Suppressing Desires for the CEO

Chapter 21

The next morning I woke up with a headache from hell. I frowned when I looked beside me to find aspirin and a bottle of water. It had Scott written all over it. Rolling my eyes, I promptly took it and fell back to sleep.

By the time I woke again it was quite late in the morning. I crawled out of bed and freshened up. I dawned on one of the guest bath robes and made my way out. No one was in the apartment. I welcomed the silence and even more the plate of breakfast and cappuccino machine. It was lunch time when Scott came through the door holding a bag from Hilton Weiner. I tried to ignore him but it looked like he was too distracted to notice.

"Get dressed, I'm taking you home." He dropped the bag and headed off to the side.

I loathed Scot Dainway. I took the outfit and new lingerie and got dressed. Ofcourse even the shoes would fit perfectly.

The paparazzi was there as we left the building but neither Scott nor I made a move to act in front of them or hold hands. We got into the limo and were on to the freeway in no time. I distracted myself while Scott took some calls.

Within seconds of Scott and I getting in the house, Gabriela announced that Grandpa Henry was at the gate. Scott and I exchanged looks. I really didn't feel like dealing with company but my heart couldn't deny how I enjoyed his.

We set up tea on the deck and as Grandpa Henry coughed and sipped his tea, I found myself frowning.

Scott spoke first "We could've visited you Grandad. You really shouldn't be doing excursions in your state."

Grandpa Henry waved his hand as a dismissal.

"What's the point? I'm always dealing with this and that. Plus, I wanted to talk to the two of you."

Scott had been holding my hand and tensed at the news.

"What is it?" Scott's tone held a hint of worry.

"Well..I've been watching the media and Dainway staff fuss over you two, and with all these pressures that may or may have not caused the loss we experienced...I gathered the three other founding members and our lawyers and we have signed off a new clause to our referendum."

Scott and I waited with baited breath as Henry paused.

"Love back in our day was simple. A man would marry the first woman he fell in love with. There was no societal news really. Especially for moguls, and well back then it showed a man's character and loyalty."

He smiled as he reminisced over his wife who had passed too early an age for him.

"We removed the clause about having to be married and producing an heir as the condition to be CEO of the company. It just isn't related in this day and age. I've been watching what you and Ms Paul here are going through, I may be an old man but I still understand the world complicated." He chuckled, "when I listened to you declare you would rather lose the company than Rachel when news broke out about the two of you, it triggered to me that loss is such a terrible thing. What kind of man would survive the loss of a wife and company should things not work out. I hardly survived mine, and I know my son James wouldn't. So how could you?"

Scott and I sat in silence digesting the news. Scott was free. I was free. We didn't have to go through with getting married. I couldn't decipher how I felt.

Scott spoke first, "Thank you Granddad. I know you and the founders had good intentions at the time, and even now what you have done reflects how good you are to the survival of the company and its values."

Henry grinned and changed the subject. Scott and I put aside the news to enjoy the rest of the afternoon with him, and waved him off as the sun went down behind the trees.