𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘦. 𝘫𝘢𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘳

XII

"𝙄 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙'𝙫𝙚 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙣𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡"

❦❦❦

EREN POV

"What's wrong?" Y/n asked me from the other side of the car. After being hit with news that could easily change the direction of my life and everything I've worked on thus far, I had no idea what to say or how to feel.

"Nothing you need to worry about," I responded reassuringly, hoping to keep her from worrying.

As the countless streetlights flew behind us, I raced to get to the headquarters of the company. I walked into the building calmly despite the destruction going on in my mind, with Y/n hooked onto my arm, trying to keep up with my strides as we made our way towards the elevators.

I hadn't said anything else to her since we'd gotten in the car, and I knew she could tell I had a lot on my mind by the way she'd try and sneak glances every time I looked at my phone. If she thought something was wrong, she never outwardly said it, just hinting at it subtly. When the doors to the elevators opened, we were met with the face of one of our many front desk assistants. I slowed my pace and walked to the seating area placed in front of her.

Y/n held onto my arm tightly, making me feel bad for having to leave her after I told her that she had to wait for me in the lobby. If it were any other circumstance, she'd be free to join me. Conversations with my father and brother rarely end well, and I didn't want her getting caught in the crossfire after the night she's had.

If there's anything I've learned growing up around my father, it's that nothing is as important to him as his business. He loves what he does more than anything. Hell, he loves it more than his own kids. I've taken his shit my entire life, but hell if he tries to take away the hard work I've been doing for the past eleven years of my life, and for my brother of all people.

Y/N POV

Your leg bounced restlessly as you waited for Eren to come out of the main meeting room he'd entered a few doors down from the entryway. On your way there, you'd heard him mention the name 'Zeke' into the phone when he made a few calls; the name sounded oddly familiar. It had been roughly thirty minutes since he walked in and left you to be alone with your thoughts and the front desk woman who worked the night shift. She'd been staring you down ever since you walked in with Eren.

She was different than the blonde from before, Historia, and you could tell that despite not knowing you, she wasn't very fond of you.

You weren't blind, Eren is a very attractive man with a boatload of money. It made sense that he had women constantly throwing themselves at him. But the mean mugs were getting old; they weren't hurting you, and they surely weren't placing them any closer to him.

You ignored her and checked your phone, looking to see if Sasha or Imani had anything to say about your sudden departure with Eren, but saw no notifications from either. While you sat there and waited, you grew stressed only being able to imagine what was going on between Eren and his dad at the moment. It was quite obvious that they didn't have the best relationship, especially after your abrupt departure from his mom's birthday party. As you grew tired of letting your mind wander, you did the one thing you did best: work. You walked through the halls, disregarding Eren's request for you to stay put, and managed to make your way to the community computer room. You used your office pin to get in and shut the door to the space behind you.

Working took your mind off of everything. More specifically, the past that you were trying to avoid. The past that you almost let Eren in on earlier that evening. You rested your head in your hands and took a deep breath; you knew Eren would eventually bring it up again, and dreaded the thought of having to be vulnerable in such a way after hiding it away for so long.