Rejected: A love story-Chapter 96: What did I do?

The Executive board meeting had just ended, and Caleb and Nathan had successfully sent out and signed some new contracts.

"You know, I was really impressed today," Nathan said with a grin.

Caleb opened the door to Nathan’s office, and they walked in together. "Did you really think I was incompetent? Come on! I handled all Dad’s projects in Washington. This was no big deal."

Nathan took a seat, dialing his executive secretary’s number. "Send me the building’s acquisition report, including the valuation and legal documents. I want everything on my desk by noon" he said, not waiting for Alex to even respond before ending the call.

"You’re so cold. Glad Fiona is finally changing you," Caleb said, stroking his chin.

"What are you stroking? You’re beardless, man," Nathan teased.

"Hey! Take that back!" Caleb yelled, but this only made Nathan grin more. Before Caleb could argue, his phone rang.

"Now Dad’s calling? Checking up on his young son, huh?" Caleb joked as he answered the call. "Hey, Dad."

"Where the hell did your brother put his phone? We’ve been calling for a while!" their father snapped.

The smile on Caleb’s face vanished. "Dad, chill. He’s here, and he’s fine. What the hell happened to your phone, Nathan?"

Nathan frowned and glanced at his phone, realizing it was on DND (Do Not Disturb). ’When did I do this? What if Fiona’s been trying to reach me? He thought.

Their father sighed on the other end. "What did Nathan do to Fiona?" he asked impatiently.

Caleb raised an eyebrow at Nathan. "What did you do to Fiona, man?"

"Do to Fiona? What do you mean?" Nathan asked, confused. He stood up and snatched the phone from Caleb’s ear.

"Hey! Be careful. That’s my phone!" Caleb yelled.

"Be quiet," Nathan cautioned, turning away. "Talk to me, Dad."

"Nathan, finally! We’ve been calling! What happened between you and Fiona?" Gabriel asked.

"Nothing, Dad. What happened?" Nathan replied.

"She packed her things and left the house. She wouldn’t say anything, just kept crying. Your mother tried to talk to her, but she wouldn’t stay."

"WHAT?" Nathan shouted. "Where did she go? Leave? How’s that even possible?"

"I should be asking you, Nathan. We couldn’t stop her," Gabriel explained.

"And the security just let her go?" Nathan ran a hand over his forehead. "Why didn’t security stop her? Gosh!"

Nathan paced the room, his mind racing. He grabbed his phone and immediately dialed Fiona’s number. It rang... and rang... but no answer. Frustrated, he ran a hand through his hair, muttering, "What the hell is going on?"

Caleb watched him, his arms crossed. "You sure you didn’t say or do something? Fiona can’t just leave for no reason."

Nathan shot him a glare. "I didn’t do anything, Caleb. She was fine yesterday!" He turned back to the phone, dialing again. But still no answer.

"Maybe she’s with a friend?" Caleb suggested, trying to calm him down. "You know how she gets when she’s upset—she needs space."

Nathan ignored him, scrolling through his recent messages with Fiona. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Just a few jokes, sweet messages, and a goodnight text. _What could’ve gone wrong?

"Son, are you still there?" Gabriel’s voice crackled through Caleb’s phone, reminding Nathan that their father was still on the line.

Nathan grabbed the phone again. "Dad, did Mom say anything...about why she was crying? Did Fiona mention anything at all?"

Gabriel sighed. "She wouldn’t talk to your mother. She just said she needed to leave and wouldn’t explain why. Nathan, you need to fix this before it gets worse."

Nathan clenched his jaw, his frustration boiling over. "I’m trying, Dad! But I don’t even know what the problem is!"

Caleb stepped forward. "Okay, okay, let’s not lose it here. Nathan, think—did you forget something important? Did you miss something she told you or—"

Nathan cut him off. "No, Caleb! I didn’t forget anything! I don’t screw up like you do, okay?"

Caleb raised his hands defensively. "Alright, no need to bite my head off. I’m just trying to help."

Nathan’s phone buzzed suddenly, and he grabbed it like his life depended on it. A text from Fiona appeared on the screen:

"I need time to think. Don’t call me." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

His heart sank. Caleb peeked over his shoulder. "Well, that’s... direct."

Nathan stared at the message, his mind swirling with questions. ’Think about what? What did I do?’

He typed a response quickly: "Fiona, please. Just tell me what’s wrong. I’ll fix it."

It was delivered but no reply.

Caleb nudged him. "Maybe you should give her space like she asked. Pressing her now might make things worse."

Nathan shook his head. "I can’t just sit here, Caleb. I need to know what’s happening." He grabbed his keys and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Caleb called out.

"To find her," Nathan said firmly. "I’m not waiting around for answers."

Caleb hesitated but followed him. "Alright, but don’t do anything stupid."

Nathan ignored him, his mind set on one thing: finding Fiona and fixing whatever had gone wrong.

Nathan drove like a man possessed, gripping the steering wheel tightly as Caleb sat in the passenger seat. The streetlights blurred past, and the tension in the car was palpable. He pulled up to the apartment complex where he knew Fiona’s friend, Ella, lived. He’d dropped Fiona off here once before, but he had no idea which door was Ella’s. The day he helped with the bags, he hadn’t really paid much attention to her apartment.

Nathan parked and jumped out of the car, scanning the rows of doors. Caleb followed reluctantly, shoving his hands in his pockets. "You sure she’s here?" Caleb asked, eyeing the quiet building.

"Where else would she go?" Nathan snapped, his frustration bubbling over. "Ella’s her closest friend."

Caleb sighed. "Well, good luck finding her. I don’t know which apartment is Ella’s either. And believe me, I tried to figure it out back when I—" He stopped, realizing his words were about to stir the pot.

Nathan shot him a deadly look. "Back when you what? Court her? Don’t remind me."

Caleb shrugged. "I’m just saying. We’re both clueless here."

Nathan ignored him and walked toward the first door, knocking loudly. A middle-aged man opened it, looking annoyed. "What do you want?"

"Sorry, wrong door," Nathan muttered, moving to the next one. He knocked again. No answer. He tried another door, and another, until Caleb grabbed his arm. "Bro, you’re gonna knock on every door in this building?"

Nathan shook him off. "I’ll knock on every damn door if I have to."

Caleb groaned. "Look, let’s think this through. Ella’s place is close to the road, right? Maybe it’s one of the apartments on the ground floor."

Nathan stopped, taking a deep breath. Caleb’s logic made sense, even if he hated admitting it. He turned toward the ground-floor units and knocked on the next door. This time, Ella answered.

"Nathan?" she said, surprised. Her eyes flicked to Caleb, then back to Nathan. "What are you doing here?"

.