The World Of Greed

4. Niles Ellison

4. Families' Dinner And Fake Date Shenanigans

There were only two times in my life where I felt consumed with blind rage.

The first time was when I found out Devon Ellison, my asshōle of a father had tried to struck my sister and had debarred her from using our family's privilege ever since her arbitrary overdose. The whole debacle has been a complete and utter mess, and it made the Ellisons a laughingstock.

The second time I felt consumed with blind rage was when Sinan bravely claimed about my alleged pining for Armelle, which was ridiculous and untrue. I was weak for Armelle Rosenheim. Pining and weakness were two entirely different things.

The sound of the shower water was a faded pitter-patter as I sauntered out of the en suite with a towel wrapped around my waist. After the seven hours flight and some interesting encounters with people I disliked, Benson had dropped the five of us at a hotel and showed Armelle and I our respective suites to freshen up. I had just put on my shirt when a soft knock resounded against my closed door.

I twisted open the doorknob and found the woman who plagued my mind with jarring fervour. Any woman's eyes would have snagged on my bare chest but Armelle ignored me, entered without permission and pleasantries which was completely normal when it came to her.

I took in her form like I hadn’t seen her in years. Her long, luscious black hair was let down to her narrow waist, still damp from her recent shower as she strolled to the window overlooking the city lights. She had changed into a formal white dress which barred her delicate shoulders and fell down to her knees.

I knew who she was the moment she dropped her coffee all over my expensive shoes at the airport. But the fact we had been seated next to each other was purely coincidental. Judging by her indifference in the plane, I discerned that she had also figured out who I really was. The guy acting as my body double lost his job the second he started getting cozy with someone in public and put my reputation at risk.

Lost in thoughts and gobsmacked by the elegance Armelle carried herself with, I realized a second too late that she had started talking.

"The rumors," she said quietly as she watched the busy night, "what have you decided to do about it?"

"It's being dealt with," I answered while buttoning up my shirt.

"Good."

Our PR team managed to keep a lid on the entire situation. Most of the pictures from the flight were taken down along with every published articles regarding the rumor of our likely chances to date each other.

Twin flames of resentment and frustration burned in my chest. Frustration because she wouldn't as much glance at my direction and resentment because I hated how much it bothered me.

"Is that why you came here?" I asked when she walked past me to the door.

"Yes, what other reason would there be?"

"We are seeing each other for the first time in five years. You can start with the reason as to why you rashly decided to move to another country."

She froze, her hand still on the doorknob. I could hear her soft exhale before she said, "We are not friends, Niles. I don't owe you an explanation or anything for that matter."

Her words seared like a hot brand but I didn't allow her answer to deter me further. If she thought I wanted to be her friend, then she was sorely mistaken. She was anything but a friend to me and I intended to make sure it stayed that way.

"And, for the record, I'm not cold, obnoxious or unsympathetic. I just want nothing to do with people outside my circle."

She repeated my words from the flight and it broke the barricaded confusion about her diligency in avoiding me. I raked a hair through my wet hair, trying to hide my victorious smirk that I had managed to irk her. I had only wanted to get a reaction from her when I professed those words in the plane.