I'm trying to convince my heart by making such excuses. Hah! And to distract myself from thinking further, I watched the numbers change as the elevator went up.
Krishna probably returned to her suite, but it made me worried because George was tailing her.
I am figuring out what he is planning to do. He wouldn't follow Krishna if he had nothing on his mind, and whatever he came up with, I'm afraid it would harm them both.
George cares about Stella so much that he is ready to do everything for her. So, I understand why he keeps causing trouble for Krishna.
"Do nothing stupid, George!" Thinking he would do something out of impulse because of his resentment, I ran toward an empty elevator next to the elevator my brother and Krishna ride on.
I remember when George and Stella were in college, and I was in High School by then.
Stella was friendly to everyone; however, people only took her kindness for granted. One day, someone plans to slander her, and as a result, they severely hurt Stella, and George comes to the rescue because Florian doesn't care about his future wife.
In that incident, George almost killed those who harmed Stella. With what happened, the family immediately covered the incident before the media heard about it and feasted on the story.
If it weren't for Graham and Baldwin's power and influence, the matter was not simply to hide. Even though it was the other party's fault, George was accountable for such a crime.
But of course, the two families cared for their image and reputation—typical of the Aristocrats.
"Come on!" I cheered as the elevator went up.
I stepped out hurriedly when I arrived on my floor, the same as Krishna's.
"Who are you!"
I was trailing down the hallway when I heard someone screaming. When I took a right turn, I saw two men filming and taking photos of George and Krishna.
George was in a fury. Good thing that Krishna opened the door sooner. But I hate seeing my brother push her into the suite as he did in the elevator.
Seeing the scene, I pulled out my phone from my tuxedo's inner pocket and dialed a particular number.
"Dillion, come to my suite. The paparazzi got to our floor and found George. Hurry, or you might lose your job! Bring the bodyguards!"
I have to be harsh to our men and employees, or they will suffer even more if George deals with them.
After I phoned Dillion, I dialed George's number next to check on him.
"Rowan?"
It took five rings before George answered his phone, so I wondered what had happened to him and Krishna.
Knowing my elder brother, he has a terrible temper once a person does wrong to him and our family. That's how overprotective he is, actually.
The only thing he hates about our elders is the arranged marriage they plan for him—the reason he leaves Graham Chateau and builds his empire.
"Where are you, George? Why did you leave the dining hall? The party had already begun." Even though I know where George is, I would not dare expose him to avoid any consequences on me.
Dealing with George is two things. He might appreciate what you do for him, or it would displease him entirely if someone is being too nosy in his private affairs, especially the private life he doesn't have because his love is unrequited.
And even though he knew Stella would not notice his feelings, or maybe she just pretended she saw none of George's affection. She must be doing that, so he would not hope she would return his feelings.
Even so, George never gives attention to another woman. Up until now, he never had a girlfriend. He was too devoted to Stella, who was blindly in love with someone else, even though that man never returned her feelings.
Indeed. It is a complicated relationship between three people. The five of us would be in a crazy love situation if my feelings for Krishna grew.
Thus, I am worried that a special feeling sprouted in my chest.
George is in love with Stella, who is crazy about Florian, but he only cares about Krishna, and she would not notice another guy like me because she loves someone else.
I will walk the same path as my cousins if I do not stop right here. Two women love Florian, but he only loves one of them. Although Florian only loved Krishna and did not love Stella, George loved her.
Then? Who is going to love me?
I will be the defeated one among us. So I must kill this feeling before it roots inside my heart. If anything happens, it will be difficult for me to cut it like Stella—her love wasn't only embedded, but it also bore fruit.
That's right. Florian and Stella have a daughter. It is why Florian could not divorce Stella that easily, anytime he wished to.
Instead, he was pressured to bear a son; although it was unnecessary to determine who was the eldest, the elders wanted to produce more men in the family.
The direct descendants of the Graham are only a few, and the family wanted to spread its offspring. So, a possibility is that one day, the elders will accept Krishna just for the sake of more men in the family once she bears a son.
Florian, George, and I are the last direct Graham descendants. Even though I am only adopted, my grandfather is still a Graham, even though he is an illegitimate son.
Still, he was from the original root. However, he only has two daughters, one of whom is my mother. It's a pity the reason the elders did not give importance to us.
Gratefully, George's parents were different. The couple are wonderful people.
They adopted me and took care of me. They gave me the Graham name, and the amount of love and affection I received was equal to George's. I am blessed to be part of their family. Whether it comes to their bloodlines, immediate or not, they were not biased.
It is why I will do everything for this family. I want them to be proud of me. So I must forget I was in love at first sight with Krishna because of the possibility that she would be accepted into the family soon.
"Rowan, are you still there?"
"Ah, yes! I'm in the elevator… Coming out now." I hurried to the elevator and pressed the button to pretend I had emerged from the inside. "Did you return to the suite?"
"No, I hide somewhere," George answered on the other line. He then went on. "Rowan, listen to me... Please deal with the paparazzi. Take their cameras, cellphones, and laptops. Ask Dillion to investigate their background and report it to me immediately!"
"Copy. I'll hang up now." After the call ended, I heaved a long sigh.
I knew that this was the task George would give me. Thus, I have prepared everything already.
While I connected a call to George, I sent Dillion a text message ordering our men to check the surveillance footage on this floor and investigate those men.
Since they can enter the hotel despite the tight security and locate George quickly, someone as powerful as us is behind them.
~
KRISHNA'S POV
"When will this guy leave? How bossy!" I peeped at the door and found that Mr. Crazy George was still in my hotel suite, leisurely lounging on the sofa while drinking wine.
The sight of the guy caused my blood to boil. I closed the door and locked it again.
Pacing back and forth, I am trying to connect a call to speak with my best friend. However, Camilla's phone was off to no avail, and I am sure she intentionally did that to avoid me.
Camilla frustrates me. So my only solution to reach her is through Florian. But Mr. Crazy George is guarding me.
"I need to get rid of him soon!"
~
Meanwhile, outside…
Jim panicked when Krishna disappeared from her table. After he queried the Thompson older couple, they told him Krishna had gone to the powder room. But when he sent someone to check her out, the staff didn't find her after searching for her in every powder room on that floor.
Thus, Jim asked the Security Team to review the CCTV to check where Krishna went. He learned she had returned to her suite. And since they assigned him to care for her, he was responsible for ensuring she was well-served and safe.
Jim pressed the doorbell and was shocked that a man opened the door to Krishna's hotel suite.
"Mr. Graham? What are you doing here, sir?"