Chapter 68 A new outlet
BRYAN
I hated that everything reminded me of her. The way the earth itself breathes, her favorite donut shop that always had a small piece left for her in memory of her.
Everything felt too soon, too painful.
" Sir should we approve the second contract? You might have to travel out today for the meeting with Mr Nelly too"
I had gotten so lost in my thoughts, I did not pay heed to the man standing in front of me, clutching papers that belonged to Akira's company.
The fatigue hit me like a ton of bricks. I have overworked myself. Anything to make sure I was not thinking about her.
I could not keep her company. I planned on giving it to a less privileged home after a few months of making sure it would never collapse for life. It was the little I could do.
" Book the ticket" I said simply.
He paused, not leaving the room as he stood, still clutching those pesky documents.
" Did you need something else?" I asked, one eyebrow raised, meeting his uncomfortable stare.
" Sir maybe I should book a trip to the spa or the clinic for you. You look stressed"
I held his stare, long enough to see him quiver under the intensity, long enough to make him question his own choice of words.
He cleared his throat furiously, not waiting for my answer as he turned to leave quickly.
" You know he is right though?" The peace and quiet I thought I would finally get, now interrupted by that voice.
Vincent.
" Are you not supposed to be out looking for her killers? Why the hell are you here?"
The documents blurred in my eyes and I stared from my peripheral vision, watching him lower himself into the seat, eyes still locked on me.
" I took a little break."
My grip tightened on the ball pen and I slammed my hands into the desk, finally meeting his eyes with mine that danced to the tunes of fury.
" And who told you to take a rest?! No one is resting! No one is carrying on with their lives until I have their heads in a plate and I wet her grave with their bloods! Do you hear me?"
Vincent did not flinch. I saw the fear flicker in his eyes but he stood his ground, licking his lips before he spoke again.
" You are going down this path again. This path of revenge. Do you remember what happened the last time you did?"
Memory flashed before my eyes as quick as lightning.
My brother and only sibling slaughtered in my hands as I yelled.
The reason why I had decided to go under cover as a mafia boss.
The flashbacks ended as quick as they started and I turned around, walking over to where he sat, meeting his eyes.
" Did you become so brazen that you now think you can mention his death?"
He shifted uncomfortably away from me, his body stiffening.
" You have to listen to me, Bryan. You have walked this path before. I don't have to tell you what happened the last time you did. It did not end well. I don't want you to fall into this self loathing pattern again with the death of Akira. She was just a woman and...."
Fury licked my skin.
" Don't you dare call her a woman! Don't you dare!"
He got up, knowing better than anyone else that it was best he turned around to leave, to run while he still could.
But before he left, he pressed a card into the table, eyes never leaving my body.
" You have a meeting in Germany. This is the contact of an escort I think you will find quite pleasurable. She is beautiful and feisty just the way you like them. I'm sure you will like her.
Spend a night or two with her. Get your frustrations out. Then come back with a clearer head. We can't catch Akira's killer if you are too deep in hate."
I watched him slam the door shut as he left, leaving me to my own self hating thoughts.
I looked at the black card on the table, the words meymey scribbled on it haphazardly.
Maybe he was right. Maybe what I needed was a sort of relief. To forget her.
The rest of the day was a blurry mess.
It felt like mere seconds that I now stood in the airport, watching my assistant unload my bag from the car.
" Sir, the private air strip is this way."
I furrowed my eyebrows.
" That is not my air strip. Why is my plane parked there?"
He scratched the back of his neck nervously as though he had been expecting me not to ask.
" Well the thing is, your airstrip has a bit of an issue so we had to move your plane into the private airstrip of the stone family.
They were so kind to let us park here for the week and they don't have a problem with it"
The stone family....why have I never heard of them before?
" Get my airstrip fixed immediately and make sure they are fully compensated for their actions. And the next time my plane gets moved without my knowledge, you will wish you had gone under it when it moved"
The airport air for some reason felt suffocating. Maybe it was the tailored suit I had on, or maybe it was the sudden feeling of doom that enveloped me as I stepped into the airstrip. But something was not right.
A plane was just about to close up when I stepped into the airstrip. But that was not what caught my attention.
It was a woman, her hair long, her face symmetrical with that ethereal beauty I knew I could never forget for a long time.
I could not tell if she saw me, of if she was a figment of my own imagination but my legs were already moving before I realized it, towards her.
It was Akira.