Chapter 28: The love she deserves
Nick
“Kathe,” I called my assistant to my office. I sent my car for repairs, but I still hadn’t found out
who had scratched it, and I forgot to ask about it.
“Sir,” my assistant entered.
“I haven’t received information about the person who scratched my car in my building,” I
declared.
“Mr. Willian said he would handle it. He went to the security floor that day and asked me to
leave everything in his hands,” she explained quickly.
“Find Will,” I asked.
“I will,” she nodded and left my office.
I continued searching for information about T–World and Alaia on the internet, but there was
very little about them in this country. On business pages in the UK, there were more photos of
them, but they only talked about the companies, no further information. I wanted to know
what happened to them over these years; their disappearance took me by surprise, just as
their return has.
“Primo,” Will entered with a broad smile on his lips.
“Do you have information about the person who scratched the car?” I asked as he approached
- me.
“Here it is.” He showed me a USB drive, and he seemed amused by the situation.
He inserted the USB into my computer and opened the file to play the video. My cousin looked
at me with a big smile and then turned back to the screen.
The images played, and I saw nothing until I noticed two people approaching. I recognized
Alaia and her cousin; the first walked to get into her vehicle, and I saw her purse brush against.
the door of the Rolls–Royce.
Will replayed the movement repeatedly, making me look at him with annoyance. He laughed
again and let the video continue. I saw Alaia laughing heartily while her cousin approached to
see what had happened. They both enjoyed the moment and, once again, I couldn’t get angry.
Seeing her laugh like that brought back memories of when she laughed without complications
while we were married, when there was nothing and no one between us; when it was just her
and me.
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+3 Point
Chapter 28: The love she deserves
“The little wild sss ruined your car,” he said when the video paused, showing them leaving.
“What will you do?” he asked, walking to get a drink from the fridge.
“I’ll send her the bill,” I said, replaying the video.
“Nick, come on, the cost of that repair is nothing for people like us,” he affirmed, drinking from
a soda can.
“I know,” I turned to look at him, and he squinted at me.
“You’re crazy,” he said, leaving my office.
I called Kathe and asked her to send the repair bill to Alaia. I left my office, and when I got home, I looked for a suit to wear tomorrow. It had been a while since I attended such events, but my impulse to go was stronger than the hatred Alaia always showed when she saw me. It seemed that she hated me with the same intensity she once loved me.
The next day…
I went down to the yard to see my dogs, who were with the person in charge of their care.
“Good morning,” greeted the boy Marshall hired.
“Good morning,” I replied. My dogs ran towards me as soon as they heard my voice, wagging their tails. I greeted them by touching their furry heads. They walked around me, touching my
legs and standing on their legs.
“I’ll have a spa day with your mother, and in the evening, I’ll go out with my friends since you decided for me regarding tonight’s gala,” Barbara spoke behind me, and my dogs started growling at her. “Stop those beasts,” she said from where she stood, and I distracted them so
they wouldn’t approach her.
“You know why I don’t want you to go to the event. You can live without attending to one,” I continued, petting my dogs, who had now laid down on the grass, waiting for me to scratch
their bellies.
“I see you now, and it seems like you’re a man with feelings, but no, you don’t have them. Strangely enough, the only ones who receive affection from you are those dogs.”
I turned to look at her from where I stood.
“I’ll see you later,” she adjusted her purse and left the house.
I spent a little more time with my pets until it was time for lunch. I ate alone and then went out to look for a new tuxedo. The ones I had no longer fit my arms and back. I found a suit, got my hair and beard done, returned home, and finished getting ready until it was time to leave.
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Chapter 28: The love she deserves
I entered the grand hall. Its decorations indicated the amount of money invested in the
celebration. A girl led me to my assigned seat, which was at the table set for my family, including my grandfather. Unbeknownst to them, the Russells had the enemy in their midst.
“Son.” My mother approached to kiss my cheek.
“Mother.”
Will greeted me with a fist bump.
“I thought Barbie was joking when she said she wouldn’t come.” My mother looked behind me.
“She wasn’t,” I said curtly. My mother didn’t respond to my tone, but it was clear she didn’t like
that Barbara wasn’t there.
“Son.” My grandfather patted my back. I nodded in his direction before looking for a new place to sit. I couldn’t stand being at the same table as my grandfather and my mother, who would
surely waste no time reminding me that Barbara should be there.
I walked and thought I saw a couple of faces I hadn’t seen in years.
“Alex?” I questioned upon seeing him smile at a girl with delicate features.
“Nicholas,” Alex was the first to see me. “How are you, man?” He gave me a handshake and
patted my back.
“Nick,” Sebastian greeted me with the same enthusiasm as Alex.
They introduced me to their companions, Sebastian, to his wife Aithana, and Alex to his
partner Elizabeth. These were the women who managed to conquer them as I could see. They
both looked completely in love.
“We haven’t seen you since we graduated from high school,” mentioned Alex after the
introductions. We were part of the school’s football team.
“I decided to travel for a while, then went to university in San Francisco,” I explained. They both
nodded. I knew they had studied here in Los Angeles. We continued talking about the past
and how our companies might work together at some point.
Then the lights dimmed and then brightened. Alaia descended an imposing double staircase. Everyone’s attention was on her, including mine. Alaia reached the first floor, where the i***t
Cedric received her, making their engagement more real. And that was when the feeling that
I’ve been trying to control since I found out they were engaged resurfaced…
I stood up and, without thinking, walked towards them.
I made them stop, and Cedric faced me. He had always been a thorn in my side.
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Chapter 28: The love she deserves
“Garnett,” he said my name with complete disdain.
“Always after everything that belongs to me,” I spat as Alaia was led away by her father.
Cedric crossed his arms.
“You’re mistaken. We participated in the same competitions. It was a coincidence that we were both quarterbacks at the same time in that final. You know that if you won, it was just a
bit of luck,” he said.
“Luck? We were better than you,” I retorted.
“I doubt it.” He shook his head and took a breath. “Now, I wasn’t the one who pushed away the only good thing you had in your life, for power… for money.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I replied, controlling myself.
“Actions speak louder than words… Nick. She doesn’t belong to you. You abandoned her, and you can’t blame me for wanting to give Alaia all the love she deserves,” he said cynically, with a smile I wanted to wipe off his face. I pushed him, and he came back, trying to hit me.
“Gentlemen!” Asher stepped between us, preventing the confrontation. “I’m going to ask you to control yourselves, or I’ll order you to be removed,” he said angrily.
“I’m sure we’ll see each other again,” Cedric said.
“Whenever you want.” I raised my head.
“Nick, enough!” Asher looked at me and placed a hand on my chest. “Let’s go, Cedric. Damn it, what’s wrong with you?” They disappeared, and I went to one of the tables at the back of the hall to order a drink and try to control this overwhelming urge to do more than just punch that
bastard.
I drank three shots, one after another, and got rid of my bow tie while reclining in the chair.
The celebration continued, and that was when I saw Alaia on Cedric’s arm, talking to several important business communities.
I felt a burning sensation inside me, growing stronger and more unpleasant as I noticed how close they seemed; her hand on his chest, the laughter, their intertwined fingers.
I didn’t lose sight of them until finally, my gaze met Alaia’s. She fixed her serious look on me and then turned back to Cedric, who leaned that close to her face, and from that position, it
seemed like he kissed her.
My blood boiled with every second I saw them together. I didn’t trust that son of a b***h. I stood up, feeling the effect of the alcohol on my body.
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Chapter 28: The love she deserves
“Where do you think you’re going?” Asher came over and stopped me.
“To get her away from that piece of s**t,” I growled.
“What’s wrong with you, man? Don’t you think you’ve done enough? You have no right to intervene. Leave her alone. She doesn’t need you. She has managed to move on with her life,” Asher looked at me seriously. He already heard the part of the story that Little Red Riding
Hood told. He needed to know the wolf’s version.
“William, take care of your cousin,” he said to Will, who approached and sat beside me.
“You can go. I’ll handle it,” he told Asher who already left.
“We should go. You’ve had too much to drink,” my cousin said to me.
“I’m not leaving,” I said, drinking another shot and watching her from a distance.
The evening ended, and Alaia was the first to leave with her family.
“Let’s go. She’s gone,” Will and I walked out of the hall.
“Nick,” I heard my grandfather’s voice as I was about to open my cousin’s car door.
“What do you want?” I said, feeling consumed by rage.
“Alaia Russell,” he said, and I turned to look at him. “You didn’t tell me about her, and I assume
you already know who she is.” He descended the stairs slowly.
“I didn’t have to tell you about her,” I replied and opened the door.
“I want her and her family out of the project. You must remove them.”
I laughed without humor.
“No,” I said firmly, turning to get in.
“You will do as you’re told,” he said through gritted teeth, grabbing my shoulder. I grabbed his suit collar and slammed his back against Will’s car.
“What the hell, Nick?!” Will ran around the car to reach us.
“Do you forget that you gave me control of the company, Grandpa? Now, I make the decisions.”
I pushed him against the car again.
“Let me go, Nicholas, or else…”
“Or else what? You no longer have power, and I won’t do anything against the Russells,
understand?”
“Nick, let him go, damn it!” Will pulled Killian from my grip.
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Chapter 28: The love she deserves
“Don’t make me remove you from the company.” Killian pointed at me, adjusting his suit.
“You can’t take what’s mine… Grandfather,” I emphasized the last word.
“Let’s go,” he told his men, who had just arrived. “You’re a bunch of useless idiots,” he shouted at them as they walked to the SUV.
