~~Daniil's POV~~
"Hey boss, what's good?" Jason greeted as I hopped in the backseat of the car.
"I'm cool," I replied plainly then went on to take out my iPad from my bag. I took out my Air pods and stuffed my ears.
I logged into an online store to search for women's apparel for corporate dates. Bearing in mind nothing specific, I just surfed for anything exquisite. But my search was anything but fruitful, almost infuriating, as I was having a hard time coming up with something reasonable. My IQ score was exceptional; I excelled in anything and everything with little or no effort. Ironically though, whenever I tried to put in effort, it didn't always go as planned. I despised having to worry about anything, and my indecisiveness right now was pissing me off.
Peeved, I forced the Air pods out and tossed the pad aside.
"Jason?" I called.
He toned down the music. "Yes, boss."
"I need you to prepare black-and-red-themed matching corporate outfits for a dinner date." Jason was a King of fashion and girls. I had no interest whatsoever in any of these so shoving the responsibility to him was easier.
"Date? For date night?"
I nodded.
"Did Ashley accept?!!" he exclaimed nonplussed, alternating between my view through the wing mirror and the path ahead of him.
I remained silent for a while. "And if I say she did?"
"Fuck, no!" He slammed his hand against the steering wheel.
I huffed with a slight smile, amused. "I haven't even asked her yet," I finally disclosed.
"Huh?" He scoffed. "And you're already making arrangements for couple fits?"
"Ashley is already my date, Jason. Just do as you're told."
"Sure. I can't wait to see how you shred the clothes to rags when she turns your ass down."
"Instead of thinking about any of that, I suggest you get to keeping my 50,000 ready because I'm so ripping your ass off when I win this bet."
"Tell me about it. I should be the one saying that."
"Why're you so obsessed with this girl by the way?" he spoke up again after a moment's tranquil.
"I thought I told you already."
"That cannot be all. You can't be going to such lengths to feed your ego. It looks to me like you've fallen hopelessly in love."
"As if." I scoffed. If he understood me better, he'd know I could go to even greater lengths for the same course.
"By the way, I thought you said she has a boyfriend."
It was Carson and he didn't know that yet. All the more reason I wanted to harbor his spy. That'd leave him gnashing his teeth like never before. I gave off a dark, yet brief smile. "I couldn't care less. Whatever Daniil desires, he gets." My impassive conclusion introduced a fresh wave of silence.
"And again," I spoke up abruptly like something just crossed my mind. "Do well to tell Knox he'll be coming along with us for date night." Picking my tab again, I instinctively waited for any form of response but there was none even after several seconds. I raised my eyes from beneath the crinkles between my brows to him. He was gaping. "What's up?"
"You were serious about that?"
"The fuck do you mean? You haven't called him yet?"
"No, I haven't. I was giving you time to rethink."
'For fuck's sake, Jason!' I hated delays and right now I really wanted to make Carson pay heavily for taking me for a fool. I was going to make him pay in the most excruciating way possible and yet, the so-called guy wasn't given the job yet.
I took a deep breath; my pent-up provocation was squirming its way to the surface already. "What exactly?"
"Boss. I know you like to play it rough but this one is going a little overboard. Letting a detective onto our forte? It's like letting a spy from an opposing team break through our defense. No matter how much you wish to engage them, this is a little too much."
I sucked in air deeply again. Defiance was an unforgivable sin in my books and Jason had no right to lecture me. "Jason?" I called with compelled calm.
"Yes, boss." His response was deferred.
"Call Anthony Gregor in and make him accompany us for Date night," I ordered grimly.
His gaping eyes holding loosely onto mine – appearing ghastly in contrast – eventually conceded, darting away. He understood I was being serious right now and would not condone any more opposition. We were close, yeah, but he also knew better than to chatter his differing opinions in my face like this. If he was going to talk about it, it had to be next time or never.
"I'll put a call across to him immediately."
A weird tranquility engulfed the air around us following his last sentence behind. My word was law; a law he wasn't above. The fact that I listened to him oftentimes didn't imply I sold my right to make decisions for myself to him. Moreover, I loathed getting advice from people I considered below my level. Thinking I may be wrong to reject the other's counsel was a hard pill to swallow. Just like everyone else under my wing, he had to bend when necessary, else get in my way.
****
Archer was only being Archer, studying meticulously in the library when there were no lectures. However full concentration proved to be tasking since Ashley had refused to speak to him, and he had yet to confront Hana. He hurled up his curiosity for now and just engaged his brain with difficult topics in his textbook. They were having a test soon and Archer would rather crawl than watch his grades drop.
He heaved a sigh, dropped his pen, and rubbed both eyes when the incessant buzz from his phone on the table further hampered his will to focus. 'What the hell?'
Grudgingly, he picked up the phone intending to switch it off for good when…
Automatically, the phone screen lit up in response to his touch. Within the headline he had almost no interest in was the name, 'Ashley.' Swiftly, he clicked on it. It was a video uploaded on the school's gossip blog, and of course, he repeated the action.
His lifeless eyes gained ounces of strength with every passing second of the video that was playing. In no time he was shooting daggers at the screen and clasping the phone to the point that it could shatter if it wasn't as durable. Clearly, he was furious now.
Abandoning the table as it was, he jumped on his feet and dashed out of the library.
In the video, Ashley was groveling and writhing in pain amidst people apparently since there were background chatters in the video, and yet no one even thought to help her up. Now the pieces were all in place. Although he didn't fully understand what caused her immense pain, after listening to her and Daniil speak yesterday, he knew pretty well who needed an earful right now. With that being said, to Hana he strode furiously.
Storming into the class, his eyes roved eagerly in search of Hana even though they knew just where to find her. He spotted her and took advancing steps in her direction.
"Hana what the heck is this madness?!" He yelled, hurling the phone to her.
Hana sprung up, carefully picking the phone that landed on her skirt. She didn't even need to watch to know what the fuss was about considering how fast she put it down after holding it up.
"Archer…" she spoke calmly.
"Don't Archer me! What the actual fuck is that?!!"
"I didn't see myself anywhere in the video. Why do you assume it has something to do with me?!" Now she was gonna play dirty, huh?
"Don't give me that crap!" he waved off. "I know damn too well you're behind this video and I need you to start taking. Now!" If eyes could kill, Hana wouldn't live to draw in another breath. The flames in his eyes could burn! He couldn't give two fucks about the people moping, watching, gawking, gaping, or whatever. All he needed right here and now was an explanation only Hana could give him.
Her eyes wandered, and indeed they were already drawing attention. The main antagonist – Sakura – in this drama was nowhere to be found and she had to bear the grunt. She almost crumbled beneath his fury when she suddenly remembered the other card up her sleeve.
"You're screaming at your girlfriend because of Ashley? Who's your girlfriend between the two of us? Me or her?!" she snapped, unwilling to be left at the receiving end.
All Archer had to do to make her cower was take two steps forward. She had never seen him this livid and now it was crystal clear her brattiness would not bail her out of this one.
"What…the fuck…happened?" he mumbled barely audibly, sending shivers down her spine as his hot breath grazed her face. The way he clenched his fists showed how much he was teetering on the edge.
"Archer I…" the respectful tone was back, probably figuring it would be lethal if she didn't tread with caution. "Listen I…"
Before she could finish, a hand from nowhere pulled Archer by his shoulder back, and the next thing that happened drove Hana's hands to facepalm herself in utter shock.
Archer was slapped. Hard.
"Who the fuck do you think you are to raise your voice at my sister? Do you know who she is??!!" Sakura fumed.
Archer stared silently at Sakura with clenched teeth for a while before veering to Hana. But her eyes already the size of the moon were glued to her ridiculous sister who apparently saw nothing wrong with what she did.
Impulsively, Hana stepped between them and returned the favor twofold.
*Smack*
Sakura's face was sent tilting to the right with a slap against her left cheek. Taking the time to recover from both the shock and the slap itself, her hand remained glued to the spot, and her head remained buried for a couple of seconds.
"Hana you…"
*Smack*
She wasn't fully recovered when she was shut up once more by another slap on the other cheek
Hana gave the furious figure the evil eye and then turned around to face Archer with keenness. "It wasn't me, Archer. Charlotte plotted the whole ordeal."
Cock and bull! He was well aware his girlfriend just lied through her teeth. He was rendered speechless by the shameful way she shifted the blame at the very last minute. Sometimes he found it difficult to fathom how he got entangled with someone like that. He struggled to keep the disgust away from his face that itched to betray it at that moment. He could no longer stand for it and opted to leave for now. Funny enough, the slap instead of infuriating him the more, calmed his nerves and Hana's shameless blurt gave him time to think. Getting upset with her like this was useless. She never listened to anyone.
*Sigh* He heaved a sigh feeling defeated.
"Archer." Hana tried to touch him when he retracted himself, moving away from her reach.
He shook his head in disappointment and turned around to leave. He walked down the aisle to the open space in front of the class. And then suddenly, he came to a halt, a few feet away from the exit, staring at the one person he could not face right now.
It was Ashley still standing at the door when their eyes linked.