Adrian Winters
New York wasn't a bright city. People came here to become something, they came here to make a name for themselves, to prove that they were worthy of the power, money, and influence success would bring them.
It was bullshit.
No one ever told them that the real money was to be made twenty years ago when real estate was growing, and once again during the recession of 2008. I'd had the benefit of being born to a family that had built a business from the ashes of what was before to have a tower in the center of Downtown Manhattan that looked over the city we'd conquered a quarter century prior. Our names were spoken of in circles that managed the world's economy, and yet it was me and my sister left.
We were the last of a dynasty that had never been questioned until it was thrown aside for morality, something I was more then in acceptance of. Weaponry and slaves was what had originally made the fortune of my family, now it was the global industry, there was so many streams of income that everything was paid for well in advance.
That went for my friends too, four of us had been revered before our ascension to CEO's of our companies. A quartet of heirs that combined were worth five fourteenths of a trillion dollars. If all our money was in hundred dollar bills my friends and I would be looking at two point one million suitcases full of money. It was too much in my opinion, though I had my share of extravagance and I knew that at some point it would come back to haunt me, like every decision I had made in the last decade did.
I stood in one of New Yorks many high end clubs with lights and music pulsing through the room, while i thought about a particular brunette that I had come here to see.
Olivia went back to living with her mom to give the appearance that I wasn't massively successful, she was my shadow, one I'd never be too thankful for. I'd been careful to ensure I was seen only a few times and it wasn't clear that the building I was spotted leaving many times over the past year wasn't where I lived. I also drove around in a black Escalade ESV, which made me blend into the collection of vehicles that were all standardly priced at about a hundred grand.
Something I couldn't bring myself to admit was that celibacy wasn't my strongest state I had fucked myself over by going to a nightclub and sitting in the VIP section where favours were common. Beautiful women walked around in dresses too tight to their skin, and men dressed like they came here to only get laid wandered around leering at them. I probably stuck out by towering over most people and dressed in all black while my car sat curbside. That was also probably why the presence of a dark haired girl walking through the crowd in a panther toned knee length dress with her friends not to far behind caught my eye. Like she had all over again just three years ago.
She hadn't noticed me but her friends had, and a tawny haired woman walked to me. I wasn't overly attracted to redheads, at least non-artificial ones. This one would've been an exception had I not left the general area, choosing my promise of loyalty while publicly apart. It was no question. Barely even a fleeting thought, loyalty was a reaction I disciplined myself to never forget.
Turning around as the girl opened her mouth I slipped through the crowd and swiftly disappeared up the stairs past the bouncers and security detail I still kept around I walked over to my booth that had Nico sitting with his legs crossed and nursing the spritz in his hand.
"Adrian, that isn't a great way to distance yourself, having your girlfriend as your COO, while you make it seem like you both are nothing but work partners isn't going to end well publicly," he comments, "seems like an easy way to have a mistake happen," the drink rose to his lips and I pressed mine together tightly.
"Nico I don't want to hear about it," I dryly remark staring down at yet another guy that walked up to Olivia and talked to her.
I'm going to kill someone.
Turning away I walked over to the table where a waitress carried over my typical order of a Manhattan, and downed it swiftly. Fake IDs and power had allowed me to walk into any place I wanted along with the beard and mustache that I refused to cut unless getting my barber to clean it up once a month.
"Dude you're going to have to accept that," Hunter Ambrose says making an appearance in a white button up and black pants, all while Nico remained in a pullover and dress pants which told me he'd met here immediately at finishing work.
I had chosen to come here and relax though I never did that, ever. I was the kind of man who had risked a multi trillion dollar empire to make my own dream of what the Winters name should mean. Kate, my sister, and Nico's girlfriend had her own company working in Cosmetics and other luxury items. It had been her dream to do so and I had funneled money to help her get started on the process of building her company from the ground up.
However it seemed to be the men in our friend group that had all the money and success. The one exception was Olivia.
Olivia.
Glancing up I watched as a dirty blonde haired guy with relatively good style walked up to her and her friends before reaching for Olivia.
That's it.
Turning I walked off back across the VIP section and down into the crowd, where my long steps allowed me to practically glide through the crowd as I neared Olivia and calmly cleared my throat as I stopped just behind her, while hearing the hitch in her breath.
"Am I interrupting something?" I ask calmly and I didn't miss how Olivia stepped back slightly her back brushing against my chest.
"What do you care dude," blonde boy says and I step around Olivia while her friends all watched me move closer to the man that must have been about a head shorter then myself and maybe as wide as my torso.
"I care because I own this club," I say which wasn't wrong, I just didn't like admitting I owned a sizable amount of real estate in New York.
"And these four fine women, seem to have not wanted you here, bothering them," I say calmly but my voice remained lined in ice, and just as cold.
"You're a bastard," he slurs, and I eye two bouncers before nodding them to the man in front of me who they quickly converged on and began to pull away towards a security room until he either calmed down or needed to be removed by police.
"Thank you," Olivia says as Angela who was one of her long term friends was pulled away by girlfriend Paris.
"You're welcome, and now I leave, I can't be here," I state before walking out of the club, breaking into the cold November air. Pulling my dress jacket tighter around me, I began making my way along the sidewalk and became quite thankful for the kinds of materials my clothing was made of.
I also didn't even look like the New York type, I looked like I belonged in London dressed in my Chelsea boots, tailored charcoal grey Dormeuil suit, and aviator sunglasses that were rendered pointless in the night, so they hung from my chest pocket as I strode down the frosted concrete slabs that made up New York's Central Manhattan sidewalks.
"Adrian," a quick breathed voice called out and I almost smirked at the fact this was a commonality.
Turning around I was faced with Olivia who looked cold even in the modest dress she wore, and fuck did she look gorgeous. Five foot seven inches of an angel on earth, my angel.
It had been a commonly known rule in Thornbrook that no one touched Olivia, many had tried and those many had ended up being on my blacklist, along with taken out of the industry in one way or another. I had masterfully curated the not so graceful falls of anyone I disliked, and had been rightfully lowered.
I had been looking carefully into others who had connections to fallen companies, people I'd have to deal with at some point or another.
"It's cold, please where is your car?" she asks and I immediately pulled off my jacket and wrapped it around her before buttoning the front.
"Just up ahead, it's the black Escalade," I say pulling out the key and starting it. I'd learned too often that I liked my cars with three definitive features, comfortable, fast, and black.
Once you go black motherfuckers.
Opening the door for Olivia I helped her into the car while scanning the street as she climbed in and turned on her seats heat.
Shutting the door I then rounded the car and climbed into the vehicle before starting the engine and setting off towards my penthouse in Tribeca since I was intentionally hiding all my assets from public knowledge.
Olivia too would remain private knowledge, until I could ensure no one would touch her.
That's it for today's update, mostly due to me getting inspiration, also tell me about your thoughts, comment, vote, and share. Anyways
Peace✌️