Kian Turner

I get that she had an eternal fire within her and that she wanted to remain a Miss Goddy two shoes, but who in the freaking greedy world denies a handsome sum of money? She denied it so smoothly as if she was loaded and slept on a bed of notes. It was fucking twenty-five thousand dollars she denied right away.

Now, matching her furious walk, I followed her into the corridor, and when she found a secluded place to stop, she swirled with an attitude and glared at me.

"First thing first, have you been following me?" Was her first question, while, I should be the one asking what was wrong with that pretty head of hers.

"Why would I? I received a call just after you left the diner. I was shocked as much when I saw you sitting there. Small world isn't it?" I commented, resisting myself from smiling while looking at her fuming expressions.

"You-" Pointing a finger, she advanced towards me but I held my hands up and joked.

"Wait, wait, wait, you are not going to kick my ass as you had said, are you?"

With an angry sigh, her head gradually tilted in what seemed to be disbelief. "Why did I even consider having a conversation with you? I'm off!"

She tried to walk past me but I stopped her by blocking her way. "Alright, alright."

Now, I stood straight, having gravity in my expression. I had had enough of teasing. "Jokes apart, Why did you refuse the offer?"

She crossed her arms across in front of her and shrugged casually. "I didn't find her reason genuine."

"Genuine-?" I looked heavenwards in exasperation, then gave her a disbelieving look. "What do you have to do with her reason? Just do your work, take the money and leave. It's as simple as that."

She sighed and clutched the strap of her sling bag. "Listen, I don't know about you but I work under certain rules; my client must have a serious issue to run from. I don't help the brats. She wants to use us to fly to another country leaving her father's fortune behind. Tell me do you find this true enough? She's just playing with us. Would you leave if you were given such an opportunity?"

"After whatever you have said I would say, you wouldn't understand what it is to live a dream life," I replied with utter seriousness. I didn't give a flying fuck as to why Rian wanted an escape-I had never. But if whatever she had said was true, then I completely understood her; sympathized with her.

I saw Aura raking her fingers through her tresses gracing her face before she turned around just to look at me again. "Listen, I don't want to fall into the pit of trouble by agreeing to help her. Do you know who her father is? He will have us behind bars if he gets to know we helped his daughter flee."

I let out a humorless chuckle at her reason. "And you call yourself an escape planner!" I scoffed. "I am sure you must have been aware of the risks when you started doing this job, then why be a scaredy-cat now?"

Her eyes narrowed at me. Maybe I had said a bit too much, but reality always sucks. People generally tend to make their own realm of tales because they know the reality licks you to the core, leaving you dry as the Sahra desert. That's why a few splashes of eye-opening truth are necessary to remain wet and alive.

"I'm not going to give you any sort of explanation anymore. Count. Me. Out." Her icy glare could freeze hell, but I had already left the hell to make my own heaven. I wasn't gonna affected by her glares.

Running my fingers through my gel-styled hair as I shifted on my feet to look away. She was getting on my nerves.

"Listen." I held my hands before me, trying to make her understand the concept. "I've never worked in a team, but the situation demands us to work together and there's no way in hell I'd allow anyone to make me lose the money I have my eyes on."

She didn't speak and that urged me to continue. "I don't understand why'd you care about the fucking reason when these dumb, loaded people are willing to shower us with money? Tell me can you earn twenty-five thousand dollars in two weeks by doing almost...nothing? Or are you well-off enough that you don't give a shit about that amount?"

A slight change in her expressions and body language told me that I had hit a soft spot and that it was the correct timing to forge the spot with my influencing power.

Crossing my arms across my chest, I held my gaze at her face which was now surfaced with uneasiness instead of fury. "Something tells me that you want that money...more than I do, yet, you are refusing just because of some ridiculous rules you have set for yourself. You wouldn't even break them even if you were in dire need of money to save someone you love or yourself, would you?"

Here I was, who in a snap of a finger, had broken the rules of not staying in the same city after the work is done and she could not come down from her fucking ruling throne.

"I-I...I have a job. Even though her offer is tempting, I can't afford to lose my stable job." She stuttered. And, jackpot. I had got her under my control or dare I say under money's control.

"Then take a medical leave or better yet quit. I'm sure that job mustn't be paying you enough." I gave a point-blank response.

She grimaced and fired back. "Are you willing to quit yours?"

"I already did." I chuckled, going back to the day I had left the scuba diving coach job at a beach in Hawaii just to come to San Francisco. I was least concerned about it since I knew I'd get one in a snap of a finger.

She looked at me in disbelief, obviously, wondering how to outsmart me. "You want me to quit my job for her?" She pointed her finger at the wall, indirectly directing it at Rian.

"Nope, for money," I responded casually. "Tell me, Miss Aura Finley, doesn't money motivate you?"

She huffed angrily. "Like everyone else, to some extent, yes."

"To some extent, eh?" I raised taunting eyebrows.

"What do you wanna prove by all this? Fine, money's the important factor...at least for now." She mumbled her last words with a sad sigh in a whisper.

"Then what's the issue? If what she offered seems less to you then I can smoothly get her to increase the amount to some extent. You know, my charm works." I shrugged, smirking amusingly.

Her wary stare scanned me head to toe, obviously judging my abilities. "Don't mentally judge my abilities, cheesesteak, just say yes, and witness them live." I winked playfully at her.

She scoffed, clearly indicating that my charms still had no effect on her, silently urging me to brush up my skills. Damn! It's gonna take a lot of flames to melt that thin yet tough icy exterior layer of hers for somewhere I knew she got a soft side everyone has.

A sudden moment of silence prevailed between us, where she kept on sliding her thumb under the strap of her sling bag while pacing back and forth between the two walls of the corridor. This only spared me time to acknowledge how gorgeous she looked in that floral dress of hers; her neatly braided hair swayed on her left shoulder as she impatiently measured the distance between the two walls while mulling over what I had said.

I was damn sure she'd agree, but what I couldn't understand was why was she taking so long to answer. It wasn't like anyone asked her to commit a crime.

"Just freaking stop moving. You're straining my eyes." I grumbled rudely.

She stopped, only to retort, "No one asked you to look."

"Listen, I do not have time, nor do I sign to bear with your tantrums." I had had enough of her being childish. "I thought perhaps we could work together, but now I see you lack courage. Fine by me." I moved closer to her, not much, just a little so that whatever I was going to say sober her up since I was going to play my masterstroke.

"Just remember, I'm not in dire need of money, you are. By refusing her offer you are throwing yourself into the pit of troubles that you can smoothly walk past by agreeing to work with me. Anyway, why do I care?" I said and took a step back, her gaze studying me.

"It's you that can't see how easily she could solve your problems. Well, if you want to stay like this and cry for life...then go on, no one's stopping you. Goodbye, hope to never meet a chicken like you."

With that, I turned and waited for a second before striding away. She wasn't chicken, no. she was a strong girl because only strong-willed can do the risky task of helping people escape. I just pushed some buttons to bring that girl out of her flimsy yet stubborn shell.

"God, I'm so gonna regret this!"

I heard her groan and felt her stomp her feet which unsurprisingly brought a silly smile over my lips. Victory!

"Fine, fine, fine, I'll do it. I'll do it."

In a flash, I was again before her, relaxed and grinning ear to ear. "And that's where you took the best decision of your life. I'm proud of you, girl." I was so excited that I raised a hand for a high five, only to fist it and take it back in embarrassment because she responded coldly by crossing her hand over her chest.

"Geez, don't you smile or anything?" I joked.

"Now that you've skilfully played with my head, how do we do it now."

I held the urge to groan at her hostile response but smirked that she accepted how strong my influencing power was.

"Now that you have seen the trailer of my incredible influencing powers, we are gonna go to Rian to discuss further, but before that..." I dared to step closer to her and extended my hand, which made her frown at me.

"If we are gonna work together we might as well become friends."

"I haven't known you enough to list you down in my list of friends."

"Dang girl! Why are you so cold?" I groaned as I frustratingly rubbed my palms over my face.
"Fine, Partners? C'mon don't say no to this now."

I was surprised that she had me plead to her, which no one had ever been able to succeed in. Just what else she was going to make me do?

"Why not? This is the least we could be."

Her single positive response had me beaming like a freak and I again extended my hand for a handshake and she surprisingly grabbed my hand but impassively. I could live with that.

"Partners." She mumbled.

"Partners," I exclaimed, clasping her soft hand in a firm grip.

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Aura Finley

"Oh, thank you so much, Aura. This means a lot to me."

Rian hugged me out of excitement and all I could do was just smile. Even though at the back of my mind I felt uncertain, now I had given my words and I wouldn't turn back. Adding to that, this task would set me free from Ben's claws. Yeah, I had finally made up my mind.

"Now girls, shall we talk business?" Kian's voice had Rian detached from me and she faced him.

"I don't know what you did, but thank you for having convinced her to help me."

Kian being Kian winked at her. "Oh, it was a child's play for me."

And I rolled my eyes. I accepted his convincing power was out of the world; he could play with anyone's mind effortlessly and could have them dance to his tunes. But, I wouldn't give it to him since I did need money that's why I agreed.

Three of us sat on our respective chairs and it was Kian who spoke up first.

"So, Rian... Aura and I discussed and we concluded that we want a raise in the amount."

I gaped at him. Though I didn't say anything back then, I never agreed to this.

"Raise?! This isn't your salary, Kian that you're expecting a raise. Besides, the quotation I have offered is quite reasonable." Rian looked at him in disbelief.

"Well, pretty girl, if you want us to help you-which you certainly do, you'd agree on this," Kian added, nowhere seeming to be worried that she might have someone else do the work for her.

Rian leaned on the table as she stared at Kian while smiling. "Though I'm a billionaire's daughter, I have limits when it comes to spending."

"Don't you earn?" I found myself asking.

"I will when I'm out of here." Came her reply.

"I ain't asking for your fortune, Rian." Kian seductively smiled as he too leaned towards her.

"You're a cunning bastard, you know that?" Rian taunted him, yet never gave up on that secretive smile of hers.

Kian chuckled, "Keep the compliments coming, darling."

Rian laughed, then sat straight. "Fine, thirty thousand...not a penny more. Are we game?"

Kian, while smirking, turned to me and asked. "Are we?"

God, thirty thousand! Now, I had to give it to him. He was so damn cunning. Why would I deny now when I had already agreed and this time it was more money.

"Yes." I hid the smile that tried to break on my lips.

"We are," Kian exclaimed. "One more thing, the payment must be in cash."

"Obviously, I wouldn't risk being questioned by paying with my cards all at once," Rian said.

"Great. Now that it's settled, when do we start?" Kian asked.

"Tomorrow itself," Rian stated. "The wedding planning team's gonna start tomorrow with the decorations and all. I'll have you infiltrated in the team, the planner's my friend. One more thing..."

Rian then glanced at both of us. "I'm earmarking the huge amount in here, I don't want a single risk of being caught...I mean it. This is crucial for me."

"Don't sweat it, Rian. None of my clients have ever left unsatisfied, I assure you the success of the plan even before planning it." Kian assured her confidently.

"Rian, we'll get you out, alright?" I mumbled, unsure of myself for the first time for one I was working with a partner, and two I wasn't doing it willingly.

"I am investing my trust in you two. Alright then..." She stood up from her chair and we did the same. "I'll text you the address of the venue my sister's getting married in. A word of advice though, be careful, there'll be a lot of people staying over till the wedding. Also, you'll receive your advance tomorrow."

With that, she grabbed her clutch and paid the bill before leaving Kian and me alone.

"Now now, cheesesteak... since we are now partners which means we are no strangers now...you might want to exchange the numbers, don't you?"

"Not that I'm left with another choice." I sighed. "Give me your phone." I extended my hand to him.

"Oh, I love it how quickly the time changes. Just a few hours back you were-"

"You want it or not?" I snapped and within microseconds, I had his sleek iPhone in my hand. I typed and dialed my number from his phone and once I felt the vibration in my sling bag, I handed it back to him.

"Don't call me unless required," I added firmly. I didn't want him to disturb me unnecessarily throughout the day or in the wee hours.

I saw him smiling privately when he assessed my phone number on the screen of his phone. I was sure something wicked was going on in his head.

"What are you smiling at?" I found myself asking him irritatedly.

His smile widened into an impish grin. "Nothing...just...it was the hardest number to get. I feel like I have accomplished everything!"

I shook my head in disbelief and scoffed. "I don't get it what gave you the idea that you ace at flirting. Dude, you might want to brush up your skills."

Taking me by surprise, he stepped closer to me and looked into my eyes, challenging. "Either you are really not affected or you are pretending not to be. I'll go with the latter though because I always made sure never to miss my flirting classes and I have tried my skills on countless girls; I'm pretty sure they work. You saw them live affecting Rian." He smirked.

"You are so full of yourself, aren't you?" I said as I crossed my arms across my chest.

"I believe one should be proud of what they are good at." He winked.

Sighing heavily, I shook my head, wondering if he'd ever stop praising himself. "Goodbye." I turned my back to him and began to walk out of the hotel only to have him walk with me.

"See you tomorrow...not to kick my ass though. You know, girls wouldn't like it bruised."

"God, you are incorrigible!" I groaned, hiding a silly smile that threatened to burst out on my lips. After the disastrous start of the day, he came as a breath of fresh air to have me smiling for...nothing. But obviously, I wouldn't give him the credit just yet to boost his already swelling ego. He'd only end up teasing me to death.

I walked faster to leave him behind but he didn't give up and kept up with me to annoy me until we parted our ways.

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