Men Are Prada Shoes

CHAPTER 11

ALINA

“Any news on him?” I asked the moment Jonah stepped through the door, Vera following closely behind him.

Jonah shook his head tiredly. “We still haven’t found anything, sir. It’s almost like the man disappeared completely.”

A frustrated sigh escaped Vera as she folded her arms across her chest. “I honestly can’t understand why you refuse to let this go,” she muttered. “The woman who was drugged has already moved on, and she even asked you to do the same, yet you’re still obsessing over it.”

“She was under my protection when it happened,” I said through clenched teeth. “If I let the bastard walk away after pulling something like that, people will start believing they can hurt those connected to me without facing consequences.”

Vera let out a scoff. “You cannot be serious right now. That man had no idea she was with you. And besides, she wasn’t under your protection, she was my guest. I was the one who invited her there.”

“She may have been your guest,” I shot back, “but you are still someone I’m responsible for protecting, and_”

“And you are taking this way too far,” Vera snapped, cutting me off. “For God’s sake, anyone listening to you would think you’re in love with the woman or something. And honestly, was she not thinking at all? Why would she accept a drink from a complete stranger and then make everyone else worry over the consequences?”

Jonah cleared his throat awkwardly, clearly trying to shift the atmosphere in the room before the tension between Vera and I escalated any further.

“Your grandfather asked that you go through the guest list for his birthday celebration one last time before it gets approved,” he said carefully as he stretched the file toward me.

I took it from him without a word, flipping it open immediately. Page after page was filled with names of politicians, investors, business partners, socialites, and people who only ever appeared when money or influence was involved.

The old man never hosted simple gatherings. Every event he organized was another opportunity to strengthen alliances, manipulate powerful people, or remind everyone exactly who he was.

“Why are you the one approving his guest list anyway?” Vera asked with visible suspicion. She frowned as she moved closer to glance at the file in my hands. “And more importantly, what exactly is that old man planning this time?”

A humorless smirk tugged at the corner of my lips.

“No good,” I muttered dryly. “That much, I’m absolutely certain of.”

Vera snorted softly under her breath, completely agreeing with me.

I continued scanning through the endless list of names absentmindedly until one particular name immediately caught my attention. The moment I saw it, my expression darkened.

“Alex is representing his father?” I hissed, my eyes snapping toward Jonah. “Who approved that?”

Jonah visibly stiffened under my stare before licking his lips nervously.

“Your grandfather did,” he admitted carefully. “He currently has an important business arrangement with Mr. Wember, so he’s trying to be more cautious about maintaining a good relationship with their family.”

Of course the old man would prioritize business over common sense.

“That wanker is going to cause problems,” I muttered coldly. “I can already feel it.”

Memories of Alex’s behavior flashed briefly through my mind, and none of them were pleasant. The man had a way of walking into a room and making everyone uncomfortable within minutes. Arrogant, reckless, and completely lacking basic decency. Men like him thrived on provoking people simply because they enjoyed watching others react.

“Make sure eyes are on him throughout the entire event,” I ordered Jonah. “I want security watching him the second he steps onto the property until the moment he leaves.”

Jonah nodded immediately. “Yes, sir.”

“That dude honestly shouldn’t be allowed at public gatherings,” Vera muttered with an exaggerated eye roll as she dropped onto the couch nearby. “The one and only time I encountered him at an event, I nearly lost my mind listening to him speak.”

She grimaced at the memory before continuing.

“And it wasn’t just the way he talked about women,” she added with disgust. “It was the way he talked about people in general. Like everyone around him existed beneath him. The entire conversation made my skin crawl.”

My gaze slowly shifted toward Vera.

“Did he say something to you?” Because I swear to God, I won’t hesitate to castrate that fool if he crossed a line with her.

“He wouldn’t dare.”

Before I could say anything else, the sound of her phone chiming interrupted the conversation. She quickly reached into her pocket and glanced at the screen. Almost instantly, her entire expression changed.

A smile spread across her lips.

Not just a small smile either. A full smile. The kind that made her eyes light up with excitement.

My eyes narrowed immediately.

“What’s going on?” I asked suspiciously. “And who exactly is texting you that has you smiling like that?”

Still grinning shamelessly, she slowly lifted her attention from her phone and looked at me.

“I have something to tell you.”

I folded my arms across my chest, leaning back slightly in my chair as I stared at her.

“Obviously,” I drawled. “And judging by that expression on your face, I already know I’m probably not going to like it.”

She licked her lips nervously before suddenly hopping off the sofa and walking toward me.

Jonah, who had remained awkwardly in the room throughout the conversation, immediately gave a respectful bow and quietly excused himself, shutting the door behind him to give us privacy.

The moment the door clicked shut, Vera moved closer and perched herself on the small empty space at the edge of my desk, close enough for me to catch the faint scent of her perfume.

“Promise me you won’t get mad first.”

I stared at her in disbelief.

“The fact that you knowingly did something you thought would piss me off and still went ahead with it anyway is already making me mad,” I replied flatly.

Vera scoffed dramatically before immediately pushing herself off the desk.

“Forget it then,” she muttered, pretending to walk away.

Before she could take more than a step, my hand shot out instinctively, wrapping around her wrist, stopping her in place.

“Vera.”

She paused before slowly turning back to look at me.

“Tell me.”

For a brief second, she simply blinked at me silently, as though trying to decide whether or not she should continue.

I exhaled softly before loosening my grip slightly.

“I won’t get mad,” I said, though even I knew I sounded unconvinced. “I promise.”

Absentmindedly, my thumb began rotating the ring on my index finger.

Vera’s eyes briefly dropped to the movement before returning to my face again.

“You’re lying already,” she said suspiciously.

“I’m trying not to,” I corrected dryly. “Huge difference.”

Reluctantly, Vera lowered herself back onto the edge of the desk, though the nervousness written across her face immediately put me on alert.

For a moment, she kept fidgeting with the sleeve of her blouse, clearly trying to figure out the best way to say whatever was on her mind.

Then she finally blurted it out.

“I’ve been seeing someone.”

The movement of my thumb against the ring on my finger came to an immediate stop.

For a few seconds, I simply stared at her, trying to process what she had just said.

“You’ve been seeing someone?” I repeated slowly. “That’s… honestly shocking.”

Vera rolled her eyes instantly. “What’s so shocking about it?”

“You practically live at work, Vera. Between meetings, deadlines, and constantly trying to prove yourself to everyone around you, when exactly did you even find the time to meet someone, let alone date?”

“I’m twenty-four years old,” she deadpanned, looking almost offended by the question. “Of course I’m going to make time to date.”

Her response made me pause briefly.

Sometimes, I genuinely forget she isn’t a child anymore.

Some part of me still looked at her and saw the stubborn little girl who used to follow me around everywhere, demanding protection from every minor inconvenience. Somewhere along the line, my mind had simply gotten used to treating her like someone who constantly needed to be watched over.

And maybe that was my mistake.

Still, that didn’t stop the uneasiness creeping into my chest.

“This boy,” I muttered with a sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. “Is he someone grandfather would approve of?”

The silence that followed already answered half my question.

“And more importantly,” I added, “is he someone I know?”

“He is not a boy,” Vera corrected immediately, her voice turning defensive at once. “He’s a man.”

I slowly lifted my eyes to glare at her.

“Answer the damn question instead of correcting my choice of words,” I said flatly. “Unless you’re deliberately stalling because you already know I won’t like the answer.”

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before avoiding my gaze completely.

“He’s not someone grandfather would approve of,” she admitted quietly. “And no, he isn’t someone you know.”

Every protective instinct inside me immediately went on high alert.

“And how exactly did you meet this person?” I asked carefully, though my tone had already turned colder.

There was a tiny pause before she answered.

“Online.”

A scoff escaped my lips. “You are clearly not ready to date,” I muttered in irritation.

Pushing my chair backward, I stood up and began gathering my things from the desk, to call it a day.

Beside me, Vera stood abruptly too.

“I love him.”

The words made me freeze for half a second.

Slowly, I turned to look at her again, convinced I must have heard wrong.

“What?”

“I said I love him,” she repeated stubbornly, though I could hear the nervousness beneath her voice.

“You love someone you’ve never even met before?” I asked incredulously. “Vera, do you hear yourself right now?”

Her jaw tightened immediately. “People fall in love online all the time.”

“And people also get kidnapped, manipulated, scammed, blackmailed, and murdered online all the time,” I snapped back instantly. “So forgive me if I’m not jumping with excitement over this ridiculous situation.”

“That’s not fair,” she argued. “You don’t even know him.”

“Exactly,” I shot back coldly. “And neither do you.”

“He is coming back soon,” Vera fired back, clearly irritated by my reaction. “And he’s smart, Vincent. Give him a few days at the company and he’ll pick things up quickly.”

“What company?”

Vera hesitated for half a second before answering. “He lost his job in Canada.”

I stared at her blankly. “And how exactly is that my business?”

Without waiting for an answer, I pulled the office door open and stepped out into the hallway, and as expected, Vera hurried after me in her heels.

“You can create an opening for him at the company once he gets back,” she continued insistently, following closely behind me. “It’s not like you can’t afford to help.”

My steps came to an abrupt halt.

The sudden stop caught her off guard, causing her to bump directly into my back with a soft grunt.

Slowly, I clenched my jaw, then turned around.

“I don’t know who this boy is,” I said coldly, “or whatever fantasy relationship you think you have with him, but do not bring it anywhere near my company.”

Vera opened her mouth to argue, but I cut her off immediately.

“If he needs a job that badly, then he should update his CV and start applying like every other grown adult in the world.”

“Vincent!” she snapped angrily. “You can’t seriously be this mean to your own sister’s boyfriend!”

“You mean the random guy you met online?” I asked mockingly, my face twisting with clear disapproval. “What are you exactly? Five?”

“Don’t insult me.”

“Well then don’t insult your own intelligence,” I shot back. “You seriously expect me to believe this unemployed stranger just magically fell in love with you online? Vera, use your head for once. The man lost his job and suddenly became emotionally attached to a rich girl connected to a billion-dollar company. Does that honestly not sound suspicious to you?”

“That’s not what this is!” she yelled.

“To you maybe,” I replied coldly. “But from where I’m standing, it looks exactly like a desperate man searching for an opportunity.”

“Vincent!” she bellowed furiously, her voice echoing through the hallway. “Do not speak about Jeremy like that! Not everyone is manipulative and controlling the way you are!”

That made me laugh.

“Wow,” I muttered. “Are you seriously insulting me over a man you’ve never even met before?”

“He is not a stranger,” Vera snapped stubbornly. “And honestly, forget our dinner plans tonight. You can eat alone because I’ve completely lost my appetite.”

Before I could respond, she shoved past me aggressively, intentionally slamming her shoulder against mine as she walked toward the elevator.

The elevator doors opened almost immediately.

She stepped inside without looking back.

“Vera.”

She ignored me completely.

Then, with one final glare in my direction, she pressed the close button repeatedly until the elevator doors slid shut between us.

The second she disappeared from sight, I exhaled sharply and dragged a hand down my face in frustration.

Unbelievable.

Absolutely unbelievable.

I am genuinely considering hiring someone to investigate a man simply because my stubborn sister claimed to be in love with him.

And judging by everything I had heard so far, I already didn’t trust Jeremy one bit.