Ouch! my ceo fiancé fell for his maid by Lisa alman

12- Closer To Him (Book 2)

Aniya's pov:

As soon as our coffee orders were taken, I began grilling Elijah. "What do you want to talk about, Mr. Elijah? If you are expecting me to tell you about Eve's whereabouts, then I am sorry."

I was exhausted after a long day at work and all I wanted was a warm bath. I agreed to meet him because I wanted to see my friend's happiness again.

"No. I don't want any whereabouts, Ms. Aniya. I need a favor," he replied, his voice pleading.

I scrunched my nose and looked up at him, curious but also wary. 'And what is that favor?" I asked.

He looked at me, and I noticed the under-bags around his eyes, evidence of sleepless nights and too much pressure. He took a deep breath before speaking again.

"Can you convince Eve as a friend to let me talk to her? To let me in her life for a little while? Just ask her to give me a chance."

What was it about these men? They make you run away in the opposite direction and then they come after you waggling their tails. Earlier it was Tyler and now Mr. Elijah. I raised an eyebrow, still stern but also feeling pity for him. "And why can't you do it yourself, Mr. Elijah?"

He seemed frustrated by my question but didn't react. "I don't want to upset her or scare her off. I have promised her that if we won't click, we will part ways like two decent people."

I couldn't help but feel skeptical. "That's decent enough. Then how come I am in this equation?" I asked him.

"Ms. Aniya..." he began.

"Please call me Aniya," I interrupted.

"Yeah. Aniya. The deal is," he leaned forward, 'We need to meet and give time to each other, just to see if we will click or not. We can't go our separate ways if we are not seeing each other at all."

I could see the desperation in his eyes, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for him, "So you, see? How can we part ways without giving us a chance?1'

The man did have a point, "Okay, I'll talk to her. But no promises, Mr. Elijah," I said, trying to be clear.

"Please call me Elijah. I... I know that... how she suffered, two years ago. And lost her loved ones." He told me and I didn't know what to say. Who shared this with him?

Maybe Eve did.

There was something fishy going on. He met Eve at Justin's place and somehow that old flame rekindled. Just like that?

Nah! I couldn't believe it!

"And what if my friend is interested in someone else?" I looked straight into his eyes, "She might be seeing someone already." When he tried to open his mouth, I raised my palm to make him quiet. He might be handsome but that doesn't mean I won't have a say in it.

"A few days back, she was seeing someone. And was genuinely happy. If that man is in her life, then sorry, Elijah. You don't stand a chance."

"You mean before she fell sick?" he asked me, and we got quiet when our coffees were served by the waitress. When she left, I nodded my head at him.

"Yes. Before she fell sick, there was someone in her life."

'That was me!" he placed his finger on his chest.

I chuckled and shook my head, "No. It wasn't." I smiled, "Eve didn't even know the name of this man and ..."

"Wasn't it Adonis?"

Pin-drop silence! I looked at him open-mouthed, my coffee forgotten on the table.

"For her, I am Adonis, Aniya. I call her long legs. It had become our secret joke and we both used to enjoy it."

Holy crap! He was ... like come on! He was Eve's Adonis? He was THAT man?

I was tongue-tied at the moment, "Ok," I drew a shaky breath and tried to bring a smile to my lips only to be failed miserably.

"Ok, Adonis.... I mean Elijah. I will try to convince her to give you a chance."

"Thank you, Aniya. Thank you so much," he said, relief evident in his voice.

As we finished our coffee, I couldn't help but feel conflicted. I wanted to help my friend, but I didn't want to get involved in something that could potentially hurt her badly. I needed to do something for her. This man. He seemed serious. The way he was waiting for me in front of the apartment said it all.

***

Once I entered the apartment, I tossed my bag on the couch and dialed Ashley's number. Eve was still not home, and I needed to do it quickly. I kicked off my shoes as soon as I heard Ashley's voice. She sounded rushed like she was in the middle of something important. I couldn't hold the urgency in my voice.

"I hope I am not disturbing you," I said quickly. "But I need to talk to you about something important."

"I was just about to call you, Aniya," Ashley replied. "Justin told me that his associate Elijah is interested in Eve. He wants to know more about her."

"Okay," I said, trying to stay calm. "But there's something you need to know. Elijah is the same guy that Eve was seeing before. He's the one she used to call Adonis."

There was a stunned silence on the other end of the line. "What did you say?" Ashley finally whispered.

"I met him this evening. He was standing right before my apartment waiting for me," I explained. "And he's been asking about her."

Ashley was speechless for a moment. "I can't believe this," she finally said. "Why would he come like this?"

"I don't know," I replied. "I think, Ashley!... He does care for her. He was genuinely worried, Ash. Eve has been hurt before, and we don't want her to get hurt again. But to tell the truth, I can't see her in pain anymore. We need to do something. If Elijah wants to go the extra mile for her then why can't we? We are her friends after all."

"You're right," Ashley agreed. "We need to talk to her and figure out what's going on. Thank you for telling me, Aniya. By the way, what do you have in mind?"

"We need to convince Eve. She needs to open up to Elijah. If he is a sincere man, then he deserves it, Ash. They both deserve it."

"Exactly. Maybe I can ask Justin to arrange one more dinner at our place and then we can leave them alone?"

"She will get the hint that we are trying to set her up. We need to do something which seems more natural."

She sighed, "Of course. Let's think about it and come up with a plan."

"Hey!" I said excitedly, "Let's invite him here to the apartment!" "What do you mean? And how we will explain this to her?"

"We will tell her that Justin isn't in town, so you called him here to get those important files from him. Let's convince her about it. Maybe when she will notice him more around her, the ice might melt. Who knows? Once we will invite them, Elijah can take over from there."

"Sounds like a plan. He is a genius man. But do you think he will come?" I could almost imagine Ash tapping her finger on her forehead looking cute.

"Oh, don't worry. He would definitely come. He is too involved in her." I got startled when I heard the noise outside the apartment door, "I need to go. Eve is home." I said in a quick whisper.

We said our goodbyes and hung up, but my mind was still racing. I couldn't believe that someone could be this crazy about a girl. I used to think Justin was a rare species. It seemed Elijah aka Adonis was the next nut case.

***

(After a few days)

Evelyne's pov:

The weekend was about to start,

and I could not wait to get rid of this tiredness after such a long and hard

week. The advertisement

campaigns for our salons were

taking a toll on me but I was not

giving up. Success was never easy.

Right?

We were planning a movie night at our place and the excitement to spend time with my friends was quite overwhelming.

I fumbled with my keys as I

approached the door of my

apartment. After a long day at work,

all I wanted was to collapse on the

couch and forget about everything. With a deep breath, I unlocked the door and pushed it open, eager to be home.

"Hello, girls! I am home!" I called out, expecting to hear my friends bustling about the apartment. But instead, there was only silence.

My heart sank as I stepped further into the small hallway. Where was everyone? And then, as if in a dream, I heard a familiar male voice coming from the living room.

"Adonis?" I whispered, hardly daring to believe it. And then I saw him.

There he was, sitting at the dining table, engrossed in conversation with Ashley. For a moment, I couldn't move. Was this real? Was he really here?

Adonis raised his eyes and met my gaze, throwing me a quick smile with a subtle hi before turning back to his work. My heart skipped a beat as I took in the sight of him. He looked so...professional and sooo perfect!

So different from the Adonis I knew.

I couldn't help but stare as I slowly made my way towards the table. He was wearing a simple t-shirt and cotton pants, but on him, they looked like designer clothing. "What are you doing here?" I finally managed to ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

Adonis looked up at me again, his eyes full of warmth. "Just visiting,' he said with a shrug. "1 needed to discuss some business with Ashley and thought I'd swing by."

I nodded, feeling my heart racing in my chest. It was so good to see him again, but at the same time, I felt a sense of unease. Why was he here? And why was he acting so...distant?

As I took a seat next to Ashley, Adonis turned back to his work. I tried to focus on the conversation at hand, but my mind kept wandering back to him.

In a way, it was good that he was not acting like a clingy and out-of-control man. When he asked for another chance, I thought now he would want to get glued to my a*ss.

But no. He seemed super accommodating. Not trying to make me choke with his presence.

I frowned and tilted my head, trying to shake off the intense feelings that were flooding my body. But then I caught a strange expression on Aniya's face. What was going on with her? Did she know about me and Adonis?

I needed to get away for a moment, to clear my head. So, I slowly got up from my chair and made my way to the kitchen, hoping to find some water to drink.

As I sat down on a stool and scrolled through my phone, I suddenly heard a voice behind me. "Hey!" Adonis said, his smile lighting up the kitchen." How are you?'

I turned to face him, my heart racing as I took in his appearance. He was so handsome, so perfect.

"I'm...good," I managed to stammer out.

Adonis grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and sprinkled some water on my face. I couldn't help but grin at his playfulness.

"So, how are you, long legs?" he asked, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

I felt a blush creeping up my neck as I looked away. "I'm...fine," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

But then, to my surprise, I found myself teasing him. "1 hope you're not here to lure me on a date," I said with a playful smirk.

Adonis chuckled, his eyes dancing with amusement. "Why, are you afraid? Scared that you wont be able to resist me?" he said, moving closer to me. My heart skipped a beat as he leaned in, his breath hot against my ear." Because I can assure you," he whispered, 'that I won't be able to resist you."

I felt a shiver run down my spine as his words sank in. Could it be possible that he felt the same way I did? That he wanted me as badly as I wanted him?

I pulled back and raised my gaze to look at him. For a moment, we just stood there. And then, as if on cue, the world around us faded away, leaving only the two of us, lost in each other's arms.

I got down the stool to step closer to him and held him by his shoulders. I noticed the shift in his expression. The playfulness in those blue eyes gave way to seriousness.

Lifting myself on my toes, I brushed my lips against his soft ones.