Chapter 21: Growing Feelings

Bryan rubbed his face with a restless feeling. He couldn't understand why the events of last night bothered him so much. After all, what he and Angeline had done last night was the whole point of this marriage. The passionate night was still fresh in Bryan's mind. Just thinking about it made his face flush. He loosened his tie and unbuttoned one of the buttons on his shirt. Nervously, he drank a glass of water and accidentally spilled some. "Oh, dear! CEO, what's wrong with you? I've been asking you, but you haven't answered me. And... why is your face so red? Are you feeling sick?" John asked, handing Bryan a tissue to wipe his hands, which had been splashed with water. John even checked Bryan's forehead, but Bryan quickly pushed John's hand away. "What are you doing? Don't touch me," Bryan snapped. John looked annoyed. "We're going home tomorrow. I hope you can finish your work here quickly." "What? Going home already? That's so soon?" Bryan asked in surprise. "What do you mean 'so soon'? It's already planned. Didn't you remember?" "Oh, is that right? In that case, will we finish early today?" "CEO, you still have a meeting at 5 o'clock tonight. Don't tell me you forgot." "You're right. In that case, finish your meal quickly and reschedule the meeting for 1 o'clock," Bryan ordered, devouring his steak in three bites. Then he stood up and quickly left the table. "What? You're done already? I haven't even taken a bite!" John exclaimed, looking confused as Bryan left the table. He quickly devoured half of his steak in one bite and then followed Bryan. Back at the office, everyone was busy preparing for the suddenly rescheduled meeting. They looked overwhelmed as Bryan sat in his office, lost in thought. "Why was it postponed? Wasn't it supposed to be at 5?" "I don't know. We're just employees. So hurry up and get all the materials ready. It's been moved up half an hour from the originally scheduled 1 o'clock." John shook his head at the chaos Bryan had caused. He couldn't believe that Bryan would make a scene on his last day at the branch. Meanwhile, Bryan hadn't been focused since the morning, and John wondered what they were going to discuss if Bryan's readiness was being rushed like this. "Is everything ready? Let's have the meeting now," Bryan asked, rising from his chair as John entered his office. "Aren't you going too far? Can't you see they're all in a panic because you moved the meeting up?" "They should always be ready for meetings. Don't they know that I'm only here until today? You should have told them to prepare everything a day in advance." "You just got here yesterday, what are they going to report? You really are a workaholic." "John, what are you trying to say? I'm like this because this office has been in chaos since we got here. The management is a mess, and all the reports are disorganized. No one responds to complaints, and the branch manager? I'll fire her today!" Bryan said angrily and stormed out of the room. John was stunned, not expecting Bryan to actually check everything. Although John thought Bryan hadn't been focused all day, he was still in control of his thoughts and working effectively. In the meeting room, everyone was extremely tense. Even before the presentations began, Bryan was angry and criticizing the performance of his employees. From the directors to the employees, everyone felt Bryan's anger. The meeting room became a nightmare for everyone, especially when Bryan threatened to fire everyone if there wasn't improvement within three months. The meeting ended in less than an hour, with only Bryan speaking and making all the decisions. As he was leaving the meeting room, Bryan said something to John before walking away. John nodded and didn't follow Bryan. "Why don't you go after him?" the branch manager asked wearily. "CEO, I'm giving this to you for the staff dinner. You can use it as much as you want. Just for tonight," John said as he handed over the company credit card. This immediately made all the employees surprised and happy. Bryan smiled slightly as he heard the cheers from the employees. Then he left, driving his car alone. Bryan was in a flower shop, looking at the flowers available. "Welcome, can we help you with anything?" a clerk asked. "I want to buy some flowers." "Sure, we have bouquets at different prices. What kind would you like to buy?" "Hmm... just simple flowers. One kind? But I'm not sure what kind of flowers to get." "Is it for your girlfriend?" "No, it's for my wife," Bryan replied with a shy smile. "Is it for a celebration?" "No, just to give her. Does there have to be a celebration to give flowers?" Bryan asked innocently, obviously confused. "No, sir. In that case, I will wrap a bouquet of red roses for you. Please wait a moment." Bryan returned to the hotel with a bouquet of red roses in his hand. He felt strangely nervous about meeting Angeline, who was in the hotel garden. Angeline, feeling bored and not knowing where to go, had been killing time at the hotel. Moreover, Bryan's return to his cold demeanor made Angeline lose her enthusiasm. In her mind, Angeline believed that Bryan only wanted her body. Once they were done with what they had to do, Bryan wouldn't care about her anymore. Angeline was deeply disappointed that Bryan didn't seem to have any feelings for her. She felt that she had made a mistake by developing feelings for him that were completely useless. Therefore, Angeline was determined not to have any feelings for Bryan, no matter what. "I decided not to fall in love with him. What's the big deal if he's handsome? Rich and with a great body, even... he's great in bed. OMG! Angeline, don't get carried away, you have to forget about him. Don't fall in love with him," Angeline whispered to herself, trying to pull herself out of her reality. But seconds later, all her self-talk was forgotten when she saw Bryan coming from somewhere, carrying a bouquet of red roses in his hand. Bryan approached Angeline with a smile on his face. Angeline stood there feeling nervous. Her heart was pounding and her eyes were looking at Bryan with affection. She had fallen for Bryan's charm. Her feelings were filled with happiness and joy just by seeing Bryan's arrival. Bryan felt the same way. He never expected to see Angeline sitting in the garden and now she was standing there waiting for him. Their eyes met and they couldn't hide the uncontrollable smile on their faces. Bryan's phone rang and he hesitated to answer it. But when he saw who it was, his footsteps stopped and the smile disappeared from his face.