CEO's Runaway Mate and Her Cubs

Luther had just finished dealing with the banks. His assets were unfrozen, and he regained everything the tribunal hadn't sentenced to be used as compensation for his crimes.

He could pay for his expenses, finally. He didn't need to depend on anyone else. He was happy to visit Melanie, but he first wanted to move a step forward in his revenge.

He had had twenty years to plan it out, but he hadn't devised a perfect idea. In the end, the safest path was to create a new company which would have competed with Clayton Enterprises and, eventually, pushed them off the market.

But that required years of preparation and a mountain of patience. He didn't have that. He wanted some perks before that. A small vengeance, nothing big.

He wanted to talk with a journalist and let them know about some of their secrets. But that plan had a lot of possible flaws.

First of all: Lara. He didn't know about her when he had come up with the idea. And, for sure, he couldn't imagine she had two adorable twins with Nathaniel Woods - in secret.

He read the papers once again, sighing at the amounts lost to the tribunal. They had kept more than he had forecasted. Building a business with some real power would have needed even more time. All he had was his brains and connections, but he wasn't sure many of the latter ones would reply after twenty years of jail.

With the money finally in his hands, he looked for a place to live. He could buy an apartment in the outskirts, far enough from the centre to be less expensive. In that way, he would have enough remaining funds to start a business. He couldn't use what he knew about them with the press because that could have hurt Lara.

He used the phone he had just bought to call Melanie.

«Hello?» he heard when she replied. Her voice made him sigh in awe. It was almost as melodious as when she was next to him, talking about the past and annoying things - like Robert.

«Hello, Melanie. It's me,» he said.

«Luther!»

«Yes, that's right,» he chuckled, happy that she had recognised him.

«Is this your new number? I'll save it.»

«I don't need to save yours,» he replied. «I already know it by heart.»

He heard a nervous chuckle on the other side and no reply. She didn't know what to say. It had happened a couple of times since he had come out of jail.

Before, he would send a compliment or two but always keep some distance as respect to Robert. But since the latter was dead, there was no reason to. Right?

They could do so much together: keep the kids while Lara and Nate were dating, get old and forgetful, mourn Melanie's husband... He would have accepted anything just to be by her side.

When the doors of prison had closed in front of him, he had thought he wouldn't see her again. He thought he would die before Robert. But life was unpredictable, and he was still alive while Melanie was free.

«We can have coffee in the city, now. I can offer you lunch as a sign of thanks for your help so far,» he tried. He knew being too direct while asking for a date would have brought him nothing. It was better to find an excuse to spend time together, for the moment.

«I don't get out of the residence anymore. I feel uncomfortable outside.»

«I see... In that case, I can order takeaway and bring it along when I visit you next time.»

«That would be better,» she said with a chuckle. This time, she was not nervous anymore.

She liked his proposition more than she liked getting out. He had to remember it.

If he ever bought a place, better it was as large and comfortable as the residence. Or he could ask her to get married and move in there.

After all, he would even use Robert's house to stay next to the woman he loved. He was sure his friend wouldn't be too unhappy on the other side.

«Maybe one day when the kids visit. They're always so relaxed when they're with you. It was a pleasure to chat with them, last time.»

«Sure, I will warn you,» Melanie said. «I'll send you a message if Nate asks me to keep the kids. It's also easier for me if there's someone helping.»

«For the moment, I'll stay in Lara's apartment. If you need anything, you can call me and I'll come to you immediately. Also, don't hesitate to call if you feel lonely.»

«I'll remember,» she said, but he knew she wouldn't look for him.

He needed to work hard to conquer her heart.

«Now I have to go,» he said, pretending to be busy. He couldn't make Melanie realise how valuable of a man he was if he was always available.

But he couldn't do that by avoiding her all the time. Love was a matter of balance, and he had to be there and be missing at the right moments so that she remembered his existence but also longed for his presence.

«Have fun in the city. It's been a while for you, I hope you still remember the places.»n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

«I will visit that cafe we used to go to with Robert,» he said. «I'll send you a picture if you'd like.»

«Okay,» she said, surprising him. «Send me a picture.»

Her tone was low, and Luther realised something he might have overlooked before. She was still hurting, missing her husband dearly and crying after his death.

The pain hadn't disappeared even during seven years. It meant her love was strong, unmoving. Conquering a woman like that was a tough mission.

But it also meant he wouldn't leave her heart once he found some space for himself. And he couldn't be as heartless as to wish for her to forget the past.

Robert had been his closest friend and, no matter how much he loved Melanie, he couldn't hate that man.