Chapter 33: Chapter 33

ANGELIQUE SLOAN’S POV

I thought that Austin would be leaving me alone, but I was mistaken. He followed me from the very second that I stepped out of that room, chasing me all the way inside the elevator before the doors closed. Austin had one of his hands gripped on my wrist, while he used his vacant one to pin me to the corner, locking all of my possible escape routes.

“Did you think that you could escape me, Angelique?” Austin’s deadly glare was sending shivers down my spine.

My entire breathing turned heavier each second, and it felt like my sweat had gone colder. This was the first time that I have ever felt fear from someone other than my parents.

“I-I’m sorry,” I stuttered, trying my best not to break down, but my tears failed me.

A hot stream of my consecutive tears rolled down my cheeks, causing me to silently sob as my shoulders trembled. I covered my face with my vacant hand that he wasn’t gripping on.

“H-hey, are you alright?” Austin’s voice turned softer out of the blue, as if he became guilty of how he acted and how he has been treating me all this time. “I’m sorry. It was insensitive of me to try and force you to choose me. This won’t happen again,” he said.

Despite hearing those words coming from him, I couldn’t feel his genuine feelings at all. It’s like it was the only choice he could’ve made at this point. I could feel that he only apologized to make me feel better for now, and he’s going to repeat the same thing later on. Or do something worse.

“Forget it. I’ll be out for a while; don’t you dare follow me around unless you want me to report you to the cops,” I uttered, forcing him to step away from me as soon as the elevator door opened.

But as I expected, I can still sense Austin’s footsteps lurking behind me.

“If you’re planning to go back to Greyson like what you said earlier, then at least let me come with you,” Austin said, stopping his tracks as soon as he reached my side. “I’m sure that you wouldn’t have run away from your husband if the two of you were doing just fine,” he added.

Come to think of it, there’s no harm in letting him go with me. Also, I can use him to make Greyson jealous just as much as he did with me by letting me know about his connection with Gwynneth.

“What are you going to do once you meet Greyson?” I asked, trying to sound like nothing happened back in his company building.

Austin shrugged his shoulders. “Nothing in particular. Why? Do you want me to punch him in the face or are you expecting me to do something to him in your stead?”

“No, not that. I’m just worried that you would cause a commotion there. It’s not like you’ve known Greyson for as long as I have,” I explained, proceeding to walk ahead of him. “Even if I act this way, I only hate Greyson for what he did, and not him as a person. I still love Greyson,” I murmured, even though I knew he wasn’t asking nor was he interested in knowing.

“Are you saying that to purposely annoy me?” Austin stomped one of his feet on the ground, acting like a child. “You know what? Forget it. I don’t want to argue with you about that—we’re not lovers anyway.”

There was a hint of hurt in Austin’s voice, but there’s nothing I can do about it. If only I didn’t have Greyson in my life and there was nothing else that I’m anxious about, then maybe... I would’ve given him a chance.

A proper chance at love. A chance for Austin and I to start in love as he courts me and gives him my response.

A loud honk of a speeding vehicle made me shut my eyes, anticipating that I’d get run over by the car. Fortunately, someone grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the streets.

“Angelique!” screamed by a familiar man.

Why is he here? Couldn’t he have waited until we went to his place?

“G-Greyson.” I mumbled his name after I opened my eyes, slightly squinting them to make sure I didn’t mistook him for someone else. “W-what are you doing here? I don’t remember calling you over, and I don’t recall ever telling you where I was wandering off to,” I asked out of pure curiosity, not because I was delighted by his presence.

“Do you think I wouldn’t know that you were here? I know everything you do, everyone you’re with, and everywhere you’re going!” Greyson exclaimed before he released his hold on my forearm.

“So this is the man you’re talking about?” Austin hummed as he glanced at Greyson from head to toe, as if he were judging my husband’s entire life just from his physical appearance. “I can somehow see why you’ve fallen head over heels for him,” he added, nodding his head twice.

I shook my head. “You don’t have to say it like that, Austin.”

I perceived Greyson’s short chuckle, suppressing it so that he wouldn’t make it obvious that he liked what he heard from someone he doesn’t know. “I see that you’ve been talking about me behind my back, Angelique. Though I have no complaints about it if you’re telling them how crazy you are for me,” he whispered near my ears, so that Austin wouldn’t be able to eavesdrop on him.

There was a surge of heat that flew from my chest up to my face as soon as I felt his hot breath touch my ears. When I planned to step away, Austin already managed to pull me away from Greyson.

“What I said was a lie, Mr. Greyson or whoever you are,” Austin said while glaring intently at Greyson. “I know just how much my woman suffered because of you, and I’m not going to let her go through the same thing by letting her go back to your side.”

Did I hear him correctly?

Austin called me his woman?