Steve cursed, wailed, tapped his laptop, shook it and tried restarting it again. But it was dead, his opponent had released a virus as a counter-attack and now his laptop was gone like all the other times. This was the fifth time and it was getting on his nerves. The person was strong, he had to give credit.
"Still not able to crack it?" A voice spoke beside him, startling him. He was almost scared to death. He patted his heart to calm himself.
"Is it necessary to sneak up on me? You scared me." He complained, narrowing his eyes.
"How am I at fault if you get scared due to any slightest noise? Scaredy cat."
"I am not a scaredy-cat."
"Yes, and I am not Adrian." He walked away from Steve, not waiting for him.
"Hey, wait for me." Steve dropped his laptop on the desk and ran behind him. But Adrian did not slow down, instead he walked faster. It took some time for Steve to match his steps.
"Where are we going?"
"Don't know."
"What?"
Adrian was silent. He left his office, he had bought the building the moment he had arrived in the city. It was perfect for his work, though he preferred something he personally supervised. He would make do with this office until the new one got constructed.
The building was devoid of any employees. He was yet to hire them. Though he had a lot of people working for him in his other branches, he wanted new and fresh talent for his new branch. They would be trained and supervised by the senior-most staff who had already retired from work.
"Could you please be more loquacious? I am tired of your one-word answers."
"Hmm."
"Again. See this is what I am talking about."
"Get in."
"What?" Steve was confused.
"Get in the car," Adrian stressed. He was getting impatient due to Steve's stupidity.
"I am not getting in until you tell me where we are going." Steve stomped his foot and folded his hands like an overly pampered princess.
Adrian rolled his eyes. 'Why was this fellow behaving like a possessive wife asking for each and every detail from her husband?'
"Okay. Suit yourself."
He sat on the driver's seat and started the car. He turned to look at the man outside the car one last time. Not getting a response from him, Adrian started driving. Steve's eyes went wide when he realized his friend was actually abandoning him. It was not what he had expected. He started to run behind the car.
"Hey," He shouted. His friend did not stop the car, yet he did not stop running. Adrian saw Steve sprinting at full speed to catch up with his slow driving. After a few seconds, he stopped the car to allow him to get in.
Steve slipped in immediately lest his friend should leave him stranded. He picked up the bottle of water and took a mouthful. He huffed wiping his sweat.
"You are so mean." He grumbled. He was annoyed that his friend had even thought of leaving without him.
"Thank you."
"That was not a compliment."
"It was, to me."
"Will it hurt your tongue if you talk more?"
"No."
"Then why don't you?"
"Not interested."
"Ugh." Steve pulled his hair in irritation. First, it was the ELAN guy who had reverse hacked his laptop and now this great man. He felt that the two of them had taken a contract to infuriate him to death. He sat silently. He did not want to be kicked out of the car.
Adrian looked at his assistant sitting silently and his lips raised at the corners. It was fun to tease him. He gave out vivid expressions that were very entertaining in his eyes. In his lonely world, Steve was his only companion.
After driving for around twenty minutes, Adrian pulled over in front of a sleek, tall building. It looked magnificent and the building alone was enough to attract a lot of bystanders. There were many people going in and out of the building.
"What are we doing in Parker Enterprise?" Steve questioned staring at the building in front of him.
"We have a meeting with the Vice-President," Adrian answered getting off the car. Steve followed suit.
"When did this happen?" Steve asked in wonder. He did not know when his friend had managed to fix an appointment with the Vice President. He was the one who fixed Adrian's schedules and meetings.
"When you were playing on your laptop."
"I was not playing. I was improving my skills."
"Right."
"How did this happen?"
"The Vice President called me to meet him immediately when you were busy and I just happened to have time."
"You could have told me back then," Steve argued unable to believe his weird friend. Adrian shrugged not giving him any reply.
They approached the reception and Steve took over, the assistant in him coming forward.
"Excuse me, Miss." He tapped at the desk. The lady who was busy in her work looked up to see two handsome men in front of her. She gave them a smile.
"I am sorry. I didn't see you, Sir. How may I help you?" She asked, her tone calm and composed. Though she was nervous and her heart was fluttering looking at the two men, she appeared to be collected.
"We have an appointment with the Vice President," Stave answered returning her smile. He noticed that she did not fawn over his friend like the way other ladies did. It impressed him. At least people here were not headless chickens.
"May I know your name, Sir?"
"Adrian Cyrus King."
Steve realized that not many people knew about Adrian in the city as they had just moved. Though the tabloids had made sure to cover him, his face had appeared to be a blur. Not many people were able to recognize that it was him.
Hearing Adrian's name, the receptionist was stunned. She did not expect that the man before her was actually Adrian, the Adrian. She stared at him for some time while Steve was confused with her behavior. Her eyes were fixed on his face, making it awkward for him. He did not know why she had spaced out.
"Excuse me, Miss." He waved in front of her to get her attention.
"Yes? Sorry." She snapped back.
"Wait a minute Mr. King." She said and picked up the phone.
Steve then realized what was happening. She had misunderstood him to be Adrian. He turned to look at his friend who was busy on his phone. He had not heard anything that had happened. The receptionist spoke on the phone for a few minutes before she stepped out.
"Mr. King, this way please." She gestured with her hands and walked in the front. Steve did not bother to correct. That woman was the one who had misunderstood.
She took them to the Vice President's cabin and knocked at the door before entering in.
"Sir, Mr. King is here." She announced and left the room immediately.
"Mr. King, welcome." He stepped forward and held his hand in front of Adrian.
'At least this man knows who the real Ade is.' Steve thought. He took a thorough look at him. The man was tall but not as tall as him. He had black hair which was grey at the sides. He looked to be somewhere around forty-five to fifty. He had a slightly protruded belly, which he had hidden behind a loose fitted shirt. Though he looked innocent, his eyes held malice in them. It looked as though he was ready to do any bad deed when provoked.
Steve immediately became suspicious of him. He was unsure as to why Adrian had come to meet him.
"Hello, Mr. Patrick. This is my friend Steve Warren." Adrian greeted him.
"Hello, Mr. Warren. Welcome. Please take your seats."
"Yes, Mr. King. What can I do for you?"
Adrian raised his eyebrows. It was him who had called for a meeting and now he was asking what he wanted of him. This was a little intriguing.
"That is an answer you are supposed to be giving me." He stated calmly.
"Well, I know why you have come to the city." He stood up from his eat calmly, his gaze fixed on Adrian.
"That's great," Adrian replied while Steve remained silent.
"And now, I want you to return to where you came from."
"Why?" Steve blurted out without thinking. Patrick gave him a small smile before turning to look at Adrian.
"Let's just say for your own safety."
"And why will I be in danger?" Adrian asked calmly. He was unaffected by the man in front of him. However, the man beside him was in a completely different state. He was unable to keep up with them and was overly confused.
"For doing things you are not supposed to do."
"Okay. And who is one being a threat to me?"
The man did not reply but Adrian had got his answer.