Steven Richards

After exiting from Zainav Fashions, I walk towards my car, entering in I bang the door of the backseat. Leaning on the backrest, I massage my temples. I hear the sound of the doors closing, both the driver and the passenger side.

"Drive home" I instruct Matt. I don't have any meetings for the rest of the day, so I decide to work from home.

The ride back home is silent until Polo decides to break it, "Boss, I am sorry to say this but what happened back there was not right," he says looking straight ahead.

Matt gives him a side glance, surprise evident on his face, then clearing his throat awkwardly, looks back on the road focusing on driving. I pinch the bridge of my nose, sighing; Polo who has respected and obeyed all that I have said without blinking his eyes, who has never questioned any of my decisions, was talking back at me!

"No one has asked for your opinion Polo," I say clenching my teeth.

I lean my elbows on my knee, head in my hands, with too much anger comes a splitting headache, this has always been the case with me.

The car ride falls silent again, Matt shuffles with the radio and puts on a slow song, maybe to make my headache feel better or maybe to shut Polo up. He knows both of us pretty well, in fact he had introduced Polo when I was looking for a bodyguard a year ago. His words start to play in my head, and I replay my actions, I had never spoken like that to any woman before, I don't know what had gotten into me, I had acted absolutely crazy, was I regretting my actions? No, they were at fault, they had mistreated Stell! I try to convince myself.

After a few minutes, Polo says again "Sir, I have four sisters and if anybody spoke like that with any of them, I would break their bones." I look up from my hands where my head rested, to see Polo looking at me from the rear view mirror, I glare at him through the mirror and before I could say anything Matt interjects "Boss, we're here!"

I look out the window to see, indeed we've reached, I open the door and get out of the car, not missing Matt screech at Polo "What the fuck, dude! Do you have a death wish?"

Entering the living room, I remove my jacket tossing it on the couch, unbutton my cuffs, folding the sleeves of my shirt I loosen the tie, sighing I sit on the couch. I can't help but think about what Polo said, all my harsh words and actions playing again and again in my head. Getting up from the couch I start pacing the living room, not able to stop the tornado of my actions in my head.

I move towards the bar and pour myself a drink, this will help me control my head from overthinking what's already done. I drink one glass after another not feeling anything. I have always been good at handling my drinks, not getting high easily, not because I am a regular drunkard or something, I just am good at handling my drinks. Stell feels that is a good thing, that I don't get drunk easily, but I think its not, you drink because you want to feel that high, that feeling of forgetting everything, even if its just for a few hours, I wanted the alcohol to hit me in a way that it took me to some place new or just put my overthinking mind to rest.

After almost an hour of just sitting there on the bar stool with the glass in my hand I hear Stell screaming from the entrance of the house "Steven, Steven where the hell are you?"

She called me Steven, it meant I am in trouble, "Stell I'm here." I call out to her as she enters the living room glaring at me, looking very angry. I lift one of my hands along with my shoulder motioning 'What?'

She looks at me incredulously "You're asking that to me, really?" she says coming closer to me. "Why do you have to do things that makes you regret later?"

"What are you talking about? Why would I regret anything!" I tell her keeping the glass on the table and standing up.

"Uh..huhh, why are you drinking in the middle of a working day then?"

"Wha..." I am just about to respond when Mitch comes rushing inside shouting "What happened, what happened?" he looks around at me and Stell, then sighs and looks at me again surprised "Pal, what's worng? Are you alright? Why are you drinking?"

"I don't get it, why is it such a big deal that I am drinking?" I say sighing in frustration.
"What are you doing here Mitch? You had a meeting with the Heralds!" I continue trying to change the subject of me drinking and the reason behind it, I don't want Stell to know about anything that happened at Zainav Fashions, but something about the way she is glaring at me tells me she already knows and that worries me, a lot.

"I asked my assistant to deal with the meeting, Stella called and asked me to rush here, I got scared what went wrong, thank god everyone looks stable, atleast physically." he says again looking at the half filled glass on the table and then at me.

"Yes Mitch, no one's physically hurt but I can't say the same about the mental stability, right Steven?" Stell says looking at me more like glaring at me and I stare right back at her annoyed that she didn't tell me anything and I got to know everything from Susan.

Mitch looks confused and keeps staring at me and Stell, he then raises his hands in frustration and says "Is anyone going to tell me, what is going on?"

"How about I show you what is going on Mitch?" Stell says with even more anger. She does something on her phone and then hands it over to Mitch.

I move closer to Mitch to see what is it. Oh damn, that woman, I can't believe her, she sent the CCTV recording! I am completely surprised by the audacity of this woman. She is something else!

My voice in the recording pulls my attention back to the screen to Stell's phone, the feeling of regret that I had earlier was nothing compared to what I feel currently watching myself talk and act like a complete ass. I rub my face with both my hands in irritation with myself. How the hell had I drooped so low!

Mitch watches the entire clipping with shock written all over his face. "What the freaking hell is wrong with you? Why would you do something so..soo awful?"

"That is exactly what I want to know, Steven, Why?" Stell yells the why part so loud I almost step back. Her question though infuriates me, she acts as if nothing happened, as if they did not mistreat her.

"Seriously Stell, you're asking me that, why didn't you tell me they didn't treat you well, they disrespected you!" I yell back at her.

"I really don't understand what are you saying, how do you even know I went to Zainav Fashions this morning? Wait, have you appointed bodyguards following me without my knowledge?"

"Pal, I had told you not to do that, it was a bad idea" Mitch says unbelievably, his eyebrows raised.

Yes, I agree I had considered doing that, but I had a very logical reason behind it. Ever since she had started dating Bryan, the paparazzi wouldn't leave her alone. I didn't want her getting ambushed by them, but Mitch had convinced me not to put bodyguards behind her, she would hate it and I dropped the idea.

I look at Stell, she had her hands fisted at her sides, glaring at me. She takes the pillow from the couch throwing it at me, hitting me square on the head and stomping her feet irritated. I glare at Mitch for telling that out loud.

"Stell, I swear I haven't put anyone following you and all of this, I got to know from Susan, she said they didn't respond to your mails, purposely called you so early in the morning, barely giving you anytime and they even didn't allow her into her office, even after you requested it. They clearly meant to insult you and disrespect you, it could be they are in alliance with one of my business rivals, why didn't I consider this thought earlier." I say the last part mostly thinking to myself.

"What bullshit is this! Why did Susan lie about all of this? Steve, you out of all people believed her. You always told me how weird and suspicious her actions were sometimes." she clearly looks very confused as if nothing makes sense to her. Did I make a mistake believing Susan, but she showed me proof, right proof!

"Stell, why are you acting so indifferent, they neglected your mails, didn't show any level of courtesy and you still defend them. I have seen how they ignored your mails and you kept persuading them, do not disagree with me, I have checked your mails."

"You have gone absolutely nuts! They replied to every mail of mine, they treated me with absolute dignity and did nothing to hurt me. Am I clear? What mails are you talking about, I don't understand!" she says taking her phone again and opening her inbox, scrolling through it, her eyes widen.

"Sh..she deleted the mails received from Evelyn in my Inbox." Stell says shocked, she looks completely stunned not able to digest anything that happened.

"Holy cow! She planned all of this, that daughter of a moron! Well, she did sound suspicious when we were talking about the designer and stuff." Mitch says looking at Stell and me.

'Daughter of a moron' seriously what kind of insult is that. Me and Stell we both look at Mitch incredulously raising our eyebrows.

He shrugs, "What, I do not insult or swear at women!" he says looking specifically at me hinting towards the video he just watched.

"Oh, I know what you're trying to do here. I was tricked okay, she made me believe all of this, she manipulated the entire situation." I say trying to justify myself.

"Whatever Susan did or said does not justify or give you the right to insult and humiliate a woman Steve, what you did was not only wrong but also shameful and I am very disappointed. I never knew my brother had this side to him, you were my pride Steven." she says almost on the verge of tears, I can see the hurt and disappointment in her eyes, for which only I am responsible.

Her words hit me real hard, I feel embarassed and ashamed of my actions.

"Stell, please don't say that. I know I acted impulsively, I don't know I was just so angry, I couldn't think straight. Stell please don't be mad at me?" I say pleading her to just let this go.

"You are going to apologize to Evelyn, at her workplace in front of everyone. Mitch I give you the responsibility to make sure his apology is good enough to compensate for the way he has behaved." she says sternly.

"I'll write her an apology mail, you know I'm not good at apologizing." I say trying to convince her.

"You are going to go there and say how Sorry you are meaning word you say until she forgives you. Do not come in front of me until you've done that. Sober up, get rid of the alcohol stench and get moving" saying that she goes up to her room not even looking back once.

She knows I cannot apologize, its just not easy for me, saying sorry or expressing that guilt, I have never done it before except with Stella.

I go to the bathroom checking my appearance and splashing some water on my face, I exit the bathroom.

"Lets go, Pal" Mitch says with a wide smile on his face and passing me a mouthfreshner.

I'm sure he is going to enjoy at my suffering. I glare at him and move out of the house towards Mitch's car.

He puts on the navigation to Zainav Fashions and starts driving.

"Hey, their office is not very far from our's and just a 20 minute drive from here, so get your apology script ready, Pal" he says slapping me on my shoulder.

"Stop it, Mitch its not funny!" I glare at him warning him to stop goofing on this matter.

Hola!

Well, I know not a very eventful chapter!
Next one will be fun though!

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