Chapter Four
Lelouch noticed the approaching man before his date did, although she herself wasn't slow on picking up who was making their way to their table. Mildly irritated by the stranger's need for acknowledgement of his presence, Lelouch kept quiet and merely raised his glass of wine to his lips. Over the rim of the chalice, he glanced at the young woman sitting across from him, who was trying to discreetly make sure her lipstick hadn't smudged and that she looked as glamorous as the money in her father's bank account would allow.
What poor manners she had.
Setting the glass down, Lelouch rose from his seat and took the offered hand. His grip was firm, almost as if he were trying to send him a message of power and intimidation. As if he were trying to say that they were rivals. Rivals? They were complete strangers, how could they be rivals?
The man made light conversation after warmly greeting both him and his date as if they were old friends he hadn't seen in a long time. He didn't talk about much – just asked whether or not he liked the restaurant and how he was feeling. He briefly touched on the stock market and the intricate knot frustrating Lelouch untied itself. The man seemed so familiar to him for some reason, but no matter how he searched himself, he couldn't remember where he had seen him. But when he had mentioned how Britannia Enterprises seemed to be doing well, what with the continuous climb of their stocks, Lelouch was relieved of the enigma. He had probably met him at some business conference or other, or some place that he had gone where other upper class men, CEOs and chairmen went. Truth be told, Lelouch didn't bother memorizing faces and matching names with those faces any more than he had to. He knew of some people, some of the heir and heiresses of influential companies, made it a point to know who was who and how much they cashed in at the end of every year. Networking, they called it. But he knew better. He knew that they were all just race horses in a perpetual racetrack, forced to compete against one another until they dropped dead from exhaustion. In the end, they were no better than horse meat.
They were eventually left alone, but not before an invitation to go golfing was extended to Lelouch. He had only smiled before making a noncommittal reply, but the moment his back was turned, the raven-haired man couldn't help but frown. Something was off, something important, and he didn't like this apprehensive feeling. He liked to be in control and in the know of everything and he absolutely abhorred being kept in the dark.
It seemed he would have to do some research.
Ah, but how to do conduct a background check when he didn't even know the identity of the man? He had never disclosed his name, nor what company it was that he hailed from. All he had was his opinion on the weather and nothing more.
As if that would deter Jeremiah, his secretary.
But was it really necessary to go to such an extent? Why should he even bother? Why was he so concerned about the faceless man? What did it matter to him who he was? It wasn't as if it would affect him in any way. He was insignificant, a blip that could easily be snuffed out. Just as C.C. was and could be.
But as he left the restaurant, his eyes couldn't help but wander over to where he was sitting, and where she was standing, both smiling and laughing together. As he opened the car door for her, he couldn't help wondering if perhaps he was as insignificant to her as he claimed that she was to him. That perhaps he was over-thinking things and overreacting. He was a grown man, for God's sake, and one in the 21st century no less. So what if they once slept together? That didn't mean anything. Sure, they had had fun, but that was all that had been – pointless fun to while away the time and to rid themselves of boredom.
But he was a grown man, and men had hearts, had feelings and emotions. They had the capacity to love just as they had the capacity to hate. They were able to care just as they were able to forget those trifling affairs. They were able to feel pain just as they were able to smile with happiness. Men were victims of their emotions whether they liked it or not – the only thing to do when caught in a situation like this was to either completely disregard the most human part of him, or to be consumed by it.
As Lelouch kissed the young woman's hand, he decided that he would opt for the former. He was a businessman, so he was always assessing the pros and cons of his choices. He had no use for the weight of such pining. He had no room in his life or heart for baggage like that.
That's why he'd cut it loose and let them go.
So he could ignore his pain for a little longer.