"You don't understand, I can't go back to him," Jenna sighed, massaging her head, and trying to quell the ache that had started to smack around her skull. She was so done with this conversation already. Why couldn't they understand that she had no interest in being with him anymore?
"And why's that? Didn't you go back to break things off with Ronin and Carmen? If it wasn't because of jealousy, then what was it for?" The man sitting across from her asked, his dark eyes filled with curiosity.
Jenna glared at the man, her upper lip curling. "That was different. I didn't have any choice. Simon was pulling my strings. I did what he told me to."
The man hummed thoughtfully. "So, you're saying you never really wanted to go back to Ronin? Well, that's interesting."
Jenna opened her mouth to explain, but then she shut her mouth and thought otherwise. Just because she made the mistake of running away from the marriage that started feeling suffocating, didn't mean she was still that naive. She knew she messed up by leaving Ronin like that. But she also knew no one would believe it was the right thing to do. She and Ronin didn't have that spark anymore. They were into each other as teenagers, but as they grew up, their priorities changed. She went into modeling and he was happy to shoulder the responsibility of his family business.
There was nothing with Ronin, or how he treated her, it was just that feeling she would get sometimes....a feeling that they weren't right for each other. Jenna had no wish to settle down so early in life. She wanted to travel more and live her life like it wasn't anyone's damn business. But Ronin—he was hellbent on getting married and having a family. He loved her, she knew, and she liked him too, no lie there. But after he joined his family business, something changed inside him. He became more serious, intense, and, frankly, a bit boring.
Jenna shook her head, done with this conversation. "Why are you here exactly? I don't see a reason for you to find me so damn early. It's still not even fucking six in the morning."
The man grinned, scoffing a little. He tapped his fingers on the handrest of the couch, as he looked around the small studio apartment Jenna was staying in these days. Huh. She could have done so much better, he thought. But then again, after she left the wedding. The Logans and the Rivers [her family] dropped her like a hot potato. No one wanted to have anything with her. She was a pariah, a taint no one wanted on their sparkling reputation.
He couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her, but that wasn't the reason he came.
His focused gaze returned to Jenna, observing how she squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. He couldn't blame her. He had a way of making people uneasy, especially when they were alone with him.
"I'm here to offer you a job," he said, watching her carefully to gauge her reaction.
Jenna frowned, her eyes narrowing. "And why do you think I'd be interested?"
He shrugged casually. "Honestly, I have no clue about your interests. What I do know is that we both can profit from it if we follow the plan I have in mind."
She hesitated, not immediately jumping at the chance. "Plan?" The way he said it made her feel a twinge of unease. It seemed like something shady. Was she desperate enough to get involved with a man like him? "What kind of plan?"
The man chuckled and got up from the couch, adjusting his stance as he slid his hands into his pants pockets. "I'll wait for your consent. There's no hurry. Take your time to think about it. You have a day to make up your mind."
When he reached the door, he turned back one more time, as if forgotten to add something. "Oh, and if you decide to decline my offer, that's perfectly okay. But if you accept, understand one thing: there's no turning back once you're in. I hope to hear from you though. Have a good day."
With another smirk, he opened the door and stepped out of the room.
As the elevator doors closed, and he was finally alone, he dialled a number and waited for someone to answer. When someone did, he spoke without reluctance. "If Ms Rivers doesn't contact you in 24 hours, you know what to do with her."
* * *
Ronin's appetite died the second his eyes fell on Carmen sitting at the dining table. She wasn't alone, however, Grandpa Edgar had accompanied her, with Ronin's mom sitting on Carmen's right and Eric across the table.
What the hell was she doing here? He thought to himself, growling in his head and wondering why she couldn't get a fucking hint?
All she had to do was stay away from him and his family, but the more he tried to push her away, the more she scrambled her way in. It didn't help that his family seemed somewhat obsessed with her. Ever since they got married on that unfortunate day, all they seemed to talk about was her. He couldn't remember a single family gathering where her name wasn't brought up. Initially, he thought it was just his mom who couldn't stop talking about Carmen, but he was wrong. His grandfather seemed equally infatuated, if not more.
And he hated it so much—so damn much.
"Ronin," he heard Grandpa Edgar noticing him for the first time. "Don't just keep standing there. Come on, join us for the breakfast. Your mom ordered your favourite pancakes."
He sighed. "Yeah, sure."
Not that he had any other choice or whatever. After he returned from Weaverville last night, having gotten nothing concrete from Natalie Griggs despite his best attempts, he was starving like a caveman. So, there was no way he was about to let whatever issues he had with his so-called ex-wife, stop him from having the breakfast that he so desperately needed to keep going.
Pulling out a chair next to Eric, he sat down and ignored the woman in front of him.
Jane spoke up calmly as she poured herself a glass of orange juice. "By the way, I'll be flying back home this afternoon. There are some auctions coming up next week, and the committee needs me to oversee the preparations."
"That's great. I'll join you. I have some pending work at the office too," Eric added with a smile before his gaze shifted to Carmen. "What are your plans, Carmen? Did you..." He paused, catching a glimpse of Ronin's expression before finishing his sentence. "Did you make up your mind about the proposal?
Ronin tried to avoid looking at Carmen, but his eyes briefly lifted to catch the way her fingers tightened around the fork. She had been silent ever since he entered the room, and he couldn't tell if it was her usual quiet nature or if his presence made her uncomfortable.
Mentally, Ronin scoffed at the thought. Did she see him as some kind of monster? The irony wasn't lost on him, considering how he felt like the one being tormented by her constant presence in his life.
It wasn't a lie though. Ever since she joined their company, his life had been thrown into chaos. She had a way of grasping someone's attention, as if it was her right to do so. He despised it, especially since he already had Jenna in his life. Even though his unwarranted and absolutely unwanted attraction to her was only in his head, he felt angry and guilty and so damn frustrated because of it. She shouldn't have any right to make him feel that way, and he had no damn right to feel anything for her when his own brother was so madly in love with her.
There was not one but a million reasons for Ronin to not look at her the way every pulse in his vein wanted him to. She was forbidden. A desire that he shouldn't pursue. If only he had learnt of Eric's feelings for Carmen sooner, he wouldn't have let the wedding happen. He felt so guilty for that decision alone as if he stabbed his brother in the back when he should have been the one to be there for him.
But it was too late for forgiveness or forgetting. Ronin knew that. Perhaps that's why Eric seemed so angry all the time. His older brother wasn't the type to explode or throw tantrums when upset. No, Eric's anger simmered beneath the surface until it boiled over like a volcanic eruption.
Carmen cleared her throat. "No. Not yet." She shared a brief eye contact with Grandpa before continuing. "But I think I'll soon have an answer."
The words coming out of her pink lips were enough to bring Ronin back to the present. "Sound like you have everything figured out," he couldn't help but throw out there, lowering his gaze back to his plate and trying not to feel as if his insides were cracking and crumbling.
Carmen opened her mouth to say something but Grandpa cut her off.
"Of course she had. She is a smart woman. And you're a fool to let her go."
Ronin internally screamed. "Thanks for the reminder, Grandpa. I almost fucking forgot."
Jane pulled a face at the choice of his words. "Don't talk to him like that. Ronin, you should know better than that."
"It's no big deal, Mom," Eric chipped in, even though no one asked for it. Not Ronin, especially. "He's just a little pissed, and I think we all should understand."
Yeah, as if they could. Ronin groaned mentally.
Once breakfast was done, Ronin made some business-related calls and stayed busy for a while. When he finally returned to talk to Grandpa about something, he stumbled upon the shut door.
"Grandpa," Ronin knocked. "Are you in?"
To Ronin's surprise, Carmen opened the door. And for good or bad, he couldn't hide his annoyance. "You're still here?"
Carmen made a point to not comment on the way he sounded. "As a matter of fact, I am. Do you need anything?" she asked, seemingly unbothered by how he felt about her presence in their suite.
This was so not like her, Ronin noticed, but refrained himself from making a comment.
"I need to speak to Grandpa. It's important."
Carmen looked over her shoulder, as if checking with Grandpa, before turning back to Ronin with a sigh. "He's busy right now. Can you come later?"
There was something off about the situation, and Ronin didn't like it. "What is he so busy with? Just let him know it's me."
"He already does."
"Then what's the problem?"
"He is just busy, Ronin."
"I don't believe you."
"You don't have to. But that's what he wants. Now please..." Carmen was about to close the door, but Ronin stopped her. He pushed the door wide open and stepped inside, standing so close to her that he could practically count the lashes in her eyes. She was a beautiful woman, there was never a question about that, but how distracting she could be, that's what troubled Ronin the most.
"No one gets to order me around like that," he growled at her, his chest tightening, before looking over her head and spotting Grandpa on the laptop.
Now, that was the sight he could never forget. Or understand.
The moment Grandpa's eyes met Ronin's, he instantly shut the laptop and kept it aside. "Ronin."
Ronin's eyebrows furrowed, his face growing serious. "What's going on here?" he demanded to know. The tension in the room was thick, and he sensed that something important was being hidden from him.
A long minute passed, but no one answered, leaving Ronin growing even more restless. He could tell there was something between the two, a secret conversation between their eyes.
Grandpa sighed and stood up slowly.
"You know, Ronin, I have always admired you for how protective and possessive you can be for someone you care about. I know that you always have the best interests at heart of anyone you meet. I'm way too proud of you than you can even imagine."
Ronin listened intently, waiting for an explanation, but Grandpa's next words surprised him as he sounded a hell lot meaner. "But right now, I need a moment with Carmen, alone and without any disturbance, and you're going to stand outside and wait for your turn. Is that clear?"
The shift in Grandpa's demeanour left Ronin taken aback. He was used to his grandfather's occasional strictness, but this was something different. He couldn't fathom why Grandpa was behaving this way, especially towards Carmen.
His frustration and confusion boiled inside him, but he didn't want to create a scene.
Nodding in reluctant agreement, he replied before ultimately leaving. "Fine, but make it quick."
A/N: lol Granpa showing Ronin his place. How do you feel about this?
Note: Also, I have been advised by a kind friend to boost my followers. So here's what we're going to do. If before next Tuesday, I get 10 or more people to follow me, I'll update twice on the same day. How does that sound? :P