The room had fallen into a silence with an exception of Zach, who had walked over to the floor to ceiling window. He examined the weather, the sun was out, he could see the tree shake from a gentle breeze. With Roserie in his arms he moved to get a baby blanket that will keep her warm and a bottle.
"That's enough staring", he said, warning Dylan who jolted in his seat in a startle.
"Uh..", he awkwardly cleared his throat. He had done nothing but stare at Zach's woman from the moment he sat down. Amy's placid expression melted into a smile when Zach got closer.
"We're going for a walk." He leaned in and pecked her lips.
"Okay", she smiled at him and gave a soft caress to Roserie's head. She watched the two walk out before her attention fell back on Dylan.
"I still can't get over this!" Dylan finally spoke up. "You were a woman this whole time! Couldn't you give me a hint about your identity? I'm your assistant!!!"
Amy rolled her eyes as he continued to ramble, "Seriously though! You had me fooled along with the world! But this is also nice, you're just an ordinary woman like everyone else, you have a whole life, a not so bad looking fianc??, seeing the two of you I'm sure you made a beautiful bab-"
"He's very good looking", she cut in, correcting him.
"Don't I know that?" He scoffed at her bragging. "It would be a bad look for me if I admitted that."
Amy let out a sigh and her expression now morphed into one of worry. "Are you okay?"
"Of course. Don't I look it? A few stressful hours have done nothing to my good looks", he smirked.
"Dylan."
"Boss", he buried his face in his hands and let out a long sigh. "Boss." The worry in her tone strung the emotional chords he was desperately trying to suppress. "Boss, don't be like that. Be angry instead. Scold me like you always did."
Amy face's furrowed deeper into a frown as she watched him move his hands in a motion she figured was him wiping his tears. He sniffled the looked up at her and gave her a wry smile. "I know, I know I should have stuck to the plan which was to simply gather Intel as quietly as possible and leave. I know."
But even he doesn't know what got over him the moment he saw Esmeralda frequenting the club in Italy and worse when his eyes locked with hers. It was not like with any of the women he had met who he dined and dashed with. He did everything to get her attention until he did.
He felt drawn towards her, the pull was so strong he planted himself as a spy against Amy's wishes. He could vividly remember as he arrogantly told her 'It's part of the plan' but that plan bit him back in the ass.
The more time he spent with Esmeralda, the more he constantly had to remind himself that she was just one of them. But after the many firsts he helped her experience, she had become so special to him despite everything. And she was the only woman he had spent as long as he did with her and who matched his sexual energy.
Dylan let out a self deprecating laugh, shaking his head at those, now, painful memories. The look of betrayal she gave him when she was being taken away was strongly imprinted in his head.
"Sleeping with the enemy..... It's underrated. It fucks with you here", he tapped a finger against his temple. "But, I'm glad my moral compass never wavered and thank you for not giving up on me."
"You're a good man Dylan, I've known that from day one", She gave him a small smile.
"You're just saying that", he replied but she shook her head no in response. He crossed a leg over a knee and leaned back in his seat with a contemplative gaze. "Boss, I'm not trying to back her up nor am I saying that what Esmeralda did was good."
"Do I want to hear this?" She arched a brow at him, clearly uninterested in the change in topic.
"No, no, hear me out. It's just that, I think she's a lonely person. She lost her mother at such a young age because of her father, the same man exposed her to such a vile environment. Even I wouldn't be the same after growing up in such a place. But, despite all of that, she preserved your life."
"Dylan?" She arched a brow at him with an icy expression.
"Despite all the obvious hate she has for you, there's a part of her I strongly believe cared about you, even if it's tiny. She had too many chances to, uh, you know, kill you, but she didn't. She knew you were innocent and probably believed you were as lonely thanks to the family drama your father created."
Father. The word sounded foreign and distant to Amy. She had always craved for family and wanted to know about her own but little did she know she came from such a dysfunctional one.
But everything she had been through was a blessing in disguise, despite her flaws, she at least turned out to be a decent human. And that family she wanted, she got it in the form of Zach, Roserie, and everyone else in her life right now.
"I probably know the answer to this but did she put you up to this?"
"No, I'm just telling it like it is. Well, that's how I saw things."
"You're not trying to get me to go see her?"
"No", he shook his head. "That's all up to you", he replied.
The two fell silent once more, with each one left to their thoughts. Such a complicated situation. Dylan ran his fingers through his hair, exhausted by everything.
"As much as I've escaped prison thanks to you despite my stupidity", he said referring to planting himself as a spy. "Sadly, I still feel like I'm stuck in one right now. Boss, I'll understand if you no longer want me to work with you."
"Of course, I won't be working with you", Amy agreed right away and his face completely fell. Because he thought with his nether regions and not his head, he had lost the privilege of working with his idol. A job that came with benefits only one could dream of. "Not when you're like this."
"Boss!" He gasped in shock.
"Take time off and sort yourself out. Whether to continue working with me will be up to you. Let me know your decision after your break", she continued. Amy was not petty enough to hold this experience against him, he was only human, or maybe she had a soft spot for him.
"Boss this is not like you", Dylan whined. She was being too nice, too, too nice. "Will my expenses be covered?"
"I said go take a break and not traumatize innocent women with your baby d*ck!" She reprimanded.
He broke into a wide grin. "That's the boss I know."
Amy smiled, finally feeling relaxed only for Dylan to feel his world stop and the thud of his heart echo in his ears.
"You heard what he said, that's enough staring", she repeated Zach's words. She knew what those reddened ears of his meant.
He snapped out of his reverie to break into laughter when realization dawned on him. It was something to do with Esmeralda that he could not help but to comment on. "So it was the big boss, huh?"
"Huh?"
"I need to take my leave, I can't keep those guys waiting for too long", he said standing up. "But boss, about my expenses...."
"No." She smirked seeing his deflated expression. "Where will you go?"
He shrugged. "I don't know."
Amy had a feeling she would not be seeing him for a long time. He was more hurt than he led on. Esmeralda left such a huge print on his heart, something he brought on himself, but one can't help how they feel or control who they fall in love with. With one last smile at each other, one consoling and the other saying 'I'll be okay', Dylan finally left.
Amy was left with a lot to think about. Could everything Dylan said about Esmeralda be actually true. Yes, she did a lot of terrible things but when it came down to Amy....?
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