20. Delilah
Chapter twenty
Delilah
P ulling my hair into a low ponytail, I sighed as I looked in the mirror. My classes had finished almost an hour ago, and I was on my way to see Calvin. Changing out of my required uniform, I found myself in a simple sweater, light blue jeans, and a pair of ankle booties.
Grabbing my bag, I walked down the stairs and noticed my siblings sitting in the living room. Ivory and Zachary were watching a movie as the twins lay on their chests, fast asleep. They both looked over at me, and I gave them a small smile.
“I’m gonna go out for a little; let Mom and Dad know—” I began, but stopped mid-sentence as I heard my father’s voice by the steps.
“No need; I was listening.”
I looked over at him and nodded. Of course, he’s always listening.
“Anyways, I’m just gonna grab my keys and—”
He cut me off once again. “That won’t be necessary; Leo will drive you.”
From the look on his face, I knew I wasn’t going to get out of this one.
My siblings turned their heads, probably feeling the tension in the room, and I only nodded my head once again.
“All right... I’ll give him a call then,” I said before I turned away from him.
I walked out the door and turned back to see Dad returning to his office. Looking over to my siblings, they both had their eyes on me silently. Ivory glanced back, noticing Dad’s office door was still open down the hall, before she looked back to me and mouthed, “Uncle Blaine.”
I blew her a quick kiss as I closed the door and saw Leo already waiting at the end of the walkway outside of his car. I went over to his car.
“Good afternoon, Miss Delilah. Where to?” he asked, and I shrugged.
“I was going to visit Uncle Blaine for a little.”
He nodded and opened the door for me.
Eventually, we made it to Porter Industries’ main building, and I made my way to Uncle Blaine’s office.
Casually, I opened his door. “Hey, Uncle Blaine, I—” I started, but my words faltered. I covered my eyes as I almost fully witnessed him practically devouring my aunt Maia on his desk. She was making all types of noises, and he chuckled as he talked dirty to her. Thankfully, they were fully clothed, but at the rate they were going, I knew it wouldn’t last.
“Um, Uncle Blaine?” I said louder, and he practically threw Maia onto the seat behind him to hide her before he looked back at me. I removed my hands, and he shook his head.
“No! You cannot come in here without giving me a heads-up! Just because I always do it to Killian and Brielle doesn’t mean you can come to do it to me, too,” he hissed, and Aunt Maia giggled.
“Stop making the poor girl upset, Blaine. She doesn’t need to schedule appointments to come to see you,” she remarked, and he gave her a look.
“But I thought we were going to try—” he started, and I interjected immediately.
“I can leave if you want me to. It won’t be a problem!”
Aunt Maia smiled. “Later, champ. Help out your niece. I’ll see you at home.”
Uncle Blaine whined as he watched her stand up and walk over to me. She gave me a quick hug, and I gave her a small, awkward pat on the back. After what I just witnessed, I don’t think I’ll ever sleep at night. She laughed at my reaction and walked out of the room.
“Don’t worry, sweetie; that’ll be you in the future, and since you’re Killian’s kid, probably worse,” she said, giggling, making her way to the elevator, and I looked back to Uncle Blaine, who was still pouting.
I gave him a look. “I’ll give you the chocolate candy bar in my bag if you forgive me for barging in and help me,” I bargained, and he thought about it seriously for a moment. God, is there anything this man will put before eating food?
“I’ll consider it. Now, what can I do for you, Niecey Dede?”
I sighed as he leaned against the front of his desk, and I sat on one of the sofas in front of him.
“It’s Dad. He’s unreasonable like always.”
Uncle Blaine shrugged. “That’s usually how it goes when Calvin gets under his skin.”
I nodded and continued, “I just wanted to go out for a little, but he has Leo watching me like a hawk. Could I borrow one of your cars for a little? I’ll only be an hour or two.”
“I would love to help, but I don’t want to get in trouble,” he stressed as if he was a five-year-old.
I gave him a look. “You’re my only hope, Uncle Blaine. If not you, then Uncle Shin—but it wouldn’t feel right betraying my favorite uncle…” I said, buttering him up.
He nodded quickly. “You’re right, and you definitely should not go to Eugene. That motherfucker’s just weird... no offense,” he muttered, and I knew he was only feeding his ego.
“I know, right? Which is why I came to my uncle Blainey.” I smiled innocently, and he sighed.
“Before I help you, what’s so secretive that angry Papa Bear can’t know about? Not that I blame you for hiding anything from that insane lunatic.”
“It’s a secret,” I replied, and he narrowed his eyes at me.
“No boyfriend?” he asked, and I shook my head.
“No boyfriend.”
He walked over to his desk and opened a drawer. “I hope you know you’re my favorite niece.” He tossed me a key, and I caught it with a smile.
“I’m everyone’s favorite.”
He rolled his eyes. “Especially Calvin’s. God, I want to bash his head into the wall. Calling my goddaughter his? Oh, let me hear that fucker say it one more time.”
I sighed as I got up to give him a calming hug.
“And you’re the best godfather I could ever have; that’s why you’re my favorite, too.”
Uncle Blaine wrapped his arms around me with an angry expression on his face. “Damn right. He better learn his damn place,” he grumbled, and I giggled as I pulled away.
“All right, I gotta run. Thank you, love you.”
He went to speak, but I handed him the chocolate bar, and the smile on his face grew once more.
“This is so not worth the punishment I’ll get if we’re caught, but I’ll pretend it is,” he muttered, and I rolled my eyes and gave him one last hug before heading for his garage.
I sounded the alarm and grinned as I approached a light pink Lamborghini. You would think he got this for Maia, but he bought her one in another color…
After getting situated inside, I quickly drove to Calvin’s building. Thankfully, Leo had to run a few errands, so he wasn’t breathing down my neck.
I parked downstairs in his garage and made my way inside. The receptionist looked over to me and pointed to the elevator as she spoke into the phone.
“Sir, your goddaughter is here to see you.”
Will they ever address me with my name? I thought to myself as I ascended in the elevator.
It stopped on one of the floors, and I tilted my head. This usually just went straight to the top… unless someone had access to it on one of the lower floors.
I groaned internally as the door opened, and Luca looked at me with a smile as genuine as he could make it.
“Well, isn’t this my lucky day, doll? Quite unexpected to see you here.” He entered the elevator and looked to see what floor I was going to. “And it looks like you’re here to see one of the big leagues... And my day only gets better since Archer doesn’t work until five.”
He looked down at me, waiting to hear my reply, but I didn’t say anything in response.
“That’s how you want to act today, hmm?” he asked, and I didn’t respond once again.
“I wonder if the infamous Killian Russel knows his precious daughter is at his competitor’s office...”
I glanced up at him, and only then did I notice the mischievous glint in his eyes. He waited expectantly, and I looked away as I spoke.
“My mother knows.”
He tilted his head. “But doll, that simply wasn’t an answer to the question I asked… So he doesn’t know then.”
I bit my lip before I sighed heavily. “Luca—”
“Don’t worry, love. I won’t say anything,” he assured me, and I looked over to him in somewhat shock as he remained impassive.
“If you don’t mind me asking... why not? Isn’t this information what you’d want? To use it to get me closer to you.”
“Oh, doll… you don’t know how right you are. If you were cautious, you wouldn’t have said a word.”
“What would you use it for?” I muttered, knowing the answer, and as the elevator door opened, he backed out of the elevator with a smug look.
“Blackmail,” was all he said with a wink, and the doors closed.
I leaned back against the wall and scoffed as I shook my head. You have got to be kidding me. Here, I thought the guy was having a civil conversation with me, but he turned my words against me and will most likely blackmail me with them.
The doors opened to Calvin’s floor, and I pushed the thoughts away as I made my way to his office . I’ll deal with him when the time comes.
“Well, isn’t this a surprise?” I heard, and I looked up to see Andrew walking towards Calvin’s door as well.
“You know your son said something along the lines of that a few moments ago and is now planning to blackmail me,” I said truthfully, and Andrew simply chuckled. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a hint of seriousness in his eyes.
“That’s Luca for you: making everyone’s life a living hell and blaming it on everyone but himself… but I wouldn’t worry much about him, sweetheart.”
I said nothing as he opened the door for me. You have no idea how much hell he’s already put me through.
Calvin looked up from reading a document at his desk and smiled.
“Hello, Kitten. So good to see you,” he said, and I nodded my head and took a seat across from him.
“Likewise.”
Andrew sat in the corner of the room and opened a book, but I could tell he was still listening in.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of speaking with you today?” Calvin asked, looking back to his computer, and I sighed.
“Uncle Cal…” I started, and his eyes quickly left his computer and remained on me. Andrew chuckled in the corner at my ease in gaining his attention, and I ignored him as I continued.
“Dad hasn’t really been easy on me since your business deal with him. He told me that I won’t be going to Paris because Archer and Luca will be there alone with me, but I know that’s not the full story. He’s just being overprotective as always, and the fact that I will be in another country with your son justifies his actions in his mind. He’s trying to find a loophole in your contract with him, but only you can pull the plug. It wouldn’t affect you or him if you did…” I explained.
Calvin sighed as he sat back in his chair. “I understand your situation, Kitten. I really do… I would be more than happy to give my assistance, but this would be a huge setback on the plans I have for the next few months, especially since Archer will be in charge of that department. He’s done so much planning for it already, I don’t know how this change will affect our production rate,” he revealed, and I nodded as he looked deep in thought for a moment.
From the corner of my eye, I could see Andrew holding up three fingers... Two... One.
“Unless…” Calvin continued, and he tilted his head. “I let Killian out of the contract, and… you, Kitten, can help me with a small favor. Shouldn’t be anything major.”
“What did you have in mind?” I asked him as I played with my hands unintentionally.
“Well, Archer is going to need some help redirecting the next few months of plans and executing them without any complications. I can’t quite count on my other son Stephan, and Andrew and I both know Archer and Luca would never get anything done. Since you’ve worked with your father previously on similar business matters…” He trailed off, and I finished his sentence for him.
“You want me to help Archer.”
“Assist him, if you will, as a temporary PA. Just until he’s able to balance everything by himself.”
Personal assistant to Archer? My father would not approve one hundred percent.
“Doesn’t he have any other person who could help him?” I asked.
Calvin responded with a knowing look, “Well, then it wouldn’t really be you returning the favor, would it, Kitten?”
I sighed. “I guess not…”
He beamed happily once again and chuckled.
“Well, then it’s settled! I will do my best to send you to Paris, and once you get back from the trip, we can discuss a schedule you will follow to assist Archer.”
“Calvin... I don’t think this is going to end well.” I spoke truthfully, and he sighed.
“Delilah… Do you not trust your godfather?”
I don’t.
“I do,” I lied, and he smiled.
“Then help me, and I will surely do the same for you, Kitten…”
Omniscient
A few hours later, Archer waltzed into his father’s office and crossed his arms.
“Your assistant has been bothering me for the last ten minutes about you needing to speak with me. What do you want?” he asked.
Calvin chuckled. “Well, hello to you, too.”
Archer rolled his eyes. “You do realize I have a shitload of work on my desk that needs to get done for my department, correct?” he asked, and Calvin nodded.
“Yes. That reminds me... the deal is off.”
Archer glared at his father. “What do you mean, the deal is off!? I hope we’re not discussing the deal that you forced me to work on for almost half a year and made me cram about two more years of work in the last fucking month. The same deal you swore Killian Russel would agree to after I found out over a fucking dinner that we’d be working with him!” he seethed.
Calvin laughed with a nod. “That one precisely—”
Archer cut him off. “Father. I don’t have time for your antics today. Why the hell did you go through with this! You told me it would work out, but pulling out of the deal will set me back for months!”
“Well... Kitten wanted to go to Paris, and we had a chat. Which led to me letting go of her father, ultimately erasing her primary obstacle.”
Archer scoffed before turning his head as he ran his hand down his face. “ God, that little brat can really get anything she wants,” he muttered, but Calvin heard, noticing that his tone was a mix of slight anger and another emotion.
Nonetheless, Calvin stood up and sighed. “Son, this shouldn’t be a challenge for you. Trust me, backing out of the contract... was not a mistake.”
Archer rolled his eyes, and not wanting to hear more, he left the room and slammed the door in the process.
Andrew walked in from his conjoined office and leaned against the door frame as he took a sip of his coffee. “I expected things to go worse.”
Calvin shook his head. “The second I got his reaction from hearing it was Delilah’s doing, that was all I needed. He isn’t really upset,” he replied, and they both looked to the door as Eugene walked in.
Andrew furrowed his eyebrows.
“One of these days, Newman, you’re gonna use the fucking door to get into this damn building. All you do is sneak past security like some assassin,” he uttered.
Eugene paid him no mind as he crossed his arms. “What do you need, Calvin?” he asked, and Calvin chuckled.
“Eugene, I need you to make sure that Delilah goes on this trip to Paris. Though I did most likely the majority of the work in resolving the issue, I need you to make sure Killian agrees to allow her to go. Then your next job will be to keep tabs on them for me as well.”
“Both of them? At the same time?” Eugene asked, and Calvin nodded.
“They will be spending more time together, so this won’t be a challenging task… she’s going to be working for him in a few weeks’ time.”
Eugene frowned. “I’m assuming Killian doesn’t know about this whole ordeal either?”
“Of course he doesn’t. If he did, he’d go insane.”
“Then what the hell are you doing, Calvin!” Eugene asked, slightly raising his voice and glancing at Andrew for a split second before looking back to Calvin, who still looked unfazed.
He lowered his voice as he continued, “Calvin… You know the type of man Killian is. I’m already doing my best to keep quiet about your plans, and me keeping this secret from him is going to make me even more dead than I already am…”
“Eugene, let’s skip the theatrics. You’re already a dead man walking, so there isn’t much of a difference now. If you do your job, I promise you, Killian will not find out that you’ve been helping me.”
“How can you be so sure? He’s already skeptical of me and may already know more than we think!”
“Then we assume that he does not know and continue to execute the plan carefully. Do that, and you’ll be safe... from both me and him. ”
“Calvin—”
“Need I remind you once AGAIN, Eugene ,” Calvin cut him off as he approached him slowly, “you work for me, and your family belongs to me. You don’t have a say in this. For me to fully be a part of Killian’s company, you need to keep your opinions to yourself and do your damn job. This is the only way that Killian will be forced to accept our companies merging.”
“Archer knows no girl other than Delilah. We both know that he literally thinks, sleeps, breathes her. The attraction he has for her is unhealthy. And Delilah, my real niece, has only known two boys who have done nothing but make her life a living hell and you—” Eugene looked and pointed to Andrew—“allow your son to harass her and play his stupid mind games just so she will fall into the arms of the only other boy who may treat her slightly better—but she doesn’t know anyone else out there. You’re manipulating them! Fucking forcing them to fall in love!” he yelled.
The room went silent.
Eugene ran his hands through his hair, practically forcing himself not to rip it out of his scalp as the guilt of being in the room with the two men continued weighing on him.
Calvin leaned against the front of his desk and spoke with a shrug.
“Well, they need to fall in love, Eugene. How else are they going to get married? ”