Chapter 84: Another Argument

Kelvin’s POV

After breakfast, I helped Maya settle comfortably in the living room before leaving for work. I reminded her to keep her phone close, and she promised to call if she needed anything.

When I finally entered the elevator, I released a long breath.

I had no idea when taking care of her had become easier than trying to figure out what I wanted from our relationship.

By the time I arrived at Mercer Technologies, my phone was already full of notifications.

I ignored them at first. Then, while sitting in my office, I opened the screen. Article after article appeared. Most of them were about Maya’s accident.

Some reported that Maya had suffered a serious injury and had narrowly escaped death. Others used photographs of her leaving the hospital with her crutches.

One headline claimed that she was still fighting through the aftermath of a terrifying accident.

Another speculated about whether the wedding would be postponed because of her condition.

Some articles were asking why neither Maya nor I had made a public statement.

I scrolled through the headlines with my jaw tightening. The accident had happened days ago. Why were they still writing about it every day?

Didn’t these people have anything better to do with their miserable lives?

One article claimed that I had been devastated by the accident and was personally caring for Maya during her recovery.

I frowned. How did they even know that?

I dropped the phone on my desk. This was exactly what I didn’t need.

The pressure was already enough without the media turning every movement into another story.

I had barely been able to concentrate since returning to work.

Twice, I had caught myself signing the wrong documents. Once, I had nearly sent a report back to the wrong department before my assistant noticed.

I hated making careless mistakes. I hated feeling distracted even more.

By the afternoon, my head was pounding. When my phone rang, I looked at the caller ID — it was my lawyer.

I answered. "What is it?"

"Mr. Mercer, I wanted to confirm whether you are now ready for us to proceed with the transfer of the one per cent shares to Miss Fox."

My grip on the phone tightened.

A few weeks ago, I had promised Maya one per cent of Mercer Technologies as a wedding gift.

At the time, I hadn’t hesitated. I loved her. We were getting married, and I had wanted to give her something meaningful.

But now? The thought of signing away even one per cent of the company to her irritated me.

Maya had already cost me three per cent. Three per cent that I had been forced to transfer to Emerald because of the mess she created.

And now I was supposed to willingly give her another one?

"No," I said.

There was a brief pause on the other end. Then— "Sir?"

"Put everything concerning the transfer on hold. And don’t call me again to ask about it."

My lawyer was silent for a second before replying, "Understood."

"If I decide to continue with the transfer, I will contact you myself," I added.

"Of course."

I tapped the red icon to terminate the call. Then I lowered the phone and released a frustrated breath.

A few weeks ago, I had been willing to give Maya that one per cent without a second thought.

Now, after everything she had done, I didn’t even want to give her a dime.

The promise had been made before she betrayed me, before she lied to me and before her actions cost me three per cent of my company.

Perhaps the wedding gift wasn’t the only promise I needed to reconsider.

For the first time since I had returned to the apartment, I allowed myself to consider something I had been avoiding.

Maybe taking care of Maya didn’t mean I had to continue giving her everything I had once promised.

Maybe love, guilt, and responsibility weren’t reasons to ignore betrayal.

And if I truly wanted to forgive her, I needed to stop pretending that what she had done hadn’t changed the way I saw her.

Because it had, more than I wanted and cared to admit.

---

When I got home that evening, the first thing I noticed was the number of boxes and bags scattered around the living room.

I stopped at the entrance for a moment.

There were boxes on the rug, several garment bags resting against the sofa, and smaller packages arranged on the coffee table. A few open boxes revealed neatly wrapped items inside.

Maya was sitting on the sofa. The moment she saw me, her entire face brightened. "Kelvin, you’re back."

I closed the door behind me and looked around again. "What is all this?"

She smiled and reached for the nearest box. "My bridal things. I ordered them from Dubai three weeks ago, and they finally arrived."

She looked so happy, but I couldn’t even relate. I didn’t know why she was that happy.

The smile remained on her face as she said to me, "Come and see." Something about the excitement in her voice irritated me.

"Maya," I drawled.

She was still smiling. "What?"

"Why are you bringing out all these things?"

Her smile faded slightly. "I only wanted to show you what arrived."

"Things for the wedding?"

Her expression changed completely. I walked further into the living room. "I haven’t said anything about us continuing with the wedding."

Her face hardened instantly. "Kelvin, I know that."

"Then why does this look as though you’re trying to move ahead with the preparations?" I interrogated.

Her brows pulled together. "Are you serious right now?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Do you think I ordered all these things today?"

I didn’t reply. She let out a short, disbelieving laugh. "I ordered most of them three weeks ago. They arrived today. What was I supposed to do? Refuse to receive things that I had already paid for?"

"That isn’t what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?"

I looked at the boxes again. "You know what is happening between us right now, Maya."

"Yes, I do."

"Then you should understand why coming home to find you surrounded by wedding things doesn’t exactly sit well with me."

Her lips parted, but no words could come out. She just stared at me. Then her eyes slowly began to fill with tears.

I frowned. I didn’t like where this was going. "Maya."

"Is that what you think of me now?" she asked. My irritation only increased further.

"What are you talking about?" I inquired in return.