The CEO’s Unspoken Love (Eleanor and Derek) novel Chapter 170

Chapter 170

“So you really do still love him, don’t you?”

&

The question hung in the air between us. I looked down at our joined hands, my vision blurring slightly.

“I think I do,” I whispered, the admission both terrifying and liberating.

Olivia squeezed my hand. “Then I won’t interfere anymore. Get some rest, Eleanor. Let yourself heal-in more ways than one.”

Derek POV

I finished reviewing the quarterly report, loosening my tie as I leaned back in my leather chair. The numbers were good-better than

good. Frontier Capital was outperforming even my ambitious projections. Yet instead of satisfaction, all I felt was a restless energy

that had nothing to do with business metrics.

My mind kept drifting to Eleanor-the way her body had responded to mine in the theater, her gasps as I’d pleasured her, the perfect fit of her beneath me in the back seat of my car. The memory of her scent, a mixture of her signature gardenia perfume and

the heady aroma of her arousal, made me shift uncomfortably in my seat.

I couldn’t help the smile that curved my lips. I knew she wouldn’t appreciate my constant presence, so I’d deliberately kept my distance these past few days. Let her miss me a little. Let her wonder.

A knock interrupted my thoughts. My assistant Alan stood in the doorway, tablet in hand.

“Mr. Wells, I wanted to remind you about tomorrow’s meeting with the Ashton Group. The presentation materials need your final

approval by seven tonight.”

Leave them on my desk. I’ll review them before I leave.”

Alan nodded and had just turned to go when my phone vibrated. A text message from an unexpected source: Olivia.

[Eleanor has the flu. 102 fever. I know what happened between you two. If that’s what she wants, I won’t stand in the way anymore.

But you better be good to her this time.]

I was out of my seat before I finished reading, a sudden urgency gripping me.

“Alan,” I called, cancel everything for tonight.”

I grabbed my coat, striding toward the elevator with a single-minded focus. Eleanor was sick. She needed me. Nothing else

mattered

In the parking garage, I was fumbling for my keys when a familiar figure stepped out from beside my car. Seraphina, elegant in a Tailored purple suit, her dark hair swept into a flawless chignon.

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Chapter 170

“Derek,” she said, her voice as smooth as aged bourbon. “I’ve been trying to reach you.”

She extended a sleek thermos toward me. “I heard about the flu going around. This is my special herbal tea-it’s remarkably effective at preventing illness. Try it.”

I accepted the container automatically, my mind already elsewhere. “Thanks, but I’m in a hurry.”

I unlocked my car, but Seraphina’s hand caught the door hefore I could open it.

‘Since you returned from London, you’ve been completely avoiding me,” she said, hurt evident in her voice. “Did what we had mean

so little to you?”

Her perfume wafted between us, but instead of the attraction it once sparked, I felt nothing.

“At least give me a chance to explain,” she continued, her hand now resting on my arm.

“Eleanor is sick,” I said simply. “I need to go to her.”

Seraphina’s expression hardened slightly. “I see.”

“I never intended to lead you on,” I said, meeting her gaze directly. “If I gave that impression, I apologize. But I need to be honest-I

never considered rekindling what we had.”

I gently removed her hand from my arm. I only have one heart, Seraphina, and it beats for Eleanor now. I’m sorry if that hurts you,

but it’s the truth.”

Without waiting for her response, I slid into my car and started the engine. As I pulled away, my rearview mirror caught Seraphina

standing motionless, watching me leave. But my thoughts were already racing ahead, to Newton, to a Victorian house where Eleanor

lay ill, waiting for me-whether she knew it or not.

Comments

R Visitor

that Seraphina girl will surely do something bad

7 days ago

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The CEO’s Unspoken Love