2. Chapter Two
Chapter Two
A ntonio
I was already having the worst day possible. The last thing I needed was to deal with an obnoxious woman who believed the world revolved around her.
This little studio apartment was supposed to be my escape from everything—the responsibilities, the constant noise of the mansion where my father, stepmother, and half-brother lived. That place suffocated me. So, when I needed to breathe, to be alone, I came here.
My father had tried countless times to figure out where I disappeared to, but I'd made sure to pay off everyone who knew about this place.
This was my sanctuary. So why, in heaven’s name, was this woman hell-bent on destroying the peace and quiet I had paid a fortune for?
I’d hoped that a good night’s sleep, coupled with the meal I just had, would lift me out of this haze of grief. Just earlier, I received word that one of our major distributors had died in a car accident.
The news hit hard, not just because of the business implications, but because we were friends. Exhausted, I had finally managed to drift off to sleep when the blaring fire alarm startled me awake. That had been my one chance at a decent moment in an otherwise dreadful day.
And rather than thank me for stepping in, or apologize for the chaos she caused, she had the audacity to slam the door in my face.
I stood there, seething, my fists clenched at my sides. I could feel the anger simmering beneath the surface, but I forced myself to breathe. In and out. Control it. Once I had calmed down enough to think clearly, I knocked on her door, perhaps a little harder than necessary.
She opened almost immediately, defiance glinting in her eyes. “What?!” she barked, her voice sharp enough to slice through the tension in the hallway.
“What? Are you kidding me right now?” I snapped, my voice rising. “You set off a fire alarm, wake up the entire building, slam the door in my face, and now you’re asking me ‘what’ ?”
Her lips tightened, and she bit down on the lower one, clearly trying to rein in her own temper. That only made me angrier. Why was she mad ? I was the one who had been rudely awakened.
“Well? Aren't you going to say something?” I demanded.
“Did your parents never teach you basic manners? How about an apology?”
I saw something flicker in her eyes—was it pain?—but I couldn’t care less. I had struck a nerve, and it was about time she said something.
She crossed her arms and met my glare with one of her own. “I was going to apologize,” she spat, her voice clipped, “when you’d calmed down. But since you decided to come here, banging on my door and shouting, I’m going to keep my apology to myself. You don’t deserve it.”
My blood boiled. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“Oh, really? I don’t deserve it, huh?” I repeated, my voice icy with barely contained rage. “Alright, miss.”
I turned and walked back into my apartment, slamming the door behind me. There was no point in continuing this pointless argument. People like her needed to be taught a lesson, and I knew exactly how to deal with it. By the time she realized what had hit her, it would be too late for an apology.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Jake, the property owner—and more importantly, my best friend. He owed me more than a few favors, and there was no way he’d refuse.
“Hey, man!” Jake’s voice blasted through the speakers. I could hear music thumping in the background, confirming my suspicion that he was at a club. Typical Jake.
Jake was a free spirit, and knew how to enjoy every moment of life. I envied him sometimes… the ability to just go anywhere, do whatever he liked, and live without worries… even after he’d just been through a really messy divorce. I don’t know if it was just his way of getting over what his wicked ex-wife did to him, but I was happy he found the will to live.
“Could you find a quieter place?” I said, already annoyed at the noise.
“Give me a sec,” he muttered. I heard him tell someone something about getting back to the fun soon, followed by some giggling, before the music died down a little. “Better?”
“Yeah, much better. Listen, it’s about the lady who moved in next door…”
“Kendra? Oh, so you’ve met her! Pretty, right? You want her number? I can hook you up if she’s playing hard to get.”
“What? No! It’s the opposite. I want her out.”
There was silence on the line. Jake, of all people, knew how far I went to protect my peace. He also knew I never made requests like this lightly.
“Wait, what happened?” Jake finally asked. “Why do you sound so disturbed?”
“Oh, I’m beyond disturbed . She’s completely uncouth, Jake. She set off the fire alarm, slammed the door in my face, and doesn’t seem to have a shred of decency.”
“Whoa, calm down, man. That doesn’t sound like the woman I spoke to on the phone when she was renting the place. She seemed really nice.”
I filled him in on everything—the fire alarm, her attitude, the blatant disrespect. By the time I finished, I was breathing heavily again, the anger rising all over.
“So, you want me to kick her out?” Jake asked slowly, like I was asking for something outrageous.
“Yes. It’s not too much to ask. The only reason that property’s still in your name is because I threw my weight around for you.”
“Look, Antonio,” Jake began cautiously, “I get that you’re upset, but kicking her out? She just moved here all the way from Alaska. So, kicking her out would be a very … mean thing to do. I could return her money, that would really mess her up, she wouldn’t be able to find a place right away and she doesn’t have anyone. This might just be the straw that will break the camel’s back!”
I raised an eyebrow, intrigued despite myself. “Alaska?”
“Yeah. From what I heard, she lost her family in a car crash. She’s starting over, trying to rebuild her life.”
For a moment, the sharp edges of my anger softened. “How do you know all that?”
“You know me,” Jake replied, his tone smug. “I don’t let just anyone rent my properties. I did a background check, and her agent told me everything.”
Her story tugged at something deep inside me, but I quickly brushed it aside. That didn’t excuse her behavior.
“Still, it doesn’t give her the right to be disrespectful,” I said, my voice firm.
“True, but how about a compromise? I’ll talk to her, get an apology out of her. No need to kick her out.”
I sighed, considering his offer. “Fine. But make sure she understands there’ll be no more nonsense. I won’t tolerate any noise.”
“I’ll talk to her first thing tomorrow,” Jake promised.
“Good.”
“By the way,” Jake said, his tone shifting back to casual, “a couple of the guys are here. You should join us. There’s a woman here who’s always asking about you.”
“No thanks,” I replied. “I’ll pass.”
“But it’s the weekend, and we’re all just unwinding. It should be better than spending the night alone in that little apartment, don’t you think?”
“Naa… I’m good. I love the comfort of my bed better.”
Jake laughed. “Knew you’d say that. Alright, man. Catch you tomorrow.”
The call ended, and I tossed my phone onto the bed. The guilt from earlier tugged at me again, but I shoved it aside. Her tragic past didn’t absolve her of what she’d done tonight.
Still, it was hard to shake the image of her from my mind. Kendra . Even her name felt oddly familiar. I let it roll around in my thoughts before forcing myself to focus on work.
I had bigger problems. My father’s announcement that he was considering stepping down as CEO and I was to take his place, still hung over me like a shadow. On top of that, he wanted me to mentor my half-brother Damon, who had just turned eighteen.
As if I needed another headache. I didn’t have any personal grudges against the young man, or his mother… but, he was a bit of a rascal, and I just didn’t think I possessed the mental fortitude to deal with him. But, my father had insisted that being able to train Damon for the job was one of my tasks to prove I was ready to become CEO.
I stared at my laptop, but instead of diving into work, my mind wandered back to Kendra. Her face flashed before me again. There was something about her… something I couldn’t quite place.
But where had I seen her before?