“And why exactly do you think I can’t handle it?” I ask him, feeling my own anger surface. “I’ve handled everything that’s thrown my way until now, why would this be different?”Gerald looks like he’s gearing up for a fight, “well, for one, you’re rushing into this with no plan in place.”“I do have a plan! It’s just flexible enough to be adapted to the way the situation demands it,” I reply, trying not to give in to the sudden urge to shout. I feel extremely volatile like I’m a time bomb one tick away from being blown up.And maybe on a subconscious level, I know the reason for this.I will be the first to admit that I didn’t get enough sleep last night, and I am still very affected by the incident last night. I had a gun shoved at my face, and if Aaron Collins had not intervened, I would’ve…well, I would’ve died.And then there would be no Coraline, no Astra Development or boys named Lemon, no Zelt Tech or no Gerald, no trying to struggle a demanding job all while going to college,
I storm out of the house after that without even letting Gerald reply, and as soon as I step out into the fresh air of the garden, I immediately feel like an utter asshole for saying what I did to Gerald.Whenever we try to bring up the subject of romance or partners around Gerald, he looks so extremely sad. None of us knows what happened to make him feel that way, and the man is yet to tell us anything about it. All we know is that Gerald is currently single, and there isn’t evidence on his ring finger that would state he ever wore a ring, like a pale line against his tan. While that’s not a realistic way to decide if a person had been married or not, it’s not like we know anything about Gerald’s mysterious past to ascertain it otherwise.It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize the man had been burned by love so thoroughly that even mentioning it brings him physical discomfort.And I’d gone and shoved it on his face just to make a point. And to Gerald, who I considered to be mo
“Hi, good morning, my name is Jace Greyson, and I have an appointment with Mr. Cal Greene,” I tell the receptionist of Astra Development main building in the most confident voice I could muster, smiling broadly afterward. The receptionist blinks at me, twice in rapid succession and I wonder if I’m overdoing it.“Of course, Mr. Greyson, please give me a moment,” she replies politely with a smile and quickly begins to tap away on the keyboard in front of her.Only then do I notice how agitated I am. I feel like I’m buzzing with energy, and not the good sort of energy, as I wait impatiently for her to finish searching through whatever database or notes she has for my name, all the while wondering ‘why the heck is it taking so long?’I feel like I want to take a long run rather than go and speak with a shady businessman, or even get away to Adrenaline Rush and go a few rounds in the ring or with a punching bag.“Mr. Greyson, you have a conference slot Mr. Greene that will open in ten minu
The CEO looks pale, and if that isn’t him giving everything away, I don’t know what is. I honestly thought a man receding to underhanded techniques to get what he wanted would be cleverer in dealing with things like this.“You’re bluffing,” he says, and I nearly roll my eyes.“And you’re not doing anything to hide your connection to the crimes I accused you of,” I point out.The CEO reddens, but trying to still salvage the situation, he scoffs, “crime? There’s no crime here, there’s nothing here! You’re spewing out lies trying to jeopardize our operation as well as our reputation as a benevolent company,” then he springs up from his chair and points an accusing finger at me, “You know what I think is happening here? I think you’re trying to create problems with me because of your father!”I blink at him, slowly, “pardon?”“One of your father’s companies is the leading establishment for land development in Clandestine city, and everyone knows about Greyson’s plan to conquer the city on
“It worked!” I crow to Laurent as soon as I dash into the car, startling the driver into dropping his phone. The video he had been watching plays mindlessly from the phone as Laurent tries to catch his breath.“Good god, kid, warn a guy the next time,” Laurent wheezes as he fishes the phone out of the floor to pause the video.I smile at him sheepishly, “yeah, sorry for that. But it worked! It really worked!”“You mean to tell me that you managed to convince the CEO to stop pestering Miss. Granger’s parents?” Laurent questions, and I nod so hard that my neck starts to hurt, but I don’t really care about it because I feel so damn energetic, more so than I did when I was entering the building. And this energy is different from the last time as well because now I’m happy instead of agitated.“Yes. Mr. Cal Greene is not going to be sending his henchmen to the Granger property any longer,” I declare, “and if he does break the promise, he’s going to see what I really can do, because the idi
Gerald looks a bit surprised at the long apology, I don’t know what he thought I might tell him if I did come to apologize. Maybe he thought I’d try to excuse my behavior in some way.But I don’t want to do that. I want him to know that he means too much for me to treat him so lowly despite what I did in the morning. I want him to know that I value him, and even if sometimes I act and talk like a vicious idiot, I would never undermine his importance.Gerald gets up from his seat, and round the desk. Then, he approaches me. For some reason, I brace myself, wondering if he’d slap me. He wouldn’t be entirely wrong if he does.But to my surprise, he steps in front of me and encircles me with his arms.Gerald hugs me, his frame an inch or two shorter than mine, and I feel like a lost little boy who had just found a home. My eyes start to itch from suddenly getting wet and I valiantly keep the tears down from flowing down my cheeks. I know that if I let them flow, I’m going to start to blub
“You look like someone pissed in your cereal,” Lemon comments when he finds me curled up on the couch in front of a fireplace, the very crouch where I once kissed Coraline. “Also, dude, are you drinking? I thought you didn’t like drinking!”I’ve got a bottle of wine clutched in my hand, and the taste of the tart red liquid on my tongue and lips. At any other time, it would be disgusting to me, but this time, the liquid feels like nectar from the gods. There’s a bottle of whiskey in front of me on the coffee table, but even in my misery I still haven’t worked up the courage to touch that. Besides, I’m pretty sure the wine will knock me out just fine, me being such a puny lightweight.I still hadn’t even drunk more than three gulps from the bottle, yet already feel buzzed. So, yeah, no worries there.I boggle my head to glance at Lemon who looks at me with an expression that’s between surprise and worry and get the sudden urge to laugh because of the sheer ridiculousness and disbelief a
“Jace!” My father’s voice comes in a bellow that wakes me up from the light sleep I’d finally fallen into after one whole night of tossing and turning in my bed. I shoot out of the bed at the sheer volume of the proclamation and immediately get reminded why such an idea could be considered really bad for a man with my predicament.I moan as I hold my pounding head in between my arms, feeling a thousand hammers pummeling me from the inside of my skull, and close my eyes tightly because the brightness burns my corneas.My mouth is drier than the Sahara Desert, and I smell like a dumpster truck full of week-old cat food. I feel like all kinds of shit I could even think of, which is not a pleasant image, at all.As I hold my head and try to get ahold of myself, I get reminded of why I’m in this position in the first place. And just as quickly, all the feelings I’d subconsciously tried to keep at bay returned, and there was nothing I want to do than succumb back into the blanket nest I’d f