I should have known by that time that stepping down from his position as CEO probably meant nothing at all to him, but I still felt like it was such a big deal. His decision would affect our lives, our relationship, and the direction that we would head toward in the future. At least, that was how I felt at the time.

“Are you really fine with this?” I asked before I could stop myself.

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“Fine with what?” he asked like he wasn’t sure what I was referring to.

“Well, quitting your job and letting Elizabeth take over. Also, merging the two companies together…” I replied while sounding quite troubled.

I didn’t think my tone sounded troubled enough to accurately represent the amount of trouble and fear that plagued my mind. Perhaps I am someone unaccustomed to change. To put it in another way, I guess that I wasn’t a very adaptive person. Someone else might have reacted more positively and more optimistically than I did.

“Well, I’ve thought about it a lot and maybe more than you may believe. There are things that I’m completely fine with and then there are things that I’ve had to weigh the pros and cons to come up with a decision,” Ace said with pondering look on his face.

“Can you tell me more?” I asked while daring to hope that he would open up to me even if it was just a little bit more.

“Sure. For instance, quitting my job as CEO is a no-regret move for me. I guess I don’t hate this job but at the same time, I’m not going to lie and say that I’m in love with it either. I’m sure you already know that. Quitting this job doesn’t hurt me, I’m just worried about making sure that the transition is smooth. We just won that award too so that’s another load off my chest,” Ace explained before he smiled warmly my way.

Ace shifted his weight slightly on the sofa and then he wrapped an arm around my shoulder before easily pulling me closer to him until my body was pressed up against his. I was surprised at first and my body stiffened; however, it didn’t take long for me to enjoy the warmth of having his body against mine and I started to relax next to him.

“I see. So, what did you have to really decide on?” I asked further.

“Merging the company was a very hard one for me and it has nothing to do with Elizabeth, before you even ask…” he replied before shooting me a knowing look.

I pressed my lips together and offered him a smile instead of denying that I hadn’t thought that something was really going on between them because I didn’t want to lie to him. For a time much longer than I would have liked, I truly suspected Ace of cheating on me with her. To be honest, I wasn’t completely certain that nothing romantic or intimate went on between them. There was nothing to go by but Ace’s words and the gut feeling that I got when I saw them together.

I can always feel a special bond between them; however, lately I’m starting to believe that that special bond that I’ve sensed might be nothing more than a brotherly and sisterly bond between them. They did share a history that was supposed to be romantic, but I could believe that they were both forced into an engagement without any feelings involved. Elizabeth clearly did not seem to harbor any hard feelings toward Ace from him suddenly breaking off their engagement either.

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“Honestly, I wasn’t a big fan of merging the two companies together…” Ace confessed after he figured that I had nothing to say.

“Why is that?” I inquired curiously.

“I used to think that the cultures of the two companies were just too different and…I guess in my dream world, I wished that Jessen’s and Hill’s could take another path that is a little more inspirational than what it is doing now,” he explained while picking his words carefully.

I wasn’t quite sure if I completely understood what he was getting at. Plus, it just didn’t make sense for him to insist on the merger and putting Elizabeth as the new CEO if he didn’t believe that the two companies should be merged into one.

“Then why did you suggest it? Why did you say that you want the two companies to merge with one another?” I asked as I felt a tight knot form in between my brows.

I couldn’t help but frown as I stared up into Ace’s attractive face. He looked tired but that didn’t distract me or take away from how handsome he looked. Ace seemed to consider his words for a short moment before his hand stroked my shoulder leisurely as if he was petting a cat.

“This isn’t going to sound very impressive but if I had to be honest then it’s probably because I didn’t have another choice…” he said before laughing a little nervously.

I turned and blinked a couple of times as I tried to process his words because I wasn’t sure what he meant when he said that he didn’t have a choice.

“You mean, you ran out of ideas on how to grow the company after you made that deal with your father?” I asked with raised eyebrows.

Frankly, I thought that the deal that Ace made with his father was absurd. Growing the company to that size in just three years sounded crazy enough but with how confident Ace had acted, I always thought that he must have some elaborate plan in mind to make that happen. Of course, I never suspected that he wouldn’t have anything planned.

“Not exactly. I didn’t have many other options available if I wanted to get this done and over with as soon as possible. Growing the company in three years is one thing but to be able to do it almost right away is a different matter,” he said before he grinned at me.

--To be continued…

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