Chapter 34

Caleb's POV

Sometimes I couldn't help but wonder if the Kian I knew right now was the same Kian I grew up with. I didn't understand why he was still so nice to people after all that shit we went through to survive as kids. I couldn't even believe he could do such a thing as let one of my employees live in his penthouse for a 75% discount just because one of them was my fucking secretary.

No wonder she was in that part of the city that late at night. Even with the amount I pay her, I knew that there was no way she'd be able to afford to live there. I'd planned to have a long conversation with Kian but I never really got the time....I'd been busy with meetings and negotiating contracts. I couldn't leave them for that thankless wretch to handle....he knows, she might just yell at them till they give her what she wants.

"Kian..." I nodded towards him as I walked into his office. He was surprised to see me. I didn't inform him that we were coming so I guess that's understandable. The confusion on his face contorted into a welcoming smile as he dropped his pen before leaning back in his chair.

"Caleb....what brings you to my office?" He asked, gesturing around. While it was almost normal for Kian to pop into my office like it was his bedroom, I rarely visited Kian in his office mainly because he was mostly at home or the gym leaving his personal assistant to handle everything for him. Again....another horrible mistake, but will he listen to meno.

I ignored his questions as I strode to the leather chair opposite his and made myself comfortable. It wasn't until I was relaxed in the chair that I spoke, "I wanted to talk about the discount you gave to one of my employees at your penthouse." I crossed one of my legs over the other.

"Discount? Oh you're talking about your secretary...and her best friend." He smiled. I didn't say anything. I just waited for him to speak again. "Well she's your secretary and a friend of yours is a friend of mine."

"She is not my friend." I corrected him.

"You saved her best friend from dying just because she begged you over the phone." He sat up, clasping his hands together. "That's more than enough reason to declare her your friend." I rolled my eyes letting out an exasperated sigh.

"I didn't do it for free." I wore a dull expression on my face.

"Uh huh," a sly grin crept up his lips. "How much?"

"Wow....is that really what you think of me?" I let out a light chuckle. "Do you think I'd stoop so low? That I'd actually collect money from a woman....trust me even if I wanted to she wouldn't be able to pay up."

He then leaned back into his chair. "So then you asked her to have sex with you?" He crossed one of his legs over the other mirroring my position. His smile widened when I let out a low growl. "I mean it's the only reasonable explanation....you were the one who was lusting after her after all...."

"That was a mistake...." I snapped making him peer at me with a questioning look on his face. A terrible mistake. I didn't even understand why I had those stupid dreams about her in the first place. "There's no way I'd stoop that low," I repeated. "Having sex with Amaris Carter?" I wrinkled my nose in disgust as I glanced around his office with an exasperated look. The expensive paintings hung on the sparkly white walls. The curtains were spread out revealing a wonderful view of the skyline.

"Okay then..." He spoke his voice heavy with sarcasm. "If you didn't have sex with her then how did she pay you?" He crossed his hands over his chest leaning back even further.

"She hasn't." I stated and his neutral expression contorted into confusion.

"She hasn't?" His eyebrows dipped in a frown. "And you helped her again?" He raised his brows. Even I didn't understand why I had helped her that night maybe because that man disgusted me and I wanted to teach him a lesson or maybe because no matter how hard she tried to hide it I knew she was frightened by that man but she couldn't do anything about it and I hated it when men tried to force themselves on women.

"Now she owes me two favors which I'll save for later, that is." I told him.

"Wow..." He let out a light laugh. "You really can't help someone without asking for something in return, can you?"

"Isn't that the point of helping people? So one day they can return the favor?" My face contorted into a mask of disgust.

"You're never going to have a heart, are you Caleb?" He scoffed. A smug smile crept up my lips. Having a heart only made you weaker. I'm a man who's made a name for himself by being ruthless, by getting the job done no matter what it takes. I've got a reputation for being merciless, for leaving a trail of destruction in my wake. And the surprising part is I'm incredibly proud of it. I'm a man who's had blood on his hands, who's been called every name in the bookdemon, devil, monster. But I don't let it faze me.

"Do you think I would have gone this far if I had a heart," I let out a deep chuckle. "Do you think we..." I gestured towards him before pointing at myself. "....would have been alive if I had a heart?" He paused for a while to think about what I had just said.

"Pretty much," he nodded with a small smile. "I mean surely we would have given it second thoughts blowing people's brains off...."

"Keep lying to yourself." I rolled my eyes and when I returned my gaze back to him I found him smiling....at me. With his arms resting on the table and his chin resting on hands. "Why are you looking at me like that?" I furrowed my brows. "Stop that. It's creepy." I averted his gaze.

He let out a pent up sigh. "Guess I'll just have to wait longer then." He clasped his hands behind his head before leaning back again. Wait longer? What the hell did he mean by that?

I arched my brow as my eyes flickered between the window behind him and his smiling face. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Till you fall in love with some random girl and then all of this...." He gestured around me. "...will be history."

This time I let out a loud chuckle and I was laughing uncontrollably for what seemed like eternity. I didn't know if my laughter was contagious or not but I found Kian holding back his smile as he gave an exasperated eye roll. "Me?" I asked, placing my hand to my chest when my laughter had died down. "Falling in love?" I scoffed. "With a woman?" I let out another laugh before my face contorted into an expressionless mask, so quick it took Kian a few seconds to catch up. It was surprising that after all these years Kian hadn't gotten used to my quick change in demeanor. "You must be joking." I scowled.

Falling in love with a woman was one thing I knew that was never going to happen to me. Women were blood sucking demons who brought nothing but trouble. Sure they were very fun to play with and most of them knew how to satisfy men really well but other than that....they were completely useless, a waste of time. "Okay....if you say so." His smug smile never wavered. Oh I know so.