He isn't yours anymore. I saw your little gesture over there. You think you can seduce him by looking good."

"I'll take it that you are complimenting me." Thea said.

"No, quite the opposite. You can never look as good as me no matter how hard you try so stay where you belong." Claire said. "Maybe if you know where you stand we can be friends?" Claire faked a smile.

"I'll prefer not." Thea said.

"Suit yourself," she waved her hand sassily in dismissal. Thea caught sight of the perfectly manicured hands that sassily waved her goodbye.

It was too perfect to be forgotten. Thea looked again at the face that mustered a fake smile at her. It wasn't noticable but the faint shifting of her lipgloss was evident to her. Thea looked down at what she was wearing, a red short gown that hugged her shape nicely.

She put two and two together.

"Well?" Claire asked but Thea just sighed tiredly and walked away from her.

What the hell was happening?!

---

Samuel's knocking was brief but hard. The door came open immediately to reveal Thea.

"Good morning," she said.

"Please, it should be quick, I have work in an 10minutes." He told her when he let himself in.

"Why are something's missing in here?" He asked.

"It's been a while since you've been here huh? I might have sold some things to pay my mother's bills at the hospital." Thea told him. "Water?"

"I'm fine," he said.

"I need you to confirm something for me." She started.

"Well what is it?" He asked, a frown now forming on his face.

"I didn't want to ask Ashton so I won't come forth as a clingy....as a clingy and jealous person." Thea said to him. He walked nearer to her curious about what she was about to tell him.

"I think Claire is having an affair with Jace,"

"An affair?"

"Yes, before you say that I'm lying. I saw both of them in a room upstairs when there was a speech going on. I just thought Ashton should know about it." She rushed out.

"Well you should tell him,"

"You know I can't. What if he starts thinking it's because I want her gone quickly." Thea said.

"You're right. I did notice the constant eye contact but I just brushed it off as unimportant, now I see why." Samuel said. "Not to worry, I'll take care of it." He said and she nodded before letting out the breath she was holding.