Chapter Five: Are You Angry with Me?
1610 Words
Tara Blakewood
I went out to clear my mind and think about my fiancé and my future with him, and I found myself thinking of a man far from that world… my father’s friend.
It didn’t take long before I returned home, and at the entrance, I bumped into my brother Andreas, who still annoyed me with his childish antics.
“My sister Tara, I missed you.”
“I missed you too, Andreas.”
I entered the living room, greeted my father, and sat beside my mother.
“We were talking about you, Tara.”
“And what were you talking about?”
“Your college studies, and recently I thought about the need for you to gain experience in this field.”
My father added,
“I have my friend Kaiden, a seasoned lawyer who hasn’t lost a case, handles huge cases, and charges high fees. You could become his intern.”
“But he’s from another country.”
“I don’t want to be far from my family.”
My father smiled gently:
“My little one, even if you are in the farthest place, I’ll be with you. The decision is yours; the new experience is a chance to learn something new.”
Despite lying down for an hour, I couldn’t sleep. Thoughts of law, my future, my fiancé, and Kaiden… all weighed heavily on my mind.
I got up and went to my brother Andreas, who was training on the punching bag. We sat together on the floor.
“What’s worrying you, sister?”
“I’m confused. Part of me wants to experience law, and another part doesn’t want to go far.”
He paused for a moment, then said wisely:
“Go, try something new. The environment you were born into won’t give you a chance to grow. And if you don’t like it there, I’ll bring you back.”
I saw my mother and father approaching; they knew I was nervous and leaving the country was hard…
“I’ve decided…”
I drew everyone’s attention to continue:
“I’m going to New York.”
My family all smiled at my decision, knowing it would benefit me from their personal experiences.
“Good, Tara… when do you want to leave?”
My father replied, slightly shocked. He hadn’t expected me to make this decision after the period of weakness I had been through.
“Today.”
“Alright, the plane will be ready this evening.”
I was about to murmur that this was too fast, that I needed some time to say goodbye to my relatives and family, but I stayed silent; there was no time to waste.
“Okay, father, I’ll be ready.”
*********
I never imagined things would move so quickly. I had already arrived in New York after my family dropped me off at the airport, and there was a private driver my father had assigned to pick me up.
One of my father’s men approached me:
“Miss Tara, we’ll handle the luggage. Follow me to the car.”
I thanked God my father had informed me beforehand. Otherwise, I would have run in fear like a madwoman.
I followed him, and it turned out he was leading me to a black Rolls-Royce.
A slight smile appeared on my lips because of my father’s care for me while I was far away.
The man, who turned out to be my private driver, opened the door for me, then got in from the front.
The car drove toward an unknown location.
I stared out the window at the streets along the way.
“Miss, we’ve arrived.”
His voice made me leave my thoughts.
He opened the door from his side. I stepped out and thanked him.
I looked at the building in front of me, which appeared to be a fancy restaurant.
“Miss, this is a restaurant… and the lawyer is waiting here, with a reservation under the name Kaiden Draven.”
Kaiden Draven… have I come to the country of the man who has occupied my thoughts? I’m going to be his intern!
I walked toward the restaurant and stopped at the reception.
“I’m looking for a reservation under Kaiden Draven.”
“Alright, Miss, I’ll check.”
“Yes, it exists, Miss. Table number 17, upstairs.”
I searched with my eyes for table 17 until I found it, made easier by the restaurant being nearly empty.
I noticed a man sitting at the table, so I hurried toward him, thinking I was late.
As I got closer, I saw the man fiddling with his phone.
“Excuse me,” I said to get his attention.
He looked up, and I saw him… or rather, I thought I wouldn’t see him again after the last time.
It was Kaiden… the one who had never left my mind, who had taken a good space in it, and whose aura had captivated me, even the tone of his voice that felt like a drug applied to my ear, spreading its effect through my entire body.
I stared at him for a few seconds, perhaps longer, until he straightened in his seat. I think he did this after noticing my gaze… it was really embarrassing.
“Hello, Mr. Kaiden Draven.”
I said while tracking his movements with my eyes as he went behind the chair, fingers touching the backrest with those long, elegant fingers.
“Sit, Tara.”
He said it after pulling out the chair. I guessed he straightened because of my staring… perhaps a mistake… he seemed like a noble man.
I sat as he commanded, not missing a single glance of his burning gaze on my body through the dress that revealed most of my charms and curves.
I followed his steps with my eyes as he returned to his chair, sitting calmly, one leg crossed over the other, leaning his back against the chair’s backrest. His posture screamed confidence.
“Welcome to my land and my country.”
I looked down at my intertwined fingers on the table, avoiding his piercing eyes that looked at me in a way I couldn’t understand.
“Did you come to stare at your fingers, Tara?”
Had he not said this, I might not have looked up from my hands. But he was right. I had come to meet him with my full mind, and now I was staring at my fingers, escaping his gaze. it made no sense.
“So you’ll be my intern, Tara.”
“Yes, I will, Mr. Kaiden.”
“Tell me, which law university did you graduate from, Tara?”
I was surprised by his question, but I answered:
“University of Milan, Italy.”
“Good. My firm is for high-level professionals and graduates from prestigious universities, so I must confirm where you studied, Tara.”
The amount of pride in his words about his company was unbelievable. Truly, I realized I was sitting in front of a man blinded by his ego…
I was about to tell him he could have checked my file to see my university, but I swallowed my words.
The waiter came to take our orders, and Kaiden said directly without looking at him:
“Black coffee.”
So I said the first thing that came to mind, though I was starving:
“Milkshake.”
“You resist,” he said after raising a pack of cigarettes in a way I could see, and I understood he wanted to smoke and was asking if I minded… I really liked these behaviors.
“No, I don’t mind.”
He carelessly tossed the cigarette pack, took one, held it with his lips, pulled out a lighter, and lit it, all while his strange eyes were still on me.
I just thought… can a lawyer really be this seductive and attractive?
The man in front of me made me involuntarily lose focus.
His raised raven hair, dignified posture, the way he held the cigarette, how he exhaled its smoke, and his complete gray formal suit.
“Why did you ask me not to call you ‘uncle’ before?”
He choked on his coffee after I said this while sipping it quietly, then took the water cup in front of him and drank with a frown I noticed.
For a moment, I thought he would throw it at me, but he put it back on the table.
“The best thing for you is not to mention this topic again.”
“Mr. Kaiden, are you angry with me?”
I asked as I brought my lips closer to sip my white drink, looking at him.
I didn’t pay attention and spilled a little on my lips.
If his gaze were arrows, every inch of my body would be pierced.
“Mr. Kaiden, don’t be angry with me, I just…”
I moved my cup aside, placing it on the table, and straightened in my seat, watching his reaction. What I noticed was that he exhaled sharply with clear annoyance.
“‘Uncle’ means old… if you… hsssh…”
He hissed with visible anger… yes, he was really angry.
“No… no, sir…”
I was about to correct what he thought, but he interrupted me:
“For your information, Tara, who do you think is an uncle? He’s in his fifties…”
He leaned closer to continue:
“The old man is sagging… the strongest man in his thirties…” he said boldly, looking into my eyes with audacity and shamelessness. I don’t think he knows what modesty is.
“You agree, don’t you?”
- Writer
