“Thank you for coming, Mr. Ryley and Mr. Martin,” Gracia said after the four of them finally met inside the meeting room.
“This is Mrs. Claire Morrison, the owner of Hyacinthia. Mrs. Claire, this is Mr. Ryley Schwartz, our brand ambassador and his manager, Mr. Martin Flescher.”
Claire stepped forward and extended her hand towards the blond, smiling.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Ryley shook her hand, smiled and politely responded, “It’s a pleasure to meet you too.”
It was such a great honor for him as a rising model to meet the owner of one of the top notch fashion brands.
He had expected that the figure would carry such a majestic aura, but he didn’t expect that the woman turned out to be this dignified.
However, something about Claire seemed off when Ryley accidentally caught the way she looked at him, with her beautiful brows seemingly struggling to not create a crease in between, and her bright blue irises rippling, as if a wave of grief washed through it.
“Please have a seat,” Gracia cleared her throat, saving her boss from making any misunderstanding that could make Ryley feel suspicious.
They had a small chat for a few moments, with Gracia and Martin being the main contributors.
Ryley was naturally resilient as a person, so he mostly observed things around him and only raised his voice when he’s invited for an opinion.
Strangely enough, he felt like looking into a mirror whenever he glanced at the woman in the elegant trench coat.
Half of him sensed that Claire Morrison was someone he needed to be wary about, but the other half was convinced that this woman wouldn’t do something unreasonable, like disliking him out of the blue, for example.
But since this was their first meeting, coupled with the fact that he’d been experiencing rough times these days, Ryley thought he’d better go moderate with the former mindset.
“Mr. Martin, I’d like to confirm it once again. Did I give you the wrong script? Perhaps different from the one that I sent to your email?” Gracia asked, her tone was a bit heavy, as if she’s a judge demanding an answer from the defendant.
“No, I gave Ryley the same script that you sent on my email. But—” before Martin could continue, the blond interrupted him.
“I apologize for the sudden change that might affect Hyacinthia’s image. I’d be grateful if you allow me to explain a few things about the press conference earlier,” Ryley said, looking at both Gracia and Claire in turns.
“Was there anything that you found unsuitable for answering the questions asked by the media?” Claire also stepped in when Gracia was about to open her mouth.
Ryley cleared his throat.
“Not at all. It was a good script, actually. However, I thought that it was missing some parts and luckily, the last two questions helped me figure it out.”
Gracia was pretty taken aback with the blond’s answer.
She looked at her boss and almost got a goosebump when she saw Claire was having a hard time to hold back her urge to grin.
“I see. Do you mean the vandalizing and hate speech stuff?” Claire said, clasping her hands together.
“Yes. I don’t think it was necessary to go to that extent just to cover up my incident.”
The words flashed a sharp light into Claire’s bright blue eyes, unintentionally darkening the aura surrounding her.
It seemed that her plan had been completely exposed.
“Would you like to explain your statement further?” She asked, though the look on her face was clearly telling that she completely understood what the blond meant.
Ryley held his breath as he replied, “My fans might’ve been agitated by the recent incident, and I know they could be angry mobs online sometimes but I can assure you that whoever vandalized Asteria’s office wasn’t any of them. They love me enough not to put themselves into trouble.”
“And there’s one more thing I’d like to make clear,” he added, slightly puffing out his chest to let the air in.
“Whatever happens to me is my responsibility to deal with. I’d really appreciate it if I can get the help only when I need it.”
Another sharp look crossed Claire’s pair of blue eyes.
Meanwhile, Gracia’s face had long paled ever since the growing tension between her boss and the handsome model spread throughout the meeting room. You are reading on novelping . com, the official source.
She could literally see the clashing aura that enveloped Claire and Ryley together, as if the two was fighting over dominance.
But what shocked her more was the fact that Ryley openly warned them to stay away from his business.
His words might sugarcoat his true intention, but Gracia would never fall fool for that.
Saying that he should’ve only received help when he needed it was a pretty bold statement for someone who’d just entered the heaven to stardom.
Anyone in their sane mind would’ve jumped in joy when the company they worked for offered such privilege to destroy their enemies and pave their way forward.
But Ryley was different.
Who would have thought that such a pretty face hid a dangerous mind?
Not even Claire could decide whether the model was fueled with humility or arrogance when he delivered his last sentence.
“Did you hear him? We helped him and he taught us a lesson instead,” Claire said when their meeting had finally finished.
Now, only she and Gracia were left inside the room.
The female Alpha let out a small laugh, slightly trembling from grinning so excitedly.
“Sister, I…” Gracia was truly speechless.
It was her first time facing such a stern aura from the usually calm and cheerful Ryley.
“I’m glad we’ve got him before anyone else does. I admit that he might really take after—”
Before Gracia could finish her sentence, her phone vibrated and a notification appeared on her screen.
“My source sent me some words. It turns out that his family resides in Arizona. Would you like to proceed with the investigation?” She said, fixing her cat eye glasses.
“Of course,” Claire said before she turned around and walked towards the glass window.
Her blue eyes gazed far to the bustling city under her feet.
“I would like to know the people who raised him.” She added, then smiled as she put her hands in her waist and sighed.
A memory resurfaced in her mind, flashing a figure of a woman in a white coat.
Then, without realizing it, she muttered something in her heart.
‘He’s really your twin inside out…’
***
The pendulum finally struck 7 PM.
Ryley stepped out the elevator with Martin following behind him, walking under the magnificent chandelier on the lobby until a figure in a bodyguard suit approached them.
“Mr. Ryley, Mr. Lucas is waiting inside the car. We will escort you to Young Master’s residence,” he said, leaning over and saying in a low voice.
The blond nodded, but when he continued his step towards the black RR parked in front of the entrance, the bodyguard stopped Martin.
“What do you mean by that? I’m his manager.” Martin glared at the man.
Seeing this, Ryley stopped and turned back, trying to talk the guard.
“Let him come with me, I may need some assistance.”
“Sorry, Young Master ordered only you to come with us,” the guard replied, insisting.
Ryley sighed then motioned for Martin to step away from the guard.
“Alright, it’s no use to go against their arrangement. Since they won’t let you come with me, I have a favor to ask, Brother,” he said.
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” Martin asked, and after seeing Ryley’s nod, he could only massage the space between his brows.
He couldn’t get rid of his worry but he still tried to listen.
“Fine then. What do you want me to do?”
The handsome model then leaned over to whisper his wish with a fierce look on his face.
Then he let out a heavy breath and nodded, as if convincing the shorter guy.
Martin stood frozen in his place, he hadn’t been able to give his answer about fulfilling Ryley’s request but the black car along with the G-Wagon filled with guards tailing behind it had taken the blond away.
Ryley didn’t take his eyes off the lively street outside the window and only occasionally glanced at the rearview mirror in the middle.
He was busy thinking about what he should do next that he didn’t realize the car had stopped.
Lucas opened the door for him, and as soon as Ryley stepped out, a cool breeze welcomed his presence, along with the sight of sport cars lined up in front of the garage.
The head bodyguard then led him up the granite stairs, through the serene view created by the dim, warm lighting.
Ryley would’ve never thought that such a tropical mansion existed in New York.
He followed the man in the leather jacket deep into the house, then saw the map app on his phone that he’d been opened since earlier to share his live location with Martin.
‘Shelter Bay?’ He read the place as he glanced at the flickering red point.
No wonder the air was pretty chilling.
Not long after, he arrived in what looked like the backyard of the house.
Lucas then gestured for him to go forward by himself.
Ryley caught the sight of the Alpha’s head leaning against the grey sofa surrounding the fire pit, then he fixed his khaki blazer and black turtleneck before stepping closer.
His brows rose in question as soon as a waft of chamomile scent entered his smell.
“Do you like it?”
Thank you once again for adding this book to your collection.
I can’t believe the tremendous support from you guys<333 Sorry if there’s a lot of typo, I’m trying my best to write in proper English.
Have fun!