Deal With The Arrogant Billionaire

Lilac’s POV

As I stood in the tiny kitchen of the rundown apartment I shared with my brother, I avoided his gaze and poured some scrambled eggs into two plates already containing flimsy pieces of bacon.

“Aren’t you late for work?” Benjamin asked. “You don’t look like you’ve showered.”

I sighed and slid his food across the table to him. “I’m not going in today. You’re finishing classes early today, right? Wanna go with me to go see mom?”

Benjamin’s eyes lit up at the idea and my heart ached for him. He wasn’t as lucky as me to get the opportunity so often. In fact, it had been up to two weeks since he last saw her, only able to communicate via phone calls.

“Yes!” Sebastian grinned. “I’m so lucky my professor fell sick— Uh… Not that I’m happy or anything, I hope he gets better soon…” I snickered at his attempts to resolve his statement. “But it’s so nice to finally get the chance to see her.”

“I know, Seb.”

My phone on the table rang with a notification and I picked it as I chewed. It was Millie.

Millie: Not coming today?

Me: Nah. I’m a bit drained.

Well, to be honest, it was more of mental fatigue. I would be able to function fully if I went in for my shift, no issue. But I just didn’t want to deal with anyone today.

Millie: Alright. Jayce needed an extra shift anyway so I’ll let him know he can come in.

Millie: What about your application to Silvercrest. Any word?

Me: I was rejected.

Millie: Oh.

Millie: I’m sorry, babe. I hope you’re not too disappointed.

Me: No.

Yes, I was. But I wasn’t going to admit that. It was weird and pathetic that I was getting this butt hurt over a job rejection. Even weirder because I’d anticipated it. I guess disappointments just hit me a lot harder than I’d thought.

After my brother left for school, I didn’t bother doing anything actually useful. I just crept into my bed and slept off for the rest of the morning.

My sleep was not as fitful as I thought it would be. I guess I really needed the rest. Rest was not something I could afford ever since I found myself plunged into the constant need for money. But just this once, I let myself go.

That afternoon when I woke, I decided to go for a walk. I thought the fresh air would do me a lot of good and it really did. I managed to take my mind off everything I’d been handling lately.

I didn’t realize I’d gotten to the city park until the sound of dogs barking and birds chirping pierced through my thick bubble of relaxation. It really was such a nice noon, evident by the number of people who decided to come out today.

I found a nice bench and sat on it. Usually, my phone would be in my hands immediately, tapping and scrolling away, but today, I decided to be a functioning member of society instead of a phone addict and immerse myself in nature’s environment.

I had no idea how long I spent watching people come and go, and children and their beloved pets play, but when I finally picked my phone again, the time told me it was nearly an hour. As I unlocked it to check if I had any texts, a notification caught my eye—an email notification.

It was weird because I only got emails for professional reasons and wasn't expecting anything of that sort. Still, I went to check it, but just as my finger was going to tap on the email when the sound of commotion halted my movement.

My head whipped up in the direction of the sound and the cause was immediately identified. A small crowd had gathered around something, or maybe someone. I couldn’t really see anything around the tight crowd but also I wasn’t particularly interested in finding out what was going on. It didn’t seem like a threat anyway so, back to my business.

Except I hadn’t even gotten the chance to continue what I was doing when a voice reached my ears. A voice I couldn’t forget even in my dreams, a voice that was deeply familiar in ways there wasn’t any reason to be. I looked up again and there he was, standing in the midst where I could see him through where the crowd had parted.

Ryke Kolynsky.

My traitorous heart fluttered as I took in his appearance across the distance. Tall and imposing, the man stood out starkly from the bland crowd in an attractive designer suit that covered his body like it was second skin. He drew all eyes and attention to him as if he owned this damn place, blonde hair beautiful in the sun in the way that matched his ruthlessly handsome face.

What the hell was Ryke doing here? The city park didn’t seem like a place someone like him would visit casually given his status. I should have noticed that the crowd surrounding him consisted mostly of paparazzi photographers and fan women. And three burly, suspicious looking men who were probably his bodyguards.

The bodyguards, I scoffed at because I get it, he’s a CEO, super important man, basically a celebrity. But really? Three bodyguards? I snorted to myself at how absurd it was.

I hadn’t realized I was still staring till a pair of irritated green eyes snagged on mine and I jolted in my seat. Ryke caught me staring. Blushing, I ducked my head into my phone and tried my hardest to shrink my body to become as unnoticeable as possible. But it was too late. Ryke had seen me.

Amidst the noise, a screech pierced through the air, shrill and damn near hurting my ears. A voice followed immediately after, “Ryke, you bastard!” Looking to see who it was, I spotted a woman I hadn’t noticed before. Big red locks spilled elegantly over pale shoulders and a jewelry-adorned neck. She too, I noted, was dressed as expensively as the man beside her.

I couldn’t hear Ryke’s response because while whoever the woman was screamed for the entire place to hear, Ryke still had the decorum to speak in a calm, lowered tone. He could only be heard by the people near them. A shame. I really wanted to be in on the drama.

The two continued arguing heatedly and I was only able to gleam bits and pieces of what it was about. Ryke looked really annoyed, perhaps because the woman was making whatever this was a big deal and a public affair.

They went on for a little longer until the woman yelled, “Show me then! If the so-called woman is here, freaking show her to me else everyone here will know the real Ryke. Nothing but a dirty liar!”

Immediately, Ryke’s eyes snapped to mine again and I frowned in confusion. Why was he looking at me? I wanted to move out of that fierce gaze but it felt like I was pinned by it. Ryke’s expression changed from vexation to something smoother, calmer, as if he’d come to a decision about something in his mind without voicing it.

The man moved, marching through the grass till he got to me and, shocking me, stretched out a hand. Everywhere was quiet as it had been since the moment he got here except now, all the attention was on me as well. Uncomfortably so.

“I’ve been waiting for you. Come on, let’s go.” Ryke said, his deep voice sending butterflies through my stomach.

“What…?” I managed to croak, still in shock.

“The business meeting? At the cafe down the road, don’t tell me you forgot. Come on, let’s go.” Green eyes stared unmoving at me but in the depths of them, I could see desperation. He needed me to play along with whatever this was.

“O-Okay.” I took his hand that was still stretched out and he pulled me up. He let go immediately and I found myself missing the warmth of his grip, but I forced myself not to dwell on that and joined Ryke as he started to leave.

The crowd and paparazzi immediately began to follow but Ryke’s bodyguards took their places around us and Ryke called out, “No one follow me or I will be pressing charges.” Without even looking back, he adds, “That includes you too, Samantha.”

***

As I stood in front of the cafe Ryke led me to, which coincidentally was GoldenSpoon, the cafe I worked at, I couldn’t help but feel like this was some sort of strange dream. About a week ago, I had never met this man. Ryke Kolynsky was an untouchable piece of the world I lived in, someone so apparently perfect he was out of the reach of ordinary people like me.

So the fact that I was here, standing with him in front of my workplace … yeah that sounded like something my mind made up and fed to me as a dream. Maybe I was still at home sleeping.

“Are you alright?” I asked softly, despite my inclination to not care and hold a grudge about my interview he botched.

Ryke, who I realized had been staring at me with a strange look in his eyes, snapped out of his daze and nodded. “Yeah. Sorry for dragging you into all of this. I just…” He dragged a hand down his face. “I had to get away from her.”

I bit down the urge to ask for context and nodded solemnly like I completely understood and sympathized with him. Distantly, I registered the feeling of warmth around a part of my body. My attention was so caught up in Ryke that I’d completely forgotten—we were still holding hands.

Red flushed in my cheeks at the realization. I froze, stuck between wanting to yank mine out and not doing anything about it. I didn’t want to see his disgusted reaction. The way he flinched away from me a week ago in that empty hallway as I tried to clean his clothes replayed humiliatingly in my mind, so yeah.

But unfortunately for me, I couldn’t stop my fingers from twitching and the taller man looked down, finally noticing our conjoined hands.

Ryke immediately let go and my heart sank a little at the speed with which he did. He really couldn’t wait a moment to get away from me, huh? Still, I couldn’t help but notice he’d squeezed before doing so. It was such a miniscule movement that I frowned, unsure if I’d imagined it. But no, he’d squeezed my hand before dropping it. I was sure of that.

The sound of Ryke’s deep voice clearing his throat caused me to look up at him. “Sorry again, and thanks. And uh, you should check your email.”

“What?” Check my email? That was such a random statement, I stared dumbly for a while, trying to grab the sudden change in topic.

“Your email?” Ryke chuckled, his green eyes soft as he watched me. Weird. “You should check it soon.”

“Oh. Right. Yeah, I will.” Jesus Christ, this is so awkward. I thought. Then I remembered something.

“How do you know my name?” I asked. That wasn’t all but I didn’t have the courage. I wanted to ask why the way he said it felt so familiar. I wanted him to explain to me why a feeling so hot and right ran down my body and tugged at something deep in my memory at the sound of it falling from his lips.

Ryke smiled, something undecipherable with a strange hint of sadness. “Do you really not remember?”

A frown etched itself into my features. “Remember what?”

“Nevermind. I’ll see you tomorrow, Lilac.”

Ryke left me standing in front of the cafe watching Millie who long since noticed our presence and had been watching us with a shocked look on her face. I didn’t get why she was shocked, just like how I didn’t get what Ryke meant by he’ll see me tomorrow. Nothing had made sense in the past few minutes.

But I remembered Ryke’s words to check my email, something that coincided with what I was about to do those moments in the park before he brought his drama over.

And when I did, there sat an email from Silvercrest waiting for me.