Wow! The story's almost finished! Only one more chapter (I think), so you should be reading the absolute conclusion within a month! Pretty neat, huh? Enjoy!
Chapter Seventeen
Serena swept past the protesting Julie with barely a word. She spared a thought of pity for the poor woman -she was, after all, just doing her job- before steeling herself and twisting the doorknob to face the man she still loved.
His deep, rich laugh was the first thing she heard before opening the door. He was sitting behind that massive desk of his, smiling at an attractive brunette perched there. Their words cut off as though erased when they turned together to face the intruder.
"Miss Kyle. What are you doing here?" Darien's voice, still deep and rich but now chilly, cut the silence like a knife.
"I want to talk to you, Darien, and I'm not leaving until I've had my say." Serena fought not to twist her hands beneath the small box that she held. She'd taken special care in her appearance before coming -not because she wanted to be lovely for Darien, not anymore, but in an attempt to hide the exhaustion and unhappiness lurking inside of her. The deep rose-colored suit she wore brought color to her pale face, and she had twisted her hair back into a simple braid.
"Uh huh." The brunette looked back and forth between the two with mingled curiosity and amusement. Loretta Brockinton was no fool. She had looks and talent, and was used to playing up both for all they were worth. The latter had gained her a contract with Darien Chiba's company, and she had gleefully hoped to use the former to gain the man himself, no distasteful task given his looks and intelligence. Now, however, she was quickly rethinking that plan. Despite the anger that filled the room, the feelings that flew between Darien and this Miss Kyle were strong enough that Loretta could sense them without the psychic abilities her grand-mammy had always boasted of.
With a slight sigh of regret, she hopped off the desk and gracefully picked up her purse. "I think I'll go do a little window shopping and let y'all have a little chat. Bye, Sugah." And she strolled out through the door with a grin as big as Savannah.
Darien watched her go and momentarily considered having Serena forcefully ejected from his building by security. Preferably right onto her shapely little ass. But dignity was key. "Ms. Brockinton is an artist from Atlanta, Georgia. I just signed her on and we were in the middle of a rather important discussion."
Serena thought about the swish of the woman's hips as she'd left, and nodded sarcastically. "Of course. She was very pretty. You move quickly, Darien. Is this how you get all of your female artists?" Before he could respond angrily, she raised a hand apologetically. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for. I haven't been sleeping well and it makes me a bit grumpy."
"What do you want, Serena?" He leaned back in his chair, a king in his throne, unwilling to give an inch. Seeing her here, close enough to smell, to touch, was killing him. He needed to get rid of her before he lost control.
"I want ten minutes of your very valuable time, Darien. Ten minutes, and then I'll walk out of here and you'll never have to see my face or hear my voice again unless gallery business requires it. Is that suitable?"
"Fine. You're on the clock." He did not invite her to sit.
"Very well." She set the box she'd brought with her in a chair, folded her hands, and took a deep breath. "I know what you thought when you burst in on me last week. You made that quite clear. However, what you actually saw was a hug between two very dear friends. I met Zoicite Morncreek while apprenticing in Venice, and we've always been close friends. Last week, Zoi caught an express flight from London so that he could come here to tell me that he'd gotten engaged and that he and his fiancé, who had also flown in, wanted me to stand as best, well, person, I guess, at the wedding. Zoicite and I aren't lovers. We never have been."
Her cool, emotionless voice chipped a hole in the wall around Darien's heart, and guilt began to seep through. He fought for anger and opened his mouth, but Serena raised one slim finger.
"I'm not finished yet. Even if you do believe my explanation, that doesn't mean I've come here to beg my way back into your affections. I had my heart broken once. Now you've done it again, and I have no intention of risking a third time. I offered you my love, my heart and soul, but that wasn't good enough for you." Her voice dropped, sharpened, and her fists clenched. "I'd assume that you must have thought you loved me too, to have brought that ring with you.
"But real love can't exist without trust. I trusted you with everything I had, and if you couldn't do the same, our relationship was doomed from the beginning."
The hole in that wall had widened. Where his sister's shouted accusations had only made him colder and harder, Serena's quiet words made him ache. "Serena, I-"
But she only shook her head, cutting him off once again. "I'm taking a vacation. I'll call in and check my messages daily in case Lita, Mally, or Jad need anything. But after today, I never want to see you again." She lifted the small box from the chair. "Do you remember that first day? You wanted to buy the globe hanging in my window. And I told you that I would not, could never sell it to anyone, no matter what price you offered me. I even told you why, later. Well, I gave you the real thing; all my hopes, all my dreams, and you shattered them on the ground with a few careless words. Since you did it so easily, I feel I might as well let you have this. You can sell it, hang it on exhibit in the gallery, or throw it away for all I care."
Serena checked the slim silver watch at her wrist. "I see I'm even under time." She placed the box on the corner of his desk and turned around. "Goodbye, Darien." And with that, she left the office, with Darien still in pained, guilt-ridden shock behind his big desk, slowly realizing the mistake he had made and the treasure he had lost.
* * *
"Mally, I just don't understand! I keep going over it in my mind, and it doesn't make sense! How could he do that to her?"
Malachite shifted the phone on his shoulder and pressed his hand to tired eyes as he listened to Mina. Her voice was bewildered, sad, and very, very angry. She had called him up ten minutes ago, to talk, and had fallen into the same rant that had led their conversations for the past week.
"I don't know, darling. It doesn't make any sense to me, either. It's simply not like Darien to jump to conclusions like he did. I haven't seen Serena, although I've called her apartment several times to check up on her. She must be devastated. Have you spoken with her?"
Mina's hesitation was clear, even over the phone. "Well, yes, actually I have. But Mally -"
"You know you can trust me, darling. I won't go running to Darien. He may be my boss, but Serena is your sister and my good friend." As he spoke, Malachite swung his chair slightly to the left and reached for the picture sitting on his desk. It was of Mina, from the night of the gallery show. The photographer had caught her slightly by surprise, and those gorgeous blue eyes were filled with unabashed delight and glee. The ivory suit she had worn emphasized her golden loveliness.
The picture had replaced the old one of his dead wife.
He had kept in constant contact with Mina from the moment she had left New York. They called each other at least once a day, simply to talk. Following the argument over Susan, they had agreed to take things slowly, to take a small step backward.
She had invited him to visit her that weekend, and he had immediately cleared his schedule.
He had offered to sleep on the couch.
She hadn't replied.
"Of course I know I can trust you, Mally. It's ridiculous that you'd even worry about that. To be honest, Serena did call me, and that's part of the reason I'm calling right now. I spoke to her last night. Apparently, she planned to go in and confront Darien or something today. She also asked if she could come down and spend a few days with me." Mina's voice took on a slightly apologetic note. "I couldn't deny her that, not now. Serena's going to rent a car and drive here tonight and spend the week or so. No one else knows she's coming. But I know I'd invited you-"
"And Serena will be sleeping on the couch, as you have no guest room." Malachite allowed the tentative plans he'd had for romance to go winging out the window with regret. "That goes without saying. Mina, I'd still like to come. If you don't think seeing me will upset Serena, I'll find a nearby hotel and reserve a room."
"Oh, no! Mally, you don't need to do that. My own bed's more then large enough, you idiot."
He knew his jaw dropped. He couldn't help it. Fighting down the instant surge of lust, he stammered into the phone. "But Mina, I thought you wanted to-"
Mina laughed brightly. "You were the one who offered to take the couch. It's a miserably uncomfortable piece of furniture and we'd both be much happier with you in my bed and I'd intended to tell you that when you arrived. The whole point of this entire call was really to let you know that Serena will be here. It's simply that her being here might make things a little... you know. If you want to change your plans and come down after she's left, I'll be fine with that."
"Absolutely not," he said firmly. "Mina, I miss you. I want to see you, and I'm not waiting another entire damned week. I will see you on Saturday morning, all right?"
"All right.
The rest of the conversation was spent as they always were: discussion of day-to-day things, some mild flirtation. Eventually, Malachite signed off with an "I love you," and sat silently at his desk. He was supposed to go down and meet with Darien in a few minutes, and he needed to get himself under control.
Darien's treatment of Serena was appalling. Absolutely intolerable. That was unquestionably true. Yet all the people who knew and cared about the two of them had tiptoed around Darien for a good part of the week. Well, that was almost true; Lita simply wasn't speaking to him for the time being.
But Malachite considered Darien Chiba a very good friend. And friendship meant that it was his duty to give that friend a good hard kick in the ass when behavior called for it.
Right now, Darien's behavior was screaming for a kick.
He picked up the artist files they were supposed to discuss and walked out into the elevator. By the time he reached Darien's office, he knew exactly what he wanted to say, and he was eagerly anticipating the discussion.
"Mr. Wilns, Mr. Chiba's not to be disturbed right now." The secretary looked desperately prepared to throw herself in his path to prevent his entering the office, but Malachite placed a hand on her shoulder, holding her in her seat.
"It's okay, Julie. Darien's expecting me." And he stepped into the room ready for a fight-
-Only to be met with the sight of his boss, elbows resting on the desk and head held dejectedly in his hands.
"Darien?"
"I screwed up, Malachite." Darien looked up, and Malachite felt his anger melt away at the despair in the man's eyes. "For the first time in my entire life, I've really screwed up and there's nothing I can do to fix it."
"You mean Serena?" Malachite asked cautiously.
Darien laughed, and the sound was that of a man facing a firing squad. "What else is there? Of course I mean Serena."
Malachite took a deep breath and lowered himself into a chair. It was looking as though that kick wouldn't be necessary; Darien was doing just fine on his own. "Was there anything specific that brought around this change of mind?"
His boss pointed to a small box on the corner of his desk. It had been opened and packing materials lay scattered on the floor. "Take a look."
Malachite did, and removed an empty ball of glass. Countless colors caught the light and threw soft rainbows in every direction. He recognized the maker, of course; only one woman could create something so beautifully simple. "Did Serena send this to you? I don't believe I've ever seen it before."
"No. Serena walked into my office and said some things that made me realize what a complete ass I am." He looked blankly at the silver-maned man. "I've lost her. I thought I'd caught her in an act, that I was well rid of her. I felt so righteously furious. But instead I've only lost my only chance at love. I don't even know where she's gone now, and I can't make things better. She never wants to see me again."
Malachite looked at the old friend sitting across from him, and his heart ached a bit. "I know where she's gone," he said softly.
* * *