A Billionaire Next Door

Ch. 3 - First Crack

KAITLYN

A constant ringing fills my head, and the sun's rays act against my eyes. I try to steady myself as I get off the bed in search of something to turn it all off. My hands grab a pack of aspirin, removing two pieces from it. As the headache leaves, glimpses of last night come crashing in, and I notice that I'm still wearing my dress from last night, but it looks wrinkled now. Eight missed calls from Ari, and I remember that I left her last night at the club; she must've been worried sick about me. "Ari, I'm so sorry for not telling you when I was leaving." I say as she picks up the call, leaving no room for confrontation. "Yeah, right. I saw you getting in the car with Miles Howard. One night stand?" She asks in a quieter tone than her usual squeaky one, like she's saying a secret. "No! You know it's not like that, and before you say something like 'It's Miles, he could've changed you'. No, he couldn't, and he didn't." I reply with a smile in my tone, "I barely even remember what happened last night." "So, Chanel suit today? That screams 'I need to crush men under my heels.'" She says after I tell her about my meeting. "Exactly." "Including Miles Howard." I reply, the events of last night filling my head. "Oh my god, you like him." She squeals."Goodbye, Ari.". I snap at her and end the call. I already have enough going on at work, and I hope she understands I don't have time for back-and-forth. I get dressed in head-to-toe Chanel for a meeting I have with potential investors, before I leave, I take a good look at myself and straighten up. Doubt has never helped anyone.

I walk into the conference room with my head held high, lips red, black shades on, and my assistant three steps behind me. I scan the room and I see a lot of familiar faces and one other that stands out way too much. It's him. I take off my glasses to be sure I'm not seeing things, and it is him. Miles Howard. 

"What are you doing here?" I ask with my eyes glaring at him.

"Good morning to you too, Miss Rhodes." He replies with his lips curving upwards. It's the first time seen him smile. Ever. I guess taunting me brings him joy. 

"Great! You too know each other." My investor announces. I wouldn't say we know each other; we only just met yesterday, but let's leave it there.

The meeting becomes an unending chess match; it rattles me, my hands grip my pen tighter by the second, making my knuckles as white as snow. There's nothing I hate more than when a man thinks just because he's speaking, it means I should be silent. Welcome to the 21st century, Miles. To every question, I have an answer for it, and at some point, my answers got him thinking. "Miss Rhodes, these numbers feel unrealistic." The investor says. "Unrealistic is what men call it when a woman refuses to think small." I reply. "Or when someone refuses to think rationally." Miles adds. "Rationality never built empires. Risk did." I explain, locking eyes with him.

The meeting concludes, lights dim slightly as the projector hums to life. The investors shift in their seats - murmurs, coughs, glances at each other. My assistant drops her pen or tries to shut the laptop too late.

A video starts playing.

It's THE video, the same grainy clip Ari showed me two nights ago, the whispers, the scandal, which claims that my designs were stolen from some girl named Ruth, who I've never heard of by the way, until she made the video

As the video blacks out, a voice fills the conference room, "We're sorry, Miss Rhodes, but I don't think this is the direction we're trying to move to." At least he sounds somewhat disappointed. I turn in the direction of "Batman." and he doesn't have a smile on his face, but instead, he does not react; he just looks calculating, thinking about his next move as he looks at me.

MILES

Kaitlyn and I make eye contact for a few more seconds. She's not intimidated, but instead she leans into the fire, trying to find out what's going on in my head, and I add that to the growing list of things I admire about her. The entire room is waiting for her to shrink, to bite her lips, to fumble. She doesn't. She straightens her back, has her head held back up, and she gestures to her assistant to gather her files. Thanking the room for their time. 

As she intends to put on her glasses, I see something in her eyes, the fear that she so desperately hides away from the world. The sharp inhale she tries to hide as composure. She's not unbreakable. No one is. She just might take longer to break. I leave moments after, ignoring the chatter that fills the room, most of it gossip. All I think about is her. Kaitlyn. The woman the whole city is talking about. The woman who'd rather fall than admit that she needs saving. She does need saving, and when she does realize that, I'm going to be the only one who can give it to her.

When I'm back in my office, I call Liam and ask him for a background check on Kaitlyn. I'll need to know if she's a criminal before I get married to her. She's not going to agree at first, and I'm aware, but what's a game without the chase at first? She's going to be the one begging when I'm done with her.