Ezra's POV
I hear a voice and I look up and I'm shocked to see Harlem, she's on a call with someone though, I can't hear exactly what she's saying but I can hear her voice. I raise a brow and stare at her as she says something animatedly smiling. I notice the way her dimples appear when she smiles which make her look more beautiful. Clearly, I have an obsession with this woman.
She ends her call and looks around her, I wait for her to notice me and she does. "Thought the auditorium would be empty."
"Did you?" she raises a brow. I barely suppress a smirk. "Are you insinuating that I followed you, Harlem Tamrin?"
"It depends, did you?" she asks again. I laugh at that. It does seem like I followed her but I didn't. We just happened to be in the same place at the same time, again.
"Well, if you wan to know so bad, I can tell you. The only problem is that you're way up there and I'm way down here. Nevertheless, that can be resolved." I state strolling with my hands in my pocket towards the stairs that lead upstairs. Her eyes are slightly wide but she doesn't protest even as I reach her and stand in front of her. Progress?
I look at her, really look at her. I mean, it's not like I always get the chance to do that. She's stunning. Her beauty is rare, she has this fox-like beauty that I hardly come across these days with her pale skin, her button nose, siren eyes and full lips, her long jet-black hair that falls down her back to her waist. I take in the skin above her shirt, how flawless and smooth it looks. The way her shirt clings to he curves seems to be driving me crazy and I quickly look back at her eyes to see her looking at me as well. She regains composure and folds her arms.
"We should make a truce" I stop staring at a piece of hair and snap my eyes to hers. "What?" I ask.
"Since we're going to be working together, I think it's only fair that we work towards getting along, to be professional" she sounds like she'd rather be getting along with Lucifer.
I smirk. This is going to be fun. "Do I make you uncomfortable?" I say taking a small step closer. She narrows her gold eyes at me "Yes, if you want to know so badly." I look at her and realize she means it. I take a good two steps back.
"Why?" I'm genuinely curious. She blinks at me as if she's just realizing something.
"Maybe it wasn't about you this whole time." she states and walks away. My brows furrow and I'm even more confused than before but before I can process what I'm doing, I grab her hand before she leaves.
"You're going to have to give me more than that. Don't you think?" I ask her and drop her hand.
She faces me again. "It's in the past, maybe I wouldn't like to revisit it" Wow, she's complicated for sure.
"Fine. We can settle on a truce. But, I'm sorry, if I hurt you unknowingly, then I'm sorry. You're right. We should keep things as professional as possible. So, good luck with the play" I take one last look at her and walk away the same way I came.
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I'm sitting in the office in my penthouse. I take a look at Micah seated in front me. The guy seems a bit wasted. I sigh, I'm not exactly proud of the people I keep as friends.
"So, I called you here to ask you about the last time we went to the bar with Kandra and the others, what happened?" I realized that Harlem and I have only met a few times, the first time was at the bar where she works and after that she'd always been hostile. So, I'm asking Micah to tell me the details of that day.
H sniffs. "Hmm, let's see. I was a bit wasted that day though so my thoughts are hazy but I know the bar we went to didn't like the fun we were having" he says laughing. I narrow my eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, one of the waitresses came and told us that we're not allowed to have fun in thir bar because it could get them in trouble." He chuckles again.
"She was a bartender, not a waitress. Go on" I say correcting him. He squeezes his eyes shut and opens them. Yup, definitely high.
"Well, things escalated pretty quickly and Kandra slapped her and pushed her" What? "But maybe Kandra was high as well" he says laughing like anything is funny.
Fuck. She slapped her? No wonder she hates me. I rub my eyes and ruffle my hair. Kandra seems to be making my life a lot more miserable than I expected.
I stand up and get my keys. "Uhm, where are you going?" I don't bother answering him, he might as well have been a bystander. But, why didn't she sue? Or better yet report us for drug use. I mean, I didn't take any that night but I'm no better. Things could've gotten really bad. And I'm just finding out now.
I get into my car and drive to Kandra's house. I park in front and walk in; the door is open. I call out to her but I don't hear her. I go deeper into the house that is a mess by the way and walk to the backyard. I see some guy sitting by the pool asleep most likely. I turn to go back inside but Kandra walks in wearing a bikini.
"Ezra?" she looks shocked to see me. I couldn't care why. "We need to talk, now." I say and walk in the house. I stand in the kitchen and wait for her. She walks in wearing a robe and looks at me confused.
"What's going on, is everything okay?" she walks up to me as if to touch me but I avoid it. "The day we went to that bar in town, what happened?" I ask
"We've gone to many bars' sweetie. You're going to have to be more specific." She says placing a hand on her hip.
"Goddammit Kandra, the one we brought drugs to last" She looks at me furrowing her brows.
"Yeah? What about it?"
I take a deep breath. Marriage to this woman might be my worst mistake. "Micah told me you assaulted the bartender"
She scoffs "I didn't assault her; I put her in her place. She was being rude and talking back. I should've reported her to the manager"
I hold the bridge of my nose and look at her "Why would you hit somebody Kandra? If I walk up to you and slap you, hard, across the face, no one cares what I was trying to tell you, I assaulted you and I'd be on my way to jail for it"
"Well, I already did it, there's nothing I could do about it. Is this why you came to my house seething? I actually thought for the first time you'd come to see me, I didn't know it was for some bitch help."
I walk up to her. "She's not a bitch and it looks like you already have company but I couldn't care less and you know it" I walk away.
She scoffs "We're still going to get married. It's a requirement for you to keep your position as CEO, my dad made sure as the highest investor at your company. There's not much we can both do about it. And it's not like you're not also stooping low to some bitch." She calls out to my retreating back but I don't give in to her rage bait.
I enter my car and do breathing exercises to calm down, I know I'm surrounded by demons but every day I keep being reminded. I have to make it up to Harlem in whatever way.