Chapter four

I worked till late at night. I expected my first day at work here to be overwhelming, but I hadn't expected it to be this clumped. The meeting with Berlin’s board didn't end well. I wouldn't give them what they wanted, that's extortion. I'd rather spend money to secure a way to keep them trapped than let them manipulate me

The sky had gone remarkably dark by the time I was able to breathe

Harley strode into my office with her tab clutched to her chest. She stopped before my desk and drew her brows together “Promise you won't kill me”

“Why would I kill you? What happened Harley?” I moved my back away from the chair

“You were supposed to meet with Evan by 8 and it's…… “

I looked down at my phone and it was 9:10pm!! I also saw that I had an unread message from an unknown number. I opened it

{ Still coming around, princess? It's after 8, are you stuck in traffic?}

I dropped my phone on the desk and rubbed my temples “Why didn't I get a reminder for this, Harley? I had no idea time was flying. You know how important this is to me”

“I'm sorry, Rhea. I got caught up trying to receive some phone calls and I was finalizing the hire for a new receptionist”

“Those are excuses. This is part of your job. I didn't even know he sent a message, now I don't look serious. What's he going to think?” I looked up at her. My voice raised, but it dripped more of frustration than anger

“I'm really sorry. What if you call him and ask for a reschedule tomorrow morning”

“That'll just make me look worse. He has work to handle in the morning. And I have to be at the gala in the night” I grabbed my purse and stood up “Maybe I should skip the Gala to meet up with him”

“That's not a wise idea, Rhea. This is our company's future. We have to grab a foot here. We're currently at number 12 on the country's top list. We have to work our way to top 5 and this is our chance”

“Don't tell me what to do. This is your fault, Harley” I really really wanted to be with him. He's one of my priorities for returning to the country, then the business comes next!

“Do you have the Intel on him?”

“Yes, Rhea. I sent the file to your mail”

I nodded and walked towards the door

“I'm sorry” Harley mouthed as I moved past her

Meanwhile, towards the heart of the city, there's a space wide enough to mark a town. On it was a structure that could easily beat the white house

A car pulled into the garage amidst ten other high-end cars. A man stepped out of it and entered the house

“Hey, brother! What's up?” Elliot threw his arms wide as he barged into his brother's study

His brother didn't spare him a glance. He merely focused on the stack of paper he was reviewing “What are you doing here at this hour ? And who let you in?”

“No one would dare to stop me from coming in. I missed you brother and I came to see your face” He swirled towards the empty chair and sat on it, picking up an apple ont he basket next to him as he did

“I'm busy. Leave. You have your own place” Came the cold reply from his brother

A hearty laugh escaped Elliot’s mouth “I know you missed me too. I'm like the sun to brighten your gloomy life” He took a bite from the apple and crossed his legs against the handle of the chair “You won't believe the woman I met last night, I think she might be the one, Evan”

Evan finally looked up from the paper. If someone walked in right then, they'd have thought there was a glitch in reality. They were both mirror images of each other

Same hair colour, same outline, everything was literally the same except Evan's eyes were a bit darker than his twin brother's own, Elliot

“Another one already?” He finally replied

“Don't say it like that. This one is different”

“You say this all the time. Let's hope she lasts longer than your last record, four days”

“She's different, I can feel it. She's amazing. I just love how easily she heats up when I tease her” He took another bite and swayed his head from side to side as he hummed a tune

“I've heard that one too. Do as you wish, Elliot. So far you leave me out of it”

“She has a dimple on her left cheek, super cute” By this time, Elliot was done with his apple “You know we were supposed to meet up tonight, but she didn't show up”

“She might have figured out you'll rip her off and toss her away right after. She must be a smart one”

“That's impossible. I'm irresistible. Something must have come up, she'll come around. I won't let this one go, never”

Evan ignored him and opened his laptop. His eyes trailed over every line in the article he's reading

“If you continue like this, you might die single. You've been blessed with my good genes. Girls will give up anything to be with you, grab a hold of that. Not everyone gets that privilege”

“I won't let you continue your life like this. And because I'm your best friend and best brother, I'll help you. We'll start by going to the Gala tomorrow night”

“Still not interested”

“Come on. There will be a lot of ladies for you to pick from. Surely, you'll find your type there and maybe….. “

His words were cut off by the continuous dink from his phone. He picked it up and smiled so widely “Ohohoho. What did I tell you? She just sent two messages”

Evan closed his laptop and got up from his seat. Even their heights were the same. It was almost impossible to tell Evan and Elliot apart based on their physical appearance, except from a small detail…. Evan had a mole on his back, Elliot didn't have any

“Leave when you're ready”

Meanwhile, in Rhea’s apartment

Her hair was wet as she just stepped out of the bathroom. A towel was wrapped around her waist as she held her phone, contemplating on whether to call or text him. She wanted to apologize about standing him up

Eventually, she settled for a text

[ Hey, I'm sorry I missed tonight. I got caught up at work and completely lost track of time]

[ I feel terrible. But I promise to make it up to you. Drinks? Or another night in a hotel]