Song: Anymore of This
Artist: Mindy Smith, Matthew Perryman Jones
The Things We Don't Say
My grip tightened on the wheel as my foot forcibly pressed down on the accelerator. I didn't have time to change or care, so I immediately went to the car. My jaw tightened as I glared at the road. I was pissed, angry and felt betrayed. I didn't know she'd do something like that let alone go and see them again with my secretary. No wonder Mr. Parton came with food, he probably stalled me while she took Nick away.
"I-I don't understand why I have to come with," Dominique mumbled beside me as he typed on his phone.
"Shut up," I said then looked at him from the corner of my eye. "Who are you texting?"
Dominique lowered his phone and raised a brow. He then shoved it into his jacket pocket then folded his arms. "None of your business."
"If it's Gabriella tell her that she disobeyed me and she can't do anything without me," I said through gritted teeth.
"No! She's gonna' kill me!" Dominique exclaimed, and I looked over to see that a line appeared between his brows. "We might be best friends, but she will slaughter me because I couldn't keep my mouth shut!"
"Are you scared of her?" I raised a brow.
"No, no, no...it's just," he trailed off then folded his legs. "the Smiths are not a family to mess with."
"Right." I let out a dry laugh as I rolled my eyes. I focused on the road but felt Dominque's stare like a needle being pressed on my side.
"Oh, just you wait." He said then tapped his fingers on the door. "You'll regret it Mister Clarkson."
"Are you gay?" I suddenly asked. Dominque snapped his head toward me with his eyes extended.
"What makes you think that?" he asked.
"I don't know; I just have a feeling you are." I shrugged my shoulders as I avoided eye contact.
"Well just because I say 'girl' and wear bright colors to work does not mean that I am gay." He stated. "Gabriella and I have been friends for long, and I have a few male friends, but I'm close to her, so I have to relate to her."
"That makes so much sense," I muttered then turned the corner. We were a few streets away from their office.
"Yeah, I'm bisexual." He said as the corner of his mouth rose.
"Does she know?" I asked as I lifted an eyebrow. Maybe he became bisexual after she rejected him.
"Of course!" he exclaimed.
"Okay, okay." I cleared my throat. "If it were three of us on an island who would you go for?"
"Gabriella of course." He laughed. We stopped at a red light, and as I turned to Dominique, I made sure my eyes bored into him.
"What's wrong with me?" I asked as his eyes widened.
"N-nothing sir, it's just..." he stuttered as I turned back to the road and continued to drive. "I-I know Gabriella longer and I-I..."
"I'm just messing with you," I stated as I glared at him. Dominique let out a laugh, but he saw I wasn't amused, so he stopped.
We continued to drive, and I looked ahead at the building where she was in. Somehow, she knew I would stay indoors since it was Friday and I had planned the meetings for next week, so today was the perfect day to go to them.
I parked in front of the building and got out. As I walked around the car, I saw Dominique stare at me. He propped his chin on his hand as he sent a cheeky smile. I let out a scoff and walked on because it didn't look like he'd be joining me.
I entered the plain building and was met by tension. It was so quiet I could hear a pin drop. Dull colors surrounded me as I approached the high desk. The few people on the floor were occupied and wouldn't even look in my direction.
The woman behind the desk tilted her head back and glanced up at me. She pushed her glasses up and smiled at me.
"Can I help you sir?" she asked, and I noticed how her eyes peered over the desk and down to my attire.
"I'd like to see Mister Philip; I believe he's in a meeting with my partner, Miss Smith," I said then rested my arms on the desk.
"May I have your name sir?" she asked then typed on her computer. I let out a sigh in which she noticed and pursed her lips.
"Adam Clarkson."
She let out a sigh then picked up the phone beside her and rested it on her shoulder and ear. As she typed on the keyboard her eyes widened. I raised a brow when she froze yet her gaze shifted from the screen to me.
"Adam Collins Clarkson, as in the second eldest child of Samuel Clarkson...the Managing Director one?" she tilted her head and gave off the best smile she could that brought out her wrinkles.
"I have a twin sister, but I was born three seconds before her so..." I trailed off with a shrug. The woman behind the desk tilted her head back and laughed a bit too loud since she received looks.
"I'm dearly sorry I didn't recognize you, sir!" She beamed then looked down. "I'll just call Mr. Philip's office and see what's happening up there."
"Thank you." I nodded then looked over my shoulder. Dominique was still sat in the car, only now he had the biggest grin plastered on his face as he stared at me through the window.
I turned back to the woman who nodded her head even though the person on the telephone wouldn't see her. Her eyes widened as I raised a brow. She mumbled something into the phone yet it wasn't audible. She put the phone down, let out a deep breath then looked up at me.
"I-I'm sorry sir, it seems that Mister Philips isn't in his office. Apparently, he went somewhere and won't be in until Monday." She then rested her chin on the palm on her hand. My jaw tightened at the thought of Gabriella; she must've had a backup plan since she knew Dominique would mess up.
"Thanks anyway," I said then spun and walked out of the building. My paced quickened this time as I locked gazes with Dominique. His eyes widened since he noticed my glare. He faced the front, but I unlocked the car.
I approached the car and forcibly pulled his door open. He yelped and almost fell out. I slammed palms against the car and looked down at him.
"Where is she, Mr. Parton?" I demanded.
"I honestly don't know sir." Dominique shrugged his shoulders, but the look he gave me said otherwise. My nails dug into the roof of the car as I lowered my head. He straightened his posture and leaned in his seat.
"WHERE IS SHE?"
"It wouldn't even matter to go there anyway." He raised his arms in defense. "The meeting is almost done."
As soon as those words fell from his mouth, I stepped back. With one last glare, I shut the door then walked around the car. I was beyond pissed; she didn't show any independence but insubordination toward me. We were partners; we're supposed to work together.
I finally got into the car but didn't start the car just yet. I rested my palms on my thighs as Dominique stared at me.
"I can't believe her. First, she goes behind my back, and second she takes my assistant," I said then turned to him. "What about Miss Morgan?"
"Oh, Gabriella wanted to send Claire, but she knew that you'd pick up the suspicion so quickly as to send a female to 'distract' you." He said as his brows rose.
"So, she sent you?" I raised a brow.
"Yes!" Dominique rested his palm on his chest. "What's wrong with me?"
"You failed miserably," I said then started the car. As I drove out of the street, I noticed his jaw drop from the corner of my eye. The corner of my mouth rose as the thought of Gabriella's secretary coming to my apartment room. "At least Miss Morgan would've distracted me for a while."
...
I stepped out of the shower with the towel wrapped around my waist. It was Friday night, and all I wanted to do was get into bed and sleep. When Dominique and I got back to the apartments Gabriella, Nick and Claire were still not back.
I didn't say a word to Mr. Parton when we went our separate ways. I had nothing to say to him because I felt like a fool. I understood how Gabriella wanted to be independent, but she didn't have to betray me and go behind my back as to do something to prove a point. It was imprudent and redundant. Plenty of Investors 'd want to sign with us, especially since our families are well known.
I shook my head in disbelief as I walked into my room. I got out a pair of briefs and slipped it on since tonight was sweltering hot. I felt the Californian air as I walked around the chamber, I'd put on the air conditioning, but I just came out of the shower and didn't want to get sick.
I was about to get into bed when my phone rang. I groaned as I looked down to see that Nikita Rolling called. I raised a brow in suspicion that she of all people would call me on a Friday night. Eventually, I picked and cleared my throat before I spoke.
"Hello?"
"A-Adam?" her voice was delicate as she whispered into the phone.
"Nikita? Yes...it's Adam." I stated then sat on the edge of the king size bed.
"Are you busy?" her voice was more audible this time as she spoke.
"Not really..." I trailed off then looked at the time on my phone. "but it is late."
"It's Friday night." She said as I rolled my eyes.
"I know it's Friday night, I've just had a stressful week," I muttered then ran a hand through my hair.
"Oh, well do you wanna' talk?" Nikita asked as I squinted my eyes. I didn't want to be rude, so I agreed. At first, she spoke about the gossip which I wasn't interested in then the gala that she'd be attending this weekend.
"I wanted to go with a strapless sequence dress, but Monica's going with it, so then I decided on a sort of black waterfall dress...y'know the one—"
"Hey, I heard a few days ago that you stopped by my apartment." I cut her off as I got into bed. She spoke so much that I decided to leave her on loud speaker while I got ready for bed. The memory of Mason talking about her entered my mind.
"Oh yeah." She said, and I waited for her to continue, but she didn't. Nikita must've noticed my silence when she sighed. "I just wanted to thank you for the other night when you allowed me to stay."
"Oh, it wasn't a problem, and that food you made was excellent," I said as I laid back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.
"Thank you, Mister Clarkson; I also wanted to tell you that my mother..." she trailed off then sighed. I raised a brow because it hadn't been the first time she had sighed.
"I told her off one night when she came home." She mumbled as my eyes widened. Then I remembered our little chat at three in the morning about her mother who uses her just because she's a model.
"What happened?" I asked.
"Well, I just told her that I don't want to sleep around to bring in business, even the models think I'm a slut." She mumbled. "Then I brought up my father, and she yelled at me."
"Nikita you're a grown woman, but she is your mother. You shouldn't have brought up your father even if you knew it was a touchy subject for the both of you." I said.
"I know, I know." She groaned. "Although I think my mother is passed that since she told me that she's been seeing someone."
"Really?" my brows rose as I remembered that it was only a few years ago that her parents got divorced.
"Yeah and obviously he's wealthy and well-known." She said.
"Do you know who it is?" I asked.
"No, she just told me she's seeing someone," Nikita said then cursed. "Fuck I think she would've told me if I hadn't gone all out on her like that."
"Well, how do you feel about it?" I asked.
"I don't know actually, like you said we're grown women, my opinion doesn't matter to her anyway," Nikita said then let out an awkward cough. I heard shuffles from the phone and sighed in relief when she told me she had to go.
"Well, thanks for talking...well listening, Adam, I appreciate it." Nikita laughed as the corners of my mouth turned up.
"No problem Nikita," I said as my eyes closed. "I'll see you soon."
...
It was Saturday, and even though it was the weekend, I still called Nick. He had to explain what happened yesterday and why he betrayed me like that. I thought that he went to get another cup of coffee for me but after an hour I got suspicious. Then Dominique showed up, and that's when my gut feeling grew.
I recently had lunch and waited for him while I worked on my iPad. I discussed with Henry and my father the issue with Mr. Bloyd. It was another pain in the neck which we could've avoided if we listened to Gabriella. Thankfully all I had to do were sign a few documents, and my father took care of the rest.
I tapped my fingers against the table as I stared down at the door. Even though I was across the room, I got a clear view if any shadow appeared under the door. I still haven't gotten over yesterday and Nick had a lot of explaining to do. I trusted him and tolerated him other than my former assistants. I didn't think he'd do something like that.
Finally, a shadow appeared under the door. I opened my mouth to speak but waited because the shadow didn't move. I raised a brow as the person on the other side of the door just stood there. Eventually, I heard a knock on the door.
"COME IN!"
I watched as the door creaked open. The well-known dark brunette popped his head in. Our eyes locked and I stared at him while his eyes widened. Nick opened the door wider then strolled in. He wore a navy-blue sweater and khaki pants with shiny brown shoes. His glasses rested on the bridge of his nose, but he pushed it up immediately as he approached me.
"G-good morning sir." He mumbled then lowered his head.
"It's afternoon." I raised my voice in which Nick flinched. He slowly nodded and raised his head yet still managed to avoid eye contact.
"Good afterno—"
"My assistant goes behind my back does shit like that." I cut him off as I glared up at him.
"I-I'm dearly sorry sir, I didn't mean to disobey you like that, I thought you knew." He stuttered then pushed up his glasses. "Yet you were too busy, so you just sent Gabrie and me—"
"Miss Smith, you do not address her by her first name!" I cut him off once again. My eyes slanted as I rose to my feet. Nick's eyes widened as he stepped back.
"Miss Smith said I should just tag along." He shrugged.
"Well, you don't just tag along without my permission, particularly someone like her!" I raised my voice. "It's my family's hotel!"
"You work for me Mister Forbes and just be glad that I tolerate you otherwise your ass would've been lon—" I cut myself off when the door behind him opened.
I clenched my fists at the sight of Gabriella Victoria Smith. She walked in with a broad grin and looked at Nick then me. She walked past Nick and toward me. I glared down at her and noticed a file in her hand. She eyed me up and down then turned to Nick.
"Thank you, Mister Forbes, for your help yesterday." She nodded. "It was very much appreciated."
My left eyes suddenly twitched as he turned back to me. I glanced up at Nick who slowly nodded his head. I let out a sigh then stepped aside.
"Go, Nick, enjoy the rest of your weekend," I said as my eyes locked on Gabriella.
"Err...okay sir." He said, and I heard his footsteps descend. Once he was gone, Gabriella walked to the table and leaned against it. She put the file down and slid it across.
"What's this?" I asked as I picked up the file and walked toward her.
"Mister Philip will consider using us." The corner of her mouth raised as she spoke. I huffed and looked down at the papers. I eagerly licked my lips as I stared at the contract.
"You should thank me." She mumbled. I squinted my eyes and slammed the file down on the table then looked at her.
"Thank you?" I tilted my head. "Gabriella, you took my assistant, lied to me and left me with Dominique!"
"Well, he isn't that bad." She shrugged. I tugged my hair in frustration and stood in front of her. I towered over her and watched as her hazel brown eyes met mine. The muscle in her jaw tightened as she searched my face. She looked down then ran a hand through her hair. "I'm sorry."
I was suddenly taken back by her apology as I stood in front of her. She looked up at me once again, but I finally regained myself because I was a bit annoyed. I let out a sigh and leaned my hands on either side of her and rested them on the table.
"I don't like it when you do that," I muttered.
"What?" she asked then sat on the table.
"Go behind my back and do reckless shit to prove a point," I grumbled then looked up at her. "You don't have to prove yourself to anyone."
"I know sorry, I'm new to this." She mumbled then lowered her head. I took my index finger and raised her chin. Her hazel eyes seemed to be a yellowish-brown color as she stared at me. The corners of my mouth turned up as I leaned closer.
"I've been doing this for years, literally born to do it and even sometimes I can't handle what's been thrown at me," I said and smiled when she chuckled.
"You're not too bad Mister Clarkson." She said then shoved her index finger against my chest. "In fact, you're my favorite Clarkson...after Claudette of course."
We laughed, and somehow my finger moved up to put a lock of hair behind her ear. I felt her finger curl around my shirt and dig inside of it. I cupped her cheek the same time her grip tightened on my shirt. I didn't know who made the first move, but simultaneously we pulled toward each other and kissed.