not edited
— haneul —
(n) sky, heaven
origin ; korean
Phoenix has his arm around my shoulder as he threw his head back, a full blown smile on his face at what I just said.
We're at the skating rink again sitting in a circular booth, the crew and I along with Marlowe's bitch of a cousin. Whilst I was sitting between Phoen and Pyper, Talon was next to Pyper, and Judah next to him. Blake was next to Phoenix and Marlowe and his cousin were across from Phoenix and I. We all had roller blades on, too lazy to take them off as we took a break to grab a bite.
Blake retorts something, sending everyone into fits of laughter except Pyper and I as we were glaring at Marl's cousin. The girl had caught Phoenix's eyes all afternoon and to say I was jealous would be a bloody understatement. Though he had his arm around me, he didn't much so spare a glance in my direction, he was solely focused on her. Her skin was one of a pale white and she had short platinum white hair and black roots. Her smile was an absolute killer and her bold blood red lipstick showed off her shining white pearls. She was definitely prettier than me.
I was on the path to detachment from watching Phoenix's eyes trained on Marl's cousin. He was openly flirting with her and she seemed oblivious as fuck. His cousin shoots another remark which causes her and Phoenix to laugh heartily it seems. Pyper and I along with the guys stay quiet with all their eyes on me as they realise something between Marlowe's cousin and Phoenix.
Phoenix smirks when I look over at him and then says, "I'd have you bend over any day," causing everyone's jaw to drop. She gives him a sultry smile, batting her eyelashes. The hurt spreads over my chest faster than forest fires spread and I feel like I've lost a war before I even fought it. I have no reason to be jealous and hurt over this yet I can't help the feeling of far worst than just hurt. My heart feels like it's on fire, it's burning, and it's too late to save it. The gang all have shock written plainly on their faces as they all sit in silence. I think I've been stripped of all my self love and confidence as I look between Phoenix and her, their eyes showing a stronger pull than what I believe I have with him. I want to kill her.
I want him to look at me like that. I want all his attention.
I fucking hate her.
I felt weak and hopeless because of him.
This exact moment reminds me of all the talks Aurele and I share, drunk or sober. I was unbelievably wild and reckless with my feelings, anything I felt, I felt it too strong or not at all. There was just no in between for me. It was probably my most dangerous, yet endearing qualities that could one day kill me; to feel every emotion so strongly and intensely or feel completely devoid of any emotion at all. That right there, that is exactly why I felt jealous and raging right now. And I burning off of it.
"Alright," I clasped my hands together, forcing a bright smile. Phoenix finally turned his head, finally acknowledging me, "I'm going to skate." I was hiding everything I felt in my heart with a bright smile. And sooner or later, likely later, I'd realise I've been too strong for far too long. Quite scary how much a smile could hide.
The crew seemed surprised at my sudden decision and Phoenix had the audacity to scrunch his eyebrows in confusion. And of course, Marlowe's damn cousin only scowled. What the hell did I do to you bitch?
I stood up ready to ask Pyper and the others sitting to my left to get up, but stilled when my phone rang.
"Hunter Bazzi! The biggest bastard in the business industry," I said cheekily. The grin on my face dropped just as quick as it came when I heard a sob resonate from my best friend on the other end.
"Hunt?
"Hunter!" Anger was consuming my body wholly as I began thinking of all the things that could have happened.
"Adrianna," he sobbed, his voice choked up.
"Get up," I hissed at Pyper and the rest sitting on my left and they all got up hurriedly. I practically jumped out of the bloody booth and my eyes locked with Phoenix, he stared at me longingly but the boy on the phone was far more important.
"Hunter, what the hell is happening," I all but demanded. I was rushing and almost slipped, but luckily the cute boy dressed as a referee for the rink caught me by the waist.
"Careful there, gorgeous," he said lowly, and it certainly didn't go unnoticed by Phoenix when I glanced at him back at the booth. Fire was burning in his eyes. But why?
"Thank you so much," rushed out of my mouth.
"How 'bout I help you slip these off, you look like you're in a rush," my face heated up as I mumbled a small 'sure.' He guided me a close by bench and got on his knees, easily unlacing the left blade. I put my phone on speaker in my lap and began unlacing the right blade.
"Hunter, talk to me, please," I nearly screamed. I muttered a small apology to the boy helping and watched him intensely. He didn't seem to be bothered and quite frankly, he didn't seem the least interested in me. And for that, I was bloody thankful, I didn't exactly need unwanted attention at the moment.
"Hunter fricken Bazzi" I growled. My patience was being tested. The boy chuckled and pulled off both blades, grabbing for me my white Vans which I had momentarily forgotten about.
"Oh my god, thank you, thank you," the gratitude laced my voice. He chuckled lightly, "Don't worry about it."
I got up, vans in hand, phone pressed against my ear, sprinting towards the doors.
"Adri," he gasped on the other end, "Mom, hospital," he breathed out.
"Fuck!" I screamed out in rage and it resonated within the entire rink. What a fucking mess.
That was it took for me to bolt out of the rink and to my car, "I'm coming Hunter," was all I said before he hung up and I floored the gas. Not even fifteen minutes later, I pulled into Oxford Hospital and got out my car being a hurried mess. My Vans weren't on properly, my lips were quivering, and my eyes were lined with water. Running up to the front desk, I was breathless, "Bazzi, Dianne Bazzi." The lady at the desk worked fast, clicking away before asking, "Who are you?"
"Adrianna Vasiliev. Dianne's daughter," I replied without hesitation. She nodded and handed me a pass, "Floor five, room fifteen," and I took off running. As soon as the elevator opened, I ran into the hall and straight to the room. Outside, Hunter was silently crying, his head buried deep in his hands and Jayce sat, his shoulders slumped, eyes casted downward.
"W-what happened," I whispered. Hunter's head snapped up and he immediately rose to his feet, taking long strides to me. And when he finally did, he enveloped me in a bone crushing hug. Jayce also got up and pulled the two of us into a hug.
"Mr. Bazzi," a doctor approached us and shook his hand, "and I suppose these are your children?" Both Hunt and I nodded eagerly. The doctor took a deep breath, "well I have good and bad news."
"Oh god," Jayce breathed, "Bad news?"
"She's in very critical condition sir."
"And good news?" Hunt and I asked at the same time.
The doctor smiled widely, "She's going to make it." All three of us breathed in sighs of relief and the air relaxed instantly.
"What happened?" I questioned. The doctor breathed and it seemed as if he couldn't put his finger to it, but then he spoke, "It's not exactly clear, but it seems like she had a heart attack."
"Oh," I said quietly. Jayce seemed okay, stable but Hunter? The boy was trembling in my hold and his breathing was shaky. The doctor only offered a weak smile.
"Can we see her?" Hunter's asked.
"Yes, of course," the doctor answered before running off as someone had called his name.
"Hunter, it will be okay," I whisper as we enter the room. Diane laid lifeless and pale on a king sized bed in the middle of the room.
"Mom," Hunter ran to the bed and took his mother's hand on his. It's quite painful seeing your best friend - older brother - cry. Jayce braced against the wall, watching silently, a look of helplessness on his face.
Hunter had always been closer to his mom, they had an unbelievable and unbreakable mother and son bond. And right now, a part of Hunter looked dead. I went to the other side of Diane and took a seat on the bed, gently taking her hand in mine. There were no words to be said and we all just took in the silence.
Until Hunter's phone went off.
He had a tired look in his eyes, making them look even duller than they already were as he pulled the phone out of his suit's jacket pocket. He handed it right over to me, not bothering to look at the caller ID, "Take care of business like the Vasiliev you are," he smiled warily. My eyes widened but I knew we were in no shape to argue over it as I took the phone and answered, not bothering to check the ID either.
"Adrianna Vasiliev of Vasiliev and Co. and Bazzi Enterprises, how can I help you?" My voice oozed of power and authority and I felt Jayce's eyes on me; even Hunter glanced over at me surprised.
"Adrianna," came the voice I really did not want to hear.
"Oh fuck you," I snapped angrily and hung up. Hunter looked up at me with wide eyes, now alarmed, but I could see some anger seeping in.
"Shit, who the hell was that?"
"No one," I mumbled.
"Adrianna..."
"Goddamnit, it was no one!" I hated burdening Hunter with this drama and jealousy that stemmed from Phoenix when Phoenix wasn't even my boyfriend.
"What the hell did that fucker do now?" My eyes widened realising that I said that out loud.
"Nothing," I mumble quietly. His voice was dark and low, and quite frankly, scared me. There was a bit of shuffling and I couldn't meet his eyes until he went down on both of his knees in front of me. He took my hands in his, "Adrianna, you are my best freaking friend and I love you. I am always going to be here for you. Please, don't ever think your life is a burden to me. I'm almost like your older brother, here to protect you, look out for you, all until you find yourself the perfect man. And remember, never settle for less, chérie. I am always going to be your shoulder to lean on, you daren't shut me out," he scowled playfully. Tears slid down my face but I couldn't help and laugh at his use of the daren't. I became an emotional wreck as he spoke and took his hands in mine, pulling him up to his feet and into a tight hug.
"Thank you, Hunter. I love you, brother," my voice almost inaudible, "But right now, my attention is all focused on you." After a few moments, he pulled away and looked at me blankly, "So, what did he do?" My face instantly paled and my eyes casted downwards, avoiding his gaze at all costs.
"Vasiliev, start speaking," his voice hard.
"It's not important," I shook my head, still refusing to meet his eyes.
"Adrianna, I'm not asking again."
Tears brimmed my eyes as I forced the words out of my mouth, "We, we were at the skating rink, Marl's cousin was there, and let's just bloody say he caught Phoenix's attention.
"I'm a fool, really. He had his damn arm around my shoulder, but his eyes were fixated on the girl sitting across us. And he was openly flirting with her, never once acknowledging her. I don't know, things escalated I suppose and got a bit sexual? I don't know if that's what you'd even say. He just threw around a very sexual innuendo." The entire charade seemed foreign coming from my mouth, but it happened.
Jayce inhaled sharply behind us as Hunter pressed on, "What'd he say?"
"I don't want to repeat it," I whispered.
"That bad?" I only nodded in return.
"Aww, my baby," he said softly, once again pulling me on a tight hug and I suppressed my urge to cry. I had to stay strong for my best friend, my second mother and father, even if my insides felt like collapsing.
"It's okay, Adri, everything will be okay," he whispered, and as much as Hunter was hurt and suffering right now, he still managed to take my pain and make it his own. For that, I'd be indebted to him. It made me feel extremely loved, he always knew how to take my pain away. And in return, I would always be there for him.
The room was silent and I knew Jayce heard everything; I didn't even have to turn around to feel the anger pulsating off of him. These Bazzi men.
Then again, Phoenix was an infuriating man.
The moment was sweet, until it was broken by the ringing of a phone. Hunter's phone. A tired sigh escaped his lips as I pulled away easily, whipping out the phone from my back pocket. I pressed answered and put it to my ear, once again not checking the ID.
"Mr. Hunter Bazzi, I have a proposal," came a deeply rich voice. I chuckled.
"Hello, this is Adrianna Vasiliev of Vasiliev and Co. and Bazzi Enterprises. What's this proposal you speak of?" My voice once again oozed of power and authority, not ever hinting at my emotional state only moments ago. The man on the other end choked and coughed, obviously taken aback.
"The great Vasiliev back in the business world?" He questioned. I knew what he meant, my father was one of the most respected and well known CEO of the business world. Given that, I immediately handed over my father's multibillionaire dollar company after his death. And with doing that, I buried his work and hid it in the shadows. I had never made an appearance, this would be the first time I, as Colten's daughter, would be emerging and this would be the first after two months that the name Vasiliev would come alive.
It was my turn to chuckle, "I guess you can say that. And you are?" My voice a bit too blunt. The cold and hard CEO was surfacing.
"Of course, how rude of me. I am Greyson Rivers, I'm sure the name is a bit familiar," my eyes widened. Holy shit! My father had done a lot of business the Greyson, in fact, they were pretty close. Even though he couldn't see me, I cracked a smile, "Well Greyson Rivers, what's this proposal you have for me?"
"Bazzi wouldn't happen to be available, would he?"
"No, I'm sorry, but he isn't and he won't be for quite a while," I was straightforward.
"I suppose I can make some deals with you, yes?"
"Of course," came my monotonous reply.
"Okay," he paused for a moment, "I'm proposing a chain of hotels and restaurants in the Sarasota, Siesta Key quarter," he paused again, "For 55.7 million."
"I want commission," I said with no hesitation whatsoever.
"W-what? Did you even think it through?"
"I want a 3.7163% commission," I ignored his gawking, answering blankly.
"3.7163%?" He questioned with disbelief
"Greyson, I can assure you a 3.7163% commission will result in you getting more than three quarter's of the share. Whilst I'll only get 3.6 million, you are getting 52.1 million," he stayed quiet, and I assumed he was thinking it over.
"Yes, we have a deal," he murmured. Whoa, I just made my first deal, my mind was screaming.
"Oh no, no, no, I did not say we have a deal, yet. We will have a deal tomorrow when we meet up in Sarasota and you show me around this chain. Afterwards, if we have ourselves a deal, we will sign over the paperwork and I will hand over the money in check. You will have twenty five days to clear it, if not, the money will be voided and returned back to my company," I spoke plainly. I had no idea where the authority in my voice came from, but I think I liked it. Frankly, I thought I sounded a bit dominating too; it caught both Jayce and Hunter's attention.
"Oh-okay," Greyson spoke, sounding a bit uncertain, "I'll see you tomorrow Ms. Adrianna Vasiliev. Just inform me of the time of our meeting."
"As will I, I'll send an email later tonight," I ended the call.
"For someone whose never been in the business world, you know damn well how it works," Hunter stared at me bewildered.
"Are you sure you don't want to join us," Jayce asked behind me. I turned my head slightly and chuckled, "I don't think I belong." He was bracing against the wall, his hands shoved deeply in his dress pants' pockets. His face held a melancholic expression and the ghost of a smile played on his lips, but quickly was replaced with a scowl, "Yeah okay."
My attention turned back to a smirking Hunter, "You've been business for what? Less than an hour? And you've already made a deal," I grinned, "That's my baby!" He exclaimed whilst I laughed, "I think you belong perfectly," sincerity ringing in his voice.
We stayed in that moment for a bit, well until his lost any trace of emotion, "Keep that phone for a bit, yeah?"
"What?" My jaw dropped to the ground.
"That's my business phone, I have my personal phone on me," he smirked, pulled out another phone from his suit jacket, "Adri, I want you to take care of business for a few. I-I can't do it right now," he said sadly and with that, my best friend looked much more older than his age of eighteen.
"Okay," my voice a whisper.
"Also, you're coming home with dad and I tonight, I don't want you near that asshole," and I nodded, surprisingly feeling some sort of relief. And lastly, he started, his tone now authoritative and powerful, "As of right now, Vasiliev and Co. and Bazzi Enterprises are in your hands. You hold all power over it, Vasiliev."
His eyes were those of a cold CEO, daring me to challenge him. I recognised that look from Phoenix. Hunter wanted to play that game, fine. I met his stare with an ice cold one of my own, holding my head up high. He looked slightly taken aback, but if you didn't actually pay attention, it would look as if his expression hadn't faltered at all. We stayed like that, daring each other to challenge the other and then it hit me. It was time to get to business and be professional.
I look down at my chipping matte yellow nails, inspecting them, "I need a manicure. And a personal assistant," I spoke up, "My dad, he had a personal assistant. Her and I were actually pretty close, save her being some years older. What was her name?" I started massaging my temples, "It started with a K damnit," I snap when I came up blank. I was staring at Hunter intensely, "Kiara? No. Kaitlyn? No. Kendra? No. Wait that's Phoenix's p.a.
"K-Kendall!" I yell happily once I got it, "I need her number," I added flatly.
"I should have it in my business phone," Hunter muttered and I pulled it out from my pocket, "The password is 0214272831," he said before I asked.
"My god, are you the FBI or something?" I looked up and he winked, "No, no, they're after me."
Shaking me head as I laughed quietly, I found her name, Kendall Sky and pulled out my phone, dialling her number. I became quite anxious, oh my god what if she doesn't pick up? But my questions were answered when she picked up.
"Kendall Sky of Vasiliev and Co. speaking, how may I help you?" A quiet, sweet voice murmured.
I decided to play along, "Hey Kendall, this is Adrianna Vasiliev, your CEO. I need a flight to Sarasota, preferably a four hour one first thing tomorrow morning. I also need you to set up a meeting with Greyson Rivers in Sarasota anytime from two to five. And then I'd ned a flight tomorrow evening around five from Sarasota back to Miami," I said all in an uptight professional voice.
"Don't belong in the business world, my ass," Jayce muttered behind me. I was about to answer but a shriek on the other end almost made me deaf, "WHAT?!"
I burst out laughing, "Hello Kendall," my voice was soft.
"What the fuck is my life," she muttered and let out a wholehearted chuckle.
"This can't be real," she said uncertainly.
"It sure is! I can stop by the office later, or in the morning if you'd like," I said politely, "I do need to have some paperwork prepared along with my check book."
"Sounds good, but, if you're really Adrianna, what's something only you would know?"
"Listen, lady, I don't know what's really happening. I just got thrown into this world because my best friend is an utter idiot, just kidding Hunter don't kill me," I shot him a look
"Adri, my baby," she exclaimed, "Oh my god I have to see you! It's been years!"
"I know! I know! How about tomorrow for dinner?" I asked a bit eagerly.
"Yes!
"Also, I've already booked your flight, where do I send them to?"
"Um," I started off nervously.
"Oh right, you need an office number and office email. What number are you calling me from," she questioned.
"My cell," I replied.
"Okay, so what I'll do is set up an office number and email. Also I'll get you a business phone. I'll email all the flight information to the office email and then tell you the information via text through your cell. Tomorrow morning, or tonight you'll get your business phone. I'll also text you information with your meeting concerning Greyson Rivers via text on your business phone.
"Wait, maybe you should come into the office tonight. You'll take over your father's office. And lastly, you will have access to all your father's call logs, text logs, emails, everything," her voice was hasty and I could hear the pencil scribbling on paper as she took notes of everything. Fuck me red. This was overwhelming.
"Kendall, no need to rush, take your time, I'll stop by later."
"Oh my god, this is amazing!" She screamed.
"Honey, you're in an office, shush," I playfully chastised.
"Honey, I'm older than you. But please," she scoffed, "This place is dead quiet, I am the only one here at the moment. And the only one who gives it bloody life," she shot back.
"Oh really now," I murmur amusedly, can't helping the smile on my face.
"You have absolutely no idea," she muttered, "But Adri hey, I'm gonna go through this checklist, have it all ready for you. I'll see you later babygirl. Okay?"
"Okay," I said in a soft tone before the line went dead.
And here's to another bloody chapter starting in my life. Adrianna Vasiliev the heiress.
———
phoenix only wants adrianna to bend over, let's keep that in mind, yeah?