Chapter 37

A Q U I L A

Aquila sat down at the breakfast table, staring at the newspaper in front of him. He really tried to read the words, but he couldn't concentrate on anything. All of them he combined into one sentence. And the words were loud and clear. He was the cause of Atiya 's pain. He groaned and crumpled up the paper and threw it on the floor next to him. He had to stop reading. In fact, he had to stop thinking. "Are you okay?" asked Ceasar , who entered the room with a plate of hot eggs and bacon. Aquila looked up at him. Ceasar has been with him for as long as he can remember. He had become more than just a butler. He was a friend of Aquila . And Aquila needed friends more than anything. "May I have a look?" he asked, taking a napkin off the table and placing it on his lap. "Of course," said Ceasar , placing the plate in front of him. "Suppose you find something that someone else is involved in. Something terrible. What do you say to him?"

Ceasar went silent. He narrowed his eyes. "We need more information to give an accurate answer."

Aquila gestured to the seat next to him, and Ceasar took a seat. "It turns out that what caused Atiya 's father's business to fail was Murillo Charters, the first company her mother and I founded and sold."

Ceasar glanced at him. "OK."

Aquila picked up a fork and pushed the egg out onto the plate. "The problem is that's the main reason we can't be together. It's why she can't continue." . Maybe what he said yesterday is another reason. He couldn't hold her hope that something might happen if it didn't work out. He didn't want to break her heart again. "I made her trust me and now. . .?" He took a piece of bacon and began to nibble. "Can I make a suggestion?"

Aquila had his mouth full, so he waved to Ceasar . "It's best to tell the truth. Nothing good has ever been achieved by lying. Things will come out eventually. If you do, you will be much happier meeting your own terms than someone else's. "

Ceasar 's words twisted Aquila ' stomach. He knew they were true, but he also knew there were consequences. And the thought of losing Atiya forever broke his heart. "But what if she won't forgive me?"

Ceasar tapped his fingers on his desk. "It's a risk you have to take." He paused and leaned forward. "She has to believe she won't go. You didn't know about them when your company did this. She can't blame you."

His words raised Aquila ' eyebrows. As long as he was believed, it didn't matter. But deep down, I knew this would happen. Many. The doorbell rang and Ceasar pushed his body off the table. "You will do the right thing," he said as he left the dining room. "I always do!" he called. Aquila stuffed the ball into his mouth, hoping it would help calm his emotions. When he finished his plate, he didn't feel any better. "Aquila , what's wrong? You've been taking table etiquette classes for years, and you're shoving food in your mouth like an animal?"

He gritted his teeth and turned around to see Raquel enter the room with a displeased look on his face. "mother? What are you doing here? "

With a sigh, she took off her scarf and jacket and handed them to Ceasar , who had just returned to her room. "You didn't answer the phone yesterday or today. Isn't your mother just worried?"

He stared at her. "Don't worry about it. What the hell is this all about?"

Her gaze raced around the room, she then returned to his face. "Is she here?"

He sighed as he put the silverware and napkins down on the plate. "And who will get her?"

Raquel leaned back and put her hands on the table. She pointed her finger at him and spun him in the air. "Bakery. The one you saw."

A fever ran through his body. He didn't want to talk about Atiya at this point, and certainly didn't want to talk about Raquel . "She doesn't want to talk to you about her."

Her expression changed to anger. "I thought you were bored with her when she let her cook in the kitchen, but then your incompetent assistant told you interesting news about her." I fell forward. "But I'm sorry to hear from her about our new investment. Since when did we become interested in small bakeries?" Her lips curled. "Is it prime?" Aquila pushed back his chair. "Please stop, Mom."

"But…" She hurried to catch up with him as he left the dining room and made his way to the front door. "That's not like you. We're in business. We're expanding. That's what we do. For the good of the company." She reached out and grabbed his elbow as if it would stop him. "Are you here just to crush my thoughts and insult my staff, Mom?" Or the woman he had feelings for? He stopped at the door and turned around.