5

My chest tightens up and my pulse rate quickens as I try to conceal the unease that has begun to take up residence there by avoiding my sight. Our older brother and Lisa have a deeper connection beyond that of friends because of the way they've always been together. In addition to that, it just so happens that she is Gabriel's future husband's younger sister. To begin, he has no business staring at her in such a way since he is not her boyfriend. When I finally drop my head to the floor, I let out a little sigh and drink the rest of my wine. At least I won't have to worry about developing feelings for someone who will never be my spouse given that every member of my family will ultimately enter into an arranged marriage at some point in their lives.

At the end of the meal, Elise makes a comment to the effect of "You're silent." "Is there anything you need at this very moment?" Is there anything urgent that requires our immediate attention, and should we expect it?

As I walk her into the backyard of the main house, where my grandmother lives, and into my own apartment, I can't help but shake my head in disbelief. What are some of the other things that keep your mind active while you're not working?

Despite the fact that her smile is rather endearing, every time she flashes it at me, it drives me utterly mad. "Doyou?"

When I smile, I pull up some of the corners of my lips. "Touché."

Elise can easily unlock my front door by just pressing a button located above it with her thumb. She kicks off her shoes, places them by the door, and lets out a soft sigh as she walks barefoot into my living room. Earlier, she had left her heels by the door. She does it with a grin on her face the whole time she is doing it.

When she's not wearing those ridiculously tall shoes, she looks like a little girl. You would just need to raise her slightly to be able to throw her against the wall with ease. Do you think it's possible that you could smell the venom in her words?

I offer a little, trembling nod of the head while at the same time rummaging through my hair with one hand. And what precisely am I trying to think about, if I am trying to think about anything at all? I have no doubt that Elise is just as emotionless and disagreeable in bed as she is out in public; despite the fact that she is wonderfully gorgeous, I have no doubt that this is the case. No matter how hard I tried, if I raped her I was going to die of hypothermia. There was no way around it. The whole idea makes me feel queasy, and I can't believe I'm even entertaining the possibility since it makes me so angry with myself.

She was sitting on the couch when she thought to herself, "That's interesting," as she glanced at her phone. I go down on my knees at an appropriate height so that I can peek over her shoulder. Every time I do this, I discover that I am taking deeper breaths in order to inhale the lingering scent of the signature lavender perfume she wears. The son complied with the request that was made by the father for him to resign from his job. It hits me by surprise, that's for sure.

She swivels her head around and advances closer to me to offer me a direct, hot glance. A small piece of her nose is touching mine. My thoughts keep returning to the fullness of her lips, and I felt a tight flash of yearning. "Why?" I lower my voice. Our original positions are maintained throughout the conversation.

I'm bewildered; why? Her voice is weakening with emotion.

Response to the question "What shocks you?"

Her irritatingly professional mask reattached itself as she blinked and took a few steps back. Elise Sclincer is one of the few girls I know who has never exhibited any interest in a romantic connection with me. Since we've never broken any rules, we've undoubtedly been permitted to work together for so long. This is how I anticipated things going, but her lack of passion is worrying me now.

It shocked me that you offered him a chance to save the corporation, but even more so that he wanted his son to step down as CEO. I had a hard time grasping the likelihood that he would truly do something like that. You have never given anyone else a chance in all the years we have worked together. You've always had a pretty firm, unshakeable determination. So, what was it that was so different this time around?

She swung around and confronted me in a clearly angry manner. I'm interested as to whether or not she is aware that she is the only one who would receive an explanation from me if she were to conjure up the bravery to ask for one.

After being shocked, I reach into my pocket and absently touch the Williams crest on my pocket watch. To put it simply, Jackson and my father got along beautifully. My father agreed to invest in the firm, in the end. Whenever I think about or speak about my parents, I still feel sad even though it has been over twenty years since they passed away. In all probability, we won't see a comprehensive resolution to the problem in our lives. Such wounds are irreversible and leave lifelong scars. Here's an example of one in operation.

Elise looks down, then back up, as if to disguise her face from me. She says, "I see," with no emotion on her face. At first I was scared that she may question me about my family, but now as I consider it, I understand that I shouldn't have bothered. It's uncommon for Elise to be the one to barge in. At first I assumed she was too frightened of getting fired if she did, but now I feel indifference is more likely to be the case. Icy coldness comes from within her, it's real.

I assume that explains why you hesitated to let him go, you added, thinking about how "their firm performance has been falling year on year for five years in a row." Then, her eyes go up to the ceiling as she grins devilishly. There could be a beating heart someplace within you ", the therapist recommended. But it's buried so deep, it's almost impossible to find.

Her smile brightens as she traces her index finger over my chest. That a part of me she apparently doesn't think I have? It's simply too sluggish to keep up with the action. She touched me affectionately and smiled at me with such sincere love that I can't recall the last time she did either. I cannot recall the last time she did it.

My hand is wrapped around her wrist, and her palm is forced firmly against my chest, before I even have a chance to grasp what I'm doing. Elise's eyes expand at the sides, but she provides no additional sign that she's paying attention. She doesn't appear to be in any discomfort, unlike me.

"Youtellme. Do I?" My pulse quickens a bit while she's in the room; does she take note?

With a big grin on her lips, she responds, "No." "I agree with you entirely. You are just as vicious as you were yesterday, if not more so.

My lips twist up ever-so-slightly as I lose grasp of her wrist and watch as her hand glides away.

I can't take my sight off of Elise for a second as she goes over to the coffee table where I've set up my laptop, gleaming with enthusiasm. She gives me the largest grin I've ever seen when it's just the two of us. My mom has flashed a smile at each of my brothers, but I have never caught her smiling at me.

We can't forget about the last-minute suit fitting for Gabriel and Hannah's wedding until we've finished up the restructuring plans. The reorganization plan needs to be finished right now. It will come quicker than you imagine.

I lean back in my chair as I attempt to wrap my mind around what we have to do in the following months. With any hope, I'll be able to accomplish one of my father's dearest ambitions. The space between ourselves and each other is so minimal that we could touch.

In the Williams family business, my brothers and I each have our own areas of responsibility. Between us, we conduct business in banking, PR, media, hotels, vehicles, IT, real estate, and even overseas.

The Williams family's engagement in these businesses stretches back at least fifty years, and my grandmother has been their mentor the entire time. We got our start, and developed our name, in the financial industry. A couple of our most well-known financial organizations include Williams Finance and The Williams Bank.

My father built the business I presently lead, so I have significant ties in the town. Even though he is no longer here to witness how I have expanded his company, I am devoted to doing him justice. I aim to accomplish the task he began but never completed.

While watching Elise slide her index finger across my laptop's screen, I am struck by how much I have learned to rely on and trust her. She is the sole one who is aware of my future growth goals. I don't like her very much, but I know she's vital to the growth of Williams Finance.