Fire And Desire

THE RIVALRY BEGINS

Their gaze lingered on the man who commanded the room with his presence. He wore a tailored black suit, jet black hair cut so low to his scalp, and his frame, it reminded her of someone she had seen recently.

He was talking to some men and women who stood to greet him all too enthusiastically. “Who’s that?” Gia heard herself ask.

She had been to a couple of these events and hadn't for once seen him around.

“Kai Sinclair,” Rhian responded through gritted teeth, her voice filled with loathing. Gia glanced at her friend, to see her frowning, a deep kind of frown she rarely used.

It was obvious her bestfriend didn’t approve of this Kai, even Gia didn’t. There was something off about him, maybe it was the excessive guards, or the way his gray eyes scanned the room with an air of quiet authority.

Suddenly, as if he knew Gia had been boring holes in his head, their eyes met and she abruptly looked away, quickly regretting that loser move.

Back on the table, she saw Delphina approaching the table, taking the seat by the left side of Rhian. “I swear, no one knew Mr Sinclair was back in town, talk less coming to this event.” She reported with an anxious tone to Rhian who was fuming.

“What do you mean by that? It’s your job to find out!” Her friend snapped at her personal assistant, not in the least bit accepting being short on information.

“I’m so sorry Miss,” Delphina pleaded, all the while gesturing to Gia for help. But she didn’t even consider stepping in, because when Rhian was in one of her rage fits, no one could tame her.

“I don’t pay you to be sorry, Delphina,” she admonished, her tone sharp and unforgiving. “You are supposed to think and be a step ahead in everything.”

“Yes, of course, Miss Hult.” Delphina replied instantly, her hands fiddling with the tablet she always carried around. “I’ll dig into his movements now and give you a full report first thing tomorrow morning.”

Rhian turned sharply to her assistant, “make that tonight. Anything later than that, and you can kiss your job goodbye.” Delphina’s eyes widened before recovering as she furiously typed on her tablet.

Gia had gotten so used to the friendly side of Rhian that she had almost forgotten what her friend really was in other circumstances. She was already a CEO at the age of eighteen, managing five of her father’s subsidiary companies at the present age of Twenty-six.

Rhian was thorough and tough in the business sense, the exact epitome of what a young woman in this kind of world should be to succeed. And she had seen this kind of behavior in her best friend the day Gia was tackled by her while attempting to steal from Rhian.

“Are you okay?” Gianna asked genuinely as she watched her friend inhale and exhale, trying to rein in her anger. Rhian on the other hand shook her head, while her eyes followed Kai Sinclair who was now making his way to the only vacant table at the front next to theirs.

Rhian didn’t immediately respond, but when she did, her voice turned venomous. “Not when he’s still here.” Gia wanted to push for a better explanation of the animosity towards the man, but before she could say anything more, the booming voice of the emcee filled the ballroom.

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen…” The speaker continued with an official statement of welcome, then thanked the people for honoring the organizers of the event with their presence.

To her right, she stole a glance to Kai Sinclair’s table, and sure enough, he was staring at the beautiful emcee, listening attentively to what she had to say. At that moment, Gia was able to have a clear look at him from this close distance.

But that was short lived because he turned to her, like he knew she had been watching. And for the second time that night, Gia looked away in a cowardly move, silently cursing herself for it.

For some reason, Kai Sinclair unnerved her, and it wasn’t because of whatever issues he had with her bestfriend, but because he looked familiar, and she couldn’t place from where.

Finally giving up the attempt, Gia returned her focus to the emcee who was talking about the Charity cause. Apparently, it was for homeless youths and children, and that made her feel nostalgic, having been on the streets herself.

By her left, Rhian shifted in her seat, and Gia chanced a look at her, to see her eyes locked on the table next to theirs, and her knuckles turning white from the tight fists of her hands.

While Rhian Hult didn’t mix with people only when it seemed necessary, she couldn’t think of anything that could make her friend upset since she hadn’t even seen the man near Rhian in the sixteen years they’ve been friends.

She hesitated at first, trying to find another route to ask this question. Yet none seem better than to make it direct. “Rhian,” Gia started, leaning closely to her friend. “What’s the deal with Kai? Why are you so riled up by the man?”

Rhian’s lip turned a straight line, her jaw tightening, and seconds turned into minutes. Gia thought she wouldn’t get an answer, but then her friend sighed, her gaze leaving that of Kai’s before returning to Gia.

“Kai Sinclair is our biggest competitor. He disappears and reappears in the city at his own free will. But every time he does, our deals collapse, businesses fail, something seems to happen to us when he’s around. Yet he manages to be at the top.”

Suddenly, the emcees’ voice drifted into her head once again. “And now, it’s my honor to bring to the stage a man who needs no introduction. Mr Kai Sinclair.”

As if on steroids, the room erupted into applause as the man gracefully stood from his seat, adjusting his tie and suit before taking to the stage.

Rhian muttered under her breath as they both watched him move in the same captivating aura.

“Now that he’s back again, I wonder what he is up to.”