Deeper Healing

10| Hanging By A Thread

Nikolai Coleman

I slammed the infuriating files in my hands onto my desk and collapsed into my swivel chair, taking a deep sigh of frustration I had long suppressed.

My eyes fluttered closed and I bent my right leg over my left knee, swivelling the chair left and right periodically with my head pressed into the leather chair. I took another deep breath, hoping to soothe the fiery chaos wrecking up my insides and fucking with my mind.

I hated Monday mornings, especially if they were this chaotic with clout-chasing media outlets desperately hunting for fame by feeding on my private affairs and struggles.

This was undoubtedly one of the major downsides of fame. Privacy was close to nonexistence with a hoard of strangers sticking their judgemental noses into my business nonstop.

Indeed, an eligible bachelor like me showing up to one of the biggest charity galas in the United States with a desirable woman like Leilani Edwards was bound to stir some drama and a lot of gossiping, but I never thought our little arrangement carried the explosive capacity to make it to the front page of a top-selling magazine.

The media printing whatever it wanted wasn't something shockingly unusual with questions along what our relationship was and some tasteless speculations I had gotten used to of people thinking I were a fuckboy who only did the dirty in private given there was no solid evidence supporting such theories regarding me.

The infuriating part was the blurry photos taken later on showing Leilani leaving the building crying and some moments of her emotional breakdown in the parking lot after the entire incident with her barbaric ex. I felt like publishing something that personal was purely inhuman and suggesting that maybe I'd hurt her in any way was even more concerning.

I felt like it was my duty to protect her honour and dignity which someone had already attempted to taint. She was young and spirited, with a mind full of dreams. I couldn't let this bullshit serve as another source of demotivation and setback in her goals.

The good thing was I was Nikolai Coleman and my competitive publicist and legal team were no joke either. In less than an hour, every file and document relating to my public appearance with Leilani that I didn't condone had been withdrawn after negotiations before any publications had been made and I personally made sure I had the situation under control.

That issue alone had taken up some of my time, leading to me postponing some meetings and messing up my entire schedule. I hated such inconveniences. They represented disorder and that was a trait I wasn't used to being associated with.

I was disturbed from my thoughts by the sound of the door to my office being swiftly opened and the sound of someone's shoes clicking on the floor as they walked in. Only one person in this entire building would barge in like that without knocking.

"Isn't it a little too early in the morning to be daydreaming?" Alex snickered, knocking on my desk.

I opened my eyes, sitting up straight as I gathered my files, and tidied them up. "I'm not in the mood," I replied flatly.

Alex scoffed loudly. "Is that supposed to scare me away? You've never been in the mood for anything and I'm used to it so basically, nothing new."

I lifted my eyes, focusing my gaze on Alex who looked directly at me, his hands now in the pockets of the slacks of his dark grey tailored suit. I could tell he had gotten a new hairstyle that gave him an overall striking look as usual. It was no secret he had amazing genes and he used his luck to his advantage.

When he saw how dead serious I was, Alex smirked, his eyes lighting up. "Yeah, you really look pissed and I'm here for it."

I averted my eyes from Alex, choosing not to pick a fight. I dialled my pin code into the keypad before pulling a drawer open and placing the files inside neatly. I closed the drawer and stood up, straightening the jacket of my black three-piece suit.