章節 10: A Smooth Banter

I knew that bastard might not uphold his end of the deal, glad I made another deal with Ryan!

A sense of satisfaction washed over me, even though I could still feel the dull ache of mistrust and betrayal. Thank God I made a separate contract with Ryan which bound me with the previous contract. In the other contract, the Stone Hotel will only deal with me, if I'm not involved, the partnership will be nullified. No one except me will have any dealing or represent our company in dealing with the Stones Hotel except Serena fucking Campbell. Can't wait for the devil and his spawn to realise that!

I sauntered out of the house to where I parked my car, leaning against the bonnet were Junior and his mother with a smile of content on their faces, if only they knew.

"Should I be expecting you at the office on Monday, assistant CEO?" Junior mocked while his mother smiled.

"Think again, Junior" I retorted.

"It will be wise of you to take the offer, young lady", said my step mum with a stern look, "you can't go any higher than that" she concluded.

I moved closer to her and starred right back at her, mirroring the same stern look with hers, "wanna bet?" I taunted.

She gave me a calculated look, trying to figure out what I was up to, that gave me the audacity to challenge her, after few seconds of the starring contest, she brushed her hair to smoothen her usual bun and narrowed her eyes, "what are you up to, Serena?" I returned her question with a blank look.

"You might think you have something to prove but you don't" she continued, "Junior is the successor and that's final."she deadpanned.

"I would take the offer little sister, if I were you" Junior mocked and I directed a deadly glare at him and snorted, "you couldn't be me, even if you try".

***********

Ryan POV

Stepping into the basketball court in my parents' house, the first thing I heard was Reese's mockery voice, "give it up for Ryan Stone, King of Cold showers", he clapped with a wolfish grin spread across his face.

I knew he was going to tease me to no end about what happened between Serena and I at the club, seeing the stupid grins on my other brothers' faces, even Roarke, I knew I'd be the subject of jabs and mockery for today.

Moreover, I could use the bants and a little grapple and tackle that come with playing basketball to get my mind off the particular redhead, so when Ronald called to ask if I was up for a B-ball game, I didn't refuse.

"Shut up, asshole and let's play"

"Hey Man, wanna partner with me?" I asked Ronald, moving towards him for a brotherly hug which consist of a handshake and a light slap on the back, he shrugged and looked at Roarke, giving him a look to ask if he was cool with it because they always team against Reese and I. Roake agreed, "sure, no problem".

"Are you dumping me because a certain Miss Flame dumped your ass last night?" Reese taunted but I ignored him to get get ready for the game.

"Quit yapping and start playing Reese" Roake said.

After several minutes of playing and Reese's frequent jokes, using my balls and the basketball ball in a sentence, and the fact that we lost to him and Roake, I felt better with the physical engagement.

I made my way downstairs to join my family after showering, "Uncle Ryan" Ari ran up to me and I embraced her in a bear hug, "hey munchkin", she wrapped her little hands around my neck and giggled while I swung her sideways.

I let her down gently and walked with her to join the others. I gave my mother a quick kiss on her forehead and patted my dad.

"You're attending the Carltons' wedding anniversary, I presume"

"Yes, I am" I replied my dad.

"I heard Miss Campbell might attend as well, considering the Carltons are one of their major shareholders" my dad said in all seriousness but the mischievous glint in his eyes gave him away. I'm going to kill Reese, did he announce it on the national fucking TV?!

"Don't know who you might be talking about, Dad" I replied while my mum gave me a knowing smile.

Oh Lord!

I sent an incredulous glare at Reese, "Really Reese?"

"What?" Returning my glare with an innocent look but the twitch in the corner of his lips betrayed him. I just shook my head, not minding the laughter and smirks coming from by brothers.

"Thank you Serena, for making me the subject of ridicule' I said under my breath.

Truth be told, the only reason I wanted to attend the party was because of her, there's a possibility of her coming and didn't want to miss it. I intend to enjoy her company as usual and if possible takes things further, the little minx is disrupting my peace of mind. I need to get her off my mind. I'm sure as hell that we're both feeling the same attraction, I noticed how she stole glances at my lips and body when she thought I wasn't looking.

What I can't figure out is why she hasn't made any advances, being the type who doesn't wait for things to be done on her behalf, she'll rather go for it or get it done. Perhaps she was trying to fight the attraction, I wonder why.

She's a smart cunning lady, making a separate contract aside from the earlier one was a smart move from her, her calculative and sense of foresight is quite admirable. To secure the position, she needed to ensure she beats his father in his game.

You're your father's daughter after all.

I'm impressed by her relentless desire to get what she wants, not minding the number of obstacles along the way. With the little I've observed during our interactions, beneath that detached and aloof character is a lonely girl, I couldn't help but feel a strong sense of protectiveness over her.