57.

ROBERT'S POV. PRANGGG! The sound of objects falling and breaking into pieces echoed through the living room of a luxury apartment. Breathing heavily, Robert placed both hands on the edge of the table to support his body that was slightly leaning forward. Robert bowed his head for a few moments. He had been feeling very uneasy ever since he had left the restaurant where Asleena and Benny were. He didn't know why his brain kept replaying the encounter between him and Asleena and Benny. "Why are the two of them getting closer?" Robert asked himself. His voice was so low, it almost sounded angry. Robert turned his gaze to stare at the fragments of the vase that had been thrown to the floor. The anger and annoyance in his heart were still not satisfied. The fragments of the vase lying on the floor made Robert remember his relationship with Asleena. The two of them should not have been this distant. Regret also crept into Robert's heart, making him feel uneasy. "Why did I leave Asleena that time?" muttered Robert once again, he lowered his head while combing his hair in frustration. "I thought Asleena was still waiting for me like last time. Why would she leave and be with another man? Why did she stop chasing me like last time?" Robert mumbled again in a fairly rapid tone. Robert felt so uneasy that his heart was beating very fast. Robert repeatedly tried to regulate the tempo of his breathing. But Robert did not find any calmness at all. Robert straightened his body position, stood up with a loud sigh, then watched in the other direction. "He said my package box didn't reach him. How can that be?" asked Robert as he put both hands on his waist. Robert held his gaze thoughtfully, staring ahead. For a few moments Robert thought of all the possible reasons why the box didn't reach Asleena. Unfortunately, Robert did not find the right reason at all. Other than Asleena's company security guard who might have secretly stolen it, the only other possibility Robert could think of was that the box was taken by someone or thrown away by Asleena who claimed not to have received it. Thinking of all these possibilities made Robert instantly dizzy. Robert groaned while ruffling his own hair. He didn't know which reason was the right one. "Damn. If my package didn't reach Asleena, then I failed to carry out my plan," Robert said, cursing himself. Robert bit his lower lip as anxiety rose in his heart. During that time, Robert imagined that Asleena was still running her relationship with Benny very smoothly. That irritated Robert. There was a feeling of unwillingness that he felt because Asleena should still be with him. Robert felt that the story between the two of them was not completely finished. "Asleena can't be with another man, let alone Benny," Robert muttered emphatically to himself. "I don't know what it would be like if Asleena could just forget me." Robert, who had begun to grow increasingly agitated, staggered over to one of the nearby chairs. Robert sat there rather limply while letting out a rough breath. "Asleena should still be chasing me and trying to contact me. My relationship with Asleena shouldn't have ended so easily," Robert said a little listlessly, remembering the moments when he didn't pick up Asleena's phone calls and cut off all communication access. All those images of the past created a greater sense of discomfort in Robert. Robert immediately supported his own face using both palms. "I don't know why Asleena stopped trying to figure out why I was avoiding her. I can't lose Asleena's care." Robert repeatedly muttered words of regret as he recalled the events of five years ago. Robert still had a big space in his heart for Asleena. Even during the five years that passed, Robert didn't really get rid of his feelings for Asleena just like that. "How could Asleena forget me? I think it was only two years ago, she was still trying to find out how I was doing..." Robert tapped his index finger on the dining table in front of him. Robert took out his cell phone. He turned it on, opened the chat app, and looked at Asleena's call history and message history. A couple of years ago, these were things that went unnoticed by him. Robert had even blocked Asleena's contacts. Now Robert didn't get these messages anymore. Robert didn't get Asleena's care. I don't know why it feels so unwilling. Robert was used to getting all of Asleena's attention and struggles a few years ago. "I still have the message from one of the people who told me that Asleena was looking for me one year ago," Robert muttered. "Why do I see her with another man now?" Robert repeatedly scrolled through the roomchat screen of Asleena's contacts. All of Asleena's messages were still there. Robert regretted that he had never given importance to Asleena's messages. On the other hand, the door of this apartment opened as the sound of the door code was heard. Robert didn't care who came in, still staring at the phone screen and reading all the messages from Asleena. Footsteps echoed in the room as the door closed again. A man wearing a formal suit, Robert's personal secretary, approached Robert. But when his pair of eyes accidentally witnessed the sight of broken glass flower vases scattered on the floor, his steps suddenly stopped in surprise. Robert's male secretary said nothing amidst the dumbfounded expression on his face. He watched the chaotic scene for a few seconds. Soon the man turned his gaze towards Robert who was still scrolling through the phone screen. "Mr. Robert," he called softly. Robert slowly turned his gaze towards the person who came. After realizing that the person who came was his personal secretary, Robert immediately straightened his sitting position without taking his eyes off his secretary. "You have come. What about the request I gave you?" Robert asked to the point. Robert's male secretary wore a guilty expression. He was a bit reluctant to explain to Robert. His secretary's reaction made Robert feel suspicious about what was happening. Robert's eyebrows furrowed as he stood up from his seat. Robert watched his secretary with a gradually sharpening gaze. "Hey, Brian, I don't want to hear any bad news from you," Robert retorted as he felt threatened by the expression on his secretary Brian's face. Brian still didn't seem to know what to say to Robert. Even so, just from the look in his eyes and the expression on his face, Brian had already shown the answer to Robert's question. "What's wrong?" Robert asked again. "Don't tell me that you didn't find the box I sent Asleena in." Brian was still silent for a while. Before Brian finally nodded his head. "Your parcel box really isn't there, Mr. Robert," Brian replied. "I checked with the security guard at Asleena's company. He said that the box was given to the receptionist and someone took it." Robert was stunned for a moment. He remembered Asleena's explanation. "So, what Asleena said wasn't a lie?"