A flashback of memories hit me and I hear myself recalling Brianna's words. I should not ask Rick about this, not now, not ever, I should forget it. That's better, right? I checked the time and realized that I'd missed the photo shoot, but I couldn't care any less. I call Ivy, a very drunk Ivy, and don't ask her to reschedule my photoshoot session for tomorrow because I cut the call after it hit me that she was drunk. I won't let her in on the current situation as she might get worried for no reason. More like not remembering anything and then feeling guilty for drinking.
I get a call from my father, he says, "Ms. Rinaldi, how was the photo shoot? Did Mr. Ahad like your work?" I lie, "It went great. I had a lot of fun and Mr. Ahad seems great." When he asks me whether Rick made it on time or not, I lied again and cover-up by stating that he had come over to pick me up on time, but I was the one who insisted on going alone.
My dad is indifferent to the answer I give. He always behaves like that whenever it's anything related to Rick. I know that he will find out about this sooner or later, but Rick does not deserve our father's wrath as of now. I, then, excuse myself from the call and convince my brother to stay with me for the next week till he finds a place for himself. Yes, he lives with my parents because he does not like living alone but he has promised mom and dad that he will soon move out and find someone to live with. I guess that someone will be me, for a week.
We move him to my house, and I let him take a rest in the guest bedroom. I call Mr. Ahad that night and apologize for not making it for the photoshoot. He was touched by the apology and said that he would reschedule it for tomorrow. I thanked him and mentioned that it would be great if my absence could be kept a secret from my father. He chuckled and said that he would not say a word. Being rich, famous, and influential had its advantages.
It was late and in just ten minutes 'tomorrow' would be here. I wanted to sleep but I needed clarity about tonight's event. I hit up the investigation team, led by Hans Oliver, a twenty-two-year-old man, known for his good looks and his smart brain topped off with a heck lot of arrogance. Oh, and he is my best friend. Or was my best friend. I'm not quite sure about where we stand on his end. Nevertheless, I let him in on all the details that I had learned from my brother and asked him to keep it a top secret from my father. He agreed. I went to bed, but I couldn't sleep a wink.
The next day, 6 a.m.
"Wake up! Wake up!" Still, in bed, I saw Ivy standing in front of me wearing a little black dress but the formal kind. I said, in my sleepy tone, "I don't like it when people disrespect my boundaries like that." She bowed down and left. I don't even want to read that gesture. I showered, put on my sweats, and went to check up on Rick. I tell Ivy about the whole matter whilst she sat next to him. He was half asleep. After that, I left for my morning jog. I usually go to the local garden, which is sparsely populated but today, I decided to take a detour and head towards the main park located right in the center of the city.
I made sure to call my bodyguards to stand low as I jog around the place. I hadn't visited the park in forever. I was picking up on my pace and my focus was set on a goal. Ten rounds in forty minutes, then take a shower, head to the photo shoot, go over my day's schedule and meet Hans for discussion. I started jogging.
I was on round six, almost done with it, just four more. I looked down for a split second and realized that my shoelaces were untied, so I moved to the side of the track and tied it up. Tighter than before. As I looked up, I saw her, Brianna, a few meters away from me, the fountain standing tall in between us. She was cycling with a man who looked a lot older than her. I pulled out my phone and zoomed in on them while pretending to take a selfie. Wow, I am a creep.
His blue eyes made him look like he was at least thirty years old. They were giggling. He was wearing a mask and a hoodie so I couldn't make out the rest of his face. They ate candy floss together, but she looked hesitant in every move. With every passing second, her expression grew increasingly uncomfortable as he spoke to her. I couldn't help but imagine the worst. What if he is a child predator? She is only sixteen. I need to help her.
I aimlessly ran towards them, crashed into a man, and dropped my phone. The man was Hans. He stopped me from running and asked me what I was doing. My eyes still focused on Bee, I fumbled for words and ended up saying, "She looks uncomfortable and needs my help." He pretended to be deaf. I pushed him aside and ran toward her. The man was leading her elsewhere. I needed to run faster. I should help her.
They went into an empty street, and I was just a few footsteps behind them when I said, "Freeze!" None of them looked back. I continued, "Hi Brianna! Remember you said that you would go out for brunch with me?" I tried to stir up a fake scenario to get her out of the situation. They turned towards me. I added, "Who is the guy you are with? A friend? Nevertheless, let's get going, we don't want to miss our reservations, right?"
The man ran away from there after his eyes widened upon the sight of me, but my bodyguards caught him and brought him back to me. Brianna came up to me, with tears filled in her eyes. She said, "Let him go." I think I misheard that. She repeated herself twice before I asked the guards to let him go. His cold blue eyes pierced my soul, and I shot him an angry look before he left. I asked her about him, but she told me that it was none of my business and that I needed to leave her alone.
She emphasized, "Please, let me be. That man was my brother, do you have to interfere with every step in my life?" I am stuck with her words again. I apologize as she runs away from me. I should stop jumping to conclusions, that is something that I want to work on, but my skill of overthinking only adds to it and makes sure that I assume things even before they are created in my reality. The man's eyes. I've seen those before, but where? I hear Hans catch his breath as he catches up to me. He says, "You're going to want to hear this."
So, we drove back to my mansion and sat in a room. Alongside the dome-like structure, the wooden flooring and potted plants in the discussion room always put me at ease. Rick had seated himself next to us, his nurse right next to him, feeding him hot soup. Hans connected his phone to the TV, and we listened.
The reporter on the TV screen
"Good afternoon, everyone, we are back with our daily dose of heat, and today, we hear that Blaze is making his way up to the top to beat NYX after about two years of tough competition. His new album has set flames in the market and the buyers are being relentless with the purchase of his merch as well as the albums. Also, it is being said that he is going to tie the knot with an incredibly special someone very soon. His fans seem extremely excited to welcome his bride-to-be and his fanbase seems to be growing at an ever-increasing rate. Curiosity is burning everyone. So, we have decided to set an interview with him in the coming month where he will be revealing who this lucky girl is! Keep watching our channel to find out more."
Rick's mouth was wide open. Hans had his usual poker face on. The nurse gladly poured the soup into my brother's very widely open mouth. But me? I was going to throw the remote and break the TV screen. I said, "He. Cannot. Beat. Me. At. My. Game. I am the only winner." Hans said, "This is not about you, this is a lead for us to track down who shot your brother last night." I didn't speak, he continued, "According to my research last night, there were two men and two women roaming around the alley. Two of them were Blaze's bodyguards. One of them was Blaze. And the other is unrecognized." I didn't hear anything after that. If Blaze is after my brother's life, he will get himself into a mess that will burn him alive. Nevertheless, it was expected. I mean, it was not the first time that he had betrayed me. But I don't want to think about that right now.
The music on the TV screen brought me back to the present. Rick said, "I cannot believe that he would do something like this!" He clenched his fists and his jaw seemed tight. Hans said, "He has all the reasons to. If he sets Mr. Rinaldi's company on fire, then NYX's investment will be lower, hence, producing a lower output. If Rick died, then, Cynthia would be devastated and the major concert set about a week from now, would've never happened. Thus, concluded." What Hans said made perfect sense, but something was not adding up.
I did feel like there was something deeper to this. I mean, Hans might be smart, but, solving a case in just a few hours, the CCTV cameras revealing their faces so easily, all these points seem fishy. Hans cannot see beyond his ego, but I can. He might be proud of solving the case, but I am not satisfied. So, I don't want to take any action as of now. Not until it is confirmed on my end.
I sure do jump to conclusions very quickly, but, I want to take my time with this case because it is a matter of life and death. Punishing someone innocent will only do more harm and add up to creating the villain. Besides, I keep these words in my mind. 'Don't always believe what you hear or see. Things might not always be as they seem.'
Our father casually walks in with Ivy. My large, high-ceilinged room became cramped with his unforeseen entrance. He seats himself on my beige and black striped sofa in the living room and lights a cigar. Ivy brings an ashtray and places it on the tiny stool next to him. The room was dead silent after Hans turned off the television screen. Father let out a soft sigh before saying, "My dearest son, Derick Rinaldi, you've gotten yourself into trouble yet again." His tone was angry as expected, "I feel nothing but disappointment when I look at you."
Rick's eyes were glued to the floor. Since this was not the first time that Rick had been shot because of his actions, the judgment was not off the mark but it still hurt me to see how insensitive our father was to the situation. Father continued, "Until we don't have solid proof that the man is Blaze-" Hans cut in with, "Sir, with all due respect, I have never been wrong-" Father shushed him and said, "We will not be taking any actions. If we take this matter to court, the fingers will point toward Derick because of his eccentric behavior and reckless attitude which he has profiled for the past years. Besides, we don't want any trouble with the Shaw family, not after we have established a peace treaty. So, hold your horses and get them back to the stables. We will pretend as though nothing ever happened and move on. Cynthia you've to get back to work, this has wasted enough of your time. Besides, we have got a lot of things to risk if we bring this case to the eye of the public. Call me a bad father but this is karma for Derick's actions. I will be digging deeper into the case on my own, with my secret team. Is that clear?"
I knew that there was no point in arguing with him, so I nodded. He walked out haughtily. Ivy stayed back whereas Hans left with our father trying to convince him otherwise, which he would soon realize is pointless. Ivy wore her emotions on her sleeve, she appeared upset. She gave Rick a shoulder to lean on and I smiled feebly at the sight.
I grabbed my bag, took a cold shower, changed my clothes, and left. I was an hour late to the photoshoot but Mr. Ahad, being his kind self, did not question me and started with the work. As the lights turned on, I gave my brightest smile and tilted my chin up for the first pose, the second was a more seductive look and in the third, I was badass.
Mr. Ahad was impressed. I don't think that he would've allowed anyone else to continue with the shots for postponing them due to personal reasons and then, delaying them as well, but since I was NYX, he made an exception and this shows the kind of influence and power that I hold in my industry, rather the power that my brand name holds. Sheesh. I finished up and thanked Mr. Ahad again. He let me know that the shots would be featured in his magazine about two weeks from now.
I was starving since I hadn't eaten from last night, so I stopped by a local cafe before heading to the next task, it was called 'Tout Sourire'. It has been my favorite for the past two years unlike the worthless expensive restaurant, called 'The One', standing tall next to it and overshadowing it since the first day that I saw it. I ordered a Dame blanche alongside spinach corn sandwiches.
While waiting for my food, I called Rick to check in on him and he was putting up a strong tone, but I knew him better than he knew himself, he was not at his best. After the call, I started with my meal. Hydrating is important, so first up, water. I was seated in a fragrant and shadowy corner of the room to avoid drawing attention. While sipping on water, I saw a man with platinum-colored hair, and ice-cold blue eyes, his posture was distinguishable, and he had firm muscles outlined by his tight white full-sleeved formal shirt. It was him. Blaze Shaw.