Renleigh Kensington

From my old home, I flew straight to Dublin for a meeting then twenty-four hours later, I ended up in Europe for a conference. Spent about three days away from London before I could finally go home and prepare for the release of my project with Zayn Malik. That, obviously meant interviews and some appearances to start off the snowball effect. Most of the work would have to be done after Christmas because normal people took the time off to spend it with their families, whereas I was busy working my life away. Not that I found it to be a problem, I actually preferred hanging around like-minded people at parties.

With that being said, since my presence was not going to be at my family's lovely little get-together, I made sure their presents made up for it. Not that it really mattered to anyone – whether I was there or not – but in order to lighten the situation, I usually just sent gifts. That was what everyone cared about, anyway.

So, after a bit of travelling and important meetings – because let's face it, all of them are important – I was back at my office. Neck deep in emails that had been overlooked by my PA. Although, before I even had the chance to get into my work space or catch Miss Jones on the cameras and let her in, she did so herself as she swiped her card on the box outside and walked in.

"Miss Jones."

"Miss Kensington," she nodded towards me as she stood across from me, my desk between us. "I have some... news."

"Is this to do with the new line dropping next month?" I questioned. "I don't exactly have time to deal with anything else."

"Not quite," she sighed. "Rumours had been flying around for a while now, the ones regarding you and Mr Styles."

"I thought the PR team sorted those?" I raised my eyebrows curiously. Danielle took a seat and unlocked the iPad she held.

"They have. However, Mr Styles' recent outings do affect you, too," she told me and turned the device around so I could see what she had found. "Leaving parties with ladies on his arms did not only feed his image of being a womaniser but also damaged yours – you had been referred to as the 'poor girlfriend' who has no idea about any of the other women he has been... well, shagging."

I scoffed as I flicked through the screenshots of the articles, Styles being the main focus of them all. They did edit my face on a few, with circles and red coloured font all over it.

"You shouldn't have brought these here, Danielle," I told her sternly. "Take it to PR and let them deal with it. It is none of my concern. I don't pay them to sit around all day, do I?"

"No, of course, not," she agreed. "I felt as though you should see them. I am aware of the, let's just say, more intimate relationship you have had with Mr Styles in the past few weeks. I assumed you had no idea these articles existed because you've been all over the map recently."

"That's right – I have been all over the map recently and so I had no idea these were out there. Frankly, I don't care," I told her. "He is a free man – as of yesterday, actually – therefore he can do as he pleases."

"I understand."

"Great," I smiled. "Make sure my name is erased from the same sentence as his. I don't have time to deal with any negative press when I have the Malik line coming up."

She nodded and soon after that, left.

I couldn't fucking believe him. He was an absolute fucking joke. Going out, getting pissed and fucking around with anything that breathes, not even a day after the contract ended. It actually made me piss myself when I thought of how he admitted to loving me and then he fucked off after I finally got in bed with him. If I wasn't as tough as I was, I probably would have felt butthurt over him leaving as soon as he got to fuck me, but to be fair, I had done that to others before as well. I wasn't about to be hypocrite.

When I said I didn't care, I didn't. In that moment, anyway. But now that the whole idea settled in my head, it did kind of tick me off. Mostly because he gave me all of his little speeches about how amazing he thought I was and how much he could love me and wanted me and shit and then as soon as he had the opportunity, he left. Which shouldn't have surprised me because men are just a waste of space but – as hard as it was to admit – he made me believe in his words. I didn't want to because I knew it would blow up in my face. However, he just had a way with the words that left his mouth, plus he spoon-fed it to me and it was kind of inevitable.

That reminded me I needed to get together a document which stated he would never mention the things I told him to anyone. I wanted to believe he was a decent human being and would not repeat the things he was now aware of but I wasn't sure if I trusted him still.

I decided to contact my lawyer with this, after which the phone in my office began to ring. It was a call from reception, which meant I had someone wanting to see me.

"Yes?"

"Miss Kensington, someone's here to see you," the man told me who worked downstairs.

"Do you have a name?" I questioned.

"Yes – sir, what is your name, please? – it's Mr Levi," he said once he asked for the name. It took me a minute to put together who Levi was because I personally knew no one with that name, then it clicked and I grew curious.

"Send him up, please," I requested and ended the call. I wondered why he was here. I haven't spoken to that man since he called me when he was with Styles and I hadn't seen him since the first time I met him.

I saved all the documents on my computer and put it on sleep mode, gathered my papers together a little bit and set them to the side. This meeting was rather unexpected because he came to my building and he knew where it was which required researching and strange because we were not friends and we only met once. I couldn't help but think he came to see me because of Styles and meanwhile that was nice of him as a best friend, I wasn't exactly interested in whatever he had to say.

Just in time, I caught him on the camera so I pressed down on the button which opened the doors. Just like everyone else who came to my office for the first time ever, he seemed surprised that he barely even had the chance to knock but the doors were already open.

"That was- wow, that was sick," he laughed as he walked in and the doors closed. It was quite entertaining, watching people amazed by the way this building worked. I did put a lot of money into it so I was glad to see it was worth it.

"Thanks," I replied. "Please, have a seat."

"Is the seat going to welcome me by my name or something?" he joked and I rolled my eyes. Then again, that was a pretty cool idea. Note to self – find out if that is possible at all.

"How can I help you?" I questioned as I leaned on my desk with my fingers intertwined. "Don't get me wrong, but I do have a business I need to take care of, meetings to attend and phonecalls to make. I don't exactly have the time to discuss whatever it is that you want to discuss."

"Well, I appreciate the opportunity you have given me and it is not my aim to keep you from your work for long," he declared. "I'm simply here to ask you one question."

"I most likely will not have the answer, but you came all the way here so you may as well waste more of not only your- but my time as well," I smiled at him bitter-sweetly and he chuckled under his breath.

"Okay... so. What the fuck happened?" he asked, absolutely confused. I laughed a little as I leaned back in my chair and placed my arms on the armrests. I twisted my ring on my index finger around with my thumb, then picked on the acrylic that needed filling on my thumbnail.

"I'm not sure I understand what you are asking, Levi," I looked at him with knowing eyes but an overall emotionless face. There was nothing I could have told him about Styles, which was exactly why he was here.

"Look, I know of the contract between you and Harry. I know it ended recently – I mean, I'm not that stupid. It was pretty easy to work out," he scoffed. "He's out every night... wherever the fuck he is – I wouldn't know because he flies between countries like he gets paid for it – and he is with different people every night-,"

"You make it sound like he had been doing it for a week straight," I interrupted him. "The news only just got to the media, he is fin- wait. You know about the contract?"

"Yes, I do," he sighed. "He couldn't keep it a secret for long."

"Great. More reason for me to make him sign another one to keep him silent."

"What?" he asked. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing," I shut it down. "None of your concern. And your best friend is none of mine. He is clearly having a bloody fantastic time, finally getting laid every night, which is not something he could do whilst he was trying to get me in bed."

"Look, he is back to how he was before he had gotten with you," he told me as if I cared. It didn't exactly bother me. Well, not too much. Just a little bit. "I know you must not care, I mean... you always pretended you don't, right? That's your whole... persona."

"Excuse you?" I laughed at him as he called me out. "I don't know who you think you are but-,"

"Oh, come on," he looked at me like he was tired of the game we barely even began to play. "You and I both know the news bothered you. Now, I'm not sure why he is in some other country, in someone else's bed when he should be here, with you, without this- this contract attached to your relationship but I reckon I can make a few guesses and one of them is bound to have some truth to it."

"Please, surprise me."

"You are this cold, cruel woman with walls all around her. Well, you were, until my best mate decided to crack it and make all of them crumble down. I'm assuming that didn't exactly do you any good, which is why you decided it was best if you drove him away from you, right? No source of feeling something for someone other than yourself means not having to care about them."

"Wow," I chuckled. "You think you have me worked out, don't you?"

"You and I both know that," he shrugged. "Harry, on the other hand... that man is in too deep to realise just how easy you are."

"It's not time yet," I mumbled.

Levi scoffed and asked, "Time for what?"

"For me to listen to you degrading women. So, I suggest you get up and leave my office before I'll call security," I smiled at him sweetly, my voice stern and nowhere near nice.

"I came here to clear the air and ask for your help to get my best friend home, but clearly, you are useless."

"Wow, it's like being disrespectful to women is injected into men's blood at birth," I commented as if he wasn't in the room. The sarcasm dripped from my voice, mixed with a bit of annoyance. "I don't know who raised you, but please congratulate them because they have done an excellent job at making sure your acting skills developed as you grew older. They are top notch. Perhaps that's a career you should look at pursuing."

"What is that supposed to mean, Renleigh?"

"You are two faced, that's what it means, Levi," I said as I stood up from my seat. I buckled the buttons on my blazer as I stepped away from my desk. "Now, if you have finally run out of today's dose of being a dickhead to people, I would like you to leave and preferably never come back."

"I guess I do see why Harry bailed as soon as he could."

"Wait, so he's not in love with me like you and him mentioned?" I played dumb. His words contradicted one another which was pretty amusing to witness. Men were shit at arguing.

"What the hell crawled up your arse?" he laughed. "It's like you get off on attacking me with shit."

"You see, Levi," I began as I chuckled a bit. I walked around as I spoke, my heels clicked against the floor and it was rather satisfying. "I am not one of those people who will allow others to walk all over them. If I sense the tiniest bit of disrespect thrown at me... well, I don't fuck with that, to be completely frank with you. Especially if it's from men," I said. "Harry Styles no longer concerns me. He is free to do whatever he wants to do. I told you I will have no answers for you – and I do not – therefore that means our lovely meeting is now over," I placed my card on the sensor and both of them slid open. "You know where the lift is," I smiled as I nodded a little and walked back to my desk.

"You are unbelievable," he muttered.

"Why, thank you," I looked at him as I moved my shoulder a little and waved my hand at him as if his words left me flustered. "Now get the fuck out of my building."

I watched him as he walked out and wasted no time in pressing down on the button to close the doors on him. I couldn't believe he came in here and tried to tell me I had this amazing effect on his best friend, spoke to me like trash then proceeded to contradict himself. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, maybe something more, seeing as the couple of times I had spoken to him, he seemed to be an alright man.

Guess it took him this long to show his true colours.

With a loud sigh, I had gotten back to my work after I spent the last five-to-ten minutes wasted on someone who didn't exactly deserve it. But what can I do? Turning back time was not something I have had mastered just yet. If that was the case, I definitely would have done things differently.

Like the contract with Styles, right?

No. Shut up.

We both know he was good for you.

He was a distraction and nothing more. Stop this.

I'm sure that's what you told him when his pink and plump lips slurped away on your–

"Stop!" I said out loud and inhaled deeply. My thoughts were fighting against each other and it was no surprise that at the root of it all was Harry Styles.

I was not supposed to be bothered by the news that I was only made aware of hours ago. I was not supposed to be bothered by him in general. The contract was on for a month and he signed it which meant he agreed. The document stated that he would no longer come around if he hadn't succeeded at earning my trust and the way we left things, only confirmed that which was most likely why he never contacted me after he had left.

Then again, the contract was not real. It was a mock up one. I didn't actually believe he would be down to sign the paper and therefore there was no need to put proper effort into it. I half expected him to throw it in my face but he actually did the opposite of that.

He, of course, didn't know that. Which actually could have worked in my benefit in this situation.

If he really believed that I didn't trust him and therefore I didn't want him anywhere near me – because that's what we agreed on in the contract – that meant I could finally get back to how things were. I could get back to only working, without any distraction from him. That was all he was, really.

A distraction.

Oh, please. You cried in front of him and you never cry in front of anyone.

It was a couple of tears and I got rid of them before he could have seen anything.

He had seen the real you – you told him about Wolfie, didn't you? And your dead baby...

Fuck. I did... he did know about it all. But that still doesn't change the fact that he was nothing more than a distraction. An ear to fill when it all got too much. I was the same for him. I distracted him from his old lifestyle, the parties, the women, the men, the money.

He was young and he had so many years ahead of him to truly grow up and see the world for what it was. Right now, he enjoyed the position he was in and that was completely fine. I enjoyed myself at university and he is doing the same after education.

Oh, darling. Quit trying to find excuses and just call him.

That was exactly what I was not going to do. Call him. I never chased after a man and I wasn't about to start doing that now.

With a sigh, I turned my head towards the phone that began to ring and lifted it to my ear after I accepted the call.

"Renleigh Kensington, CEO of Kensington and Co. How can I help?"

"Zayn Malik, CEO of my fine piece of arse. Can you do me a favour for tonight?"

"I don't do favours, Mr Malik."

"Ah, that's right," he said. "Well, in case you need a reminder – which you clearly do – I am giving your brand a new competitive advantage by being the first influential male to work on an entire line with you. I guess the least you could do is come and mingle with me tonight."

"I think you need a reminder that you are in a relationship which means you have someone to take out and, as you said, mingle with."

"Come on, Renleigh... I thought you were smarter than that," he chuckled. "She's out of town therefore I have no one else to take. Contrary to popular belief, I don't like showing up to events with different women."

"Is that a dig at a certain someone whose name I wish not to mention?"

"Take it as you will," he commented. "I'll send a car – your address is the same right? – and I'll see you at seven."

"You can't boss me ar-," but it was too late to finish. The fucking dickhead buttoned me and I couldn't do anything about it. "Well, I guess I am going out tonight... to mingle."

• • •

a.n.

i live for zenleigh alright you all best expect more cos i have more coming x x

now onto what i have been thinking about since monday

(i swear i will fly to new york rn and suck his dick if he keeps looking at me like that)

ok i'm gonna stop and whore out some more on twitter bye x

P.S. PLEASE VOTE AND COMMENT