Chapter 3 Hate
Zephyra parked in front of the towering Dravencorp headquarters, the morning sun glinting off the window of the car. Her hands tightened on the steering wheel for a moment before she cut the engine. She was here to confront Kairo Draven. Not to plead, not to apologize, but to show him she was untouchable, no matter how powerful he thinks he is.
She pulled the face cap Elara had given her low over her eyes, to avoid attracting the crowd. She'd gain nothing from having people find out she was at Dravencorp. Inside, she walked quickly, cutting straight to the elevators and riding up to the executive floor where Kairo's office was.
At the end of the hallway, she reached the massive double doors to Kairo’s office and a man stepped out just in time.
“Can I help you?” he asked, blocking her path like a bodyguard.
She took off her cap, meeting his gaze. “I’m here to see Kairo Draven.”
His brows lifted slightly in recognition before his expression softened. “I'm Mr Draven's secretary; Percy,” he said, introducing himself. “Come in. He’ll be here shortly.”
Inside, the office was sleek and cold, all dull and boring colors. Zephyra stayed standing, scanning the place, refusing to feel inferior in there.
When the door finally opened again, Kairo walked in. For a second, surprise flickered across his face before his expression reset into that cool, unreadable mask he always had on.
“Well,” he said with a faint smirk, “What an unpleasant surprise. Are you here to beg for mercy for your brand? Since you entered the fighting ring, you should have been prepared to take enough consequences, shouldn't you?”
Zephyra’s lips curled. “Get over yourself, prince. I’ll never beg you or apologize. I don’t regret a word I said that night. I know what I saw and your character is nothing like your purpose for the charity event. If you thought your little power play would make me crawl in front of you, you’re wrong. I’m not here to feed your stupid ego or make you feel good.”
“Then what do you want? Personally, you might be unaffected by my decisions but what about your staff at each department stores? Your designs? Your company?” he asked, leaning casually against the desk. “ Don't lie to yourself, Miss Zephyra. Stop acting all strong and brave when you're just someone with an unfiltered mouth.”
She rolled her eyes. “You're unbelievable, really. I came to tell you your power trip won’t work. Take my brand out of your stores? Fine. I know it’s a loss for you too. I'm not stupid and I know how my brand draws in customers into the department store. But I built my brand brick by brick, with blood, sweat, and tears. I won’t fall just because you want me to. I’m not like you, who inherited everything. So do whatever you like, Prince. I’ll get back up no matter what.”
A knock sounded at the door. Percy stepped in. “Sir, the executive board of directors has called for an emergency meeting. They’re all here, and the chairman says she’ll come to your office herself if you don’t attend immediately.”
Kairo’s jaw tightened. He clearly had no choice.
Zephyra rose, her smile infuriatingly calm. “See? You shouldn’t have used your company for personal revenge. That’s so….. unprofessional.” She gave a short laugh, the sound rich with mockery.
He stepped closer, his voice low. “This is all because of you. I hate you. Don't let me see you next time. Or you'll really regret it.”
“Finally,” she said brightly, “something we have in common. I’m glad the feeling’s mutual, Mr. Draven. And you can shove your project down your throat. I’ll make it big without your company’s support.”
She walked out without another glance, her satisfaction trailing behind her like perfume.
\---
Kairo entered the boardroom moments later. The chatter cut off instantly, replaced by a thick, expectant silence. He took his seat beside the chairman of the board; his mother, Dalia Draven. Once a legendary designer herself, she was as strict as she was loyal to Dravencorp more than to her own son.
The meeting began without ceremony.
“ I'm sure you're aware of all the news circulating about you and Dravencorp. It's unlike you to play games with someone and even make it public.” Dalia spoke up first.
It was really unlike Kairo Draven. He would usually deal with issues like that under the cover or let someone else deal with it and not get involved directly. But with Zephyra, it was different. She pulled a string that made him furious every time.
“Why,” Dalia’s voice was cool, measured, “did you remove Zephyra Lione’s brand from every department store without board approval?”
“She’s bad PR for us,” Kairo replied flatly. “Yes, her brand brings customers, but her presence causes repeated disturbances. Many of those incidents are started by people she’s offended publicly. It disrupts other commercial activities in our stores. She’s also a poor fit for the image of our new project. Her staff is poorly trained and cases of disrespect to customers is frequent.”
Dalia sighed. “You still should have informed the board or even me, about the decision. You were rash and you used the company for your personal gain.”
Dalia stood up and faced the few directors that were there. They were the executives from the whole board. They were just there to fill the seats. No one dared speak when Dalia was speaking.
“Excuse us, everyone. I need to have a word with Mr Draven privately.” Dalia spoke and everyone moved out with hesitation.
Dalia placed a hand on Kairo's shoulder. “Son, what is going on with you?”
Kairo gently shifted, moving her hand away from his body. She surely wasn’t one to care about him anyways. “It's nothing special. I just used my powers to teach someone a lesson. That woman almost ruined the yearlong charity event of Dravencorp. Does that not occur to you?”
A small, knowing smile touched Dalia’s lips. “And yet, she was the major fashion partner for our project. Removing her without warning will cost us customers and weaken the launch. Investors are already calling me. This little brawl of yours… if it goes on, the project will be halted. You know what that will cost you. The bank doesn't want to be caught in the crossfire either.”
“ I'll take care of it.”
Her gaze was sharp enough to cut. “I trust you, son. Fix your own mess. I'll speak to the investors and hold them down. I'm giving you till the end of this week. Also, fix your relationship with Maya. You’ll be getting married to her at the end of the day. Whatever she did, forgive her.”
Kairo remained seated as she moved out of the boardroom, his fingers tapping slowly against the table.
Percy approached and sat beside him. “Kairo… I have an idea on how to settle this cleanly.”