DIRTY RHYTHM

THE DIRTY ENCOUNTER 3

The ambiance of room 57 darkened and getting more heavier with intense pressure engulfing each corner of the place. Clair's critical gaze cruising her father's face who now can't look at her directly. Clair is getting more suspicious of her father as she eyed him thoroughly. Countless foreboding and dangerous eyes from the horde of men in black clothes were now darted on them. Cornelius, Clair's father felt antsy on his chair, as he felt their dagger gazes especially his daughter who's brows were knitted into a frown, her lips were squinted into a thin line.

Creux, the man on the messy business suit looking frightfully masculine peruse Clair's entirety who is now sitting in the khaki sofa with legs crossed and bossy posture, from her sexy thigh that hug her curves and well-defined bust, perfectly carve face, and her rosy lips, Creux can't help as a small and mischievous smile formed on his lips. The rich and dangerously hot man eyeing the lone lady in the room with a hot gaze. 'Damn! this woman is a temptation' he thought.

Creux felt alive and pleased when he saw how Cornelius' face twitched in nervousness. Creux's gaze was darted back and forth to the man he hate and her daughter. The contemptuous look and playful smile on his face never disappears as he eyed the man who keep pestering him every single day. 'Ah, maybe he was misunderstood by his family,'

Creux's gaze was darted to the man next to him sitting on the right side of his table, his eyes were glowing into gold as the mysterious man eyeing intently at Creux's back. The golden-eyed man meaningfully stared at Creux who gets already by what he conveys through his stares. Creux then mouthed him.

"You can go,"

The mysterious man leave the place carefully and quietly where no one from the father and his daughter, the uninvited guest who suddenly barge into one of the exclusive rooms in the brothel, saw him exited, not even a noise was heard from him as he opened and exited the door nor his footsteps leaving its trace to the place.

The sound of silence echoed in each corner of the room after slamming the door shut as the heavy ambiance of the place intensified. Clair, on her seat, can almost hear her heart beating rapidly and ragged breaths as she felt the man in messy clothes eyed her intently. Clair unconsciously bit her lips out of nervousness and gulped hard. Clair decided to look at the man and she then meet his hawkish gaze, eyeing her like a prey.

Creux's lips formed into a grin.

"Your gorgeous daughter is quite interesting."

Creux utters, broke the silence between Cornelius and his daughter as his mischief nature curled inside him, grabbing Cornelius' attention who was now cautiously looking at him. The apprehensive look from her father made Clair's suspicion arise when she saw that expression again from her father who now became speechless and can't even meet the eye of the man standing in front of them. Clair chooses to ignore what the man just said and glance at her father who seems to be petrified in his seat.

"Dad, are you hiding something?"

Clair directly ask her father who's attention was now on her. Cornelius looks at her trying to compose himself, his grip on the documents tightens which never escapes from Creux's scrutinizing gaze. Creux silently listened to them but his intense gaze was fixed on the woman with silver-white hair. He saw how Clair's small movement and simple yet icy look on her face can make her father fidgety.

"No. I have a business here that you shouldn't have known first until I successfully got it."

Clair's father answered without a trace of lies that can be heard in his tone. Cornelius' lips have slightly trembled but he manages to answer her but Clair's piercing eyes even made him jumpy like any moment he will have a nervous breakdown. The look on her daughter is now frightful like he was caught for having a mistress.

"So, you are actually hiding something."

Clair sarcastically utters which made Creux almost burst into laughter. Creux was amused how the woman could make her father tremble in fear. He smiled. 'This woman is something'

Cornelius was stopped and his eyes widen when he realize what he had just responded to his daughter. He slightly stammers when he saw how his daughter eyeing him coldly.

"A-ah y-yes, about the business proposal,"

Her father answered quickly but the nervousness on his face still lingered which Clair find it difficult to fathom. 'If her father wasn't hiding something, why isn't the nervousness never left on his face?' Clair asked herself and wondered.

Clair gives a meaningful stare at her father who was already sweating profusely on his black suit and felt complete uneasiness on his chair. He can't even look at her. What is wrong with him? The maiden finally understands that her father didn't do anything despicable against her mom, to their marriage, Clair hadn't found a mistress with him but it seems her father was avoiding or protecting something she can't point out.

'Who is he protecting?'

'Me?'

'Where? To whom?'

Clair asked herself one question after another then turned her gaze to Creux with a strange look on his face. The man quickly smiled sweetly when they met Clair's gaze, flashes his killer smile that will surely captivate anyone who saw it. Clair was stunned again on her chair and slowly gulped, as her heart beating rapidly and was about to escape on her chest. She can already hear her heart pumping. It was the first time she felt something like this, Clair always find herself in strange feelings and was shocked by the unfamiliar feelings she was feeling now. She wasn't even familiar with it but sure she could name it.

"Do you want to ask me about something?"

Creux gently asked the girl in front of him who immediately frowned and tilted her head where her eyes were filled with questions. Clair even stumbled and glanced at her father on the other side, she would have answered him when her father spoke suddenly.

"Mr. Morosov, Thank you for taking the time to talk to me. I very much appreciate the time you spent discussing the business proposal with me."

Even before Clair could open her mouth, her father interrupted her, who was about to stand up to leave. Creux's face quickly darkened, a sign that he did not find it pleasing to hear what Cornelius said.

Cornelius, on the other hand, shivers in fear when he noticed how Creux's face turned dark. Cornelius saw the glint of fury flared in Creux's penetrating gaze, Cornelius knew that the young tycoon did not like what he said and asked but he needed to do something to protect his daughter, Clair, from the young man with his infamous reputation. If only he hadn’t been attracted to one of its businesses, Cornelius might not have met the young man, nor did he intend to acknowledge him, but it had a tempting business that got his attention so here he is now, trying to please Creux. Cornelius also could not understand how his lovely daughter followed him to the place and how she also got inside the brothel. 'How did she get here when there are many guards around?'

But that doesn’t matter to him anymore, because it’s more important to him to get his daughter out of Creux’s territory that Clair still seems to get the young man’s attention.

"Clair."

Cornelius firmly calls to his daughter with a hint of gentleness on his voice who's her eyes that slightly shimmers still darted off Creux. In her renewed silence, only her eyes glow. Her pair of midnight eyes that speak emotion, strike the gorgeous man's heart. Creux saw how her eyes come as perfect flower buds freshly opened like in the dawn. He smiled. Creux and Clair exchange meaningful glances at each other and Cornelius's eyes widened slightly when he noticed something strange in Clair's simple look at the young man.

'It can't be ...'

Cornelius utters in his mind then cleared his throat to get the daughter's attention but failed, instead, he got the attention of the men in black around them, who were now eyeing him intently. Cornelius gulped hard in nervousness. He calls her once more.

"Clair, let's go home."

Cornelius calls her in a serious tone that his daughter, Clair, turned her gaze to him quickly. Clair look at Cornelius with a slight confusion that was now visible on her face. She was a little surprised at what her father just said.

The maiden did not want to go home yet as her questions had not been answered. She wants to know everything her father is up to. What business her father had with the man in front of her smiling widely. Creux noticed that Clair wanted to ask a lot of questions, by then, a mischievous scenario play on his mind, he smirked and then spoke.

"Sir, why can't we tell Clair your real purpose here in the brothel?"

Cornelius' eyes widened after Creux utters that word that was supposed to be a secret. His head began to throb which hurt him mentally, even more, when Creux called him 'Sir', Creux never calls him this way, even the first moment he meet him. Cornelius looked at his daughter who seemed to agree with what the young man said.

'There's no need for that.'

Cornelius wanted to utter that but Clair darted him with her famous icy cold look.

"Okay."

That was the only response of Cornelius once sitting back in his chair. He just stared at his daughter who was staring fondly at Creux. Clair's small gaze filled with affection towards the man made Cornelius unsettled on his chair. 'This can't be...'

Cornelius knew right away Clair had fallen to a man, the infamous Casanova of town.

Cornelius frowned slightly, his lips pursed into a thin line, indicating he didn't really like Clair's way of staring at the young sly man in front of them. There would have been no problem if his daughter would have liked someone because Clair is at the right age to choose who she going to spend the rest of her life with and it is only natural for a person to feel that way but what's been bothering him is the person she likes.

Cornelius even throw a glance at Creux who was wearing a sly smile forming on his lips, smiling cunningly as he looked up at the woman standing by his side. One of Creux's arms was wrapped around the woman's waist and the woman's two hands were flirtatiously placed on Creux's broad shoulder as her long red nails artfully travels on Creux's chest.

If looks could kill, Creux would have lying lifelessly because of the way how Cornelius looks at him with his piercing gaze.

'If this was the only person my daughter would fall into, then much better if she wouldn't. No matter how desperate I am for him to approve my business proposal that I personally made, I will never allow him to be with my Clair. No father would want to see his child hurt. So as much as possible I had to keep my daughter away from him. After tonight, I will make sure they never cross paths again.'

"Why don't we talk about the business you're referring to?"

Clair suddenly interrupted, catching the attention of the two men in front of her. Her father immediately looked at her with uneasiness visible in his eyes and so did Creux who was already looking at the girl intently as a playful grin never left on his lips.

"Am I the one to explain, Sir?"

Creux utters in a playful tone, calling out Cornelius's attention when the middle-aged man seems to be out of his ordinary self for a few seconds. It was as if the woman's father was thinking a lot of things while staring blankly at her daughter. Clair eyed her father coldly, waiting for his answer. Everyone in the room fell into silence, the cold yet heavy ambiance quickly enwraps the place. The glowing pair of eyes of men around the corner was darted at her father. Cornelius turned his gaze dramatically slowly to Creux, trying to get rid of his irritation to the young man.

"I'll have my say when we go back home because it looks like I also need to tell the truth to my family behind my indifference these past few months."

Cornelius smilingly replied as he looked at his daughter stunned on her feet, unbelievably looking at him while her mouth was slightly open. Creux's gaze quickly fixed on Clair's lips. Creux grinned while eyeing the silver-haired woman. Clair had already confirmed that her father had something to fear of and she badly wanted to know that.

"Tell me everything right now."

To be continued...