Behind The Lens And Vogue

~|I Need Her|~

~✨~
INTERQUEL

Months later...

ALEC'S POV

I was in my office going through some documents, quiet, very committed to work. I had been addicted to work the last ten months, which felt like ten years. I became so aggressive, I can't remember the last time I had a six- hour sleep. I was addicted to caffeine, it kept me awake. I was addicted to whisky, it was making me forget, but I was failing miserably.

This document was unsigned, so I took my classic vintage black pen and signed it.

Handling two companies was no longer a huge issue to me, no, it kept me busy. It kept my mind clogged with nothing but work, just how I liked it. I attended all those boring business meetings without feeling anything. I had learned to be numb, no emotion at all. I forgot how to smile, how to speak with enthusiasm, I never felt anything.

And I was oddly comfortable that way. Not because I was happy that way, but because it was better, and I had no more choices left.

I called Rivera and asked him to bring me a cup of espresso, strictly a half teaspoon of sugar, and he should be quick. He left in a dash, and I punched the papers as I arranged them in the black box file. I took my laptop, and I remember when my heart would flatter at seeing her photo on my desktop, but right now, my heart dropped to my stomach, and I'd feel sadness for a few seconds. I'd then remind myself I knew no emotion, and it had to stay that way.

When she left the prison, I knew she wasn't mad at all, she was sad, and heartbroken, and to push all the emotions away, she opted to have rage wash through her veins. When she flinched from my touch, it hurt me, but I couldn't blame her. My brother murdered her mother, and it had been psychological torture for her, and for all I knew, she would have been dead by now, but she chose to be strong. I wanted to follow her, but I didn't know if I should have. I felt resentment when she didn't want me to touch her, and when she asked me not to do anything to her. The baby girl I had known was lost in a snap of a finger, and she wouldn't be back any time soon. I followed up on her, but she didn't respond. Calls, e-mails, voicemails, she never replied to them.

Her son didn't call me either.

"Here is your espresso sir," Rivera said, as he placed the cup on my table.

"Is there anything else you need sir?" he asked, and I shook my head no. He walked out of my office, and I stood up to stretch.

Angelo knew he was the murderer of Naiara, Naliyah's mother. I hadn't seen it coming. He knew the moment he saw her, and it was embarrassing and so awful for him. And no, I hadn't bailed him out yet, not that I didn't put my family first, but because I also cared deeply about my girlfriend's feelings, which reminded me, I didn't know if we were still a couple. It drove me crazy knowing that wherever she was, she was hurting, because of me. Everyone connected to her asked me not to make an appearance yet. Katrina, Alicia, Marie, Cree and even Isabella. It hurt more when it came from Cynthia.

So I stopped. I stopped trying to get to her, because the resentment had been too much. At times, I'd get the urge to follow her to wherever she was, but then I'd brush off the thought immediately, and coincidentally, work had always jammed up and all of it needed to be taken care of. The tabloids brought issues, trying to dig up what was the fight between Naliyah, Angelo and I. Bethany looked into it voluntarily to kill the rumors, conclusions and fake theories. I was trying to ensure that she wasn't receiving attention, I knew she didn't like it, and I didn't want her to be helpless trying to get rid of the media.

My phone rang, and I walked back to my desk after having leaned on my glass windows for the past few minutes.

"Hey Dad," I greeted.

"Hello son, how are you holding up?"

"I'm fine. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah everything is okay, I just wanted to check to make sure you were okay," he said in a low voice.

"I'm fine Dad. I need to get back to work now," I said, trying to get rid of him. Harsh, but I wasn't in the mood to talk.

"Okay. I'll talk to you soon. I love you,"

"Love you too Dad," I said and hung up immediately.

I couldn't go on like this. Shutting everyone out, and lying to myself that I was okay, knowing very well I wasn't okay. I heaved a deep sigh, and decided to take a rest. I went to the couch and fell on it, after gulping down my espresso, and in a minute, I was in deep sleep already.

**********

Feeling a chill on my hands, I woke up, and looked around. Damn, I slept at work. I looked at the time and it was half past seven in the evening.

Since two o'clock.

I stood on my feet, and looked at my desk. It was so disarranged, so I decided to clean up. I arranged everything from the top of my desk to the entire office. My shelves looked neater, and my table as well. I went to the drawers and looked through each one of them, throwing some papers in my trash bin and arranging the other stuff. Finally, I took the envelope from my table, one I had been ignoring for a while, dropped off by Rivera most probably. It had been an invitation by the Fashion Fends Conference/ Retreat. All fashion designers had been invited. It had been years since it was hosted by the Fends Fashion Company, but I could see they were back. It had requested me to attend as a guest of honour, but then I saw something else.

New guest into the fashion world Naliyah Garcia to crown the entire event and give tips into fashion.

She was going to be there. I didn't know how much she had developed herself to crown this event, but that didn't matter. What mattered was she was going to be there, with me. For the entire one month summer holiday. In the best place it was being hosted... Mexico! God, I missed her. I couldn't forget her. How could I? She was there for me, she loved me, her cuddles, her kisses, her attitude and enthusiasm. Her beauty, her doll-like behaviours, her body frame in my huge t-shirts. Her.

I needed her. Maybe, just maybe, I'd get closure with her. I smiled for the first time in ten months. A genuine smile from my heart. A new emotion established itself in my heart. Happiness. I didn't want to hope too much, but I was hopeful. I kept smiling.

When I got to my last drawer, I was met with a black covered note book. Well, hadn't it been ten months since I met this book, which I never bothered to check through?

The Monday after being at the prison, I was met by Ricardo, a fairly old man who was the janitor in the building. He came to my office holding the book, and he said he found it at the roof top, and thought it was better if I had it. I asked him to put it in one of my drawers, and as it looked like, he had put it in the last drawer. I was standing by the window that day. I had never bothered looking at it. I took it and began going through it. It was a sketch book, and the designs inside had been so perfect, so magnificent, not any random person would have the mind to create these designs...

Until I saw my suit on it. The suit, the designer suit she got me on the day I was being made CEO. The exact same suit had been drawn on the pages of this book. I flipped the paper, and there was a sentence written there.

Hopefully, he'll look as hot as as always whenever he's in a suit, and hopefully he'll love it.

That could only mean one thing. She was the designer. I went through until the last page, she had drawn the face of a sad girl, a tear on her face, and I flipped it too, and I found another sentence.

I need to go, away from everything, and everyone, but I don't want to go away from him. We'll meet each other soon, I guess.

Naliyah. I had to get her back.

~✨~

A/N
Hey people! 🥳
I'm naturally excited to have finished this book. I know I said a lot in the previous chapter, but I still want to thank you all for your support, especially my family, and my close friends. It's been amazing 🤗

That was the interquel, meaning there's a sequel to BTLV, but I'll be taking a break before I come back. I'll give you all a notification for the next book, just stay put! Stay safe, take care of yourselves, keep voting for this book, and keep sharing. I love you guys, I'll miss you, God bless you all!✨😍

Love,
Cess.