CHAPTER 172: HE’S INDEED A STRAIGHT MAN.

"Nice one Aubrey, now play the pretence game so that I can as well give you a trophy." Augustine stated with biting sarcasm, rolling his eyes at her blank expression.

"A trophy?" she scoffed, her voice rising. "For what exactly? For a crime I didn’t commit?"

She folded her arms tighter, her tone sharp with frustration. "I don’t even know what the hell you’re accusing me of, Augustine."

"Oh, and by the way," Aubrey hissed through gritted teeth, her heels clicking aggressively against the floor as she stepped closer, "I promised myself I wouldn’t step foot in this goddamn company until you and I are finally married..."

She paused, her eyes narrowing into icy slits. "But here I am, because my parents’ birthday is coming up—and of course, they insisted I personally deliver your invitation."

Aubrey slammed her handbag onto the desk, yanked it open, and pulled out a sleek white and black invitation card like it was a dagger.

"You better show up at their mansion, Augustine," she seethed, her voice low and venomous. "The dress code is black and white. And do yourself a favor—don’t you dare show up with that gay partner of yours. I won’t be held responsible for what might happen."

"Here!" Aubrey snapped, shoving the card forward. "Have it—and make sure you arrive on time at my parents’ villa."

Aubrey’s eyes flicked to Augustine with a twisted smirk, as she slammed the card down in front of him like it was a warning... not an invitation.

But Augustine didn’t even spare the invitation a glance.

Without a word, he turned away from her, his movements calm—too calm.

He walked over to the office door, placed his hand on the knob, and slowly pulled it open.

Augustine’s gaze didn’t meet Aubrey’s when he spoke, but his voice sliced through the air like a blade dipped in ice.

"Get out."

It wasn’t loud. It didn’t need to be.

The weight of those two words sent a chill sweeping through the office, turning the air as frigid as winter.

"Pfft!" Aubrey scoffed, walking over to the office door.

Upon arriving at where Augustine stood, Aubrey halted, her lips curving into a sly smile as she stared deeply into his eyes. "See you in a week, darling," she purred, her voice dripping with false sweetness as she turned to walk away.

Just as her booths were about to cross the threshold, Augustine exhaled sharply, his breath heavy with restrained rage.

"Aubrey," Augustine called out.

She paused, her back still turned, before slowly swiveling around to face Augustine once more, an eyebrow arched with intrigue.

He sighed, his shoulders slumping in quiet frustration. "Can we have a proper discussion?" Augustine asked, his voice calm but edged with fatigue.

Before Aubrey could muster a response, Augustine was already walking back to his office chair.

He sank into the seat, resting his hands on the desk, his eyes locking onto hers.

Aubrey lingered at the doorway for a few seconds, uncertain, her fingers tightening around the invitation card as silence thickened the air between them.

Deep down, Aubrey was contemplating if she should walk over to Augustine, or simply feign ignorance and leave the office without another word?

As the war waged within her, a sly voice whispered in her mind, fueling her delusion.

’Augustine must be ready to surrender... to finally say yes to marrying me,’ she thought.

’Besides, marrying me is the only proper discussion that can happen between I and Augustine.’ Aubrey mused to herself.

’Or what if he wants to pour out his heart to me and tell me that he is indeed straight? Besides, Augustine doesn’t even look like a gay guy... so maybe his relationship with that cleaner is just some sort of twisted fetish,’ Aubrey mused, her thoughts spiraling deeper into hopeful delusion.

More ideas bubbled within her mind, each one more absurd than the last—but all of them soaked in the fantasy that Augustine was finally ready to confess the feelings she so desperately believed existed.

With a delightful smile, Aubrey slowly strutted toward Augustine’s office table, her booth clicking against the polished floor with confidence.

Spotting the empty chair across from him, Aubrey didn’t bother to ask for permission—Aubrey simply sank into it like she belonged there.

Crossing her arms over her stomach, she tilted her head slightly and arched a brow, her lips curling into a knowing smirk. "Go on," her eyes seemed to say. "Say whatever is burning in that heart of yours."

"So... Aubrey." Augustine began. "You claimed you have no idea about the incident I was referring to, right?"

Aubrey’s confident smile faltered, slowly twisting into a frown. "Did you seriously request that we have a proper discussion just so you could throw stupid accusations at me?" she snapped, standing up abruptly, her chair screeching against the floor. "If this is your idea of a proper discussion, then I’m out."

"Hold on, Aubrey. We have something important to talk about."

Aubrey scoffed, crossing her arms. "Are we going to talk about our future? If not, then I’m leaving."

Augustine leaned forward, his gaze sharp and unreadable. "Are you sure you want to leave?" he asked, his voice laced with calm threat. "Because what I’m about to tell you is far more important than any so-called future between us."

The tone Augustine used while explaining himself instantly doused the fire in Aubrey’s rage.

’I believe he’s finally going to talk about his love for me... Gush! I’ve waited so long for this moment to actually happen in real life,’ she squealed inwardly, her heart thumping with excitement.

But on the outside, Aubrey masked her emotions behind a composed façade, her face unreadable as she quietly took her seat again.

"Perfect," Augustine purred, leaning back in his office chair as he reached for his drawer.

Seconds later, he pulled out a long brown envelope and tossed it onto the table, the sound sharp against the silence.

"Aubrey darling... go ahead and see what’s inside that envelope," he said, his voice laced with a dark blend of excitement and restrained rage.

Aubrey scoffed, rolling her eyes as she picked up the envelope from the office table.

As she swiftly opened it... she became dumbfounded.