Chap 56: Trapped in Love or Obsession - Part3

Dylan was in a foul mood. Natalie and her parents spoke about nothing other than their upcoming engagement.

Dylan's purpose in meeting Natalie's Dad was to convince him to invest in a project, but her father seemed least bothered about the project and bluntly stated that he would invest as soon as they got married. Dylan tried to convince him, saying they were too young to get married and it would be preferable for them to be engaged now and marry after a few years, but Natalie's dad was adamant. He was a straightforward man who believed in keeping the money in the family. Dylan was not too pleased seeing a complete stranger trying to order him around. Moreover, he was not too keen on marrying Natalie.

It wasn't uncommon in Business families to get married early for the sake of collaboration, and Dylan was prepared for it too, but now that he had feelings for Aiden, he felt a bit hesitant. He couldn't help but argue with Natalie's Dad, and the lunch concluded on a sour note.

Even Natalie, who was usually very supportive of Dylan, seemed upset. As soon as her parents left, she turned towards Dylan and said with a stern look. " We need to talk."

" Not now. I need to head back to the office."

" To hell with your office," Natalie screamed. " You are the Boss. Who is going to question you?"

Dylan was surprised by Natalie's outburst as she was always very poised and never used any cuss words. " Fine!! What is it?" he asked, irritated.

" What is wrong with you?"

" What do you mean?"

" Don't you want to marry me?"

" I think it's too early to get married."

" What?" Natalie was shocked. " We have discussed about this several times, and you always said I am the only girl you wished to marry."

" That's still true. That's why I agreed to get engaged."

" But why are you against our marriage?"

" The problem is with the timing. We are not even 25, and you want to get married? Come on, Nat; you can't be serious." Dylan said, annoyed.

" You never had a problem with that before. It's a marriage of convenience for the sake of Business, so why does it matter when and where? Those were your words, Dylan, not mine."

Dylan was dumbfounded when Natalie threw his own words back at him. Before meeting Aiden again, those were exactly his thoughts. So why was he hesitant now?

" You have changed, Dylan," Natalie said sadly. " I always knew you didn't love me. I am also aware of your affairs with multiple women. Do you know why I never questioned you about anything?"

Dylan still didn't reply and stared blankly at Natalie.

" Because you always came back to me," Natalie cried out. " Despite being with many women, you never gave them a second glance, but with me, you were different. You considered me your friend and gave me your time, though only a little, but you still did. You always assured me that I was the perfect person for you who was utterly compatible with you in terms of family and class."

At this point, Natalie was on the verge of tears. She genuinely loved Dylan, but for the past few days, he was growing distant. " I waited patiently all these years, believing that one day you would come to care for me and fall in love with me but instead, I feel we are growing apart. Why Dylan?"

Natalie approached Dylan and held his hands. " Why are you avoiding me? D-Do you l-love someone else?" she choked up.

Dylan was still processing her previous words when he heard the l-word, and the first person that came to his mind was Aiden. " I don't love anyone," he lied through his teeth. " And this discussion is pointless because we are getting engaged soon."

" Then why do I feel you are being forced to do so? You seem least interested."

" I don't have time for this." Dylan was getting pissed off now. He was not used to people questioning him, and above all, her questions were regarding Aiden, which he was certainly not ready to answer. " I have to leave now. I am late."

" I am not done talking to you. I need proper answers."

" Not now. You can call me later," Dylan said and turned around to leave.

" Wait... Dylan..." Natalie tried to stop Dylan, but he got into his car and left, not even bothering to console her.

Natalie was hurt at Dylan's indifferent attitude, but she calmed herself, wiped her tears, and got into her car to head home.

After reaching his company, Dylan had the urge to see Aiden, so he decided to call him to his office, but Aiden didn't pick up. He tried calling again but still no response. Feeling frustrated, Dylan walked toward Aiden's cubicle and saw that Aiden was not in his seat.

Aiden's team leader was shocked to see Dylan and got up to welcome his CEO. " Sir...? You...here? How are you?"

Dylan ignored his greetings and got to the point. " Where's Aiden?"

" Aiden...?" the team leader looked at Aiden's empty seat and said, " He went for lunch."

" How long has he been gone?"

" I-I am not sure," the team leader stuttered.

" Don't you know about your own team members?" Dylan asked, annoyed.

The team leader looked embarrassed and looked around. Another team member, Kurt, was also missing, and he had seen him leave for lunch. " I think Aiden went for lunch with Kurt," he said without thinking to appease his CEO's anger. " They would be back any minute," he added hurriedly.

" Who's Kurt?" Dylan spat. His already foul mood turned even worse. How dare Aiden go out for lunch with another man?

" Kurt...?" the team leader was shocked and scared at Dylan's outburst. " He is our team member..."

Dylan didn't wait to listen to his explanation. He turned towards the exit to go to the restaurant where Aiden usually went for lunch.

Aiden left the restaurant as soon as Noah decided to go. Forty minutes had passed since he left for lunch, and Dylan kept calling him continuously. Aiden didn't pick up due to fear of Dylan's wrath. He raced to the office in a hurry, and in his haste to reach his cubicle, he collided with someone right at the entrance. Aiden was about to fall when someone helped him by putting his arm around his waist.

"I-I am s-sorry," Aiden said, embarrassed, looking at the person who helped him. Luckily it was someone he knew, his teammate Kurt.

" Why are you in a hurry?" Kurt asked, helping Aiden stand up.

" I-I took a lot of time for lunch," Aiden whispered.

" So what?" Kurt said casually, putting his arms across Aiden's shoulders. Aiden stiffened up as he wasn't used to getting so touchy, but he was too shy to ask Kurt to take his hands off him. Kurt almost dragged Aiden toward their office, talking about random things, while Aiden failed to notice Dylan standing at the corner, fuming in anger.

Dylan was walking towards the entrance when he saw Aiden in the arms of another man. He was about to walk towards them when he was interrupted by his secretary, who looked relieved.

"S-Sir, you are here. Mr. Park is waiting for you."

Dylan didn't even hear what she said. He just wanted Aiden to get away from the asshole who was touching him. Was that the guy Kurt with whom Aiden went for lunch? How dare Aiden lie to him that he was alone? He continued walking toward them when his secretary interrupted again.

" Sir...? Where are you going? Mr. Park has been waiting for half an hour."

Dylan stopped when a few employees blocked his view of Aiden. Suddenly he had a realization. What the heck was he doing? He would have made a fool of himself by creating a scene in front of so many employees. Clenching his fist, he watched Aiden leave with the man who had his arms all over him. He would deal with him later, but he had to control himself for now.

Dylan asked his secretary to cancel his meeting with Mr. Park by sending an apology gift which was his favorite vintage wine. He then asked her not to disturb him and locked himself inside his office.

As soon as Dylan sat on his seat, he opened his laptop to check Aiden's location. Aiden was now talking to his team leader while the other team members were staring at him. Aiden had a tense look on his face, and Dylan realized it was because of him.

Dylan was jealous of seeing Aiden get so much attention from others. He preferred Aiden being his lonely self just waiting to follow Dylan's instructions. He asked Aiden to stay away from his boyfriend, but how would he keep him away from all these men?

Dylan wanted to ask Aiden why he didn't pick up his call, but then he thought of questioning him at home. Now that Dylan was going to be engaged, it would be better to avoid Aiden at the office. Natalie was already suspicious, and even his mother kept an eye on his activities.

For the rest of the day, Dylan couldn't concentrate on his work. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't get Aiden out of his mind. He checked the camera every few minutes to see what Aiden was up to.

On the other hand, Aiden dreaded the moment he would have to face Dylan again. He had expected to see Dylan waiting near his cubicle to question him or even call him to his office, but nothing happened, not even a single message from Dylan. Everything was too calm, as if it was a signal to an impending storm.

To make matters worse, when everyone was ready to pack up and leave, Aiden's team leader reminded them of the dinner party. Aiden had totally forgotten about it. He didn't want to anger Dylan any further, so he decided not to attend the party.

He quietly approached his team leader and said, " I-I am sorry. I-I can't come."

" What?!" the team lead exclaimed in shock. "The client organized this party to celebrate your project completion in record time. You are the star of the evening, so how can you skip it?"

" I-I have some work..."

" No. I don't want to hear your excuses. You have always missed our dinner parties, and I never stopped you. But today the client has specially requested that you should be present there. Do we want to embarrass me in front of the client?"

" No... I..."

"Kurt," the team leader suddenly called out.

" Yes, Sir."

" It's your job to ensure Aiden comes to this party," the team leader said in a stern voice.

" Of course, Sir," Kurt replied. " I will make sure he comes even if I have to drag him there."

Before Aiden could protest anymore, Kurt held his arm and dragged him toward his car.