Chapter 26: Dangerous Minds
"It didn't work!" I huff when Max finally answers the phone after calling him at least 6 times. I had stopped counting after 3 and had refused to call Kai. Somehow that would feel like a defeat that would be greeted with an anticipated 'I told you so' that I didn't want to hear. I wanted to fix this on my own. I needed to show him that I could. I needed him to know that I was capable. Although the more I think about it I'm not sure if it was him or me that I was trying to convince. Maybe both. I also knew that I still needed help. Or at least someone to listen long enough for me to collect my thoughts.
I had been reeling for hours trying to think of a retaliation that wouldn't end with me folding and signing the outrageous contract. The last thing I wanted was my signature on something that that man had possession of. Who knows what he would even do with it?
"What, no way! What happened?" Max's panicked tone doesn't have the calming effect I am looking for at all. "Did he even read it?" I cover my eyes with my hand and make a heavy sigh before swinging my arm out like I don't even know how to answer that and just wish for the question to go away.
"He threw it out and handed me a contract to sign." Saying it out loud makes it feel even worse than when it actually happened. Was this normal practice? Does every person who goes in there get fed with a contract of a similar fashion? Is this business?
"You didn't sign it, did you?" The skeptical answer finally makes me relax a little as I laugh in disbelief in response.
"Of course not! Who would?! What do I do now?" There's a long silence that I had expected as he thinks it over carefully. Much how I had done myself, I am sure he has a similar thought process. Throw it back at him and demand he take me more seriously? Accept the '1 day' condition but refuse the rest of it? I won't be a slave to him. His contract had so many stipulations that if I missed one part of it I was probably sacrificing my first born child without even knowing it was in there. And they weren't even easy things.
'You will agree to being monitored at all times.'
'You will not speak unless spoken to and it is considered favorable for you to respond.'
'No personal opinions will be welcomed, and/or discussed freely unless otherwise expressed.'
'If you break any aspect of this contract, all mutual agreements between parties will be considered null and the parties involved will no longer be liable…' and a lot of business terms I didn't quite understand. They didn't exactly sound healthy. Some of them even had clauses within clauses and breaking one part would result in all parts being void and a breach of contract. If A, B, and C are not followed resulting in D, but E and F are followed, then C and D are void and A can remain valid. Like…what?
Of course it ended with an ultimatum. The contract was to be followed strictly, without any exceptions, or things would return to the way they had been prior to negotiations. That being, me under attack with no way to know how to defend myself until I eventually was forced to give in to what he wanted…leaving and returning Kai to him. I am completely sure he would carry this one out with or without my signature. I had accepted that he was being uncharacteristically nice to me while we worked this whole thing through. My saving grace was that everything needed to be done with Kai's desires in mind. The end result of whatever happened to me would not matter if it further pushed Kai away from him.
"Hmm, I think he needs to see you as a person first. Maybe this whole idea was playing into his hands in the first place…" He pauses a minute. "I mean, you were trying to put yourself in his headspace but maybe you really should be putting him more in yours…"
"How do I do that?" He wasn't wrong. I HAD been trying to relate to HIS needs because I thought it would end with a more favorable relationship between us. If he saw potential or even a remote spark of something he liked within me, he might be less inclined to toss me aside so easily. But in doing this, I was sacrificing my own needs. Which really just gave him the home field advantage. As someone who didn't need advantages to get what he wanted, that probably wasn't my most miraculous idea. "Maybe it's simpler than I think it is…" An idea suddenly strikes me during my quiet contemplations. Something I wonder why I hadn't thought of before as it was abundantly clear…and completely in my comfort zone.
"What do you…Ah!" There's a series of clunking sounds followed by a silence as if he had dropped his phone, but that idea is quickly forgotten when Kai's voice bellows out instead.
"What did you do?" he demands, his tone not quite as angry as I had expected it to be when the news finally caught up to him. He certainly WAS angry, but not like…ANGRY angry. Maybe he had been expecting it and had decided it wasn't worth over-reacting to. That would make sense. He was probably used to my rebellion by now and maybe he was growing slightly privy to it. If he knew he couldn't stop it, he might resign himself to just take in the aftermath instead. You know, get control over the things he can actually do something about instead of confining me into doing what he thought was best instead.
"Hey, we were talking!" I hear Max protest in the background. "How did you even get in here?" There's a muffled sound as I assume Kai is covering the phone to acknowledge him, an irritated exchange of incoherent arguing, and then there's a clicking noise and another, shorter silence.
"So, what did you do?" Kai repeats. The background noise is gone and I assume that means he's gotten Max to leave. Or he had left himself and was now somewhere else with Max's phone. Either way, Max was no longer there to interrupt.
"What did I do, what?" I decide to play dumb. I can see the raised eyebrow even if he isn't anywhere close to where I am.
"I gave strict instructions not to leave. So how did you do it?" Oh, he didn't want to know what happened AT the office…he just wanted to know how I got there in the first place. Huh. Somehow these priorities seem a bit off…
"What?" I stop at the shear confusion of the question, trying to decide if it's just me or if something is really different here. Then, I quickly find myself to avoid blurting out anything unnecessary. "Ahhh, well Young Master Kai, I can't have you learn all of my secrets so easily," I relay playfully. If the title gets to him, he doesn't show it.
"Are you okay?" Another puzzling response. His tone was concerning, not at all demanding or cross. Was Kai being more open or was there something else? Is this a trick? I hit myself internally for even thinking such things. He was much more affectionate than anyone ever gave him credit for. I should know this by now…
"Yes." I nod in affirmation. "Thanks for asking. Are YOU okay?" There's a long whooshing sort of sound followed by a noise I can't identify as I can't see what he is doing. He then gives me a solid 'hn'.
"I'd be much better if I wasn't here."
"You and me both…" I divulge without thinking, then instantly regret it and try to take it back. "I mean, I'm good. Nothing to worry about here. I got this! You just…worry about you. Hey guess what?" Changing the subject worked too right?
I'm not sure he will take the bait at first but he seems ready for something different too.
"What?" he confirms this thought by humoring me.
"Tyson hasn't eaten for almost a full day! Well, at least not to my knowledge. He could have a secret stash in there. And he HAS been going to work…" When did my life get so tragic that THIS is actual newsworthy material for conversation?
"And that's a good thing?"
"I guess not, but it is strange. Can you do me a favor?" A silence settles in as I imagine he is holding back a snarky comment or blatant refusal. "I'll take the silence as 'not a no'. Okay so listen! I was thinking that you could…" I am cut off by a loud clamoring noise.
"What are you doing on the floor?" Max's voice re-enters the air. He'd either entered the hallway or found a way back into his room after being locked out of it. I deducted the latter but who really knows?
"Shut up." Kai returns bitterly. He mutters something that sounds like "I'll call you later" before there's a grunt, a door slamming, and a 'tch'.
"What's his problem?" Max grumbles. "He barged into MY room and took MY phone and HE's mad? Unbelievable…" His voice gets louder as he puts the phone back up to his ear. "Ray, are you still there? Sorry, I had to go find the hotel manager to get back in. It took some convincing that I was who I said I was as I was left with no identification."
For some reason this makes me smile. Not because of anything that just happened but because I suddenly feel very 'home'. Home was never a place for me. It was more like a state of being. And this, here, was it. That probably sounds odd to most of you but in our own weird ways, our differences, our fights, and all our reconciliations, we were absolutely wonderful. Perfect even. I wouldn't trade this life, even with all its hindering obstacles, for anything else.
"I'm here," I answer fondly, letting the feeling just absorb into my surroundings.
He goes off on a rant that I only half listen too but I am smiling the entire time. I am consumed into my own thoughts about everything we've all been through and how we got to where we are now. There's wasn't anything we couldn't do as long as we knew we had each other. We made that clear with every challenge we faced, no matter which one of us was facing it. You are only unstoppable if you don't stop. So, that is exactly what I wasn't going to do.
"I admire your persistence but this isn't resolving anything," Kai's father replies tiredly before waving his hand in annoyance.
"Actually it's accomplishing quite a lot," I throw back, not even swayed by his dark tone. I no longer had to fake confidence, it was now there where it should have been all along. Why it had taken me so long to find is beyond me, but I am happy to say that it's here with full force now.
This brief interaction had been our relationship for the past four days. I had gone back in to the office to reject his contract, offering a different proposal in return. He'd rejected mine, offered another contract (with less stipulations than the previous one) and the cycle went on and on.
Each meeting was a few minutes longer than the rest and each exchange was less icy and condescending. He was tiring of my presence but it was also making him more lax. His façade was becoming harder and harder to maintain as he became more used to me being there.
I had anticipated a flat out refusal to continue this charade when I had first turned up to throw the crumpled paper right back in his face with the new offer ready to go. But he had accepted the arrangement and was going on with the negotiations as if it were a real business contract that he wished to settle and would continue until we both agreed on something. Which, on some level, made me think that he considered it worth the effort. Whatever he thought he was gaining from this must have been important to him even if he chose to hide that importance behind fear and demands.
His fear and demands were losing strength as we continued to dance with what didn't look like any progress but in reality, I was getting exactly what I wanted. For every second we spent together in these moments, I became a little more confident that my plan was working. I was spending time with him, he was getting to know me, and we were getting to know each other. And little did he know, he was beginning to tolerate me. Although I couldn't say that he was enjoying my presence, it didn't outright disgust him anymore. He no longer treated me as if I was beneath him in status. I was just…a little (lot) annoying.
"I don't like people who think they know what I want." Oh shit, did he read my mind? I swallow hard but manage to shake the feeling off. Even if the small changes of our relationship were hard to notice, they were definitely there. I am positive that he saw them too. The man wasn't stupid. He had to know that we were not the same two people who were in this room four days ago.
I wasn't bringing my bodyguard anymore. Maybe that was a mistake but I saw no reason to believe that something bad would happen during this time. If he was working on another angle for getting rid of me, it wouldn't happen here.
"I think we can come to an agreement that would be much easier for both of us." I stand up to let him know that I would be leaving after I made my case. He looks up at me to continue but doesn't say anything. "I will agree to your '1 day' but I get to pick the day and the location and Kai WILL be present. You, in turn, will agree to leave me AND MY FRIENDS alone until that day has come and gone, without issues. No contracts, no set guidelines, no intimidation tactics. Just 1…plain, normal day. Preferably with no fighting or glaring or whatever else you two think is family bonding time." I make a short waving gesture like I am throwing all of those things away before clear my throat. "Then, after you have had your '1 day', we will decide where to go from there. TOGETHER. If this is unreasonable to you, then we can just go about this the way we have been. You're really helping me improve my business writing skills. Maybe I should apply for a job… Is your office hiring?" I stop like I am considering it and the older man growls, dismissing the mere thought of it.
"Fine! Whatever. Just get out. Now." He fans me away and for once I don't have any issues with obeying his orders. His tone and body language is very similar to Kai's when whatever I have ventured into has given him a headache. The similarities they shared were actually the things I was using to my advantage the most here. I wondered if either of them knew just how alike they were. Kai may have chosen to separate himself but there was apparent resemblances regardless of distance. Maybe I could blame boarding school?
I flit my way out of the room and give the secretary a victory smile, which they completely ignore, but whatever. Nobody is going to rain on my parade today. So how should we celebrate?
I call Kai as soon as my feet hit the pavement outside. He answers the phone but doesn't say anything and for a moment I am unsure if he had just hung up. I look at the phone to see that it is still connected and put it back to my ear.
"Kai?" I question, hoping the answer would not be an actual hang-up.
"Do you know what time it is?" His extremely low voice, heavy breathing and grunt seem to tell me that it probably isn't the middle of afternoon there. I scrunch my nose as if I am in pain.
"I'm so sorry…" I can't even think of a way to apologize with enough meaning. Especially since I knew he hadn't been sleeping well the past few days and it might have been the first sleep he was actually getting. "I'll call back later. Or, you can. When you have time. Whatever…" I try to sound casual and calm, masking all the pent up excitement that I had pushed down as soon as I realized my mistake in time zones.
"It's fine. I'm awake now…" I hear a rustle as he's most likely rolling over or sitting up. Then there's a yawn. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes!" I shout, throwing my free hand into the air in triumph at finally being able to release my excitement. I completely forget that he's just woken up and is probably still extremely tired and of course not at all ready for my enthusiasm. He's getting it all regardless. "I'm better than okay. I'm great! I did it! And before you say anything, he agreed that you can be there too! I made sure that…" There's a click and my phone makes the beeping sound of the call dropping. Okay, he wasn't as excited as I was. There's still time.
Before the feeling of wanting to cry because my feelings were rejected has time to settle in, my phone starts to ring again as Kai calls me back. I quickly answer it.
"Sorry, did you say that he agreed?" his suspicion is not hidden from his voice. I frown at the lack of reciprocation.
"I thought you'd be happier." I can't even hide the sadness in my statement. I hadn't just thought that he'd be happy, I had thought that he'd be over the moon. Maybe it was the fact that there was an agreement at all that was making him hesitate? Did he think there was ulterior motive or something deceitful that I had missed upon these results? I would be lying if the thought hadn't crossed my mind, but I was too busy relishing to give it much appreciation. I wanted the win. "Well, I will give it up to you. I know you weren't comfortable with how I handled this and all so I will let you decide how this goes forward."
"You'll 'let me'?" At first I think this phrase means that he is upset with me. But after a second I realize that he is just teasing me and I scowl.
"If you were here, I would hit you right now…" I let him know my true feelings and he snickers.
"Is that all you'd do?" the teasing glides into a full-on flirtatious assault and I blush, quickly moving to hide my face in my scarf. I also decide that now is probably a good time to start walking. Who knows who might walk out and overhear whatever may or may not come next?
"What the hell, Kai. I'm standing in the middle of the street here…" I cover my mouth with a hand while I walk so I can whisper angrily back at him. He huffs out a softer kind of laugh.
"You gotta give me something for waking me up in the middle of the night just to gloat," he replies as nonchalant as ever. I scowl again but I try not to make it noticeable in my voice, which comes out pouty instead.
"I wasn't gloating…"
"Oh?"
"Okay fine, maybe I was gloating. What do you want for your troubles?" I will probably regret whatever comes next but it's too late to take it back now. I've committed myself to mending fences.
"I'm curious…" he pauses, his voice taking on a low purr. One that in any other circumstances, would be quite welcomed. Encouraged even! But out here, in the middle of the street, during a busy time of the day, with lots of people around…not so much. "What do you think I want?" I stop walking, my previous blush being put to shame but the new one that just exploded on my face. My whole body feels hot. And it wasn't so much the words he was saying but the WAY he was saying them. I suddenly felt like I needed to buy a plane ticket and recklessly fly to wherever that voice would keep provoking me. I can't find my words and he seems to already know that this would happen as he goes on. "I want…"
"Stop!" my outburst collects the attention of only 2 other people (that I notice anyway) who happen to be walking around outside near me. The rest either ignore me or think I am crazy and avoid looking. They might be right, who knows? I smile and kindly acknowledge the couple who had turned, probably just making sure I was okay. I let them know that I am fine before I nod in apology and spin around stalking my way away from anything else that's alive nearby. "You're going to be the death of me…" I whisper yell, more to myself than to him.
"I'll 'let you' make it up to me later," he answers coolly. Without giving me time to react, he hangs up and once again I find myself okay with this outcome. Whereas it would have normally made me feel uncomfortable, I am now relieved. My victories today were taking many forms and as I slink my way back into the crowd and do my best to blend in on my way home, I wonder what else they could possibly turn in to?
AN: Heya there! It's me again. I apologize for any inconsistencies with this and future updates. I hate to say I am rushing it but I'll be honest, I am. Not rushing enough to lose content but enough to not check myself as thoroughly as usual. If only so that I can finish and make it better once it has been fully developed. I have also been trying to get myself on a more consistent update schedule, however...we all know how I am with that. Haha...ha...yeah... Anyway! I hope you are doing well and as always, I love you! You've definitely made this journey worth it. Have a happy weekend!