CHAPTER 9: ADIRA

When I woke up this morning, I was hit with the reminder of yesterday’s events. From the phone Andronikos gave me to our surprisingly civil conversation last night, everything still felt surreal. I couldn’t shake the weird rush of excitement that bubbled up at the thought of him, though I pushed it aside like an embarrassing diary entry.

Focus, Adira. I had bigger things to deal with than thinking of that demon. Picking up the new phone, I quickly dialed Pen’s number.

The phone barely rang once before I heard Pen’s familiar chirpy voice. “Pen speaking. Who’s this?”

“It’s Adira, Pen.”

“Adira! Oh God, I was so concerned. I thought the world’s hottest man might’ve taken you!”

I snorted, unable to help myself. It seems Andronikos had gotten to her before me. “Thanks for your concern, Pen. I’m really having the time of my life,” I deadpanned with an eye roll.

“Oh, come on. Living with an Adonis isn’t exactly a tragedy,” she eased.

“Hold on. You’ve seen him?”

“Nope. But he sounded fucking hot and I’m sure the voice matches the face.”

If only she knew.

“Speaking of which, I expect pictures. Multiple. I need actual proof that this man isn’t just your stress-induced fever dream.”

“Trust me, he’s very real. And stunningly handsome. But he’s also a royal pain in my ass.”

“That’s a classic case of ‘hot guy syndrome’,” she declared dramatically. “The hotter they are, the more insufferable they tend to be. It’s basic science.”

“You’re not wrong,” I chuckled. “He’s an enigma wrapped in a brooding exterior, with a side of crazy.” She replied with a laugh saying something about me and words.

“How are you holding up though? You weren’t at the club when everything went down, right?” I asked, my tone shifting to one of genuine concern.

“Nah. I was having fun with the sexy silver fox I met last night. Remember him, right? I even got his number too.”

“Pen.” I groaned, though I was smiling.

“I heard about how bad it was, though” she continued. “Are you sure you are, okay?”

Harmless as her question was, it still hit a nerve. Was I okay? Probably not. But I wasn’t about to unpack that mess over the phone.

“I’m fine,” I lied with a sigh. “But I’ll fill you in later. Right now, I need to call Baba. Promise I’ll call you back.”

“You’d better! I want all the juicy details and don’t skimp on the gory ones either!”

“Deal,” I laughed, hanging up.

The moment I dropped the phone on the bedside table, a wave of exhaustion washed over me. I was putting off calling my father, but it was time. I hesitated for a while before dialing his number. On the third ring, Baba picked up.

“Adira! There you are! We’ve been worried sick!” My father’s voice boomed from the other end, thick with concern.

“Hey, Baba. I’m fine, I promise,” I said, forcing a brightness I definitely didn’t feel. “I just wanted to give you updates concerning the affairs of the company.”

There was a moment of silence before I heard his voice, noting the slight unease in his tone. “Go on then. What’s new?”

“Well… you know how we’ve been looking for investors for a while.” I began cautiously. “I finally got one—a new major shareholder at Abara Inc.”

“Who?” he said, his voice sharp.

“Andronikos Karas,” I said, bracing myself. “He’s the new shareholder.”

I could practically hear the wheels turning in my father’s head.

“And you’ve thoroughly vetted this man?”

“Yes, Baba,” I replied, though my nerves were a different story all together. I was certain he had already started a full-blown investigation on him. My dad didn’t get to where he is by letting just anyone invest in his firm. I just hope he doesn’t find out too much about who Andronikos is.

“Are you certain about this decision?” he pressed, skepticism dripping from his words.

“Yes,” I said firmly—or at least tried to. My voice cracked at the end, betraying my uncertainty.

“Just be careful,” he warned, his voice softening slightly. “We’ll talk later about this.”

“I will. Send Mama my love.” I said, guilt gnawing at my insides as I hung up.

Baba’s doubts lingered in my mind as I considered exploring the mansion, but the memory of my earlier altercation with Andronikos stopped me from going further. The last thing I needed was to cross paths with that walking ego stick again.

************************************

In the evening, while I was munching my last batch of Flamin’ Hot Lays, my phone buzzed with a text from My Hot Captor.

I blinked at the name. The fuck?

My Hot Captor: Adira, I need you in the study right now. We need to discuss my position at Abara Inc. as well as our new business deal.

I smirked. Oh, I couldn’t let this slide.

Me: Pray tell, Andronikos, why is your name saved as ‘My Hot Captor’ with a devil emoji on this phone?

My Hot Captor: Because I’m your captor, and I’m hot. Isn’t it obvious. Let’s not fight the truth, Adira.

The sheer audacity of this fucking man.

Deciding to not give him a response, I made my way back to the study. When I walked in, I found him leaning casually against the desk, arms crossed, a smug smile dancing on his lips.

“Adira,” he greeted with amusement in his eyes. “You look like you’re about to face a firing squad.”

“As long as you’re on the other end of the guns, Andronikos, I think I’ll manage.” I shot back with a saccharine smile.

He laughed—a deep belly one and I was terribly annoyed with myself that I wanted to hear it again.

“Sit,” he said, motioning to the chair across from him. “Let’s discuss this partnership. I’ll be making some changes, but you’ll be involved every step of the way. One way or another, this will work.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, “By ‘changes,’ you mean you’ll bulldoze your way through everything my family’s built.”

“Bulldoze?” he said, acting offended. “No, no. I’m more of an ‘enhancer’ if you please.”

“Tomato, tomahto,” I muttered under my breath.

His words settled over me like a heavy blanket, thick with unspoken implications. My nerves were flaring up, but I kept it all together, knowing this was only the beginning of a much larger game.

Leaning forward, Andronikos looked at me, his gaze intense. “For this to work out, we have to trust each other. You’re not the only one who’s taking a risk here.”

I met his gaze squarely. “Trust is earned and so far, you’re not close to proving that you deserve mine.”

He leaned away and smirked. “Challenge accepted.”