ɪɢɴɪᴛᴇ ᴅᴇꜱɪʀᴇꜱ

Chapter - 14 Feel something for you!

He paused, collecting his thoughts before continuing. "After a month, I decided to find him. I realized that smuggling underneath my company was a terrible thing. I started searching for him, and I discovered he was in the neighboring country. That was the day you joined our company, a month before you actually started working. He had already left, and he lied to you about why he was going abroad."

Stephanie's voice trembled. "..what I believed him so much...so he's been lying to me about that too?"

Christopher nodded, his eyes filled with remorse. "It was about eight or nine months ago, yes."

Stephanie broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. Christopher's face contorted in anguish as he continued.

"Stephanie, I know I've done a terrible thing. I want to confess one more thing to you. I...I..." He struggled to find the words.

"Stephanie, please forgive me. I love you...from the beginning, it was a lie. I needed to know where he was, where the documents were. I didn't know he was lying to you too. Please, Stephanie, forgive me. It was a terrible thing, I know. But I need those documents back; otherwise, I'll go to jail. That was the only way I could think of to get them back – by getting close to you. I'm so sorry; I'm sorry that's my fault."

Christopher buried his face in his hands, overcome with emotion, and wept.

Stephanie's eyes widened in shock, and she began to cry. Her voice trembled as she spoke.

"Why, Christopher? Why was this all a lie? You...you two are idiots. I loved you more than Ryan, but I didn't know he was a liar. I loved you even before Ryan...I don't know, Christopher, what to say."

Stephanie's body shook with sobs. Christopher's face contorted in anguish as he continued.

"Hmm, Stephanie, I'm sorry...don't you remember the day I went for an abroad meeting, and my assistant came to you and said to manage the office for two or three days? That was the day I went to see Ryan. I had found out he was in London, so I went there to find him and collect all the documents."

Christopher's eyes locked onto Stephanie's, his voice barely above a whisper. "When I went to London to see Ryan, he told me that I wouldn't be getting the documents at any cost. I said to him, 'I want them, so you trapped me, right?' Ryan just smiled and said, 'Yes, yes, this was a...'"

Christopher's voice was filled with emotion. "So, I couldn't find the documents with him. I tried to search for them when he was away, but it didn't help. After that, I came back, and I saw you leaving work. I offered to drop you home, but at that moment, I felt something different. I felt a genuine connection with you, Stephanie. That wasn't a lie."

Christopher's eyes pleaded for understanding. "The moment I returned from the meeting in London, I started to feel something for you. But the first time I visited your home, my intention was to search for the documents. When I couldn't find them, I tried to leave early the next morning."

Stephanie's expression softened, and she smiled warmly at Christopher. "Okay, Christopher, I understand your feelings and needs. But can I ask you something? Why did your wife divorce you?"

Christopher's eyes dropped, and his voice was laced with regret. "Stephy...at the time, I went out for the night to smuggle those things...she found out. She said I was on a bad path, that I wasn't doing the right thing. She told me it wasn't good for my health or my company. I replied that it was my business, and she shouldn't interfere. She cried and said she didn't need me anymore, that she was leaving. We had a fight that night, and she left me. That's why we divorced."

Stephanie's expression was calm and soothing. "I'm sorry, Christopher. I'm not trying to upset you, but I needed to know why."

Christopher's voice was filled with emotion. "That's okay, Stephanie. But this is the truth – I love you, Stephanie. I really do. After I returned from abroad, I felt something genuine for you."

Stephanie's smile was gentle, but she ignored his confession. "I understand, Christopher. But that's okay. I understand."

The scene was calm and quiet, with only the sound of their gentle breathing. Stephanie's expression conveyed that she understood everything about Ryan and Christopher's situation.

As they conversed, they heard a noise from above. Ryan was opening the door to the secret room. They fell silent, resuming their normal positions. Ryan entered with dinner and water, sitting in the same chair as before.

"What about now, Stephanie? Are you happy with your loved one?" Ryan asked, his tone dripping with sarcasm. Stephanie nodded, and Christopher spoke up.

"Why are you doing this, Ryan? What do you want from me? Why did you bring Stephanie here?"

Stephanie began to confess, her voice shaking. "I wasn't in love with Christopher...why did you...I made a mistake, it's my fault..." She struggled to continue, but Ryan interrupted her.

Ryan burst into loud laughter. "Oh, dear Stephanie, you misunderstood. I bring you here not because of cheating. I brought you here to hide my secrets. I know Christopher told you everything, and if you were to leave this house, you would expose me. I would be caught by the police. You would have ruined my plans, and I couldn't let that happen."

Stephanie's anger flared up. "You idiot! You think I wouldn't expose you? You think you're on the right path, Ryan? This is a wrong way to confess, to believe you're doing the right thing."

Ryan nodded, a sly smile spreading across his face. He placed the dinner and water on the floor, then stood up, laughing maniacally. Without saying another word, he left the room.

Christopher and Stephanie looked at each other, their faces filled with sympathetic understanding.

Christopher leaned in, his voice barely above a whisper. "Stephanie, we need to escape. If we don't, that monster will kill us."

Stephanie nodded in agreement. "Of course, we will, but how? We need to create a plan, tonight. We can't be here tomorrow."

Christopher's eyes locked onto hers. "Yes, after all, our lives are at stake. We have to try."

With newfound determination, Christopher and Stephanie began to work on freeing themselves. Stephanie carefully removed a hairpin from her hair and used it to cut through the ropes binding her to the chair. After hours of meticulous work, she finally managed to cut through the rope and stood up, stretching her freed limbs.

She quickly moved to untie Christopher, her hands working swiftly to loosen the knots. "Christopher, we need to escape, but the key is with him. What are we going to do?"

Christopher's eyes narrowed, his mind racing. "We need to plan, very carefully. We can't afford to make any mistakes."

Together, they began to devise a plan, their whispers and nods a testament to their determination to escape the clutches of the monstrous Ryan.