The CEO's Secret✔️

10: The Apology

September 2009

C H A P T E R    T E N:

T H E A P O L O G Y

Katie hesitated for a moment before dropping her knife and heading for the door. She didn't know what to say, or how to react once she saw a deflated looking Colin staring back at her.

"What do you want Colin?" Katie asked in exasperation, looking anywhere but directly at him.

"Can I come in?" His voice was apologetic and almost sweet. He had been fighting with himself the past couple of hours over what had happened in his office earlier on and the guilt was eating him up by the time he returned home. He knew he should not have turned up at Katie's apartment but he couldn't wait any longer to apologise to her. "Please." He urged gently once he saw a look of hesitation fall upon her face.

"Fine." Katie had to stop herself from rolling her eyes as she allowed Colin access to her living room, closing the door after he entered and stood awkwardly a few steps away from the door- feeling like he was intruding.

He followed her then into the kitchen where she continued with her cooking. Not much was said between the pair for another couple of minutes, Colin only stood there and watched what she was doing.

"How did you know where I lived?" Katie asked.

"I finally read your resume." She could have snorted, if she was not in such a terrible mood.

"Oh." She spoke although she did not look up from what she was doing, an attempt of shielding any interest she had in that conversation.

"I'm sorry Kate."

"Great." She raised her eyebrows with sarcasm. "Is that it? Because you can leave if it is." Colin didn't know what to say next, there were too many things floating around in his mind and he could not choose which to say first.

"Please, I over-reacted-"

"You think I'm a homewrecker?" she put down the knife then and looked him straight in the eye. A stare that made Colin almost squirm.

"No. Of course I don't."

"But you did, you told me I slept with a married man."

"I shouldn't have listened to the rumours, I thought they were true."

"But why? Why did you think they were true? What have I done to ever make you think I would do something like that?" The hurt was coming through in her voice. It filled Colin with even more guilt and regret than he already felt.

"I-I don't know." He shook his head.

"I just wish you had have asked me Colin. Before you drew your own conclusions."

"I don't know what to say. I just hope you can forgive me for jumping to conclusions. I should have trusted what you said in the beginning."

Although Katie felt he was genuinely sorry, a part of her still wanted to be angry with him. But how could she? He was her boss and their relationship meant they couldn't take things so personal if a situation in work arose like this one.

"Do you want some?" Katie asked uncertainly as she began cooking again.

"I'm sure you don't want to cook for me after what I did today."

"No, I don't." she stated bluntly. "But I'm cooking for myself already."

Colin hadn't left yet, so she assumed he was staying for some dinner although the mood had not gone back to normal by then. He knew he wasn't going to be welcomed by her with open arms immediately after his apology, but the food was the first step back into her good books for him.