A Seat in His Heart

Chapter 16 - I Know You

[Trice's POV]

Everyone one cannot be childish and undetermined like you my dear Gold. Sometimes we need to be selfish and ambitious, one has to be calculative and pragmatic to achieve a goal and my goal is simple

'get to be Eric Grayson's woman'

I've known Eric for a long time now, I've been watching him and I know he never noticed me. I was one of those he clearly avoided back in highschool. I usually saw him sneak into a deadly fine car, I mean really expensive one like the ones my mum rides in, he did not look rich I mean he was a dweeb and everyone knew the nerdy quiet dweeb who took classes alone. He wasn't even fancy and I guess only nerds like himself associated with him. For some reason the school scheduled him to have classes alone and no classmates, everyone felt he was some kind of genius and a freak. I on the other hand was a rebel, I wasn't a nerd, I just liked being different, the teachers didn't even notice my absence in class because it was something habitual, I would skip classes but I didn't know how I managed to get good grades that were almost excellent. perhaps I just got lucky.

I decided to change my self abruptly one day. The day I was brutally abused and defiled by my mum's boyfriend. He threatened to kill me and dump my corpse in a desert if I told my mum or anyone else. I know my mum, She won't even believe me if I told her. She loved this man with her life. He told me he was f*****g wealthy and he can pull it off and my mum will not even notice I'm gone. That's how I stayed quiet. One day I sat on the emergency exterior stairs, attached at the side of the administrative building. The stairs were always quiet and people rarely went there, that was why it was my favorite spot. I sat there thinking about what had just happened to me, how much of a joke my life had become and I did not realize I was crying not until someone towered above me. He was walking up the stairs. With arms outstretched, he handed me a bottle of water. When I took the water, he said nothing but just left climbing further up the stairs. I lifted up my hair which was falling over my face and followed him with my gaze, but he never looked back. After a brief moment of curiosity. I climbed up to the next floor but I did not find him, where had did he gone to? my curiosity got the best of me, that place was secluded which made it have an air of danger around it. However, his mysteriousness got me hooked. I climbed up to the next floor but still not a sign of him. I climbed further, did he disappear or teleport? How fast can he climb in such a short while without a sound. I finally spotted his lair, a corner on the rooftop where there was a rusty old chair and water bottles too many to count, the same one he gave me, scattered around. There was a large A1 paper spread out on the floor with some markers, highlighters and rulers on it. He sat there with a big book in his hand, legs sprawled out and head against the backrest of the chair. He looked peaceful, the more I looked at him the more I discovered how dangerously handsome he was. He wasn't a dweeb as people thought. He was stoic and had the air of an arrogant prince around him, one that knew he was in control, followed by a face full of confidence and self awareness right under that dweeb coating. That was something that an ordinary teenager in highschool could rarely pull off.

He must have felt my presence because he lifted up his head from the book to my direction. I crouched and hid.

I couldn't bear being caught by him so I went down to my own spot. Something about him changed my mind about myself. I became more serious with school work but I knew it was already late, I tried however. I decided to get into the same university as this two faced stranger. He motivated me, I can't say how or why, but all I could tell is that there was an immense force of attraction pulling me to him.

I started tailing him until I found out that he left school everyday in a Rolls Royce. That was when I got a picture of who he really was and I started accepting my feelings for him then, though the papers classified the news as fake but I won't take their words. I knew my mum wouldn't object if I kept him as my friend now because she loved success and wealth and Eric was just the right candidate. The only heir to The fast rising SplashTube group of industries.

The only thing that kept me on the edge of it all is why? Why was he undercover, going to this kind of school? despite being the heir of such an outstanding Conglomerate, competitive with Decagon the grand conglomerate that has invaded the economy of not just the country but the entire world making them the wealthiest. It was rumoured not to have any heir yet. This had me thinking that Decagon has its heir out there undercover too. I just had to keep looking.

***********

I followed Eric up until university. I discovered he changed his name too. He must really be pursuing something. He seemed a little more cheerful, and expressive. He was popular and he instructs in a gym, which was why has a killer body like a perfect sculpture who thought the dweeb had such a body under his funny clothing. I couldn't resist him now. When it comes to him, I would always be conservative and stingy. I made a pact with myself that I would never tell anyone of his Identity else they snatched him from me. Socialite girls are no fun, they are worse than snipers in targeting the elite men.

Eric Did not remember or even know me still, but I thought It would be perfect for us to meet as strangers, consequently, I had to play his game too. I changed my entire style. I had to look normal too. Despite the desperate effort of my mum to make me look like an ideal socialite daughter, so she would sell me off at some point, to one of the wealthy men she knew or slept with. I chose to be ordinary and it worked. Pete and I kicked off our friendship right from the entrance day which would never happen had I followed my mum's words, considering his own undercover little stunt. He avoided so many girls and I didn't see any girl around him either, not until he made friends with Gold. There came the problem.

I could instantly feel the difference between the way he treated me and how he paid attention to her. I knew what it was, that was how my ex treated me at Pete had a huge crush on Gold. But I did not read much into it, until I discovered that he took her home everyday, he never did that for me. Gold was also slow witted and dumb too, when it came to reading people. She had not realize that Pete was literally ticking for her. I decided to use her naivety to my advantage.

I was skeptical if I had pulled off a good act, at our girls sleepover night, Dave was indeed my ex boyfriend who cheated on me with Kara, the daughter of Mr. Park, the owner of Energy Global. Those bastards. I had not told Gold everything, I believed a little twist, tragedy and melancholy won't hurt anyone. The i***t Dave, is still alive and kicking.

He used me as a ladder of upgrade to enter the socialite society and then he called it quits and left me for Kara. He was really in for the connections. That bastard. I bet when he finds another rich girl, he'll dump Kara for the next one too. Which is really the reason I must take a partner from the elite class like myself to avoid meeting another gold digging bastard.

Eric is my best option. If I'd known the heir to the Decagon group, I would surely target him, the man surely knew how to hide. I'll congratulate him if I ever got to meet him.

It was a jackpot for me that Gold bought my story and I was started to get really excited. I started admiring people with dumb brains on social matters.

Not until I saw Eric kissed her and earned a slap. God knows the devil he put in me surfaced that night. How dare she.

I just thought the slap was good for him for kissing the wrong girl anyway.

I thought my storyline had a great effect because I noticed that Gold started tilting towards Kyle. I never liked him much, he was too unrelatable, mysterious and unapproachable and I don't know the thing he has for dark coloured outfits. He was really trying hard to look wealthy with all the fancy stuff. I wished him luck on not getting bankrupt and dropping out of school. He is kinda creepy but I'm glad that he seems to be pulsing for Gold too. If he weren't friends with Eric, I will most definitely not have anything to do with him even though he is clearly hotter than Eric. Such a wanna be.

I was just walking past E3 on the other side of the road when I saw Kyle and Gold walking in. This is truly the best thing that has happened lately and it had been a while I last said a prayer, but that day, I blessed their date and gave them my best wishes. That sly girl, always been sassing on Kyle but secretly had feelings for him? What a fox.

I just wish he'd get Gold faster, especially today. I did not stand around as I was running late to catch up on my mum before she travelled to China. I was supposed to go with her but I rejected because I was deeply afraid things would get out of hand if I left Eric and Gold. I needed to watch them like a hawk.