Unexpected Encounter: A Second Chance at Love

[12:00 AM, Collins Mansion]

After coming back home, Rachael tried calling Andrew but his phone was not reachable.

Left with no other choice, she decided to wait for him but ended up falling asleep in the living room.

She woke up when she felt someone lifting her in his arms.

When she sensed a familiarity, she slowly opened her eyes.

"Andrew—" she muttered before snuggling closer. Her heart immediately calmed down when she inhaled his scent.

"Why are you so late?" When he did not answer, she lifted her head and looked at him only to realize that he wasn't even looking at her. This was so unlikely to how he usually behaved.

...

[Bedroom]

Without saying anything, Andrew placed her on the bed, covered her with the quilt and was about to leave when she grabbed his wrist.

"Where are you going?"

"I am going to the study, I have some work to finish." He gently pushed her hand away. "You sleep first—"

"Wait—" She grabbed his hand again. "Don't you have anything to ask me?" She knew he wasn't okay with her meeting Oliver. But his silence and changed attitude was killing her. She didn't like him this way.

"No." His answer was clear. He wasn't interested in knowing why she met her and what they talked about. The mere thought of them being together was making him more and more upset.

Tightening her grip on his hand, Rachael got down from the bed.

Keeping quiet for a while, she said, "I met Oliver today."

When he did not say anything, she squeezed his hand. "At least say something—"

"What do you want me to say, Rachael?" He looked at her. "Do you want me to ask you how your meeting with your ex was? Do you want me to ask you what you guys talked about and how you felt?"

Without waiting for her reply, he said, "I really don't wanna know and you don't have to tell me anything. You wanted to meet him and you did. I don't think we have anything else to talk about."

"Why are you behaving like this? If you are mad, just yell at me." She looked at him with teary eyes. She was so excited to see him but his indifferent behavior was breaking her heart.

"What is the point of getting mad?" He sneered. "Do you want me to yell at you each time you go and meet him?"

"After everything that man did, you went back running to him without any hesitation when he called you once. How am I supposed to feel about that?"

"It's not what you are thinking. I—"

"Just go to sleep," he interrupted her. "Neither I have the energy nor am I in the right mood to talk about this."

He smiled and shrugged her hand off. "Like I said, do whatever you want to, I will never stop you. Do whatever you feel is right."

Without waiting for her reply, he walked out of the room, leaving Rachael behind.

She wanted to follow him but chose not to. Though he refused to show it, she knew he was mad. She didn't want to force herself at him at the moment because that would make things worse.

Left with no other choice, she sat on the bed and leaned against the headboard. Pinching the space between her brows, she sighed.

…..

[Next day]

When Rachael woke up, the space right next to her was empty and cold. It did not have any wrinkles and was left untouched. This meant Andrew did not come back to the room last night.

She quickly got down off the bed and started looking for him.

...

[Downstairs]

After checking the study and other rooms upstairs, Rachael came out.

"Where is Andrew?" She inquired to one of the helpers.

"Sir left for office early in the morning."

"But it's Saturday—" Rachael frowned and quickly called him.

When the call did not go through, she called Ben.

"Good morning madam—"

"Is Andrew with you?" She inquired.

"Yes, boss is in a meeting right now," he answered. "Should I give him the phone?"

"No, just remind him to call me back as soon as the meeting is over."

"Okay madam."

After hanging up the call, she dropped a message to Andrew.

[Call me as soon as you see this. I wanna talk to you]

"Madam, would you like to have breakfast?"

"No, I am not hungry—" She had lost all her appetite.

Just then Elsa arrived along with Edward.

When the little one saw Rachael, he quickly let go of Elsa's hand and rushed towards her.

"Hey you—" Rachael smiled and picked him up. "What are you doing here?" Her mood brightened up a little after seeing Edward.

"Justin had some work so he left early." Elsa sat beside her. "We got bored so I brought him here."

Pausing for a while, she added, "I also came here to check on Andrew, Justin told me that he was quite bummed yesterday."

When Rachael did not say anything, Elsa asked, "Did you two fight or something?"

"Not exactly," Rachael sighed. They weren't fighting but it was worse than that.

"Hey don't worry." She tried to cheer her up. "I know it's hard when Andrew gets upset but he will come around once he cools his mind off."

"It's my fault actually." Contemplating for a while, she added, "Yesterday I met my ex-boyfriend."

"The one you told me about?" When she nodded, Elsa gasped, "No way. How did Andrew find out?"

"I told him."

"So is he mad because you met him?" When Rachael nodded, Elsa shrugged, "Well, that makes sense. I mean, Justin and I have practically known each other for years now and our bond is quite strong. But if he ever goes and sees his ex, I won't like it and I am sure the same applies for him as well."

"As for you and Andrew, you both recently got together. Given that you were in a very serious relationship with your ex in the past, it's natural for Andrew to feel a little insecure," she added.

When Rachael thought about the whole thing Elsa had just told her, it made sense.

"But I don't have feelings for him anymore. In fact, when I met him yesterday, I felt nothing."

"Yeah, I know but does Andrew know that? Did you tell him?" When she shook her head, Elsa remarked, "You should tell him everything. Don't keep anything away from him, this will make him feel secure."

"I wanted to tell him everything last night but—" The flashbacks of the last night made her heart ache.

"It's okay, you can tell him today." Looking around, Elsa inquired, "Where is he?"

"He went to the office."

"On a Saturday?" When Rachael nodded, she sighed, "He must be very bummed."

Rachael slumped on the couch and took a deep breath. "I wish he would just yell at me and finish it off. His silence is really killing me Elsa."

Patting her shoulder, Elsa tried to comfort her. "Andrew is a little different than Owen and Justin when it comes to expressing his anger or disappointment. When Owen is angry, he just snaps and screams to let it out. Justin is the same too but Andrew—when he is mad, he will not shout at you or express his disappointment. He just starts distancing himself until he is not mad anymore. He has a silent anger."

...

[Evening]

Rachael was getting ready to go to the mall with Elsa and Edward when she received a call from Andrew.

"Hey, did you finish your meeting?"

"Yes." His answer was followed by a long silence.

"Mom has called us for dinner tonight." Without waiting for his reply, she added, "I am going to the mall with Elsa and Edward now, she wants to buy clothes for him. Can you pick me up directly from the mall?"

"Okay, let me know when you are done." When she did not say anything, he remarked, "If there is nothing else, I'll hang up."

"Wait—Did you eat?" Rachael sat on the edge of the bed. A phone call with him had never felt so awkward and weird. She couldn't think of anything she could ask or talk to him about, her mind was blank.

When he only let out an affirmative sound, she asked, "Are you busy?"

"A little," he answered. "Just call me or drop a message when you are done."

Without waiting for her reply, he hung up.

…..

[Collins Corporation, Andrew's office]

"Was that Rachael?" When he nodded, Owen frowned, "What the fu*ck was that?"

When Andrew did not say anything, he added, "That conversation was colder than ice, since when did you start talking to her like that?"

Ignoring his question, Andrew gave him a file. "Is this the one you wanted?"

Owen snatched the file from his hand and tossed it aside. "Is it because of that rebound thing?"

…..