Chapter 20/167: Ball After-effects

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I dialed Scarlett's number for the fifth time today. 

Beep, beep, beep...

Yep, still no answer for the fifth time.

It has been four days since the Ellington Anniversary Ball, and I had been since then trying to contact my step sister who was supposedly back to Tottenham. 

—Or that's where I thought she was until I saw her days ago attempting to steal something from Trevor Ellington Conway's office, under the protection of the one and only Rickard Ellington Conway.

She had picked none of my calls, and it was really messing with my head. I needed to know what was up. What kind of plan did she and my employer have going? And why didn't I know of it?!!

One might wonder why I had not asked my employer directly? As he was more reachable? 

In turn I would laugh at such a suggestion. No like seriously, I'd really really laugh.

That is because I would directly think of the following irony: Scarlett was unreachable because her number was unavailable and she was in a different city, my employer was in the office right next to mine, with two phones (office and private) to connect us, and surprise surprise, was also unreachable.

I bit my lips, a long sigh escaping me.

We had not spoken a word since that night.

'You are the son of a murderer... I will never forgive you!' —My own words shot to my mind, and my heart clenched.

He had shut me out completely. 

I could not even say we're back to block one, because back then, he was cold because that's just him, and how he treats everyone except people who are at his very close circle.

But now... he purposely wanted to treat me like this.

He wanted to work based on the words he'd beard from me, without giving me any chance to redeem or alternate what I had said. 

For the past four days, I had not seen him even once. His office door, for the first time since I got employed, was constantly locked until he left, and he did not reply to any of my calls, even when I claimed they were work-related. If anything, he would stay on the line until I asked my work-related question, and then he would email me a minute or two later with the answer. 

I was honestly lost what to do.

I knew for a fact I was the one who would try and fix things, but well... how much was I gonna try... And how far was I going to take such tries...?

I sighed, lost in my own daz—

"Charlotte... Charlotte!!" I jumped slightly at the voice calling me, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I blinked at Alba softly, and saw her raising an eyebrow at me as she frowned, "Aren't you going to pick that up, Senorita?" 

I gasped softly, noticing at that that the desk phone before me was ringing. 

I picked up, "Y-Yes, sir?" 

"Pick up earlier next time." His authoritative, freezing tone came, "And be at my office, now." And he cut off the line.

I shuddered. Good lord, that voice... 

I gulped and stood up, as my mind started jumping around in circles.

Biting my lips, I headed outside my office towards his. 

Reaching the door of his majesty, I let out a soft breath as I knocked.

It was opened, much to my surprise. 

Wow, he doesn't even wish to tell me to enter. Nice.

I stepped inside, and cold air slapped against my skin. 

Instantly, my chest constricted. 

This smell...

It was his intoxicating cologne. Thick, strong, and druggingly masculine, making my heartbeat rate suddenly picked up.

I licked my lips, as I recognized the other scent intertwined with his expensive perfume smell.

This... 

I frowned, and my eyes directly snapped towards his desk office, as I saw that thing.

It was semi-full. 

"What is this?" I spoke, my voice slightly hardening as I stepped nearer to his desk. 

He looked up not from his desk, as he kept his operation on the computer screen before him.

I got the chance to freely observe him at that. 

Damn, I had missed looking at you...

His hair was neatly fixed like I'd always seen it, not a hair out of its place, and his expression reflected complete disinterest yet freezing focus as he burned the computer screen with an unfazed, concentrated look. His beauteous ocean pools did not even snap towards me, and my eyes traveled down towards his full lips and hard outlined jaw. He was wearing his blue-light protection shades, enhancing his seductive aura ten times more.

"What is this?!" I repeated, as I eyed the cigarette buds smoked to death in the ashtray on his desk. "You... Since when do you smoke?!" 

I knew he was not a smoker... so... what's this change of habit...?

He didn't look up, and I let out a sigh. 

Goodness, this is not going to be easy.

"You called me, sir?" I voiced. Oh well, the first step was to actually get him to look at me, maybe? 

Yikes, more silence in the air. 

I let out another sigh, and started walking towards the desk. Turning around it, I approached him. 

He didn't look towards me, and I felt my anger broiling. Honestly, this was not how problems are solved! Ugh!

I reached out for him, as my hands came to either sides of his face, as I whipped it towards me.

His eyes, in a weird unexpected gesture of stun, widened, as his lips parted. 

I neared my face to his, as I fixed my eyes into his, and at this his eyes slowly started regaining their size, as they darkened again.

"Can we please," I hardened my voice, as it shook and I pursed my lips, "Communicate?!" 

His lips remained parted, as his beauteous orbs flashed for a second to my shivering fingers over his hard jawline.

He flinched not, and his beauteous pools snapped back to mine, and started devouring them slowly, preventing them from escaping. 

He moved his left hand to slowly, composedly remove his glasses, placing them casually on the desk before him.

And then his hands snapped up to mine, as his long, hard, and steeped fingers encircled around mine.

I gasped, and his grip was loose, for a second, seeming to be aiming to calm down the shivering of my hands. It was firm alright, but firm in an assuring manner. As though it were aimed to make me feel secure and safe.

And damn right it did.

Wait... really? 

My expression started relaxing, and upon seeing that in my eyes, his handsome orbs flashed.

It was as though, for a second, his own action sank in to him, and he realized that my action might have caused him to... daze off into doing something out of his usual self. His orbs flashed with realization. 

And just like always, they gave him away. They clearly reflected an essence of disbelief? As though he himself did not know what he was doing. 

His previously loose grip over either my hands, tightened. Maybe not enough to crush my fingers, but enough to make me feel not as safe or at ease as his earlier grip.

His jaw locked, and his eyes suddenly became pools darker than the seventh ring of hell.

And he stood up.

Keeping my hands between his, he towered me with his unflinching gaze, which was burning with icicles dripping from it. 

I shuddered. What the hell was this look? 

Good God, it's me! Why was it reflecting so much danger?! 

And it occurred to me at that.

It was a thought that Katy always discussed with me.

It was the idea that she thought I had some power to get through some of Rickard Ellington Conway's walls... 

Funny, I know!

And yet at this moment, the thought made sense to me.

Because if I follow the logic of this thought... 

If a foreigner invades the walls of your city one by one, but then retreats some steps back...
You will utilize such a misstep to restore your broken walls, and probably build new ones to prevent any thought he has about approaching again. 

And that was the only thing that might reason out the way he was acting with me. 

It was as though he were cleansing me out of his system.

"Space, Signorina." He voiced, every single letter of his hoarse voice coming out super chilly, "Personal space." He repeated, as he placed my hands back to my sides.

My heart sank and I gulped. 

Personal space? Really?! 

And all those kisses, hugs, touches, very small things... What part of your space were those?! 

He moved to step back, but my hands shot out to either his broad shoulders, stopping him again and invading his so-called personal space. 

Like spears of steel, his eyes pinned to me again, seeming way less... pleased than earlier for me directly denying what he pointed at a minute earlier.

I gulped, and bit back the urge to cry crawling up my throat at his harsh tone.

What's up with so much crying lately?! Charlotte just stop! 

"At least tell me, what's the deal with Scarlett?" I demanded, voice shaking and clearly trying to hold my sniff back.

He fixed his orbs into mine, as he aimed to freeze me, "That is none of your concern." 

My heart squeezed, "Excuse me? That's my sister we're talking about!"

He didn't seem much fazed with that, as he simply kept his steady gaze, as though aiming to show me how irrelevant what I was saying was to him. 

I gulped, feeling my anger boil up. "You don't have the right to keep me in the dark about something related to Scarlett's safet—" my words faded, as his left hand came over my face, gripping it roughly as I felt he was about to squeeze it. 

I gasped, and my heartbeat rate suddenly picked up in... fear? 

Now here's the thing, he wasn't hurting me, I knew he would never. I had always felt it if anything; with every touch, every hug or kiss... he always treated me like some delicate antique he didn't want to break...

So I knew the way he'd gripped my face was in no way meant to hurt me. 

And yet... it clearly displayed how displeased he was.

"Right? Do not get ahead of yourself, Signorina." He hissed, "If anything, the less individuals who know about the plan between Scarlett and I, the safer she is. This is part of what I guaranteed her." He voiced, and at this, his eyes flashed, freezing into grey.

I shuddered, here they come, that man's eyes.

"And last time I checked, she trusted me with that, despite me being the son of a murderer. Because I gave her my word for it."

A shaking breath escaped me, and a tear strolled down my cheek, beneath his finger.

I got to see his concentrated gaze follow that, as he removed his fingers from my face, turning away.

I bit my lips. So it's gonna be like this from now on...?

You turn away when you see me crying?

I wiped my traitor tear directly, as I stepped back and around the desk, silently in patience for whatever he had to say as to why he called me to the office.

I eyed him turn towards the glass window behind his office desk. 

His broad back warmed my heart despite it all, as I saw him place a cigarette between his lips at that, lighting it up. 

I wanted to comment, I really wanted too, but I was already out of energy from his attitude. 

I remembered the only time I saw him smoking was back during the mirror events with Faulkner... He told me himself back then that he only smokes when he wants to concentrate or organize his ideas regarding something. 

And yet now...

"Which cigarette is this?" A voice snapped my attention, and I turned to eye the vice-president, Leonard Beards, who was standing at the door, his expression dark, "Or should I ask which pack?" 

I blinked... wait, he means to point he's asking about the count?

Rickard Ellington Conway did not even honour that with a look, as the vice-president stomped inside with loud footsteps, shutting the door behind him. "No reply, hm?" 

I eyed the jaw of Leonard Beards as it clenched, while he eyed the ashtray on the office desk. "The ashtray on its own has ten buds, that's one pack of Insignia." 

I bit my lips. Good lord, we're still mid-day...

A fast, professionally concealed cough escaped his majesty, and I eyed as he maintained a composed expression.

The vice-president though did not seem to be doing the same.

It was among the few times I see Leonard's expression like this; he looked dead serious, and genuinely worried and threatening. "You do remember the last time you took things this far, Rickard. I called Brooks yesterday, and she informed me you have been on an average of two hours of sleep per day for the past four days. In addition to that, two bottles whiskey were consumed in —" 

BAM!

I jumped, and Leonard went silent. 

From over the office desk which just rattled upon the impact, I eyed the left fist of Rickard Ellington Conway, as veins popped from it. 

Gulping, I looked up to his face. 

You would hardly believe the fist belonged to the face.

He looked composed, unaffected, as though he were watching some documentary about polar bears. And his look was ultimately and absolutely freezing.

His eyes were complete grey at this point, and I could see it was the way his control mechanism had evolved in order to maintain his unfazed expression. 

"The next time you think of trying to know my whereabouts from Brooks, Leonard, I would advise you to consider that you'll be the reason for her suspension." He spoke, taking a final drag from his cigarette before he suffocated it in the ashtray, "My privacy is a land of grenades, do not ever attempt to cross the line there." A ton of ice dripped from every word, and his expression remained as cold.

Good lord, what... what kind of negative reaction does this man have?! Was it this hard for him to admit he was fazed by something... was he going this far in preserving his pride and titanium unscathed by all the messed up occurrences of that night?!

Leonard let out an exasperated sigh, as he shook his head, "For fuck's sake, you're too stubborn, Rickard. Fine, have it your way I won't interfere." The vice president shook his head as he neared the desk, sinking on the visitor chair before it. "Please update us of the plan." 

I blinked. So... the reason why he called upon me and Leonard was to update us of the new plan now that the Chairman has renewed his reign... 

Placing his protection glasses again, the president eyed the screen before him, freezing it. "Now that the Chairman has extended his reign, waiting is no longer an option." He spoke composedly, and his eyes for a split of a second, snapped in my direction, setting my skin on fire, "Especially considering he made it clear he'll be coming after you." 

I gasped, and a chill crossed my skin.

So even you got his words back in the ball...

"This said," he continued, his tone decisive and absolute, "I have come up with an alternate plan where we will be in a race of time against him." He fixed either of us with his intense, dangerous and icy looks, as he parted his lips.

"I will be resigning from my position as the Chief Executive Officer of the first branch, and will be starting my own enterprises in the one year span."

A couple of silent seconds passed upon his announcement, and both the vice-president and I took our time to register the bomb he just threw.

Leonard was first to snap out of it. "Wait... WHAT? Resign? Are... Are you the fuck out of your mind?!" 

Reaching for his wristwatch in his right hand, Mr. Ellington hardened his gaze, "Language, Leonard. You have enough knowledge of my father to know that he will not resign until he has eliminated..." He paused, as his look snapped towards me, devouring me, "Every threat he can think off that might get in the way of me becoming a replica of him. The heir he had nurtured and planned to sustain his legacy through." He spoke, voice turning into pure chilliness and emotionlessness. "The only chance I have against him in this race against time is to gain power on my own, because he will be activating all his means to deactivate my influence during his upcoming year of reign, in order to guarantee he..." And there it was... Another pause. As he lost words which he could use in order to try and deflate how critical the danger I am in was. "Eradicates her as an input from my decision equation." 

I let out a shaking breath.

What a way to phrase it... input in his decision equation...

"Wait... But then... why did you request me to reserve tickets for you two to travel to several countries?" The vice-president inquired in confusion.

I blinked, what... did he just say? Tickets? For you two?! What two?! Sorry?

Mr. Ellington turned off his computer screen at that, as he stood up and started arranging the documents on his office desk. "I will not resign before I have gained enough power t launch the planned enterprises. Thus, for that to be possible, I need to start gathering shareholders. And they need to be among the most powerful businessmen worldwide, in addition to the fact that they need to be unknown to my father." He spoke, coolly.

"And Charlotte?" Mr. Leonard voiced, "Why would she be joining the trips? What's the point? I can't make the link!" 

I gasped, "Wait, wha—" 

He didn't really mind my interjection, as he finished ordering the documents on his office, and placed them composedly in a file. "She's safest with me.

Both Leonard and I went silent at that, as my heartbeat rate suddenly sky-rocketed again, and the vice-president shot the president with a wide smile and an arced brow. "Wow, quite the confession, no?" 

Grabbing his phone, car keys, and cigarette pack, Rickard Ellington Conway started walking around his desk office, as he shot a glare at the blondie's comment, "—And I'll be in need of her services there." He interjected, in an attempt to make up for what sounded like a –God forbid– caring confession, minutes ago.

A loud chuckle escaped the vice-president, "My, the lack of sleep is getting to you, eh? Services?"  

I flushed, getting what he was dirtily pointing at. Ugh, seriously!

"I meant in business-related documentations, Leonard." Reaching the office door, the almighty R.E.C. did not even glance in the direction of the vice-president, "We depart tonight, Signorina. Our first destination will be Berlin, Germany. Pack what you will need for exactly a night, two days. You do not want to pay for extra luggage, I believe." 

And he shut the door behind him. 

I gaped at the door for some minutes, as realization started hitting me.

What. The. Heck....
.
.
.

The rest of the day before our flight time flew by fast, mostly through shopping I did with Katy for some essentials. 

In no time after I came back home, I had packed all my stuff and awaited the vice president to come pick me up for the airport as promised. 

Leonard Beards awaited me at eight sharp, as he helped me put my luggage in the trunk of his car, gave Kat a fast kiss promising he'll come back so she doesn't sleep 'alone', and

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