The Rich And Bold

That Accent

CHAPTER SIX

SAVANNAH

Everyone knew Cole Walsh as the handsome adopted son of Louis and Mary-Jane Walsh. From the age of twelve, his father had groomed him to take over the family business.

He was frequently featured in popular teen magazines whenever he won awards as a teenager. He won quite a number,  from national maths and science quizzes to national debates. He never had any negative reports published about him.

I had crushed on him for a while when I was thirteen. It only lasted about a month. He was nineteen then- a hot hunk in university, already announced as the next CEO of his dad's company. His father made the announcement during one of their company dinners, and the media soaked it up. Many thought he was too young to lead such a massive corporation. It was all they talked about until he finally took over at twenty.

I had thought it admirable that he was so young yet intelligent and responsible. My friends and I came from similar backgrounds and upbringing, but none of us was set to completely take over our family companies at such an early age. We were only expected to take executive roles after high school or university.

Two years later, I saw him in person at the Luna Orphanage Fundraiser hosted by the Diamonds, and my old crush came back in full force. I was so jittery and giggly. I wanted to talk to him, but I knew I would fumble. That night, I admired him from afar as he moved with effortless grace. His cousin, the shy new girl in my class, followed him everywhere. That was when I learned she was his cousin, after overhearing a reporter.

I made up my mind to befriend her when we got back to school, but the thought deflated, along with my heart, when I saw him kiss a blonde British model. That night, I stalked his socials and found out they'd been dating for six months. I had missed that in the gossip columns.

As heartbroken as I was, I kept following his updates. Every story was about his business deals. The only non-business headline came when he and his girlfriend broke up months later. Even then, I knew I was too young for him.

Three years later, my crush had completely faded. By then, I had become a woman. I still admired him, not as a teenage girl in awe, but as someone who respected his hard work and discipline. He rarely appeared in the media anymore. He lived a quiet life. Over the next two years, I saw him only at galas, dinners, and occasionally when he dropped his cousin off at school. Oddly, those few sightings never stirred the same feelings.

Until the first day of my final year in high school.

My hunger for him returned, but not as a crush. I wanted to fuck him.

I'd had meaningless one-night stands and flings with older men, even married ones, but I had never wanted anyone the way I wanted Cole. I was so eager to get him out of my system that, when his cousin climbed the stairs to the entrance that morning, I intentionally made her trip. It was the perfect way to get close to her and by extension, to him without raising suspicions. Besides, I knew Kai had a crush on her.

He'd been ogling her since she transferred in the ninth grade around the time Cole moved to America. He never said anything, but among all the KAASPA crew, I was closest to him. He didn't need to say it. I saw it in his gaze. Still, I knew he wouldn't approach her because she wasn't his type. He preferred girls he could fuck and discard, girls who could handle his sexual kinks. She was too innocent for that. But I thought she was good for him. They looked perfect in my head. So in a way, I was killing two birds with one stone.

That entire day, Cole flooded my thoughts. I couldn't concentrate. All I could think about was sex with him. Raw. Steamy. Desperate. I needed a distraction. I'd already smoked six cigarettes and met up with a usual fling, but nothing helped. I needed to move. I didn't have dance class that evening, so the gym was my only option.