The Workings of a Mind

Klaus' POV

It's been a few hours since Scarlett has fallen asleep. Her apartment was a reasonable size, not as big as ours, but it certainly served its purpose. Usually, some security guards, who were already accustomed to it, did the cleaning, which was a great choice.

It has recently been becoming increasingly clear that Scarlett didn’t trust people, which made me wonder why she decided to participate in the Auction in the first place. She must have been confident that everything would turn out fine or that she could leave at any time she wished. Oliver's daily visits probably calmed her emotions and re-assured her too.

After learning a little about Scarlett's history, I understood how Oliver connected with her so deeply. It was easy to see where she came from and how she's fought to achieve her goals.

When I looked at the door opening, Roman entered.

"Dinner is ready," he announced.

"Is Scarlett still sleeping?" I asked, somewhat concerned. She shouldn't be sleeping this long.

"Miss Scarlett is quite tired. Even though things at the studio have calmed down, she still has to deal with the expansion and hiring new people," Roman replied.

"She doesn't have a partner," I sighed.

"There's no one she trusts enough to have as a partner. Oliver helps her, but most of the decisions are in her hands," Roman smiled. "That's why I think it's good that you two are with her. It helps her to de-stress."

I closed all the open tabs on the notebook before me and turned it off.

"Still, she needs someone to help her... Otherwise, she'll end up having a burnout, and none of it is healthy," I commented.

"Well, maybe you two can convince her of that," Roman said before he left.

I stood and headed to the dining room. Scarlett was already seated at the table wearing a black satin robe. Jasmine was at her side, and I bet that she was the one who served the plate in front of Scarlett.

I noticed, however, that Scarlett wasn't eating. She was typing something on her phone and had a very serious expression on her face. I suspected that it must have been work related.

I walked up to her and went to stand next to her, not looking directly at her phone, but looked up at me in curiosity as if asking ‘what I was doing’.

"It's dinner time... You can respond later," I told her seriously.

Scarlett took a deep breath.

"I just need to finish this," she said and resumed typing.

This irritated me a little, but decided to rather not let it show. I needed to be patient, so I took a seat next to her as Jasmine went to plate for me as well. It wasn’t long before Scarlett put her phone down.

"Scarlett? Have you ever considered getting a partner to help you with your business?" I asked her as I arranged my napkin on my lap.

"I have, but it's complicated," Scarlett replied and sighed.

"You said you've helped two families already. Don't you think one of them might be able to become your partner?" I asked, trying to come up with a few options.

"I've thought about that, but none of them have a college education and are actually functionally illiterate. I've already enrolled them in a teaching program, and they know a lot about the industry, so I made them managers of the other seamstresses," Scarlett replied as the exhaustion spread across her face. "Oliver has suggested some people, but ... It's still complicated."

"You can't be everywhere at once, Scarlett," I said as Jasmine served me my dinner. "That's why large companies have a group of investors and shareholders."

Scarlett looked at me, and there was something in that look that truly I didn't expect to see—hatred. A sardonic smile spread on her face.

"Klaus, who can I trust to be my partner? Usually, at the beginning of a company, you create it with a friend or a family member. How many friends do I have who can take on this role without bringing in complications?" She asked in a voice tinged in shards of ice.

I realized I had just touched one of her triggers, her history, her past. The people she trusts now have specific functions. I started to understand her thoughts and how her mind worked.

"Scarlett, do you think Oliver would recommend someone who would be detrimental to you or your company?" I asked, trying to dispel her bitter perception a little.

People can't be compartmentalized—these are friends, these are for dating, those are employees, and so on.

"No, but who he trusts, and who I trust, are two very different things," Scarlett didn't want to give up, didn't want to see what was happening.

“I know that... But Scarlett, you can see the whole picture and not just certain parts of it," I started eating, not allowing her somber mood to affect me. "I don't trust most of my shareholders, which is why Liam and I keep the majority of the shares, so the final decision is always ours. I understand that you don't have someone like Liam by your side, in your company, but that shouldn't stop you from meeting or considering other people."

Scarlett didn't respond and also started eating. The atmosphere became heavier; I knew she was doing this to ignore me. As soon as she finished eating, she stood up from the table, looked at me for a second, and then left the room.

"Stubborn," I murmured and took a deep breath, finishing my meal. When I was done, I wiped my mouth and also left the table.

I looked at Roman in silent question.

"She's in her personal office," Roman replied.

I thanked him with a brief gesture and soon stood in front of the door of her office, not knowing whether it would be locked or not. I was fully aware that I was in no position to force anything on her, but usually, I could, at least make her look at things from different points of view.

I put my hand on the doorknob and turned it, finding no resistance. Scarlett was sitting behind a glass desk, the computer on, and her expression exactly the same as it was when she left the table. I closed the door behind me and just watched her for a few minutes.

She didn't even bother to look up at me, and if it weren't for a brief change in her expression, I would have thought that she didn't even see me enter. As soon as I saw her move to start another message, I interrupted her.

"Scarlett, ignoring me won't fix anything," I said seriously.

"You can leave," her voice was almost emotionless.

"I can, but I won't," I walked up to her and went to stand by her side, turning her chair to face me. "Scarlett, pay attention... I was born into the business world; my upbringing was centred around it. At first, it was to help my brother since the companies would have been left to both of us. Then it up to only me to take over... There are few people who has as much experience as I have," I spoke calmly so that she could understand what I was saying. "I studied and obtained three different business degrees, two master's degrees, and have done various different courses... I did all this while attending daily meetings and running the company... Liam, after joining the family, had to learn to do the same... But he has a little more freedom..."

I could see her expression softening.

"I may make many mistakes, emotionally, but I wasn't raised to make mistakes in the business world... Whether it's making political deals or destroying an enemy and bringing them to ruins." I crouched down to be at her eye level. "I know we've talked about this before, but you really need to see what we can do to help you, as a whole. Oliver must have connections beyond your pack... Probably international connections... If you keep him in the dark, he won't be able to help you. I am one of the best and most successful businessmen in the country. I've made the company grow more than tenfold since I took over as president... Liam is a super enthusiastic guy with immense curiosity and imagination."

One thing I learned from the last discussion I had with Scarlett was that I didn’t need to raise my voice for her to hear me, but Scarlett definitely had the ability to push my buttons.

I felt a little calmer knowing that this was something I could help her with. I brought my hand to her face and she didn't flinch.

"Your mind works by putting people in boxes. I know this has helped you get where you are today, but now you need to start seeing the whole picture in its entirety," I explained and took a deep breath. "I'm not trying to argue with you, but think carefully about what I said."

I brought my face close to hers and pressed my lips to hers for a few seconds before pulling away.

"We'll talk again tomorrow, once you have rested. Go to sleep and rest... If the emails you need to respond to have waited until now, they can wait until tomorrow morning," I said and stood up. I left Scarlett with a lot to think about. "I know Liam must have left some clothes here, even if they're not my exact size, I can still wear them."

It was my way of announcing that I was going to stay with her.

"Okay." That was the only word I heard from Scarlett before leaving her office.