I placed my palm against his cheek, feeling his dense stubble. “I’d say you shouldn’t have come here. But I won’t. Because you’ve to move on, Ace. Besides those ugly memories, you also have one of the most beautiful memories of your life here. So don’t let the negativity overcome the positive sides. Until you let go of the past, you won’t be able to be happy in your present.”

I didn’t want him getting hurt like this. Though he didn’t say anything, I could see it in his eyes. The emptiness, the pain. Something was eating him alive, and he couldn’t express it. And there was a fear in there. Behind those gray pools. Fear of something I couldn’t figure out.

“Let go of it, Ace. It’s time to move on. Don’t let the past hold your happiness and peace,” I murmured, stroking his jaw.

Heaving a breath, he pressed his forehead against mine. “Shouldn’t it be applied to everyone, Rosebud?”

I frowned. “Everyone who?”

Then it hit me. He was talking about me.

I averted my eyes.

He sighed. Taking my hands in his, he kissed each of my knuckles. “Come with me.”

“Where?”

Not answering, he led me down the hallway. Once we were on the terrace, he turned to me.

“I have a surprise for you.”

“What?”

Taking his phone out, he typed something and then put it back inside his pocket.

“You’ll see.”

Hugging myself, I rubbed my arms from the chilly night. “We should go downstairs. Everyone must be looking for me.”

I should be angry with him, right? After our argument in his office, I should give him a cold shoulder. But here I am, standing on the terrace with him alone.

Shrugging off his jacket, he secured it around me. “Here, it’ll keep you warm. Though I was enjoying looking at you in that dress.”

Heat crept up my cheeks as I tucked a strayed strand behind my ear. I didn’t wear anything fancy. Just a simple sleeveless blue sundress with a pair of black heels.

Cupping my chin, he made me meet his intense gaze. “Never hide your face from me, Rosebud. I love to see those cheeks turn all red.”

My cheeks were on fire, heart fluttering. Damn! Would his words ever cease to affect me that much?

A cough snatched our attention towards the terrace doors. Carter stood there with an awkward stance at the entrance with a box in his hands.

I took a step back from Ace, pulling the jacket closer to me.

“Uh, boss. Here’s the parcel you told me to get from your car,” Carter said.

After taking the box from him, Ace nodded. “You can go now.”

Flashing me a smile, he walked away.

“What’s in that?” I eyed the box curiously.

Standing before me, he opened it, putting the contents inside on display.