Harry Styles

Renleigh and I were set to leave for New York tonight because the fashion show was in two days. As far as I knew, most of her team was already there and ready for the event whereas we were both still at home. I have not seen her since my birthday and we haven't really spoke other than the few times we texted and called but I just reasoned it with the whole mess that the show brought along.

Which was why I decided to get her favourite food and visit her at work. She was bound to be there and I knew I would be able to catch her in-between meetings. I missed her quite a bit, especially since we spent so much time together lately and now, we didn't even see each other. It was weird, I felt strange having to go about my day without knowing when I would see her next.

I used her lift because it was easier and slightly quicker since it didn't have to stop on different levels. It still amazed me that she had that. I mean, it was very much like her—modern and unique, expensive and tasteful. Everything in this building was very high-tech, very futuristic and well-designed. Renleigh's mind was one of a kind, I could only imagine what she could do if she decided to design a house.

I pressed on the buzzer then I pressed it again and then the doors opened. There were two people sat from across Renleigh and I felt out of place as I rocked up to her office with a bag of food in my hands.

"I, uh, am I interrupting something?" I asked her, slightly confused as she excused herself from the men and walked over to me. "Are you alright? You seem stressed."

"What are you doing here?" she questioned me.

"I brought you lunch," I answered as the doors closed. "We haven't seen each other in a few days and I wondered how you were. Plus, we're leaving for New York soon."

"Right so we could've seen each other then," she replied. "You didn't need to come here—I didn't call or text to meet up because I'm busy as you have probably concluded."

"You are on edge. Why are you on edge?"

"I'm not on edge."

"I know you."

"Okay. I'm on edge. Things are getting out of control and I'm losing time chatting to you so why don't you go back to work and let me deal with my shit, hm?" she sounded so stressed and close to a breakdown that I didn't even have it in me to argue with her. Especially when I took a better look at her and noticed how the bags that I haven't seen in absolute weeks, were now back under her eyes. Not to mention the shake of her hands which clearly indicated that she drank more coffee than what she was used to since she actually found time to eat and not replace her meals with the ice cold beverage.

"Tell them it's time for your break and come eat with me," I said as gently as I could yet the worry in my voice just overpowered everything and made it sound like an order. Which was something Renleigh didn't like and the fact that she was in this state, I knew she was going to snap.

"I'm gonna tell you this and I'm gonna tell you this once so listen carefully," she raised her hand and pointed her index finger at me. "No. Go home."

"Do you seriously think I'm going to leave when I know you are not okay?"

"Yes. You will. Because I asked you to. And because I don't need any more stress in my life before the fashion show."

"Why don't you let your COO deal with company stuff? Isn't that why you have one? So you don't stress yourself out and they can take most of the workload?" I threw questions at her and, again, she was not very fond of them. It was like my mind and mouth worked against each other.

"Because I'm the CEO and I gotta deal with this, alright?" her voice became irritated and like she was done with this conversation so for my own good, I just let it go. "Now, go away. I have to go back."

I watched her turn around and fiddle with her card to get it out of her pocket but it seemed stuck. It was in the wrong way, the angle made it harder and she just tugged on it until a soft ripping sound filled the hallway.

"Fuck sake," she groaned. I felt like there was a breakdown coming so I walked up to her and gently turned her around. "I told you to go," she said with her voice weakening with each word.

"Baby..."

"Go away," she whimpered and that made a lump form in my own throat. "Go away, Harry," she kept saying as I pulled her to my chest, both of my arms around her shoulders as I hugged her. "Let go," she tried to push me away but it didn't even work, she barely had any strength to her actions. Then all her tries of getting me away stopped as soon as she clawed into my blazer and her emotions got the best of her.

"Ren, it's okay... you are okay."

"Of course, I am!" she huffed as she managed to push me away. Her eyes were red and looked like they had tears in them before she made them go away. She sniffled and ran her hand through her hair. "I'm always okay. Now, like I said, I have to get back to work."

And that was it. She tugged down her blazer, did up the buttons, took a deep breath and she walked back in the room like nothing happened. When the doors closed in my face, I sighed and as I turned around, I found Danielle there.

"Mr Styles."

"Miss Jones," I nodded. "Hey... um. Why is she overworking herself again? When did this start, exactly and for what reason?"

"I'm not sure, Sir," she responded. "I only deal with the business side of things, never personal troubles."

"Personal troubles?" I repeated.

"I said that, didn't I?" she asked back. Literally a clone of her boss. "Anyways. Do you have any idea if she is still in a meeting?"

"Yeah... yeah, she is. Just went back, actually."

"Ah, alright," she nodded. "Well, have a nice day," she said with a smile and then walked away before I had the chance to say anything.

Personal troubles. What kind of personal troubles was she having? She seemed completely fine the last time we saw each other and she didn't raise any attention or red flags through the messages and phone calls we shared lately. Then again, she was brilliant at masking her emotions or if anything was wrong with her and even if I knew her the way I did, she still managed to get away with it.

I didn't actually know what to do. I didn't want to leave because I wanted to know what the fuck was up with her. The way she just left me out here and went back like nothing happened, bothered me greatly. It pissed me off that she shut me out like this, it felt like we were back to the start of us.

I decided to stay. In one of the smaller offices or meeting rooms or whatever their use was. It was on the same floor, I assumed that was where Ren took the serious business clients. I also woke up in one of them, when I think I pretty much told her I loved her or something. It was a hazy memory or it might have never happened, who knows, really.

In the meantime, the food was getting cold so I decided to eat it. I didn't know if I had perfect timing or if things just naturally fell in place, but just as I binned the rubbish, I caught a glance of the two men and Ren walking towards the elevator. She bid them goodbye and I found it to be the perfect opportunity to open the door and call out for her.

"Fucking hell," she breathed with her hands on her chest and her eyes closed, clearly scared out of her mind by my actions. "What are you doing here, Styles?"

"Checking up on you, Kensington."

"Drop your sarcasm, I don't need it right now," she said bitterly. "The food you brought though... I need that right now."

"I ate it."

"You ate it?"

"I ate it."

She huffed and shook her head, frustrated, as she walked back in her office. I followed her just to see that she grabbed her bag and phone before we left again. She got in the lift and I followed without a word.

"We're getting food...?"

"Yep," she nodded with her hands in front of her body, fingers intertwined. She moved from her heel to her tiptoes as we made it downstairs and she was right out of the lift when the doors opened.

"O-okay so... could you fill me in on what could have possibly gone wrong in, um, three days?"

"Probably not, no," she responded as she unlocked her Maserati and got inside. So, like I had nothing to do, I followed her and went for the passenger side to get in, too.

"You are back to CEO Renleigh and I'm not a fan of it."

"Thought you found it hot," she mumbled, the words easily fell from her lips as she started up the car and we were out of her specific parking spot in an instant.

"I mean yes..."

"So why are you complaining?"

"Because the kind of CEO Renleigh I find hot, still has emotions and is not a dickhead to me but only her clients," I explained. "The kind of CEO Renleigh you are now, is the kind that I had to deal with for the first however many months of us talking and to be quite honest with you, she made me want to crawl up the wall when I wasn't scared shitless in my shell."

"Nice description," she said.

"How the hell did you manage to snap back to being so closed off in three days? Three days. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. That was all it took. What happened?"

"Nothing," she lied. "Nothing happened. I'm the same I was."

"Exactly!" I snapped. "Just like you were when we met."

She didn't respond for a while, we even hit a red light. It was kind of the perfect opportunity for her to turn to me and say, "Why did you come?"

"We haven't seen each other in days and-,"

"That's not what I meant," she interrupted me as she stepped on the pedal and we moved again. "Why did you get in my car if you were just going to piss me off with how I'm not the Renleigh you want but the Renleigh that annoyed you for months?"

"Godness sake. You are annoying the fuck out of me, really," I commented as she didn't see the reasoning behind my actions, absolutely fed up. It was the same nagging feeling I felt the first time, but somehow still different. It was now intensified, like, ten times, because I knew this wasn't her. Because I knew she put up the front I had to break down layer by layer, clearly for a reason.

"Godness sake. You are annoying the fuck out of me, really," she mocked me and I looked at her with a shocked facial expression.

"Excuse me?" I asked back as I expected more from her. More as in a snappy comeback or something that would cut deep and shut me up because she knew the power she had with words.

"Excuse me?" she did it again and all I could do was scoff.

"Are you trying to make me more mad or shut me up?"

"Are you trying to make me more mad or shut me up?"

"Alright. You know what? I'm getting out at the next red light," I ended up saying. "I can't deal with you today."

"Alright. You know what-,"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Kensington!" I raised my voice lightly because she really was getting on my nerves. And she enjoyed it greatly. Which I knew from her devil little chuckle. "Fuck me. What has gotten into you?"

"Do you want a truthful answer?"

"Try and lie to me and see if I can tell."

"True, you are pretty shit at telling if someone is lying to your face or not," she hummed.

"Are you indicating you have lied to me before?"

"I don't know... am I?"

Fuck.

Me.

She was on a different level of annoying today. I didn't know where it came from or why it was here—then again, thinking about it more, it was most likely to do with whatever made her so stressed again. It had to have been bad if, in a sense, she went back to her old self.

Closed off, not talking, trying to get out of a situation, not eating, cooped up in the office.

I didn't like it. I really fucking hated it, actually. I mean, she was doing so good and now, it all seemed like everything was back to being shit. Therefore, whatever it was that happened, had to be fucking horrible and I needed to know about it to make it better. She just was not going to budge and that irritated me so much. Renleigh was the type of person to bottle it until the lid just pops off from all the pressure and when that happens...

Well, that is certainly not pretty.

She drummed on the steering wheel and inhaled loudly, her chest moved up and then down slowly. Her hands moved around the wheel as she found a comfortable position for them. I always said Renleigh was dramatic, but goddamnit. This woman loved acting like she was in a movie or something.

"Remember the feeling I had about my brother? Yeah. That feeling was right."

"What does that mean exactly?" I asked after a little while. I hoped she would say more but it seemed like I had to peel off the layers.

"He has gotten himself into something that will be slightly difficult to get out of hence why I was barely available."

"You also seemed to forget about New York and how you planned to go at least three days before."

"We're leaving tonight, that gives us two days still, doesn't it? Please, stop trying to make me even more stressed."

"That is not my intention..." I said quietly.

"Right... yeah, I'm sorry," she sighed. "It's just something that I never wanted to happen and it did and it was the worst timing. Not to mention that I may or may not have gotten you involved in it as well."

"Care to tell me what this problem is, then?" I asked. "If it involves me, I have the right to know."

"Remember when... when Mason got cornered?" she asked and I hummed in response, my eyebrows furrowed and pulse rising as confusion decided to take over my mind. "Well, I have reason to believe it was a warning."

"A warning?"

"Yep," she nodded. "A warning."

"From who?"

"Now, who do you think has it out for me?"

"Honestly? Probably a lot of people," I stifled a laugh. "You are amongst the most successful CEOs, people are bound to be jealous and want to tear you apart."

"Nice guess," she hummed. "Got another?"

"Can I have some clues?" I questioned. "I don't have anyone on my mind right now. Not anyone who would try to get through to you by bringing my brother into it. Or yours, for that matter. As far as majority of people know, you don't even have a sibling."

"Yeah, I guess not many people know," Ren said. "But not many people know there is anything serious between us, do they?"

"Where are you going with this?"

"I'm just asking questions," I huffed as she said that. I didn't know why she was trying to get me to figure it out when she could have easily just told me the name.

"Just tell me."

"Louis."

"Tomlinson?"

"Do you think I know anyone else named Louis?" she huffed. "Yes. Tomlinson."

"Wait... warning... is this about your debt to him?"

"I think so. But then I'm assuming he's extremely pissed because I never once did contact him about it and I have no interest in ever paying him back," she told me with her voice tense and slightly annoyed. "I thought about it but got rid of the idea. Once you give in, they keep coming back for more. There was no way I would attach myself to him."

"And now that he involved our brothers, I'm thinking you really won't pay him back," I concluded.

"Spot on," she hummed. "But he won't go after Mason—he hit closer and went after my brother whilst he could. I was busy dealing with the restraining order stuff this morning."

"Right. So, that should make me feel better about my family's safety?"

"See why I didn't want to tell you? You are freaking out on me and it's making me panic and stress!"

"Well, I'm sorry but when your little past decides to mess with my family, I have the right to freak out!" I said sternly. I regretted it right away. I shouldn't have taken my anger out on her because she was already under too much stress. But it was giving me stress and panic and I just—I needed to calm down. "Okay. Sorry. I shouldn't have barked at you like that."

"Whatever."

"It's not whatever," I interrupted. "But I will help you figure it out, okay?"

"No need. It's done."

"You said you sorted the restraining order. Is that all?"

"And I got security cameras put up all around the building my brother lives in because they were in need of upgrading anyway, a bunch for where my parents live, changed the ones at my office and my penthouse. I called some people and found out your home-home already has them so I just sent out people to double check they are all working so your siblings are safe, too. Then," she sighed and caught her breath before she carried on. "I got more security around my headquarters and got two personal ones for Brandon. Plus, the restraining order. And I kind of got some of my links involved... like, police links. They are apparently doing everything they can to track down Louis. So, that is all."

Wow.

Fucking wow.

This woman did not sit on her arse but worked and did everything to make sure everyone was safe. The fact that she went as far as ensuring Mason's and Olivia's safety just made me feel even shittier for raising my voice at her about it before.

"You should blink before your eyes dry up."

Her voice got to me eventually and I jolted in my seat as it was unexpected. I looked at her to catch her attention closely on the road, her thumbs drummed on the steering wheel and she rolled her lips in her mouth before she pursed them. I wished so badly we wasn't in the car then or that she wasn't driving because I wanted to kiss her more than anything.

She was never going to be able to understand how much I loved her.

"So... our families are safe, yes?"

"As far as I am aware, they should be."

"Okay. Louis can't get to them. Can he get to you? To me?" I asked.

"Probably. But he's a coward, he won't come out," she spat. "He sent his 'men' after my brother, he couldn't even get his job done."

"Mind filling me in on what the word 'job' entails?" at this point, we were already in some car park, the engine off and Ren with her eyes closed next to me. I watched her take slow, deep breaths. They were all the same time apart which made me assume she tried to calm herself down.

"Louis is making—well, he tried to make Brandon sell drugs in order to make back the money it cost him to give me the pills I needed at the time. Plus, on top of that, he is pissed at me for not paying him back so probably a couple extra hundred or thousand. Who knows. When it comes to money, Tomlinson is not exactly stoppable."

"Did-did Brandon sell the drugs?" I dared to ask. He didn't seem like someone who would have gone down that path and so I couldn't imagine him agreeing to something like that willingly. Which, of course, he didn't but even then—under the pressure of protecting his sister—I didn't want to believe he actually carried out the task of dealing the drugs.

"No," she sighed. "And thank goodness he didn't," she added. "His fingerprints are not on the bags, at least he told me he never touched them. These men who work for Louis... they put it in his car and they have been sitting there for days. I'm hoping that the investigators will be able to find fingerprints... or any kind of DNA lead on them that could put away those men. If there is something like that, I have no doubt in my mind they will give up Louis and he can join them soon."

"You know... I met up with him—Louis. A few months back. Actually, remember when I told you that Brandon came up to me and told me his name was Brandon Kennedy? Well, I met Louis before that. Said he had something to tell me so, out of curiosity, I went. He told me he is no longer dealing with that kinda stuff—said he is off the grid," I shared the information with her, fairly late, but better than never. It actually never really crossed my mind, that day was kind of confusing and definitely one that I regret.

"Clearly, he is very much on it still," she stated sarcastically whilst she undid her seatbelt. I sighed and opened my door to get out when her phone went off and she quickly accepted the call then said, "What do you mean chaos? A smoke bomb? What are you talking about, Liam?"

Smoke bomb? Chaos?

Fuck, I know I wasn't on board with whatever was going on before but now?

This had Louis Tomlinson written all over it. In red. And bold.

I was sure of it.

• • •

a.n.

your past really does haunt u forever huh xxx

i missed writing bitch renleigh honestly harry softened her up too much so it was good to bring her back for abit 🤤

anywaysss hope u enjoyed the chapter n pls don't forget to vote !!!