Chapter 16: Chapter 16

"Love is a game you can't win neither can you lose."

The afternoon as a tiring one for Thomas. Nothing interesting had happened apart from the fact that he had paid a Hitman he sent after a blackmailer.

The girl Claire was dumb as hell. Threatening to reveal his involvement in murders he had a hand in if he didn't relinquish the company back to the right hands.

Nathan!

He knew very very that Nathan was a threat now if Claire had even slightly revealed her research to him.

"How did she even father so much dirt against him?" He said, aside.

His phone pealed and he slid the screen to see who.

A private number. It better not be the hitman demanding more money.

"Hello?" Thomas greeted.

"Hello, Mr. Thomas." A baleful voice acknowledged.

"Who is this?" Thomas asked, now relaxed.

It wasn't the Hitman so who was it?

"Just someone in need of a favor."

"What kind of favor?"

"I need something from you if you want me to keep my mouth shut."

The man's tone was getting suspicious

" Is that a threat? Who is this?"

"Someone who doesn't want the truth about Miss Claire's death out."

His hands went numb.

He had asked that stupid Hitman for a clean job and he got this. He was not going to be blackmailed.

"Sure, How much do you need?"

As a businessman, he had to think fast. If the blackmailer accepted monetary compensation, then it would be easy to get rid of him.

"The papers in your name."

This man had to be within these walls.

"What? You must think I'm stupid..."

"Two days Mr. Romero, Two days before the police find out the truth."

The blackmailer cut the phone.

Thomas wasn't done just yet. He checked his call history.

That stupid mercenary had to pay for disappointing him if he wants to even the blackmailer.

Thomas had one simple rule. He never trusted anyone, he had been disappointed far too much to rely on someone.

"Hello." He placed the phone to close to his ear, awaiting the reply of the other line.

"Hello, Mr. Romero." The somber voice replied.

"Kill Silas."

The man snickered a bit, his croaked voice reverberating over the line before it also went dead.

Now all he had to do was find the blackmailer.

He had an acquaintance In the police force who could help him but that would also least to questions as to why.

Fuck! This was all because of that dumb girl.

Browsing through the internet for any shady means to track a phone call.

Tada!

An app known as GPS TRACKER could do just that.

He promptly set it up, a malevolent intent as the app came on.

You'll wish you kept your damn mouth shut.

Just then, Adriana walked in. She looked tense and had lines on her forehead which indicated worry.

"Anything wrong Love?"

"Yes. Someone just threatened me for Claire's death. Have you heard?"

"About her death

Yes! I received a call last night and was briefly interrogated." Thomas answered them diverted his attention to tracking the delinquent.

"He said he wants the company."

"I know." Thomas acknowledged, getting close to catching the bastard.

"So what do you plan to do? Are you going to give it?"

Thomas was frankly irritated by Adriana's questions. She was acting like her mother and being a pesky fly.

"I think I will."

Thomas observed Adriana's reaction. She was a bit dazed.

How wrong she was. The app worked fine and he had to where the call was taken. The person was smart enough to discard the phone but the call was taking right between these walls.

It was Nathan just like he suspected.

Nathan wanted a game and he enjoyed games.

***

The bartender passed Adriana another of God knows what. It was alcohol though. What else stung the throat and made your head spin.

She briefly wondered why Nathan wanted to meet up a bar that seemed more like a club.

Male strippers had come a time too many to flirt and it was grossly disappointing she had to refuse to uphold her dignity.

She hoped he'll come quickly so she didn't have to endure any more torture.

"Hey."

Nathan joined her. He looked recluse almost like he had been working his ass off.

Adriana remembered her father had beckoned on him in the office and had probably overworked him, his sagging shoulders assured.

He was clad in a shirt and tight pants, almost like he was going for a date.

"Well, my father is working well with this...surprisingly."

"Ehm!... I didn't call you here for that."

The red lights turned on. Why did he call her then?

"So why am I here exactly?"

"I wanted to thank you for doing this. It takes a lot of guts to—go against your father and I know how you must feel."

Adriana shook her head in disappointment,

"So a club is the appreciation I get."

She could see what the dressing was for now. He was on a date—with her.

Nathan was a bit confused but got the message.

It was either his sudden drop in the class hierarchy had lesser his standards or he never really had a date since women would have tripped for his looks and more importantly his money.

"So where do you want to go?"

It was a Friday and tomorrow was gonna be a boring one for her so Adriana made up his mind to make the best of tonight anyway.

An expensive restaurant that would dry up his pocket was all she could think of.

"I have something in mind."

"This is good." Nathan complimented the local food taking a bite from his bread.

"So is that all you're gonna say all day?" Adriana yelled so he could hear her.

The restaurant was next to a busy street so yelling was more like talking.

"So what should we talk about?"

"Anything but the food."

"I see you're disoriented so I'll start. How is your family like?"

"My father is pretty much like yours, demanding."

"I know your mom so tell me about your sister."

"She was the kindest person I knew. Always fight for what she believed in. It painful when she died, I felt like I had lost the world."

Adriana locked her finger in his to reassure him that it was okay.

"I know how it feels."

"You know you are just like me. We have demanding fathers we have to live up to. A sibling who is dead and who we've refused to let go of."

"Is this what you brought me here to say?"

"No, I'm just saying we are basically the same and with the way you're going. You're going to hurt someone as I did to your family."

The conversation was getting uncomfortable for her. Just when she thought he was being a gentleman. Once an ass, always an ass.

"I have to go."

She got off her seat and headed for the door, visibly pissed off.

"Please don't." He apologized, blocking her way.

"Get out of the way."

"No, I won't...I have something else to say."

Others eating glanced at them, wondering what was going on and Adriana did not appreciate the attention she was getting.

"People are watching." She whispered.

Let them watch. Adriana..."

His hesitation, his starry eyes, the stance, she's seen this before.

"I don't want to hear it."

"Then I'll show you."

He drew her toward him with his starry eyes, he inclined his face toward hers and lay his mouth on her mouth, which was like a freshly cut out strawberry.

For a time too long, silence endued, the world was still and all that could heard was their breathing.

She could run now knowing well what would happen but the forces above had other plans. Her legs went jelly or maybe they just wanted what her brain had fantasied on Friday nights like this.

His lips were puckered and inviting. It was hurting he still hesitated.

Their lips touched, the Sparks lit.

She was filled with astonishment as he worked his way through her tongue slurping it like tasty chicken, Her body felt noodle as she battled to keep standing.

Flashes of how she resisted, ruled him, put him off played like she was watching it on Tv.

Why did she lure him on now? Joining him as her hands found their way to his neck, promising to choke the life out of him if he dared to stop.

I'd only she was stronger to push him away but she couldn't. She was starved. Her minds were at play.

Lust took control of HQ and it wasn't ready to give up power to rationale.

To think that she thought she had it all.

Up to now, she had been missing the last ingredient, but now she had it. Added to her spices, she was never going to let it go.