Chapter 53: He Doesn’t Remember You

When Erica heard the sound of the line cut in a single beep, the faked smile on her face slowly dropped.

She looked down at the phone screen, quietly memorizing the numbers on the screen when she heard a set of approaching footsteps before she quickly deleted the call history and kept Tristan’s phone right where he’d left it.

The very moment she dropped his phone on the desk, Tristan walked out of the board room along with a line of investors he had been in a deep conversation with.

She had almost skipped coming with him to this business trip, almost.

Trips like these were boring for her, there were no in sight seeings, no cute breakfasts together, just a long heavy work day that would end late into the night leaving her with eyebags the very next morning. Still, in order to get the paparazzi she’d secretly hired to capture a shot of her walking into the airport with him, she had chosen to compromise. That shot would be used to start a rumor that they were going on a romantic trip.

It had taken a lot to convince Tristan to allow her to come along, it had taken her pretending to be interested in the study of the incoming rise and plummet of certain stocks, information she had researched and memorized before speaking to him about it. She had noticed over the years that having business knowledge like these usually impressed Tristan, or at least it made him see her as competent enough in the business field, and that was why he had allowed her to come.

Though it was easy to pretend she was passionate about the topics of business, it was extremely hard to pretend in a room full of people acutely knowledgeable about the field, so Erica had feigned having a headache just to escape having to enter that board room and settled in the epically luxurious lounge room with incredibly high ceilings and a roof style that showcased the stars in the night sky. By chance she had noticed him drop his phone on a nearby table in the lounge room, then gotten distracted by an investor who walked him into the board room.

Of course she had taken that chance to grab his phone, scrolling through his texts, recents and old calls to see if there were numbers of other women but she found none.

Erica knew he was a rigid man who didn’t entertain such flimsy of texting or being on a phone call with other women. She was even more reassured that there was no one else in his life.

The previous situation that happened in his villa had brought up that suspicion, but she had found nothing so far that linked to a woman, hence she was reassured until a strange number called.

It had given her a weird feeling, and since the board room was sound proofed, there was no way he could have heard his phone ringing from inside so she had picked up the call only to hear a woman’s voice hesitantly say, “He…hello?”

At that point Erica had been smacked with another reality, there was indeed a woman she should be threatened by if she was as beautiful as her voice sounded.

Erica immediately played her game to perfection. Putting a smile on her face and playing the role of his woman, even over the phone she had felt that other woman’s discomfort while talking to her which made Erica realize that she had hit the nail on the head and the other person was buying her ploy.

Who wouldn’t feel like an absolute trash of a person if they realized they were talking to the girlfriend of a man they fancied?

After planting that guilt in the other woman’s heart, she knew she would have shattered any expectations the other party might have.

Celine…

The name echoed in her mind and she smirked to herself as she watched Tristan grab his phone as if he never realized he’d left it there then walked away without even calling for her to follow. She did follow him whether she was told to or not, but what she certainly wasn’t planning to do was tell him about that phone call.

When they reached outside the building, Tristan instantly entered his car without another word to her and drove off.

Erica was used to him acting like he didn’t know she existed around him, but surely it wasn’t true right?

She knew how absolutely focused he was in his work and how passionate he was about it, he was always immersed in it and she tried her best to constantly be by his side even while he worked…it was said that one wouldn’t be able to realize when they grow affection for someone who was always around them… maybe somewhere inside he had some affections for her already, but he hadn’t realized it yet.

As a woman, Erica’s pride and self respect had been hurt by his blatant rejection of her the other day, but she loved him enough to forget her own ego.

Yes, she loved Tristan Grayson. Erica had always been told that she was the kind of person who would dive head first for whatever she wanted until she got it. It was same for when she fell in love.

Erica got into her own car and the driver dropped her off a few minutes later at the hotel they were staying.

When she was in the elevator she shot a quick text to the number she had memorized from Tristan’s phone a while ago.

[Celine right? I just spoke to Tristan about you, but he can’t recall your name or where he might have met you. Are you sure he knows who you are? I’m sorry, he doesn’t want to call you back, I guess he must have forgotten you or wherever he met you. If you need my help talking to him about anything, don’t hesitate to contact me.]

A light smirk hovered on Erica’s lips as she typed that message and instantly sent it. The elevator dinged and she got out on her floor only to be met with the sight of a broad masculine back by the door of her hotel room.

Erica’s face lit up and she smiled brightly.

Why was Tristan standing outside her room, was he waiting for her?

She quickly walked up to him and he turned upon hearing her footsteps.

“Tristan, what are you…?”

“My phone, did you touch it?” His voice was hardened in a frightening way that made her instantly halt with trails of fear rising in her heart.

Erica was taken aback by the way he was looking at her angrily, “What?”

“Answer the damn question, I left my phone around you for a while. Did you touch it?”

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