The CEO's Secret✔️

23: The Moment Of Truth

April 2011

C H A P T E R   T W E N T Y  T H R E E:

T H E  M O M E N T   O F  T R U T H

"Colin, wake up. For god's sake."

"Hmmm." His incoherent mumbles only added to her irritation.

Katie couldn't take it anymore, the past few minutes she had been trying to wake Colin up for work. It was lunch time already and it amazed her how difficult he was finding it to get up. She wanted to shake him then, left with no other option. Or maybe it would have been better to throw water over him, she couldn't decide if that suggestion was too far or not.

"You know what, I don't even care anymore." She said to herself before going into his bathroom and grabbing a glass full of water to pour over him.

"Ah! What the fuck Katie?"

"Great- you're up." She stood beside his bed and crossed her arms.

"Thanks to you." He said sarcastically.

"It's half one Colin, work will be over in a couple of hours and you're still in bed."

"That was the point. I was going to skip today."

"Skip? What are you in high school again?"

"I wish."

"Colin."

The way she said his name instantly drew his attention towards her. Katie's voice as full of worry and doubt and the expression on her face was no different. She was concerned for him, especially when she saw the state he was in once he sat up to look at her. Katie was tired of standing and so perched down on the side of his bed and turned to him. He said nothing, only looked at her, waiting. Because he knew what was coming next.

"You can't keep doing this Colin." Her lips were pursed into a thin line then, a grim look on her face.

"I'm fine-"

"You don't look fine."

"Well, I'm doing great."

"What happened?"

"What do you mean?" Katie sighed at his attempt to obliviousness.

"Well you haven't been in work all week. You didn't even go to your family brunch last Saturday and no one has seen you that I've been talking to."

"I'm never going to one of those stupid brunches again and you can tell my father that."

Katie realised it all came back to what she thought was the root of the problem- his family, it always was his family.

"What happened?" her brows knitted together with great concern, her voice a little softer than before.

"My dad and Kevin talking shit about Olivia, and of course how much bad taste I have in women when it's none of their business."

Olivia. This was the first time in two weeks that she had heard Colin utter her name. Since her last brunch at the Anderson's home, Katie had realised how the woman's lustre was beginning to dull for Colin. He was no longer wrapped around her little finger as his brother had suggested but there was something that always pulled him back toward her. Even though they clearly weren't right for each other.

"You know nothing I ever do is good enough for any of them, so I don't give a crap anymore."

Katie had heard this so many times before, she almost knew what he was going to say word for word but listened anyway. Colin pretended as if he didn't care, but deep down, there must have been something inside that craved approval or else he wouldn't be the way he was. Katie refrained from saying any of this, she knew how defensive he could get so just listened because for then, that was all he needed.