They were having a pissing contest. Or maybe it was a blinking contest?
Wasn't sure…
I gulped as I looked back and forth between them. I was in the middle of two hot men in the middle of the street in Bristol.
The same height while I felt little in between them.
The tension between Jason and the stranger was thick, almost suffocating. I could feel both of their energy pulling at me in different directions.
They had suddenly gone mute leaving me confuse.
Regardless, it wasn't my business.
Without another word, I avoided the stranger's intense gaze and turned away from both of them. Jason, of course, followed me, just like the annoying puppy he was.
"Stop following me," I warned over my shoulder, my voice clipped. "You're not doing yourself any favors, Jason. If you respect yourself as my boss, then you should know when to back off."
Jason let out a low chuckle, clearly amused by my frustration. "Respect myself? I thought we were past that stage, Kiara." His tone was mocking, different from the cold person that was there a whole ago, I felt chills on my skin just thinking of that man stare. It felt as if I could still feel his stare on me.
I didn't ask Jason what the territory thing meant, I couldn't care less.
I sighed, rolling my eyes as I quickened my pace. But Jason, being Jason, wasn't about to let me go that easily.
"Come on, darling," he called out, his voice playful and taunting. "Don't act like you didn't enjoy the attention."
I stopped dead in my tracks and turned to face him, glaring. "I didn't. Not tonight. You need to stop acting like this is some game. I have enough on my plate, Jason."
His smirk faltered for a split second, but he recovered quickly, shrugging as he stepped closer again. "You're no fun when you're all serious, Kiara." His tone was lighter now, but I could still see the glint of danger in his eyes. Jason was unpredictable, and that was part of what made him so… terrifying. He was a billionaire, a man with more power than he should have, and he knew how to wield it.
"And you're no fun when you don't know when to stop," I shot back, my voice firm. "You're a billionaire. One that's known all over, for God's sake. Act like it. You should be more worried about your reputation than chasing me around."
Jason's grin widened, and he gave me a slow, deliberate wink. "You think I care about reputation? I've already got everything I need."
I let out a heavy sigh, my patience wearing thin. He was impossible.
I waved him off, not bothering with another word as I flagged down a taxi. I needed to get away from him, from all of this. As the car pulled up, I slid into the backseat, giving Jason one last glance, "I really hope this situation doesn't happen again. Thank you though, for earlier." I said before shutting the door.
He stood there, still watching me, that infuriating smirk plastered across his face. But as the taxi pulled away, leaving him behind in the distance, I finally allowed myself to breathe.
At home, the silence was suffocating. The night replayed in my head like a bad movie—Jason's kiss, the argument with Joselle, the encounter with the mysterious stranger.
My mind was racing, and no matter how much I tried, I couldn't shake the feeling that things were spiraling out of the control I had promise to have over this life.
I tossed and turned in bed, staring at the ceiling, my thoughts too loud to ignore. Sleep was impossible. Everything in my life had become a tangled mess—Jason, the company, my past. And then there was the issue I had been avoiding for too long.
Jessica and Gabriel.
My stomach churned at the thought of them. They had both ruined me, pushed me to my lowest point. Gabriel, with his lies and betrayal. Jessica, with her manipulations and smug superiority. They were both responsible for my fall, for everything I'd lost.
Yet I had not fully come in with a plan on how to destroy both of them.
I sat up in bed, my mind suddenly clear with purpose. If I couldn't sleep, then I'd plan. I'd make sure that both of them paid for what they did to me.
Jessica and Gabriel. Their names were like venom on my tongue. But I wasn't weak anymore. I wasn't the same woman they had broken.
I opened my laptop, the glow from the screen casting a pale light across my dark room. My heart pounded as I stared at the blank document, the cursor blinking impatiently.
I closed my eyes, and it felt like I was in 2023 again. Falling from that stairs, hearing my neck break.
I took in a deep breath, allow it to flow.
Then, I started typing, my fingers flying over the keys as I outlined my plan. It wasn't going to be quick, and it wouldn't be easy. But I was patient. I had nothing to lose.
The first step was to tear down Jessica's public image. She had built herself up as the perfect socialite—flawless, untouchable. She was rich, an influencer But also Gabriel assistant.
For someone like her, one would think why she diminish herself to that stage.
But I knew things about her that could turn that polished exterior into a pile of rubble. The fake charity scandals, the backdoor deals, the way she manipulated people to get what she wanted. She wasn't the saint she pretended to be, and I was going to make sure the world saw that.
I would start by leaking the documents I had saved from when we worked together. She thought she had deleted all traces, but I had been smart enough to keep copies. Anonymous tips to the media, whispers to the right people in the fashion industry, and her empire would crumble from the inside.
Slowly.
Gabriel had been unfaithful long before he pushed me down those stairs. He thought he could cover up his tracks, but I knew everything—who the women were, where they met, even the gifts he gave them. I had kept quiet out of shame, but no more.
I would compile all the evidence, every last text message, every hotel receipt. Then, I'd deliver it straight to his business partners and the tabloids. Gabriel's career would be over, his carefully crafted image as the family man shattered. His downfall would be public and humiliating, and Jessica would be right there with him when it happened.
Gabriel and Jessica had teamed up to take my inheritance, using loopholes and dirty tricks to steal what was rightfully mine. But I had something they didn't expect: my intelligence. I knew exactly where their weak points were.
I would start by freezing Jessica's assets, using my connections at the bank to trigger an audit of her finances. Then, I'd begin siphoning off the funds they thought were safe, one transaction at a time. By the time they realized what was happening, it would be too late.
As for Gabriel, his business was already teetering. A few whispers to the right investors about his personal indiscretions and financial mismanagement would be enough to send his company into a tailspin. I wasn't going to bankrupt him—yet. First, I wanted to watch him squirm.
There was so much more, I wrote everything down, refining my plan until it was razor-sharp. By the time I was finished, the document was several pages long. I would have to be careful, patient. But I was more than ready.
And I couldn't afford any distractions.
****
When morning came, I still hadn't slept. I felt no exhaustion as usual.
After a long, hot shower, I stood in front of the mirror, going through my skincare routine as I mentally replayed my plan over and over again.
My phone buzzed on the counter, but I ignored it at first, focusing on the soothing rhythm of applying toner and serum. It wasn't until I was sipping lemon water that I casually glanced at the screen.
And then I saw the headline.
"Who is that girl between Jason Lincoln Cole and Lucian Hartford? Scandalous nightclub photos spark curiosity."
I spat out the lemon water, coughing as I reached for the phone. My eyes widened at the images displayed on the screen. It was a picture of me from last night—sandwiched between Jason and the stranger, Lucian Hartford.
"Oh, no..." I muttered.