ENCHANTED LOVE, VOLUME 3 - Season 14 Episode 12

A little too smoothly than usual, Black entered Holley’s office. As soon as he stepped inside, she raised her head and smiled warmly at the man. Even though he was in anger, the sight of her smile had him almost palpitate in amazement.

Determined to demand an explanation, he calmed himself down. Instead of dragging things on like this for too long, he wanted to clear things up himself and put an end to it.

Holley, however, had no idea what was to come as she stood up and came over to give Black a warm hug.

“Darling, I missed you so much!” Her affection seemed endless.

That, at least, made Black sneer. Slowly but decisively, Black shrugged off her hands and gently pushed her away from him.

“What’s wrong, Black?”

The longer she looked at him, the worse feeling in her gut grew.

Because he was against the light, his expression wasn’t too clear. Still, she could feel a cold air radiating from him.

“I think you can tell me that. I’ve seen how intimate you are with Charles. You were with him in the hospital, taking care of him, weren’t you? That was the important meeting you were in when you rejected my call. And now you have the nerve to ask me what’s wrong? Holley, what am I to you, huh? Tell me.” Unable to restrain his anger any longer, he howled at Holley with red fury in his eyes.

The accusation made Holley turn ghastly pale, her eyes full of panic.

Internally, Holley cursed the world. How could Black have known? What should she do, then?

Thinking that the stocks were still in his hands, she decided that she had to do all she could to put him at ease. With her goals so nearly achieved, she couldn’t give up because of a blip like that.

As the gears in her head turned and worked faster than ever, she tried stringing together words that would make him cooperate with her.
With her hands clenched into fists, and her eyes unsteady, panic and fear surged through her like crashing waves.

“That’s not true, Black. Let me explain.

Things aren’t as they seem.” As she anxiously explained, drops of sweat started rolling down her temples.

In spite of his little outburst, Black’s desperate eyes seemed to find a bit of light. Because he loved her so deeply, he had hoped that all he had seen was merely a huge misunderstanding. Even as he hoped in his heart, he knew in his head that it was impossible.

In the end, though, he wanted to hear Holley out, unwilling to part with her. As long as he still had a place in her heart for him, he would do all he could to keep it.

Unknowingly, Black’s eyes were full of expectation as he waited for Holley’s explanation.

After swallowing down her panic, Holley calmed herself down to explain.

“You know that Tarsan Corporation and Shining Enterprise are working together to finish a project, don’t you? Well, Charles was basically disregarding it. I was afraid the project wouldn’t push through, at the rate things were going. Because of that, I’ve been trying to get close to him.”

Seeing that Black didn’t seem to be buying it, she upped her act—her eyes turned glassy as if she could cry at any minute.

“Ever since I replaced Rachel as the general manager, all the employees refused to work under my control. They wanted to see me fail. Do you have any idea of the pressure I’m under? I just want this project to succeed. It’ll prove that I’m capable, and I’ll earn their respect. I hope to have a foothold in this company, Black. If you still don’t understand, anything that I have done will be pointless.”

Throwing away any semblance of grace she still had, Holley went and rushed into Black’s arms as she sobbed.

Of course, Black was still in doubt. But he couldn’t help his heart from going tender, seeing Holley hurting. Gently, he began to stroke her head, trying to comfort her, almost instinctively.
“Black…please believe me. I love you so much. I would never do anything to betray you.” Before he could even get a word out, Holley raised herself to kiss him on the lips, reaching for his mouth as if it was her only means left to breathe, like a fish gasping in the open air.

At that point, Black’s head was a complete mess. It was as if he had forgotten why he visited her in the first place, and he didn’t know if he should believe her words or what he had already seen. Speechless, he stood there numbly as he let Holley kiss him.

“Black, don’t you love me anymore?” Her voice was aggrieved as she continued to sob. Black’s indifference left her feeling like she was stuck in a crisis. What would she do if he refused to believe her? Though she helplessly grabbed onto his shirt, clinging onto hope, she didn’t dare raise her head to meet his gaze.

As he watched her cry into his chest, Black still couldn’t deny his doubt. The image of Holley being intimate with Charles was embedded in his mind and he didn’t know if he could ever get rid of it.

In spite of that, he concealed the doubt in his eyes and tucked it away in the back of his mind before saying, “How could I not love you? I’m just not sure that you love me. How about coming home with me to see my father to discuss our engagement? If you do that, I will believe you.”

The offer left Holley terrified. Surely, Rex would have to investigate her background. If he exposed her, she would be completely done then.

This time, however, there was no way she could refuse Black’s offer. The only way to cease his suspicion was following through with his request.

“Okay. I will go to see your father. I will prove that I deserve your trust. I’m just…I’m really afraid that your father won’t like me. Let’s go home this weekend, alright? I will prepare for the meeting. I want to leave a good impression on him.” Holley knew that she had to delay the meeting as much as she could, taking things one step at a time.

For a moment, Black looked at her puzzlingly, wondering if he had really just misunderstood her.

Perhaps the only reason she didn’t agree to meet his father in the past was that she didn’t feel like she was prepared.

“Okay. We will go home over the weekend. I’ll pick you up then.” Finally, he hugged her back, and Holley could release the breath she was holding. Wanting to believe her once again, he hoped with all his heart that she wouldn’t let him down.

After heading back home, Holley racked her brain for ways to avoid meeting Black’s parents. After all, agreeing with him on the spot was her only option.

Suddenly, an idea clicked, like a bulb that switched on. Of course, she would need to injure herself to win his trust.

If she was severely ill, enough that he would believe she couldn’t walk, perhaps, Black wouldn’t force her to meet his family so soon.

When she stepped into the bathroom, she used the cold water, soaking even her head to stimulate her nerves.

As time went by, she could feel her body stiffening in the cold. At one point, she couldn’t feel a thing. When she walked out of the room, she made sure not to dry off properly and simply waited until the evaporation took any kind of warmth away. Eventually, she trembled terribly, numb all over her body.

Determined to get sick, Holley threw herself on the bed and fell asleep, regardless that she was soaking wet.

Unable to fall asleep well, she only grew dizzy and powerless. When midnight came, she lay awake in her bed, still feeling utterly cold.

As she waited for dawn, she kept her eyes open wide. The view from her window was of a dark night, a void full of mist. After a long while, the sun gradually rose, scattering the mist, shining light onto the world. From where she lay, Holley could feel its warmth.