The CEO’s Second Choice

Elena

A pair of blue eyes regard me with curiosity and a dimpled smile, and I could do nothing but smile as my self-esteem drops once more. I must look crazy to this beautiful newcomer.

I shake my head. “No, I have a bit too much on my mind to read at the moment. Came here to take my mind off things but the silence just fills my head with more questions.” Okay, why was I telling this absolutely gorgeous blonde-haired Adonis everything?

As he stood up and walked towards me, I noticed that he was actually quite tall, had long blonde hair that was not tied up and was dressed in all black; the same as me.

“May I join you?” he asks me and I gesture to the chair in front of me. “Please do,” I answer, grateful for the company.

He sits opposite me and I get a whiff of his cologne, one I could not quite place. It wasn’t as sexy and overwhelming as Sebastian’s, but it would definitely remain in your senses.

I lace my fingers underneath my chin and look at him. “What brings you to this quiet side of Camden Town?” I ask him as I pick up my cup. He sits back in his chair and I see something flash in his eyes. But then it was gone.

“I guess you could say I’m hiding from responsibility,” He says with a smile and I notice those dimples again. Chuckling at his honesty, I put my cup down and looked at him. “Oh, this would be the perfect place to do it then. The baristas here are sworn to secrecy.” I tell him, and he gives me a laugh.

He sits forward then and reaches his hand over the table. “Elijah,”

“Elena, pleased to meet you,” I say, taking his hand to shake it, but he surprises me by turning it around and kissing the back of it. What surprised me even more, was that I had offered my left hand and my wedding ring was nowhere to be seen.

Oh, crap. Where was it?

“Oh, the feeling is mutual. So, what did who do to you that poor Jane Eyre is suffering?” He asks me, purposefully fishing as he leans back again.

What do I tell this man whose name sounds similar to mine?

I lightly shrug, “With all due respect, sir, I came here to escape, not reminisce.” I tell him as politely as I could possibly muster and in turn, I receive a chuckle. “Fair enough, I respect that,” he starts, then points to my discarded book, “You must be a serious Bronte fan if you’re reading the first edition of Jane Eyre.” He says and my eyes immediately widened at this.

“You could tell it was a first edition just by looking at it?” I ask him, impressed by his keen eye. He nods. “It’s a hobby of mine to appraise invaluable collectables. And that book is one of the rarest copies. Three volumes, yes?” he asks and I nod, “Thought so. I lost the bid last week when my competitor bid over 50 million for it. Unfortunately, I was not allowed to outbid them, so I gave in. Only to find out today that my competitor would be a beautiful woman who frequents coffee shops.”

Eh, WHAT? Sebastian paid over 50 million pounds for this??

Suddenly his thoughtful gift seemed a lot more thoughtful than I previously imagined. My husband went out of his way to buy this for me for Valentine’s Day and I had run away from him.

“By the look on your face, I can tell that you weren’t aware of this.” He says with a chuckle and I nod my head, “Not at all!” I exclaim, picking up my book with a lot more care than before. “This was a gift…”

“Well, whoever gave you that loves you a great deal, Elena.” He says and offers me a smile and I blanch at his words. Sebastian can’t love me, we have discussed this before; the both of us need to move on and forget the other existed to ensure a smooth separation in five years’ time.

I shake my head. “No, I doubt that. So, do you read anything the Bronte sisters wrote or were you just looking to place this in a glass case?” I ask him and he laughs out loud. “Oh, my dear, I am an avid reader. I own every first edition the Bronte’s published and read them as often as my work allows me a gap.” He says, and I frown at this.

“You’re a busy man then, I assume?” I ask, noting that he didn’t fit the corporate type with his long hair and a stubble beard.

“You could say that,” he says with a chuckle. “I am currently not where I should be and I have a feeling I will get caught out soon.”

What exactly did he mean by that? As if seeing my confusion he adds, “I am needed in a meeting I do not wish to attend, with people I have no intention of doing business with.” He said and I understood.

“Ah, a rebellious CEO?” I ask, thinking back to my own nickname. He flashes me a smile that rivals even Sebastian’s lopsided Jake Gyllenhaal smile and I find myself swooning.

Woah.

“You can call me that,” he says laughing, “however, you would be the first to. I am usually called tardy.”

“Tardy people rarely amass invaluable collectables, or read classical literature,” I tell him, and I am almost scared to admit that this man has impressed me with his mind, the first one to ever do so.

“Well-”

“Elijah! There you are!” a voice bellows through the coffee shop and my eyes go to the door, only to see a sturdy, well-dressed woman walk towards us. I look over at Elijah and see him hanging his head in defeat. Does this mean they caught him out?

“Isla, lower your voice,” he tells her as he moves to stand up. The woman looked like she was about to burst a blood vessel with how red her face was. “How did you find me this time?”

The woman named Isla holds up her phone. “You seem to forget that you have a tracker installed, idiot. We need to go, Dumont Enterprises are not happy with this.” She says and my heart stopped.

Did she just say Dumont Enterprises?

Her eyes glance my way, and I see her pale. “Hi,” I greet her with a smile, and she looks dumbstruck. Why was she looking at me like that?

“We need to go, Elijah. Right now.” She says and starts walking out. Elijah caught the look on her face and frowned. Then he turns to me. “It was lovely escaping with you for a while, Elena. But it seems that I may have screwed up royally this time and have to leave. I hope whatever is ailing you will ail you no longer.” He says, then takes my hand in his again and kisses the back of it.

“I hope we meet each other soon,” I say, surprised at my words and I catch his smile. Then he turns around and walks out of the coffee shop. I sigh at the odd exchange, then pack up my things and pay the barista before walking out.

What an odd afternoon.

“Home, please Lionel,” I tell the driver, and he returns my request with a nod. Who was this Elijah I just spent the afternoon with?

As if hearing my question, my phone rings and I see Sebastian’s name on the Caller ID. I fumble with the phone at first as it was relatively new, but eventually answer it.

“Hello?”

“Elena, where the hell are you now?” Sebastian’s voice was filled with a fury that confused me. “Eh, I’m on my way home now. Where do you get off-”

“Who were you with this afternoon?” he interrupts what would have been a snotty comment and I blanch; how did he know I was with someone?

“No one in particular. I went to a coffee shop in Camden Town and spent the afternoon there trying to read. Why? What is this about?” I ask him, genuinely confused. Where was this anger coming from? I told him I would be going out this afternoon. What was he so upset about?

“WHO were you with, Elena?” he asks again and I sigh. “No one at first, but a patron in the coffee shop joined me after a while and we chatted but he left just before I did.” Did someone tell him I was having coffee with a guy? Is that where this was coming from?

“Just someone? Or were you aware that you were sitting idly and having coffee with one of my fiercest rivals, who in fact, did not pitch for our merger this afternoon?”Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

I almost dropped my phone at this. WHAT? Was that why the Isla lady looked like death as she took me in?

“I am needed in a meeting I do not wish to attend, with people I have no intention of doing business with.”

Oh god, Elijah still said this, and they mentioned Sebastian’s company before I left.

“Go home, Elena. We need to discuss this tonight.” He says before killing the call. I look at my phone, dumbstruck and wondering what I had just done. I never intended to have Elijah join me in the coffee shop. In fact, I didn’t even know he existed before this!

I looked out of the window and hoped that there were no paparazzi outside the coffee shop while we were inside. Can you imagine the scandal this would create? The CEO of Dumont Enterprises’ wife on a coffee date with Elijah… who? I didn’t even know who Elijah was.

“Lionel, do you know who Dumont Enterprises’ rival is?” I ask the driver, hoping he would know, and I strike gold because he nods. “Of course, Ma’am. Everyone does,” he starts and I roll my eyes,” Not me, Lionel. I do not know. “Somersett Incorporated. Owned by the villainous Elijah Somersett. By villainous, I mean everything Mr Dumont ever worked for, Elijah Somersett has staked his claim on.”

Oh. When he puts it like this, I understand Sebastian’s anger. Does he think Elijah has staked his claim on me?