CHAPTER 49 — The Almost Kiss
DANTE'S POV
The office felt like a battlefield.
Phone calls nonstop.
Clients demanding answers.
Shareholders requesting emergency updates.
Three international meetings back-to-back.
Two negotiations running late.
A mountain of documents that needed my signature a week ago.
I barely had time to breathe, let alone check my phone.
The screen kept lighting up, but every time I reached for it—
"Sir, the Tokyo client is on line two."
"Sir, they need your approval on the new contract."
"Sir, your father is asking about tonight's meeting—"
I stopped listening.
I just moved through the day like a machine, burying myself in work because it was the only thing I had control over.
My thoughts kept drifting back to Auri.
Was she awake?
Did she eat?
Was she thinking about me as much as I was thinking about her?
My hand twitched toward my phone again.
But before I could reach it—
"Sir, Miss Olivia Ursa is here."
I froze.
My jaw tightened.
And then she walked in—elegant, polite, carrying the weight of both our parents' pressure in her eyes.
"Dante…" she whispered, tired.
I exhaled slowly. "Olivia."
She sat across my desk, wringing her hands.
"My parents told yours about… continuing the wedding."
Her voice cracked. "I didn't agree because I wanted to. They pressured me. They said your mother expects it. They said the companies depend on it…"
She looked up at me, miserable.
"I'm sorry."
I leaned back, rubbing my temples.
"It's not your fault," I said quietly. "And it won't happen. Not now, not ever."
She nodded.
Weak.
Relieved.
But still trapped by her family's wishes.
"I know it's Auri that you wanted to marry" she said
Just like that… the air shifted.
I didn't say her name.
I didn't need to.
Olivia already knew.
"Come on," she said softly, trying to smile. "Let's get coffee. I need something sweet after dealing with my mother's demands."
I reluctantly agreed.
I needed five minutes to breathe anyway.
Cafeteria – DANTE'S POV
The cafeteria was loud — employees chatting, clattering utensils, soft music in the background. People stared when we walked in. Whispered. Smiled.
They still thought we were engaged.
Damn it.
We grabbed drinks and talked quietly about ways to convince our parents the wedding was off for good.
But then—
Olivia's heel hit a patch of water on the floor.
"Ah—!"
She slipped forward.
I moved without thinking, catching her around the waist.
Her face crashed close to mine.
Our noses almost touched.
Her lips hovered inches away.
The cafeteria erupted in gasps and giggles.
"Ay! They're so cute together!"
"They look like a drama scene!"
"They're getting married soon, right?"
I clenched my jaw.
I was about to pull away when—
a loud crash echoed behind us.
Everyone turned.
AURI'S POV
I should not have come.
I should have stayed home.
Stayed quiet.
Stayed small.
But I missed him.
And I wanted to surprise him with lunch — something warm because I knew he barely ate when he was swamped with work.
I just wanted to see him smile.
Dante's assistant greeted me the moment I arrived.
"Oh! Miss Auri! Sir Dante is at the cafeteria with Miss Olivia. I'll escort you."
My stomach tightened at the name, but I forced myself to stay calm.
It's fine.
He said everything was fine.
But when we walked into the cafeteria…
My heart stopped.
Dante.
Holding Olivia.
Her arms wrapped around his neck.
Their faces inches apart.
The entire cafeteria watching them like they were the star couple of the year.
No one knew about me.
No one bothered to ask who I was.
To them, I was just—
Nobody.
I felt something sharp pierce my chest.
Like a knife dipped in fire.
I stepped back.
Just one step.
But it was enough to bump into someone.
A cleaner boy was carrying a stack of unwashed plates.
He stumbled.
They slipped.
CRASH!
Porcelain shattered everywhere.
I stood frozen.
Everyone turned toward me.
Dante and Olivia included.
His eyes widened.
"Auri?"
My throat burned.
I wanted to run.
I wanted to scream.
I wanted to pretend I didn't care.
But Darcy — the assistant — whispered shakily beside me:
"Miss Auri…"
Dante took one step toward me.
Then another.
"Auri—wait."
But I already turned around.
My vision blurred.
My hands trembled.
My chest felt like it was collapsing on itself.
People whispered behind me —
"Who is she?"
"Why does she look upset?"
"Is she someone important?"
No.
I wasn't important.
Not to them.
And maybe…
maybe not to him either.
I walked faster.
Then faster.
And when I heard his footsteps chasing me, panic shot through me like lightning.
"Auri! Stop! Let me explain!"
I didn't.
I couldn't.
Because the moment I looked at him…
I would break.
I pushed through the doors, down the hall, out of the lobby, and into the street.
My heart pounded so hard it hurt.
I didn't look back.
Not even once.
AURI'S POV — At Her Apartment
The moment I locked my door behind me, I slid down to the floor.
My breathing was uneven.
My hands were shaking.
I didn't want to cry.
I hated crying.
But the tears fell anyway.
"Olivia… What was that for?"
The words slipped out, trembling.
"Maybe he still wants her. Maybe he never really let go." I sobbed with what I am thinking right now
And the worst part?
I still loved him.
So much that it terrified me.
But I couldn't face him.
Not like this.
Not with my chest burning like a wound torn open.
So I curled up on the couch, hugging a pillow, letting the silence swallow me whole.
My phone buzzed again and again —
Dante calling.
Dante texting.
I didn't answer.
I couldn't.
Because every time his name lit up my screen…
my heart hurt all over again.
I turned my phone off, buried it under a blanket, and whispered to no one:
"I can't do this… I can't face him."
And with that…
Auri isolated herself,
heart shattered,
more broken than ever before.
Is this the reason why I was too uncomfortable with him lately? I thought the enagagement was off