To her surprise, the man before her was the most handsome she had ever seen. His captivating green eyes mesmerized her, framed by long, beautiful lashes.
Some of his jet-black hair fell to the side of his face, accentuating his features. His jawline was perfectly chiseled, and his lips had a soft pink tint.
"Quit drooling, you dumb imbecile," the man snapped.
Alana instantly snapped out of whatever daze she was in. Did he just call her dumb? She could not even bring herself to think the word.
"You do not have to be so rude. I already apologized, and if you were not blind and probably stupid, this would not have happened," she glared back at the arrogant man.
She saw his jaw flex, showing the anger within him. He moved closer, leaning down to her level, his face inches from hers, eyes cold like they could cut through ice.
"Watch how you speak to me."
"Or else what?" Alana retorted, not backing away despite how intimidating he was at the moment.
"Alana?" another male voice called from behind the man.
Surprise flickered across Alana's face as she turned toward the source of the voice; it was Ryan, her cousin.
His own surprise matched hers, clearly not expecting to see her in such a situation.
She glanced between Ryan and Roman, her mind racing with relief and confusion.
'What a jerk. Was he crazy or something,' she thought.
Before she could think further, Ryan grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the cafe.
The atmosphere inside remained tense as onlookers kept their eyes on Roman.
Roman finally glanced around the cafe, only to find every eye locked on him.
"Fuck," he muttered before exiting the shop.
This incident would definitely reach his grandfather's ears.
He entered his car parked outside, and his driver immediately started the engine.
"Where to next, sir?" the driver asked.
"My penthouse," Roman responded.
He leaned back and shut his eyes.
Why was his luck so terrible? And that girl. All of this was her fault, and she still had the audacity to insult him without fear.
Forget the fact that she was his friend's cousin. No one spoke to him like that.
*****
"You have to pick a date between tomorrow and the day after, Rome," Ryan insisted as he scrolled through his phone.
"I already arranged a girl for you. She's blonde, just the way you like them." He winked at Roman, who simply gave him an uninterested look before facing his laptop screen.
Ryan had been trying to persuade Roman to hit the club with him since he got to his office, but his efforts had been completely fruitless so far as Roman was not showing any interest.
"You said that the last time and the time before that," Ryan said, slightly annoyed. "You're paranoid, Roman, and you need to clear your head. Getting laid is the only way to do that."
"I'm not paranoid," Roman replied, still typing away on his laptop without sparing Ryan a glance.
"You totally went out on my cousin yesterday. What would you call that?" Ryan said, reminding him of that incident.
Roman stopped typing for a moment before glancing at Ryan.
"Yesterday was different." He sighed.
He had never acted the way he did yesterday; the timing had just been all wrong. He was already pissed at his grandfather for setting him up for marriage without his consent, and he ended up taking out his anger on her.
Roman frowned, but the girl still had the nerves to call him stupid.
'How brave of her,' he thought to himself.
"Don't space out on me, Rome," Ryan called, noticing that he had been staring into space for some time without paying attention to what he was saying.
"If you have nothing important to say, can you leave my office? I'm trying to work here," Roman said calmly.
Ryan was about to respond when Roman's secretary barged into the office, her face filled with terror. Roman's gaze immediately shifted to the secretary, and a small frown formed between his brows.
"What happened?" he asked calmly, despite his growing concern.
The woman hurriedly approached his desk, her hands trembling as she held out her phone. "You need to see this. It's terrible, sir," she said, her voice quivering.
Roman took the phone from her, his eyes scanning the screen. His expression quickly morphed from concern to anger as he read the headline displayed on the phone:
'Billionaire Heir Roman Ashford Accused of Intimidating Young Woman in Public'
His jaw clenched tightly as he read through the content of the story to a certain part.
He was well aware of the consequences such an incident could have on his reputation and the reputation of his company.
"What happened?" Ryan inquired, curious to know what had completely ruined his friend's mood.
"Who's behind this?" Roman seethed, his voice laced with fury.
He forcefully handed the phone back to the secretary, his eyes blazing with anger.
"Find out who is responsible for this defamation immediately. I want their names, and I want every detail on how this story came to be," Roman ordered.
The secretary nodded and left the room, her own fear mingling with a sense of urgency. She understood the gravity of the situation and knew that tarnishing Roman's name could have far-reaching consequences for the company's success and reputation.
"This is serious, Rome," Ryan commented as he scrolled through the content Roman had just read. "They blew the whole thing out of proportion. They even wrote that you assaulted her."
Roman's jaw clenched even tighter. To think that they had not just exaggerated the incident yesterday but still went as far as connecting it to what happened eight months ago.
"Let's go grab a drink," Roman said abruptly, catching Ryan off guard.
He picked up his car keys and swiftly made his way out of the office without waiting for Ryan's response.
As Roman stepped into the hallway, his presence seemed to radiate a dangerous aura that sent shivers down the spines of those who passed by.
Reaching the private elevator, Roman pressed the button. The doors swiftly opened, and he stepped inside.
"F*ck," he muttered as the elevator descended.
****
Alana
'Gring, Gring, Gring!'
Alana rolled and reached out her hand toward the alarm clock, successfully silencing its persistent ringing. With her eyes still closed, she lingered in the same lying position for a few more seconds before finally getting out of bed.
Setting alarms was not a regular occurrence for her, but last night had been an exception.
Alana glanced up at the clock, its display indicating that it was just five minutes to eight. She had managed to wake up in time, ensuring she had sufficient time before her ten o'clock class. She immediately went to freshen up and get ready.
In no time, she was already sitting on the swing outside, waiting for Mr Brandon to drop her off at school. While waiting, she decided to pass the time by playing some games. After all, time was on her side.
Not long into her game, she felt the presence of someone approaching her. She looked up to see Ryan heading toward her, wearing simple shorts and a short-sleeved shirt with a few buttons undone, exposing his toned chest.
Alana quickly diverted her eyes back to her phone. Her thoughts immediately drifted to how distant Ryan had become since she arrived at the house. He hadn't talked to her since after that incident at the cafe.
She remembered their childhood, recalling the times they used to play together and how close they once were.
They were even mistaken as twins on many occasions because of their resemblance. They both had coffee-brown hair and brown eyes. There was a huge contrast between those cherished memories and now.
Well, she couldn't blame him, people change with time.
"Hey."
Alana raised her eyes from her phone and met Ryan's face, who was already standing in front of her, nervously tousling his disheveled hair.
She could tell he wanted to ask her for a favor. Ryan had a habit of scratching his hair when he needed to ask something difficult, a habit he had since they were kids.
"What time are you supposed to leave?" Ryan nervously asked.
"By nine-thirty. Why are you asking?" Alana asked casually, despite the strong smell of alcohol from him. Sometimes she hated having such a sensitive nose.
"I was wondering if you could deliver something to a friend of mine for me," Ryan politely requested.
"Why don't you just deliver it yourself or send Mr Brandon or any other worker?" Alana asked.
"Brandon is currently running an errand for me, and I don't trust anyone else with this particular task," Ryan replied.
"Then why not do it yourself?" Alana asked again.
"It's not a good idea for me to drive. I'm still feeling the effects from last night," Ryan admitted.
Alana's eyes narrowed. Ryan didn't look drunk to her. He still smelled of alcohol and a woman's perfume, but he didn't appear intoxicated.
"You can drive my car for the whole week if you do this for me," Ryan offered, desperate to persuade her.
"Fine. I accept," Alana finally agreed. There was no way she was saying no to an amazing offer like that.
Ryan smiled. "Great. Come with me," he said and started walking back to the house, with Alana trailing behind him.
The smile instantly faded from his face the moment he turned around. He knew he was sending his cousin to the last place she would want to be, all because of a stupid bet he made the night before while drunk.
He glanced at her over his shoulder, feeling guilty for what he was about to do.