Lincoln's Pov
"There are 400 offices in this building and mine is your favorite. I'm flattered." I said as I looked up to find Alex standing at the door to my office, there was a convenient scowl on my face and he was quiet.
"What is it?" I asked again, and returned back to my work.
"You just had to cancel the appointment?" He asked me, and I scoffed. I knew this was him trying to scold me about an 'unfair' verdict I passed on, well I knew something even more unfair.
"Yes, I had to, you told me to get my feelings in order and I started from there." I responded smiling at him mischievously.
"By rejecting a perfectly good offer because the lady's name was Elizabeth? I didn't mean it that way, Mr Grey." He snapped at me and I groaned, dropping the pen and looking at him with expected disdain. There were times I hated him but I always remembered I didn't have to like him. His duty was to save my company from falling apart and he was finally having the audacity to do that properly.
"If I hear the name again I would smash your head in the doors of the elevator. Just get back to work, there are more sensible potential clients who have other names than Elizabeth so let it be." I told him and I could feel his judgmental gaze boring into my head.
Nothing had destroyed me more than finding out Eliza had left town without saying so much as a goodbye to me, it was not approximately two months since I last saw her and there was still that faint hurt in my chest and that faint want in my groin.
All parts of me missed her but thank God I had my pride to keep me in check.
"Maybe drinking to stupor would help again, or maybe this time you'll pick up yet another red hair." Alex said as he hurried out of the room, luckily for him because If he had stayed long enough I may have shot him in the leg.
The work day came to an end and in my car next to Nikolai was Eliza's brother Nick. I raised a brow in question as I approached them and folded my hands against my chest, my posture demanding explanations.
"It's a miracle, two Nicks destined to find each other come together in reunion, against all odds of race, distance and circumstance to defeat the mighty Grey. What do you want Vance?" I asked as I opened the back door and settled inside.
"Are you done with your poetry, Doestovsky?" He said to me and I scoffed, drawing out my portable system.
"Just a minute. Of course they both fail, they are once again reduced to mere nothings in my presence. I no longer believe myself in lust with your sister I can have killed you now, what do you want?" I asked as I busied with background checks and I asked questions.
"There is a problem." Nick said rather directly and I don't speak but my eyes speak volumes. "Eliza has been seeing this guy lately. She met him…"
"Has been seeing what guy? She's merely three months in the damn state!" I interrupted him and he looked at me with pure impatience which made me want to punch him, didn't he just hear himself say there was a chance Eliza was with someone else, my Eliza?
"You're beginning to look a little pathetic boss." Nikolai teased and I pledged inwardly to remove a few extras dollars from his pay check.
"Can I go on?" He asked and I nodded, clenching the water bottle that was with me till the plastic broke in my hands. They both ignored it just as Nick continued.
"She claims he's really nice to her and that she probably has a long shot with him," he was saying and I saw the slight hint of humor in his tone and I knew he wanted a reaction from me.
"Go straight to the point or I may cut your head off." I snapped and he grew serious, I doubted it was because of the threat.
"She sent me a photo and I kind of freaked out." He admitted and I closed my laptop and looked at him.
"Is he so ugly? Because I can't fathom that reaction." I told him, aiming for an indifferent and unbothered look, I did wnat him to be ugly and maybe a little more like a chipmunk but when he flashed the picture in the front of my face I really wished he was just an ugly suitor but the image in front of me was not the least bit a chipmunk like man, it was my former best friend Mal!
"Malcolm?" I echoed and saw the faintest of smile form on Nikolai's face. He had been my driver for the longest time so he knew a lot about me, he had to know about my dangerous relationship with Mal.
"The leader of the Exxon mafia! I figured you'll have heard of him." Nick said intrigued and I almost burst out laughing.
"Heard of him? I mean, I made him!" I responded, the memories were not to think of now and I also wanted to know what he wanted with Eliza. We didn't end things on a good note, it had been a crazy departure and I had the last laugh, which meant he was seeking a last laugh.
"I'm not going to dwell on that. I also kind of have some dealings with him that were rather incomplete." Nick admitted and I didn't bother to ask him what it was, the guy was dumb.
"So you think his relationship with Eliza has some ulterior motive and he's in fact coming for you?" I asked him and he nodded, i shielded the look of concern on my face before turning to look at him.
"Then that's a you problem, fix it." I responded curtly as we got to the front of his home, he stared at me in shock but the smile still remained on Nikolai's face.
"What?" He asked and I nodded my head.
"You heard me, your sister left my establishment, I am not responsible for her any longer, do what you have to do." I said to him and he turned red, he opened the car door and stormed off.
"Did you have to be so mean?" Nikolai asked me and I scoffed
"Yeah." I responded coldly.
"What do you think he wants?" He asked me and I shook my head.
"I don't know, but if he so much as touch a hair on her perfect body, I will kill him myself."