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Distraction

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Chapter 4: Distraction (Kai's POV)

Victory only tasted so sweet when I had stolen it from Rose Chen's lips. Just as I had last night, just as I would for all my nights to come. 

We weren't the only ones at war last night, yet the feud between the two of us was the fiercest. We went back and forth for several minutes, bidding everything we had on that one dagger, waiting to see who would give in first. 

I hadn't planned on going to war for something so insignificant, so trivial, something that only held beauty as its sole power. 

But Rose wanted it, for whatever unfathomable reason, she wanted it. I couldn't remember the last time I'd seen her desire something so desperately. Once I had, I simply couldn't let her have it. 

If it hadn't been for Dominic, she would have fought me to my death for it but he made the mistake of stopping her and I'm sure that was something he paid the price for later. 

"You're late," my father announced the moment I stepped foot past the double doors and entered the dining room. 

I turned to face him once I'd closed the doors behind me and tilted my head slightly in thought. "Better late than never," I replied, crossing the room to where he sat at the mahogany table which glittered with silverware and delicate China dishes. One wrong move, and they'd be shattered on the ground in millions of pieces. 

"Don't try to charm me, Kai. It doesn't work," he said dryly, narrowing his eyes at me as he pulled his glasses further down his nose, his gaze following my movements. 

"All the more reason for me to keep trying, Dad," I breathed out, settling into one of the chairs moments before my mother strolled in. I held my father's gaze as I asked, "You wanted to see me?" 

Leaning back in his seat, he said, "Yes. It's the weekend. Although I'd see you in the office on Monday..." He poured himself a glass of water. "This couldn't wait." 

I eyed him for a beat before shifting my attention to my mother as she took her seat, her lips pulled together tightly, her expression as blank as it always was. 

Never in my life had I seen a smudge on that red lipstick of hers or a single hair out of place on her head. Not one wrinkle in her clothes, not one mark on her heels. She always strived for pure perfection and never once settled for anything less. 

"You have my attention," I replied, "I'm listening." 

My father opened his mouth to begin, only for no words to escape. 

Something is definitely off. 

A faint sigh escaped him as he pinched the bridge of his nose before diverting his attention to my mother. "June," he called her, "is this really necessary?" 

Her spine steeled more than I ever deemed possible. "I knew you couldn't do it, Adrian," she said to him before placing her napkin in her lap before finally uttering those Godforsaken words. "There's someone I'd like you to meet, Kai." 

I remained quiet for several moments before clearing my throat. "Someone you'd like me to meet," I echoed. 

"That is what I said, isn't it?" she asked, her eyes meeting mine. 

"It is," I answered, "but you didn't quite explain yourself, Mother. So, please do. Before I do something you wouldn't approve of, like blow my own fucking head off." 

"Kai," she said sharply. 

My hands clenched and unclenched into fists before I exhaled, "Explain." 

She shrugged nonchalantly, "What's there to explain? We've been dancing around this subject for the past year, waiting for you to grow up, waiting for you to step up and take control of your life where you should. But all you've been doing is wasting precious time, not only yours but also ours. I've had enough." 

"Excuse me?" I scoffed. 

"It's time to settle down, Kai," Dad cut in. 

"You're not getting any younger, and neither are we," she continued mercilessly, "you'll be thirty by the end of the year." 

"I fail to see your point," I replied. "I am more than capable enough of making my own decisions. I will get married when I see it fit, when I find a woman I can deem an equal. If this is anyone's decision, it's mine," I said firmly. A shrill silence fell over the room, and with each passing second, I could feel the rage simmering inside of me grow, bubbling up. 

"We had a deal, Kai," my mother finally said. "You lost, and I won. You made me a promise, you gave me your word." 

My jaw ticked as I fisted my hands tight enough that my knuckles turned white. The blood rushed to my fingertips until I could hear it pumping through my veins, until the deafening pounding of my heart was ringing in my eardrums. 

"We had a deal," she repeated, "you've had the past year to make something of yourself. Will you remind me of our terms, or shall I do it for you?" There was no woman in this world as vile as my mother could be at times. Her tone was condescending, like she enjoyed this, enjoyed putting me down this way. Perhaps she relished in it. 

My eyes cut to hers as she cleared her throat and continued. 

"One year, Kai. To make something of yourself. To get your job back at the FBI or to make room for yourself on the board at Warner & Co. by taking over from your father before he steps down. Or you'd do as I say and get married into a family we deemed fit. One year... and your time is up." 

Barely suppressing a scoff, I simply let out a breath as my patience dangled by a thread and ran my tongue along my inner cheek. "Yes, Mother, I'm well aware of that. The memory haunts me to this goddamn day. I wonder why I agreed to a bargain you had already rigged against me." Arching a brow at her, I awaited an answer. 

"Why would I play this game against my own son, Kai? I simply want what's best for you," she smiled. 

"That's interesting," I scoffed, "is that why you gave out my shares without my permission? Is that why you took my name out of the company?" 

"Please," she said sharply, "Kai, I was—" 

"You were making sure I was left with nothing," I cut her off. "I spend every waking hour of every day working my ass off for a company that will never be mine, Mother. You demand more of me, but I have nothing else to give to Warner & Co." 

"Kai," Dad sighed, "that's not what this is about." 

"Isn't it?" I asked knowingly, glancing at him. "Let's not forget the reason I lost my job in the first place." My eyes cut to my mother's. "It was you." For once, I managed to successfully ignite a reaction in her. 

"Would you rather trust a Chen? You were working with her, and she was working against you." she bit out. 

I ran a hand over my mouth, working my jaw as I glanced at my father. 

He wouldn't intervene. He couldn't. 

She then sighed, "You are a man of your word, Kai, are you not? You're a Warner. That means something in this world, and you know it." 

I wish it meant nothing at all. 

"She's a nice girl," she continued casually, "her name is Clarissa Williams. You'd like her. All I ask is that you meet her for dinner tonight. You have to start somewhere, let's start small. One dinner. That's all I ask." 

I shook my head slowly, "Mother—" 

"One dinner," she repeated, more firmly this time. "She'll be waiting at Nova tonight. Eight-thirty, sharp. Don't be late. The food is getting cold, let's eat now." 

I wasn't sure I could. She'd killed whatever was still left of my appetite when she opened her mouth. 

I let the fork clatter from my fingers and onto my plate, watching as the China dish before me shattered, cracks spreading from its core until the plate crumbled into several pieces. "You two enjoy your lunch," I said, "I'm sure after what you've just done, you certainly will, Mother." Walking around the dining table, I headed for the doors. 

"Kai—" I heard Dad call out. 

"Let him go," she said, "he'll come around. He always does, Adrian. He's my son." 

Yes, because she certainly was one hell of a mother, wasn't she? 

As I slammed the car door shut and turned the keys in the ignition, there was only one thing I knew for certain: I would need one hell of a distraction to help me survive tonight. 

At times, I was convinced there was no other woman in this world capable of being as vicious as my mother could be. She had mastered the art of manipulation, and I wasn't sure if it was simply in her blood and if I had her to thank for the tricks I'd learned or if it was after she got married to my father and was thrown head-first into a city she knew nothing of, with a man she barely knew and certainly never loved. 

The Warners had a history of arranged marriages disguising their alliances. I'd be damned if I became another Warner on that fucking list. 

It wasn't going to happen. No matter what I lost in the process, I was not going to marry for business in a world that made deals and traded lives for the cheapest price possible. 

I took a deep breath before finally stepping on the gas and heading straight to the FBI headquarters. 

Not only did I need a distraction to get me through the night, but I now desperately needed something to occupy myself with until that blind date came around, so I wouldn't blow someone else's head off if not my own.

And so... the FBI office it was. 

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Chapter 4

Do we hate his mother, or do we hate his mother?

I promised y'all weekly updates, and so far, I'm delivering okay! Cut me some slack uni life and adulting are hard, you guys 😭

Anyway, enjoy this chapter, and don't forget to comment

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