Chapter 16

Though Stephanie tried to convince herself about it, an absurd thought suddenly bothered her while she continued staring at Titan standing beside her. Aside from meeting her grandfather in her dream, whom she had never met, Stephanie wanted to know more about Titan's curse and find clues about what happened to him ten years ago.

What did he do to have this curse embedded in his soul? And who did this to him?

The problem may seem uncomplicated at first glance. However, Stephanie was adamant that it was otherwise. In her mind, the only person who knew best about what truly happened was Titan himself. Not Simon nor anyone around his circle.

Accepting that fact disturbed her, knowing he wouldn't say anything. If he couldn't tell his best friend about his secret, how much more with an average-looking, poor, homeless intern like her?

I'll give it a try, though. Besides, I've got nothing to lose anymore.

"I know there's no turning back now, Sir Titan." Stephanie sighed. "Besides, I've signed the contract with you now, so I don't think I still have options other than living with you."

As soon as she looked away, Titan turned his head and looked at her frowning face, which didn't take long for him to notice. Knowing that Stephanie would be living with him made him feel his chest constricted while remembering what Simon had told him earlier. "Is something going on between the two of you?"

No matter how often he has asked himself the same question, Titan only found himself frustrated. Why was he feeling disturbed all of a sudden when he was responsible for this idea in the first place?

"Let's leave. I still have a lot to do in the office," Titan said as he left the room, heading to his car.

Stephanie flicked her head in Titan's direction and followed him behind, along with Christine and Simon, who was still in shock at what they had witnessed.

Before Stephanie hopped inside Titan's car, Christine tapped Stephanie's arm and sighed as she flicked her head down. "What are you going to do now? I wish I could help you out, but I don't have a spare room for you and all these things you have. The cat shelter was too cramped for you as well." She sighed once more and grabbed Stephanie's hand.

"Don't worry about me, 'Tine."

"Why wouldn't I be worried about you, Steph? But, unfortunately, you don't have relatives willing to help you."

"She's staying with me. So, stop worrying for your friend if that's what this conversation is about," Titan interjected.

Stephanie winced and clucked when she heard Titan's reply. Shit, this bastard is getting on my nerves now.

Christine's eyes widened. "What?" She looked at Stephanie. "Is he kidding or what?"

"No, apparently, Titan's serious about this," Simon said.

"Wait, this doesn't make sense. Why would you allow Stephanie to live with someone like you in the first place? You're Titan Sandoval. You aren't just anybody," Christine said while raising an eyebrow at Titan. "I don't think she's going to agree with that. She's conservative and never lived with any man before unless she's married and has a family with this man. But—"

"Didn't she tell you about signing a new internship contract?" Titan walked towards them, placing his hands on his waist while cocking his eyebrows. "I don't give a damn if she's conservative in your eyes. Maybe, you don't know your friend that much after all."

"What contract is he talking about, Steph? You said Mr. Sandoval will be your new supervisor, but you didn't tell me about living with him."

Stephanie couldn't answer her troubled friend.

Titan sighed. "If you're worried about her living with me for a while, don't."

"Of course, I'm worried for her. And why would she agree to stay with her obnoxious boss for the next six months just because you're the new supervisor?"

Titan scoffed. "Did you just say I'm her obnoxious boss?" He repeated the word "obnoxious" with a more sarcastic tone while cocking an eyebrow and flicking his head, demanding Christine to confirm what he heard. Next, he looked at Stephanie, who quickly averted her gaze somewhere else to avoid Titan's piercing and menacing stare. "Is that how she described me to you?"

Christine flinched, surprised as to how Titan's menacing stare looked. Then, when she landed an eye on Stephanie, she noticed her friend looking down. "Well…"

Titan looked at Stephanie. "Is that true, Stephanie?"

Stephanie looked at him and showed an awkward smile. Yet, she still didn't open her mouth to explain her side of the story.

"We've got to get moving, guys," Simon said, beckoning them to enter the car and leave the property. "We have to catch up with those guys. And, by the way, sir—" he paused and cleared his throat while pinching his nose, "We still have much to discuss at the office. The board meeting will be in a few hours. So, we have to get there and prepare. You, too, Stephanie, will be needed there."

"But—" Christine demanded further explanation. However, Stephanie grabbed her hand and winced.

"We'll talk about this later, okay?" Stephanie said.

Christine gulped and sighed in frustration. "Fine. Whether you like it or not, I'll come by later to ensure things go well. For now, I'll let this pass. But next time, you've got to promise you'll tell me about this first. Alright?"

When Titan heard Christine, he rolled his eyes before he entered the car.

Stephanie nodded. "Sure, I will. I promise."

Though Christine smiled, in hindsight, she couldn't stop worrying about Stephanie's situation. Deep inside, her chest tightened as she clenched her fist while pressing it on her chest. I hope you're alright, Steph. You can't continue living like this. You don't deserve this kind of life at all.

"Come on, guys. We've got to go," Simon said, beckoning Christine and Stephanie to hop inside the car and leave the place.

***

"The governor wants to meet you soon. Probably, this weekend," Simon said.

When Stephanie handed Titan the folders she had on hand, Titan accidentally touched her fingers, leaving him frozen while staring at her. Then, as he tried to keep himself composed, he quickly averted his gaze to Simon, who was busily scrolling his phone to check for Titan's appointments.

"Why would he want to see me?" Titan asked without looking at Simon. Instead, his eyes were on the pages he was flipping and reviewing content. "I don't find it necessary to meet him when we've already finished discussing what is needed to discuss."

Simon pursed his lips and shrugged. "Mr. Altman mentioned that in the previous meeting. Just saying." He sighed.

"Mr. Altman…" Titan hummed as he continued reviewing the papers. "That old bastard. If he's not dad's trusted fellow, I won't give a damn about what he'll say."

"Well, if you don't want to do this, I could tell him about it. No problem. But, it would be best if you would meet the governor before anyone on the board would be more suspicious about your absences in the meetings, sir."

"Stop calling me sir, Simon, if you only plan to say so sporadically."

"Why? Is there any problem calling you like that?"

"Nothing. It's just that you haven't called that way lately. And hearing you calling me 'sir' cringed me to the core." Titan clucked.

"Anyway, Mr. Altman suggested meeting with the governor about the project with us this weekend. So, should I tell him you're busy or what?"

Titan sighed and leaned against the chair. "Fine. I'll meet with him this weekend. But," he paused and glanced at Stephanie. Then, he pointed his index finger at her. "You should come with me, Stephanie."

"Eh?" Stephanie interjected.

"What, Stephanie? Is there any problem with that?" Titan replied.

"I have to do something with Christine this weekend. And I don't think it's a good idea to miss it."

"Better cancel it if your internship with this company means a lot to you," Titan answered nonchalantly.

Stephanie pressed her lips and looked down. "I can't."

Titan raised an eyebrow. "Why can't you? Is there anything else more important than this?"

Stephanie looked down and shook her head. "No, I really can't do this weekend."

Titan pressed his back against the plush leather surface while he gazed at her. Then, he placed his elbows on the armrest, threaded his fingers, and pressed them to his mouth.

Stephanie flinched, startled, as she pulled her face up and saw Titan's menacing gaze. She gulped and exhaled an exasperated sigh. "I don't want Christine to be so upset because I cannot do so since I worked here."

"Why would you care about your damn friend if this is about completing your internship program with my company?" he sputtered.

"I have to visit the rescued stray cats at our cat shelter. It's been a while since I paid a visit," Stephanie answered in a strained voice. She gulped while trying to keep her composure and not tear up in front of her bosses.

"So, you're blaming me for having no time to visit?" Titan sputtered.

Stephanie shook her head and looked at Titan with both arms raised. "No, sir. I mean, uh…" She sighed and looked down. "No."

Titan scoffed and rolled his eyes before he looked at Simon. "Tell Mr. Altman I'd rather meet with the governor next week, not this weekend."

"Why? Do you have something else to do?" Simon asked.

Titan glanced at Stephanie. "Yeah."

"What?"

"That's none of your business."

"Personal?" Simon glanced at Stephanie and back to Titan. He noticed the two of them exchanging gazes. Then, he sighed and smirked. "Is there something I should know between the two of you?"

"Why are you asking that, Simon?" Titan asked.

"Nothing. It's just that I began to notice the two of you are getting closer and more personal than before."

"Is that so?" Titan leaned his torso forward, planting his elbows on the table and threading his fingers. "Do you think it's inappropriate for a boss to know more about his intern?"

"No, not at all. But it's just that you're getting more caught up with Stephanie's personal affairs these days than you're used to." Simon tapped Stephanie's shoulders. "If that's important for you to attend to, Stephanie, it's alright. You can visit your friend as much as you want."

When Titan saw Simon's hand on Stephanie's shoulder, his face began to flush, and his sunset-colored eyes glowed. "And who are you to permit her when I'm her supervisor? I'm the one who decides what she needs to do and not."

"Why not? If we're the blame for overworking her, then it's not something we should argue about, right?" Simon sputtered before he looked at Stephanie once more. "By the way, I heard you were at the hospital."

Stephanie nodded. "Yes, I was."

"Why?"

Before Stephanie could reply, Titan stood and placed his hands on his waist. "Because of me." This time, his face began to flush.

Stephanie's eyes widened. "Sir Titan," she whispered.

"What?" Simon sputtered. His eyebrows knitted. "What did you do to her this time? Is this why you took her under your wing? Are you trying to punish her for knowing the secret?"

"If that's what you want to believe, Simon. Then, yes."

Simon clucked and sighed as he stared at Titan's eyes. "What the fuck are you doing, Titan?" Then, he turned his attention to Stephanie. "But are you fine right now?"

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine," Stephanie answered Simon while looking at Titan. Why are you trying to cover this up, Sir Titan? Why can't you tell Simon, your best friend, the truth?

At that moment, Stephanie began to notice Titan's trust issues with his best friend, Simon, up close. The longer she stared at them, the more she realized the depth of her boss's undisclosed problems with everyone. Was this the reason for keeping his secret all along? But why?

"Anyway, I've got to go and meet Helga."

As soon as Titan heard his sister's name, he couldn't help but roll his eyes and sit on his chair, ignoring what Simon had just said. "What is she up to this time?"

"As usual, she wanted to ensure we're going the right thing this time."

"The right thing?" Titan said in a louder tone.

"The Art Gallery project."

"Tell me, what is this project all about?" Titan stood from his seat and walked in strides closer to Simon. With his towering height, he pulled his face slightly down and stared at his best friend's eyes. "It seems that all of you are against my decision to delay that damn Art Gallery project."

"I assumed Helga has already mentioned it to you. She wanted this to happen. And she wanted you to make the right decision this time, unlike the last failure you did as the CEO of this company!"

"How dare you speak to me as if I were the only one responsible for the tragedy? You were also part of the team. So, how can you even point fingers at me when you saw what happened?"

"Why wouldn't you admit it, Titan? Why can't you be honest with yourself that it was you who's responsible for the tragedy?"

"Honesty?" Titan scoffed and laughed in disbelief. "Is that why you allowed Mr. Altman to tell me to meet with the governor? Isn't it?"

Simon's widened eyes began to tear up. "Yes. I don't know what you're doing these days, but you've got to stop slacking off and do your job as the CEO!"

"This is why I can't trust you enough, Simon. You're doing inappropriate things behind my back as if you're the decision-maker in this company."

"Am I not? Look, my father was part of the founding members of Wise Cat Real Estate Company. So, I also have a say in everything happening here. Not just you."

"But, I am the CEO."

"I don't care. I am just protecting what needs to be protected. We must adhere to the founding members' mission, vision, and values no matter what."

"How about you?"

"What about me? It isn't about me."

"Regardless of what our fathers had thought of when they built this multi-billion dollar company, what do you want in your life, Simon?"

Simon shuddered and remained muted with Titan's straightforward inquiry.

"You said you're my best friend. Now, act like one." Titan hissed before he turned.

"Look who's saying?"

Before Titan could leave the room, hearing Simon's reply rang bells to him. He turned and looked at Simon's bloodshot eyes.

"I've been with you through thick and thin since we're in grade school. But how couldn't you tell me about the curse?"

Titan refused to answer.

Simon walked closer to him. "I've been helping you all this time, Titan. So, how could you doubt me when my intentions are clear?" he sputtered.

Titan remained silent and left the room without answering Simon's inquiry.

At that moment, it didn't take long for Stephanie to follow her boss and confront Titan about what had just happened. "Why didn't you simply tell him the truth, Sir Titan?"

Titan refused to answer.

"Simon isn't just your assistant or a board member, but he's also your best friend. So why can't you tell him everything?"

"Why would I?" He paused and glowered at her. "He broke my trust once, and it's enough for me to doubt him and everything he does."

Stephanie let out a loud exasperated sigh. "Is there hope that you can fix this? You can't just let your friendship end like that."

"Why would I care about that?"

"Your best friends. Isn't that matter?"

Titan scoffed. "Friend," he said while looking at the distance and walking in big strides, leaving Stephanie running to catch up with him.

"Why are you doing this to him?"

You will never understand, Stephanie. So, leave me alone! Titan's silence infuriated and confused Stephanie more. But then, she felt like giving up convincing Titan otherwise. She sighed. "Anyway, would you like to visit the cat shelter with me this weekend?"

Before he could even reply, he suddenly felt feverish and ran, shoving the employees he passed through and kept running. Damn it! It's coming.

Stephanie ran as well. "Wait, Sir Titan!" She tried to catch up with him until she was outside the company grounds. She called out his name many times as she walked around the premises searching for her boss.

But then, Titan was nowhere.

She sighed and looked around, hoping to see Titan's glimpse. However, she failed to see his presence throughout the day. Where are you, Sir Titan?