Chapter 494 - Closure???
Alveena was not yet ready to face Andrew. She told Zhen-Zhen that she would talk to him but not now.
'What the hell is he doing here?'
She wondered if Zhen-Zhen was the one who informed Andrew. But she disregarded that thought right away. She knew Zhen-Zhen would never do that.
'But how come he is here?'
"Alveena…" Andrew called her out and took a step towards her.
She didn't know what to do. She stayed rooted in her spot, just staring at Andrew who was now inching closer and closer to her.
She had to admit that she missed him so much. Her heart was jumping with joy right now as she saw his handsome face again.
She had the urge to throw herself to him and hug him tightly but she knew that she had no right to do that.
They were not in a relationship. They were just friends. She kept reminding herself that Andrew was already a committed man. He had a fiancee and he was in love with her.
Alveena didn't know how long she could hold her tears. As much as possible, she didn't want to cry in front of him. She would just look more pitiful.
"Alveena… can we talk?" Andrew finally reached her spot.
After a few moments, Alveena found her voice to speak up. But instead of answering Andrew's question, Alveena asked him instead.
"How did you know that I was here?"
"My brother told me that my sister-in-law was meeting you today. So I asked him the restaurant's name," Andrew responded to her.
Alveena was glad to know that. It only meant that Zhen-Zhen was not the one who informed Andrew about her. She knew it. Zhen-Zhen would never do that without asking her first.
"Can we talk?" Andrew asked her again. There was a hint of helplessness in his voice.
Alveena took a deep sigh. Andrew was already there. Maybe this was the right time to talk to him and say a proper goodbye to him. She would no longer come back to Heavenly Star Enterprise as his personal assistant.
She was not yet ready to cut their connection but she had no choice. This was the only way she could move on.
After she was done contemplating, Alveena nodded her head in agreement. Andrew heaved a sigh of relief when Alveena agreed with him.
He immediately held her arm and pulled her toward the exit of the restaurant. They needed to find a quiet place where they could talk without being interrupted by others.
Alveena had no choice but to follow Andrew. She just messaged Zhen-Zhen and Sophia, informing them that she would just see a friend. She would be back after.
In the end, they ended up talking inside Andrew's car in the parking area.
Andrew didn't know where to start so he just asked her first some random question.
"How are you? You made me worried when you just suddenly disappeared without telling me. I kept on calling you but you were ignoring my calls." Andrew vented out his frustrations for these past few days.
He was worried sick about her but Alveena kept on avoiding and ignoring him. He didn't know where to find her. He felt like going nuts just thinking about her.
But after seeing her today, he was now at ease. But still, he was not sure what he should do now that he finally found her.
"I'm sorry. I was not able to say goodbye to you properly. I found a new job and everything became hectic on my part for the past few days." Alveena said as an alibi.
The moment Alveena confessed to him and found out about his relationship with Hannah, things between them would never be the same as before.
'Am I really going to end everything about us? But this is the right thing to do! I can't hurt her further,' Andrew thought to himself while staring at Alveena with complicated emotions on his face.
Andrew sighed deeply, trying his best to bring up the main topic of this conversation
"About what happened last Centennial Year Celebration… I"m sorry if I was not able to tell you my response..."
Alveena just smiled faintly and said, "It's alright. No need to apologize. You can tell me now."
Alveena was trying her best to maintain her brave front. She knew she would only get more heartaches if she would listen to Andrew's response. But she had to do this to have closure with him.
"I don't know where to start. But first, let me apologize to you, Alveena. I didn't mean to hurt you. You are an amazing woman...."
"Yes, I am… but still, you can't love me, right? I understand that already. Please no need to apologize." Alveena cut him off.
Andrew clenched his fists upon hearing that. He couldn't understand but he was also hurting right now.
"I have to apologize because it's my fault. I was the one who messed things up. I should have told you already about Hannah the first time we kissed… but… I didn't know what had gotten into me that I chose to remain silent…"
"At least you know your mistake… It's my fault too for assuming things. I didn't hear anything about your engagement. You never talked about your fiancee… so I thought… you are still…" Alveena could no longer continue her words.
"Honestly, Hannah and I were in a cool-off for the past few months, that's why I never mentioned her. We didn't see each other, not even communicating to one another." Andrew explained to Alveena.
Alveena just fell silent. She already knew where this talk was going.
"For the past month that we were together, I had to admit that… you became special to me, Alveena. Maybe that's the reason I couldn't resist you and I ended up kissing you twice. I-"
Alveena slammed her eyes shut before speaking up again, thus interrupting Andrew.
"Stop it, Andrew! I get it already. No need to use flowery words just to console me. I know what you are trying to say. You are attracted to me, that's why you kissed me. But deep inside, you are still in love with your fiancee!"
Andrew was at a loss for words because of Alveena's last statement. He wondered if that's what he truly felt as well. But still, he couldn't refute that.
Andrew couldn't let go of Hannah. He couldn't throw away their six years of relationship just because he was attracted to another woman.
Hannah came back and wanted to fix their relationship just like how they used to be. Their families were also expecting them to settle down soon. There was no turning back now.
"I'm sorry, Alveena. I'm really sorry…" Those were the only words he could utter right now. All he could do was apologize to her.
But Alveena hated it the most, hearing his apology. She had to stop now and finish this conversation as soon as possible before she broke down.
"Andrew, thank you for the past month that you took care of me. I will never forget that kindness. I will always be forever grateful because of that. Don't worry about me. I can sort out my feelings. I just wish you all the happiness."
"I think we have already said enough. It's time to say goodbye. My friends are still there waiting for me. Oh, just to let you know, I already returned home."
Without waiting for Andrew's response, Alveena stepped out of his car in a rush. Andrew could only watch Alveena walking away until she vanished from his sight.
Andrew punched his steering wheel several times before burying his face using both hands. He was cursing himself inwardly. He hated himself for hurting Alveena.
*****
Meanwhile, in the same parking lot where Andrew parked his car, there were two highly tinted black vans full of men. It seemed that they were following and monitoring someone.
It did not take long when the leader of the group received a phone call from someone. His ringtone echoed inside the van for several seconds before he answered it.
"Hello, Mr. Bancroft?"
"What is your situation now?"
"We are here in the parking lot of a restaurant. Matthew Wilkins and Tristan Davis just arrived here several minutes ago. We are just waiting for the right time to strike."
"Good. I'm so excited to hear a piece of good news from you. Update me as soon as you are done."
"Got it, Mr. Bancroft. Just leave everything to us. We know what to do."