章 17: Chapter 17

"Wow! You are truly doing this. First, an apartment. What is next?" Nolan shook his head, seemingly shocked by his impulsive actions since seeing her last night.

Truthfully, he could not explain how he felt about her. He knew he wanted her constantly by his side. He could not stop thinking about her.

He wanted to protect her, shield her from all the bad things in her life. But for now, providing her a safe home was the least he could do for her.

"You know I could not leave her in that sorry place they called home." It was a death trap.

He still could not believe that she lived in that shabby place. But based on the investigation that his security had done on her, she did not own much.

She was an orphan, staying from one foster home to another until she reached eighteen and lived on her own. Then, she worked two to three jobs to make ends meet.

"But you don't need to buy one of the most expensive apartments in the most exclusive location." Nolan made his point.

Of course, he had other options. But he chose the apartment on the lower floor beneath his. In this way, he could guarantee her protection.

"Don't you see the advantage of setting her up in this building?" He knew his friend would understand his reasoning.

He could freely see her without the reporters or paparazzi accidentally bumping into them. He could shield her from all those who would try to harm her.

He knew how harsh the world could be if they learned of her identity and involvement with him. Therefore, he feared that she might not be ready.

"Ok, fine, Eli. We will do this your way for now. But next time, you consult with me before making any future decisions." Nolan advised him.

He guessed he should have informed his friend before he made rushed decisions. After all, his friend always ended up cleaning his mess.

"Deal!" He agreed, seeing that his friend was only watching for his interest. "I will not do anything without consulting you."

Had it been up to him, she would be living with him in his penthouse suite. However, she already turned his proposal down. So, he did not want to push his luck.

Surprisingly, she was different from what he had expected. Most women would jump at the chance to be with him, but not her.

"What about money? Should I set up an account for her as we agreed upon?" His friend must be referring to the contract.

"No! She doesn't want to accept any allowance coming from me. But I am thinking of offering her a job." Of course, most would jump at the chance to get his money.

Astonishingly, she was not like most women. She continuously refused anything he gave her except for the apartment.

"What kind of job are we talking about?" His assistant burrowed his brows, clearly looking clueless, just like him.

"I don't know yet. I will think of something." He would have to be creative. Hopefully, he could convince her.

He knew he could not entice her with money. But he could, at least, offer her a decent job. Furthermore, he could guarantee that she would be safe.

"Just keep me updated." Nolan could do nothing to stop him, and his friend knew it. "Anyway, we should talk about last night's events."

He already knew that his friend would not take the incident lightly. Luckily, their PR team controlled the situation before the press had the whiff of it.

"Mr. Rollins would not take kindly at what happened last night." Nolan reminded him.

The man was a prick. But he was wealthy and influential in the business world. Nevertheless, he was not afraid of him. He never wanted to work with a man like him.

"What do you think we should do?" Although he already had an idea, he still wanted to hear what his friend would suggest.

He had always been wary of that man. But he had many connections. Still, he had dealt with men like him before. Even arrogant bastards like him had weaknesses.

"I already have our investigators digging up information about him. Let us wait for the reports before we decide on anything." Nolan proposed.

It was not a bad idea, but in the meantime, he wanted something done immediately to teach the man a lesson. "I want you to check on his board and find their weakest link. Then, set up a meeting with me."

"The sooner, the better." He did not want to waste time. "This man needs to understand his place."

A man like that did not deserve to be in his social circle. Nor did he deserve to have the power to use against those who could not oppose him in a fair fight.

"As you wish, Your Highness." His friend courteously bowed, clearly making fun of him. "But I think you are head over heels in love with this woman."

"Damn, man! You are Royally fucked!" His friend burst laughing, clearly amused with his situation.

He could not disagree with his friend since he was indeed. But he did not know about the love part.

"Maybe head over heels in love might be too much." He knew he liked her.

Nonetheless, he did not want to jump to love unless he was sure about his feelings. Contrary to everyone's expectation of him, he also wished to marry for love.

But that was not an option for a man like him. As they said, great power comes with great responsibility. He had to step up to do his obligation if he wanted the crown.

"Anyway, I want you to arrange for dinner tonight." He left him with instructions on what he wanted arranged.

Of course, he wished this night to look perfect.

"Ok. I will arrange everything." Nolan assured him. "But I hope you have not forgotten you still have a fiancée." Nolan pointed out, reminding him he could not publicly date anyone.

Damn!

How could he forget about his fiancée?