Their End, My Beginning

*Kat's POV

He seems very tensed, meaning whatever he is going to say is not going to be good but we need to have a talk. I mean he is not the one to be nervous otherwise I don't think he will reach where he have. He is very confident, composed, on the spot decision maker but calm or to put it simply icy, cold CEO who holds powerful aura. So if he is nervous now it means something.

"Yes, we need to talk." I too took a deep breathe to say, "Let's start with what the hell is going on? I mean you have changed a lot. Looking at me as if I am a stranger?" I began asking so many questions. I couldn't find it in myself to stop me from asking question that have been taunting me in my head for weeks.

He takes a deep breathe which he has been doing a lot after saying we need to talk. He had his head down which looks like him having a battle in his head and again with a deep sigh he looks straight to my eyes with a determined look in his eyes.

"I missed you. A lot." He said.

"HUH." I wasn't expecting for him to say that. He holds my hands in his and scooted closer to me and looked at me intently, because the surprise might have been on my face. He kept one of my hands in one of his hand and cupped my cheek with his free hand. I leaned into his touch without breaking our eye contact. His touches always made me feel giddy.

"I have never stopped loving you. It's just I needed to be away from you. I couldn't let myself be near you when I know that I am not right for you. After the death of my parents I just closed myself off. I did things I never should have done. Having multiple partners. Used woman, played with their hearts. Got deals from pleasures. Worst of all, avoiding you. Acting as if I never saw you. When, in first place if anyone seeing you for the first time will never forget you." His eyes held so much guilt which made me tear up. But then something caught my attention.

"When your parents... uh..."

"died" he said as if it didn't affect him but little did, he know or he must have forgot that I could see past his masked face.

"Ry-"

"Don't. I know what you are thinking and it is true I didn't get over their death, well if the life I am leading now is of any evidence. But I am getting over it and accepting the fact that they have gone and I can't do anything. Except get my revenge." He said the last part at low voice for me not to hear. Though my brain suggested me not to ask him on that, I went with my heart,

"What revenge?"

"Nothing. Its better if you don't know about that. Sometimes not knowing the truth won't hurt you. Its safe for you if you don't know about that." I had to have a battle with myself to not bother him from asking any further on that. I had a feeling that I would very soon know what he is saying.

"Okay. Anyways what I was about to ask you was, where were you? After we heard the news of their demise, we tried to contact you. But all your contacts were cut off. We even gave news saying you were missing. You have no idea how worried we were about you. You didn't have to close yourself off. You had us. We thought you at least would come for the funeral but even for that you weren't present. We tried every method to get you. Calls, mails, letters. Name it we have done it. Though we did file a missing case we didn't get you. Where the hell were you?" I said throwing out all the worries we had on him. "I knew about the case it was I who diverted the case by bribing, that's why you couldn't get me. I did hear all the voicemails you and your parents send me but I didn't answer them. I felt it was right thing to do at that time. I don't know what came over me but I felt cutting all the ties off was the best thing to do. I felt being cold, heartless person as they call me, I could grow my father's business. I felt my emotions were my weakness and only if I be emotionless will I be able to thrive in this business game. Little did I know how much of a monster I would be if I do that. After doing all those things it was my guilt that made me push you away." He said with ears in his eyes making me teared up.

"I even did something terrible. I made a man's business go bankrupt." That made me very confused over the fact if he had changed so much to even go to the length of destroying a family.

"The man because of the shock even took his life." He said with so much guilt in his eyes. Suddenly I remembered something.

"What was his name. I mean the man's?" I asked.

"Keith Gardener." He said confused to why I asked that question.

That made me wipe my eyes and look at him with a smile to which he was more confused. I wouldn't blame him. I mean who would smile after hearing that the person in front of you is the reason someone died. But I had a reason.

"Don't fret over that. That family is grateful to you."

"What?"

"I know you are shocked but that is the fact. I asked his name because I heard a story from my uncle's neighbor. You know uncle Nat right." "Yeah, Nathaniel Colvin your mom's brother."

"Yeah after my parents..." I stopped unable to spell the d word to which he nodded understandingly. So, I continued, "Uncle Nat took care of me and I was living in his house. After moving out I used to visit him and there I met his neighbors Mrs. Gardener and their children, it was uncle who told me the story of her husband suiciding. Though it was a shock they were glad because Keith was not a nice man, he used to abuse his wife and children after drinking. And it was his drinking that caused his business to be on the brink of bankruptcy. Even if you didn't do anything his business would have gone bankrupted. So, it was not your fault." He nodded understandingly to what I said, but still had doubt.

"but still I made that 48-year-old lady a widow and those two kids, one of 20 and the other of 18 years live without a father."

"That may be true but the fact is that Keith did get death threats from his debtors, so your appearance was just a coincidence. Not to forget about the fact that you took that already destroyed company to great heights and kept his wife and kids still a shareholder. So, the kids have the power to take over the company and moreover with the profit you got from that company you did a scholarship program and again by coincidence and their hard work they got that money. So basically, you helped the family and not destroyed it." I said and he was so proud and happy, but had an ounce of disbelief in his eyes.

"How did you know all this?"

"I researched duh! After I heard from uncle that you were the reason he suicided, something in me told that the news was not completely correct and that made me research. Mrs. Gardener is very happy and grateful for you to take over the company and it was Keith's cowardness that made him take that decision. Anyway, they tried to meet you to express their gratitude but like always you were unapproachable. I think you should go meet them. I know that even after me telling you all this you won't be satisfied and will still be doubtful. But when you meet them, it will remove all your doubts." I said to which he nodded. Now, I desperately want to remove the sadness filled atmosphere and then I remembered something.

"When you pushed me away it hurt me terribly and I wanted a revenge for that." I said with an evil glint in my eyes and he looked at me with an amused, confused eyes.

"Remember my period days where I used to push you away as I felt very angry because I felt it was unfair for you boys not to go through these pains."

"How could I forget the cute angry kitten days." He said laughing after hearing my reason. That kitten word annoyed me as he used it as a nickname for me when we were kids.

"Yah whatever and you would irritate me more by getting into bed with me no matter what all things I threw at you to not come near me, and you would get into bed and cuddle me to sleep." "yahhh, but why are you bringing this up now?" he asked narrowing his eyes.

"Well whenever you ignored and pushed me away, I remembered those days and I told Jason, your chief accountant, that you are having your periods and that I saw the blood in your pants. And Jason agreed by saying he felt you had both men and women's reproductive organs and because of that you only scolded men because you were having your periods and wanted to vent your anger on all men." I said and began laughing after seeing his horrified face.

"It was YOU!!! I fired Jason after I heard that rumor spreading around in the office, forget about one floor my entire staff in that building knew it. I thought it might be Jason since he is a 'F.R.I.E.N.D.S' fan and that rumor was one from it. I forgot about the fact that beside 'The Vampire diaries' you also loved 'F.R.I.E.N.D.S'. Everyone from my security to my vice president was looking at me as if I was an alien. When girls continued staring me, I neglected it because I thought it was them lusting over me. You know how handsome I am." He said flicking his hair. I scoffed at him. Such a Drama Narcistic Queen.

He quickly changed his narcistic face to that of disgust. "What made me horrified and disgusted was the fact men looked at me. They kept on staring at my pants as if I grew balls. You little brat. It was you all along the time." He said with a playful glare and an evil glint in his eyes. I was confused why that evil glint was for but that was gone the next second because he started tickling me.

"Say that you are sorry and that you will be the person to remove that rumor." He said and tickled me.

"Noooooo" I said laughing trying to remove his hands.

"Oh no, you will do it," he said making me fall on the bed and continued his torture.

"Ryder... no... stop... it. AHHH.... Nooo..." he got on top of me and continued his tickling.

"Say sorry and that you will change the rumor."

"Okay okay. I am sorry. I will change the rumor." I said breathless and he stopped his tickling.

"Why am I sensing that there is more to that?" he asked getting off me. I sat up.

"If you take Jason back, I will change the rumor after all it was, he who helped me to take my revenge."

He kept a pointing finger to his chin showing as if he was thinking but I know this devil has already made up his mind.

"Fine." He said with sincere face.

"But there might be a small problem." I said looking at him with amusement clear in my eyes.

"What now." He said exasperated.

"He is now working in a bar as a bartender. It seems he is loving his new job because he gets all the attention from girls. It seems it is not only you that the girls are fangirling on." I said with a smirk. "Well then I am surely going to personally bring him back. Which by the way will be a history. Because once an employee is out of my company he/she no matter how much they touch my leg and beg, will I take them back. But Jason can be an exception."

"Why is he an exception?" I asked with genuine curiosity.

"Because of three things. One, if he loves his new job then firing him was no punishment but bringing him back will be because then no girls will be fangirling over him." He said pointing his index finger as one. "Cruel Ry envious of his employee because Jason is being loved by girls." I sang.

"Whatever." He eyerolled and put out his second finger along with first, "Second, He is an excellent employee very good at what he does and that's the reason why I didn't blacklist him. It is amusing to know the nerd man who loved the numbers is now a bartender not to mention that he loves it." He said chuckling.

"Why? He is good-looking." I said to which he groaned. "And third?" I changed the topic before he asks anything else.

"Don't think that I didn't notice you trying to change the topic. But since I know I am way better looking than him I am leaving it." He said with a smug look that I wanted to smack off him.

"Narcistic look doesn't suit you Ry." I said shaking my head.

"And I was saying, thirdly, only if he is there will you be able to remove that atrocious rumor of yours."

"Yeah Yeah. Thanks." I said with an eyeroll.

"Speaking of my employee what is your deal with Alex?" he asked.

"Nothing much. We had few lunches together, because he is my friend other than Martha, Jason. Jealous?" I asked with amused face.

"Hah in your dreams." He said trying to remove the jealous off his face to which I laughed more with my hands on my stomach.

After my laughter died down, I sat straight and wiped my tears off. And looked at him to see adoration, love and something darker. Scared.

That made me let out a deep sigh as I knew I have to reply to his confession but didn't know what. What he did was hurting for me. I wanted someone to hold me when I lost my parents and it killed me to see him avoiding me. So, do I forgive him? I don't know. But do I love him? Hell yes.

"Say something please." He said after a long silence which I didn't notice because of the decision making going on in my head. I took a deep breathe and exhaled to which I saw his face fell and saw that he was preparing himself for the worse.

"I forgive you."