Karl Gordon Is Back

Chapter 3 : The Girl Who Tried To Save Him

Karl pulled the ring box open just as the papers in Anna’s hands fell to the ground.

The sound seemed to echo throughout the office as silence gripped the entire floor, a brittle scatter against the polished office floor that seemed far louder than it should have been.

People who weren't paying attention before suddenly turned towards the scene at the center of the office as dozens of eyes followed the movement from the fallen documents to the open ring box in Karl's hands.

Anna froze.

Her breath caught painfully in her throat as she stared at the ring, then at Karl, then at the dozen of eyes now fixed on them in amusement.

Her fingers trembled uselessly at her sides, unsure whether to reach for the papers or shield herself from the attention she hated with her entire being.

“Wh…what?” She muttered, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Marry me.” Karl repeated, his voice sharp and clear. The certainty in his red made Anna take a step back. What is he doing?

Melody laughed as she stepped forward, heels clicking against the floor, her eyes narrowing as she took in the scene before her.

“Woah! You're willing to stoop this low?” She said, her voice ringing throughout the office. “You’ve completely lost your mind! Karl, look at her. She’s my assistant.”

Karl remained on his knees, not sparing melody as much as a glance. His grip on the ring box remained firm, waiting for an answer from Anna.

He would rather have Anna turn him down due to the awkwardness of the situation that let Melody think she was even an option.

He knew how embarrassing that would be but he would take that. He'd take anything except Melody.

Caden scoffed loudly, shaking his head as he stepped closer, arms folding across his chest.

“Karl, what do you think you're doing? Do you even hear yourself?” he said, looking down at Anna in disgust. “Her? You're proposing to her?”

Karl's eyes rained fixed on Anna. “Anna.” He called but she couldn't look at him. She was horrified, he knew she was. Her boss's boyfriend was proposing to her, it looked like a horrid mess from every angle.

“Karl, do you know that even Anna is below you? Or is this your way of humiliating yourself further?” Caden glances at Melody. “You have a beautiful girlfriend right over here and you want to give that up by doing this?”

A ripple of murmurs spread through the room.

“If she's so perfect..” Karl turned his head towards Caden, "Why don't you marry her then?”

Caden's composure faltered, his chin seed to colour as he took a step back, unable to hide his nervous laughter. “Why would you say that? She's your girlfriend…”

He returned back to Anna, his voice dropping low in a whisper. “You don’t have to say yes.”

Anna’s face burned as the words sank in. Her chest tightened, panic settling in as she realized there was no graceful way out of this moment.

“Karl,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “Please stand up.”

He didn’t move. Not until she refuses him. His eyes were fixed on her face, surprisingly calm.

“I’m waiting for your answer,” he said.

Melody’s disbelief twisted into fury.

“This is ridiculous,” she snapped. “You think this little performance is going to make me jealous?”

She laughed again, harsher this time. “If that’s your plan, you’re doing a terrible job. You’re embarrassing yourself and this is only going to make me end things with you!

The staff around them erupted into whispers, some openly laughing now, others staring in disbelief. Melody smirked, who the hell does he think he is to try to humiliate her?

“Let's do that then.”

Melody's smirk faltered. “What?”

“Let's end things here. That's good right?”

Melody scoffed, is this man serious right now? “I know you're saying just to make me jealous and seriously, you're just pushing me off!”

Anna’s pulse raced. She felt trapped, cornered by Melody’s glare, Caden’s disdain, and the pressure of the crowd. Saying no would humiliate Karl publicly. Saying yes would make her life a living hell for sure.

Her mouth opened, but no sound came out.

Melody crossed her arms, lips curling in disdain. “Go on,” she said coldly. “Say it. Let’s see how far this farce goes.”

Anna swallowed hard.

“Yes,” she said suddenly, the word tumbling out before she could stop it. “Yes… I’ll marry you.”

The office exploded in gasps, laughter and murmur all at once. Someone dropped a pen, another person clapped before quickly stopping, unsure whether they had just witnessed a celebration or chaos itself.

Melody screamed. “You think this is funny?” she shrieked. “You're done! We're over and you'll come begging on your knees!”

Caden’s jaw tightened, his eyes darkening as he stared at Karl. “You’ve gone too far, bro. What is the meaning of all this? You're only going to upset Melody...”

Karl finally stood.

He closed the ring box carefully and slipped it into his pocket. His gaze shifted to Anna, who looked pale and overwhelmed, her breathing uneven.

“Let’s go,” he said quietly as his hand took hold of hers.

Melody took a step forward. “If you walk away, we are not going to the charity ball together!”

Karl didn’t even look at her.

He turned and walked toward the exit, Anna following right behind, her legs moving on autopilot as the office buzzed behind them.

“I can't believe this!” Melody gasped.

“I'll go talk to him. This is insane..”Caden said.

“Don't!” Melody snapped. “He'll be back soon to beg. This silly trick is not going to work on me!”

~~~~

Karl grabbed a bottle of water from the store, his gaze sweeping over to Anna. She sat on the bench in the lobby waiting for him but he could see her hands clenched together so tightly her knuckles had gone white.

He took a deep breath, shutting his eyes as he himself. It all happened so fast, this whole second chance thing and he barely had time to process what was happening..

He glanced down at his hands and the chilled bottled water in his hands. He clenched his fist seconds later, it doesn't matter if it's all happening at once, he won't make the same mistake twice!

And heck, ye will make sure to get even with Melody and Caden!

He returned back to Anna and placed the water gently in her hands.

“Drink,” he said softly.

She obeyed, taking small sips as she tried to steady herself.

“What just happened?” she asked finally, her voice shaking.

Karl sat across from her. “Anna, I didn't mean to .. propose to you.”

She let out a shaky laugh. “That’s not funny.”

Karl sighed, “I know.” He finally met her gaze. “And I'm not trying to use you to get back at Melody either.

Amma pushed her glasses closer to her nose bridge. “ I'm not sure I can believe that. You…you love Ms Melody, everyone knows that..”

“You're right.”

Her head snapped up. “ What?”

“I loved Melody but not anymore. Ypuve mentioned it once.” he started, “That you don't think Melody feels the same way I do.”

Anna clamps her hands over her face, “I…I didn't mean that. It…it was a slip of a tongue…”

Karl chuckled, “You were right. She doesn't.”

Anna stared at him, searching his face for any trace of mockery. She found none.

“I..I don't know what to say..”

“I’m not asking you to pretend,” he continued. “You don’t owe me anything but…thank you.”

Her brows furrowed. “For what?”

“I would have preferred a rejection from you than a yes from Melody.”

Her face flushed instantly, heat spreading across her cheeks.

“Wh..what?” She muttered.

Karl leans back. “I want you to be my date to the charity ball..”

The bottle slipped from her hands and landed on the floor in an instant. Her wide opened eyes turned to Karl in shock.

“What?”

Karl nodded. “I don't want to go with Melody, I want to go with you.”

Anna froze, “Sh..shouldn't you go with Melody….”

Karl shook his head, “No. I want to go with you. As my date.”

She stood abruptly, embarrassed and flustered. Is he seriously asking her to be his date to one of the most important events in the country?!

“I…I need to get back to work..”

He got on his feet too. “Anna.”

“Thanks for the water, Karl..” she hurried away before he could say anything else.

He exhaled, he expected that.

‘Suddenly asking the girl you ignored to be your date isn't going to be a walk in the park.’ He thought.

Karl watched her go, then pulled out his phone. He hesitated briefly before dialing a number he hadn’t called in years. It rang but for some reason he was anxious. If this doesn't work out, he wasn't sure what he'd do next..

“Who is this?” a familiar voice finally answered.

“…Grandfather?”

There was a pause.

“About damn time you called.”