𝐎𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞

Chapter Forty-Seven

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When Isaac told Matthew Imani had resigned, he wasn't surprised, but that didn't mean he wasn't affected by it, knowing she'd walked away from a well-paying job to avoid him, that she did not love him enough to at least fight for him was disheartening.

Every time Matthew was confronted with how nonchalant she was with their relationship, it baffled him deeply how much she still had the power to break him. Now standing with a glass of whiskey in one hand, he closed his eyes for a second or so, listening to silence. Almost everyone had left, and the few remaining would be going soon, and he would be alone but for the security team.

He wondered where she was at that moment, whether she had moved out of her house, whether they still lived in the same city, in the same time zone. Matthew realized, not suddenly, that he knew very little about Imani.

He knew her mother died when she was sixteen, that she had raised her brother since he was born, her job as a stripper, and nothing much. If he was to live for the rest of his life without her, he wanted to know everything there was to know about her, so he decided to do the one thing he promised her he would never do—have her investigated.

Matthew argued he deserved to know. He had loved her and still did. So why shouldn't he feed his curiosity? Perhaps looking into her might clue him in on why she was so adamant against committing to him.

Having made that decision, Matthew stayed in the office until midnight. He didn't work; he couldn't manage with a heavy heart. He left his unfinished whiskey on top of his desk as he walked out. When morning came, he summoned Pete to his office; he had thought about having Imani investigate almost half the night, backing off a couple of times before choosing to go ahead with it.

"Sir," Pete said after closing the door. Matthew cleared his voice and motioned for him to sit down.

"Do you remember me telling you not to have Imani investigated?"

Pete nodded, his brows furrowed, "I would like her investigated now." Matthew added

Pete nodded again. "I understand, sir."

He did not have to tell him discretion was required because Pete understood. Once he had left, Matthew expected to feel guilty about breaking a promise, yet he did not. She was gone; she would never know he had done it.

When he called father Josè to tell him Imani had not only resigned but left him as well, the older man had been disappointed that she had left because he thought they would end up together. He had started preparing for their wedding, excited that he would again officiate for another of his children.

Hearing it wouldn't be possibly brought a wave of sadness. He couldn't imagine how Matthew must feel.

"Are you alright?" the priest had asked.

"It becomes easier each day." Matthew had replied. He was getting ready for dinner in New York at Pulse. Rom had promised to hang out with him, drinking until dawn. He needed to exorcise Imani from his brain.

Forget those chocolate eyes that sometimes looked at him like she couldn't live without him. Or the long luscious hair he liked threading his fingers through while she slept beside him–her giggles—her entranced face when he spoke to her.

Rom picked him up at the airport, driving a black range rover; Matteo sat at the back, occupied by something on an iPad, but then raised his face when Rom introduced Matthew.

"Matteo, Matthew Ocean." he looked at Rom, playfully rolling his eyes, "I know who he is; the whole damn country knows who he is, not to mention we met at Bruno's wedding."