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( CHAPTER THIRTEEN: RUNT IN THE LITTER ) September, 1995.
❛ you know, I think I'm finally starting to understand you. ❜
✦
Tyler's first instinct probably should've been to help her up. Any good man would've bolted to the ground to assist a woman who had just fallen, but mistakenly, Tyler Cain didn't. He just... stood there. He watched as Mariah Carey—the prestigious pop princess—struggled to stand to her feet in her expensive pair of heels and modest, yet short thigh-length dress. Only then, as Tyler watched her awkwardly clench her knees to hoist her body up, did his manners start to kick in.
"Here," Tyler gruffly announced, his brows still scrunched together with deep confusion. The male outstretched his hand, gently and carefully assisting an aggravated Mariah as she hastily stood up, right after falling smack bang in the Brooklyn streets. Once she was on her feet again, Tyler got a look of her, trying to solidify the fact that he standing in front of her, a surprise appearance that almost made him laugh at how profound it was.
"What are you doing out here?" Tyler questioned with a slight smile, finding it particularly odd seeing her plopped in the middle of the grungy New York sidewalk. He hadn't once witnessed her leave the Bedford mansion. Mariah looked up, her brown eyes glistening like amber diamonds, something that struck him in his chest.
And surprisingly, those diamonds brightened delightfully at the sight of him. "Tyler," Mariah exhaled in relief, "Thank goodness." Tyler raised a brow, weirdly enjoying how relieved she sounded at the thought of him. "I've been walking for hours, I think I'm lost," Mariah stated, "I snuck out of a business dinner a few blocks down, and I managed to sneak past Tommy's security but I'm still—"
Suddenly, Mariah stopped rambling. Her body stiffened, staring at Tyler cautiously as the male calmly listened to what she was saying. "Please don't tell my husband that I'm here, or that you saw me," Mariah said, and she winced at her words, probably regretting ever telling him about her plot to sneak away from her husband.
Tyler was his employee, and as far as Mariah knew, the maids, security and house staff were always informing Tommy about her whereabouts. For all she knew, Tyler was instructed to do the exact same thing, hence, her trust issues. But, as the biracial male stared at Mariah, he couldn't help but crack an amused smile at her words.
"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," Tyler said, giving her a reassuring nod, which calmed down some of Mariah's nerves. "I'll call you a cab so that you can go home." At his words, Mariah's eyes widened at an alarming rate. A loud, "NO!" exploded from her lips, which made Tyler's limbs freeze in shock.
