Top Note

Chapter 8

Eriantha

People seek shelter at their homes when it rains outside, but how does one protect themselves in a home which has no roof?

You get wet in the rain either way, for you have nowhere to hide.

My situation was somewhat similar, Darcel Karwitz came like a thunderstorm and I had nowhere to hide. I found Anders approaching the meeting room right after Mr. Karwitz left. I would have done the same thing, obviously he was curious, he definitely wanted to know why the mighty CEO of Karwitz perfumes of all people wanted to meet his sister.
But instead I avoided him and made a run for the elevator, because I needed to think before I could tell him anything, my lungs needed some fresh oxygen and my nerves definitely needed to relax a bit, before I could speak with Anders.

'Fuck Eri, you also need to think, what to tell him and how much to tell him. Anders already had too much on his plate, don't make it even worse for him.'

I was overwhelmed by the situation, and by that sinfully gorgeous. That kind of face is only good for the magazine covers, at close proximity it is bad for the heart. Even now I can feel my erratic heartbeat.
Why did he have to be so enticing and ostentatious! It should be a crime.

I had fought hard to make it look like he didn't affect me, but he did, my stupid hormones had acted up, and I am ashamed to admit it.
Darcel wanted to intimidate me, he succeeded, but, he wanted me to succumb to his demands, well, he won't be able to rejoice that victory. Or, so I thought.

Although he already had an upper hand given our circumstances. But wasn't the last part a bit excessive? He definitely didn't need to tower over me and be so close with that perfect face and kissable lips.
I sipped my cup of iced coffee, which I had grabbed from the coffee shop I frequented with Vivian. It was right across the street, I placed the cold cup the against my cheeks, which I am afraid might bleed any moment now, failing to withstand the heat rushes they have been experiencing.
'Stop thinking about him Eriantha, he has been nothing but a human bulldozer, and he has even blackmailed you.'
My dilapidated senses were screaming inside my head.
The first thing that came to my mind was to reach up to Viv, but, I refrained as soon as I recalled the scene from this morning.

"Miss Reux"

I snapped out of my disdainful thoughts, and found a woman sitting in front of me, she was in her fifties, tall, muscle packed arms, her salt and pepper hair had a pixy cut. I could get a sneak peek of her tattoos going down her neck and then vanishing under her neatly pressed three piece suit. The woman was holding a strong cigar, which I think is a source of her raspy voice.The strong smell of the tobacco clogging my breath. I couldn't see her eyes, because they were covered in dark shades, but I didn't need to see them to tell that she was bad news in every possible way. Everything about her including the two men who were nothing but pack of muscles and scars froze me to my chair.

I gave a quick look around,the coffee shop wasn't empty when I had entered, and I clearly remember the cheerful blonde girl taking my order. But now there wasn't a soul to be found, the "open" sign was ridiculing me at this side of the door.

"Excuse me?"

I don't know how I found a little voice, though it sounded ridiculous or anything like mine, but I didn't care.

"I am sure Miss Reux is smart enough to understand that, I am not here to grab a coffee with you. Though I wouldn't mind at some other time." The way she smacked her lips feel as if I am some edible object, made me feel disgusted.

I kept looking straight at her, heaven knows from where I was getting this courage.

"You have a spine, I can see that, and you are smarter than your brother. He shouldn't have tried to stop my men to begin with. Men really shouldn't have egos any bigger than their cock." She scoffed and I flinched internally.

"Anders" I covered my mouth with my hands. My throat was dry and my forehead began throbbing, something like a lump was hitting my chest.

I shouldn't have left the office. I regretted escaping the embarrassment, just so I could feel better. We were in this together.

"What did you do to him?" my voice was muffled as tears threatened to betray me, but I reined them hard and fast.
"Nothing much, Miss Reux, he just has a broken arm and a few bruises. He will probably be knocked out for another hour." She opened her dark eye gears, to reveal her cold grey eyes, fixating me with with them, the entire area of her left eye had multiple stitches, which added to the creepiness to her appearance.

"You both aren't our enemies, but that pansy father of yours, he called quits, after taking money from my family. Too bad, because now I have to get it back from you guys.But, I know that you don't have money." Her laughter penetrated my bones.

"Just how much does he owe you?" Is all that I could manage to ask, these people weren't to be meddled with, and I could tell from their look, they would do anything to get what they owe. She shoved a paper which looked like a bond signed by my deceased father and the amount made my head spin. We would never be able to pay this back, not unless we sell every last bit of our assets including our home.

"Give... Give us some time please.We will arrange something." I pleaded, knowing fully well how empty my words were.

She laughed yet again, this time even those pack of muscles standing behind her joined as well.

"I think, we can get it back only when we sell everything you and your handsome older brother owns, including yourselves."

I have read enough mafia novels to know that, organised crime involves drugs, human trafficking and every other form of heinous crimes, only that the reality is far worse than the books. This woman sitting in front of me is probably just the tip of the ice berg.

Just what was my father thinking when he got himself involved with these people?

"You won't do any such thing." I grimaced, "You can't do that to us."
This time she cracked up like a maniac, and my spine turned into a frigid zone.
"I see you have the same dirty attitude like your papa, he would always say I am a Reux. But you see baby girl, that's not how it works. Your family isn't even a name now, we don't touch big corporate houses because we work on a symbiotic understanding. But, for a small company like yours..." She didn't even need to tell me the rest.
"You have one month.I am giving that much time, because I liked you Miss Reux." She warned and then she stood up, "Fix everything or lose it all."
I didn't breathe until the cars left the street, I still don't know her name, or for whom she works, but whoever my father got involved with, those people were dangerous, and their threats weren't empty.

As soon as the delinquents left, I rushed to our office which now resembled nothing more than a garbage yard. Anders was in a terrible shape, his eyes were bruised and chin was bleeding. The swelling in his right arm was terrifying. Fortunately there were no internal injuries but he had to stay at the hospital for at least three to for days . I thanked my good stars that Vivan had left before all this happened. I don't know what would have happened otherwise, his parents would have sent me to jail, or probably murdered me.
Life was throwing too much at us too soon, I had apprehended about the loan sharks coming after Anders, but it was only when they actually came I realised, that they were worse than my most dreadful imagination.
I kept tossing on my bed that night, I cried pressing my face on the pillow till I felt breathless. It seemed like all paths were closing up. I hated my father earlier, but now I loathed him. He couldn't have been worse than this, could he? He tarnished the Reux name and now people laugh at us. Would they have done the same if my name would have been Karwitz. I didn't know where that thought came from?
"... Choose me Eriantha" Suddenly Darcel's words from earlier came afloat, Anders wasn't in a shape to ask me anything about the whole morning episode. Even I had forgotten about it, given our circumstances, it was our good fortune that we are still alive.
Suddenly an idea flashed like a 1000watt bulb.
I got up, grabbed my only formal dress,a red skirt with a white blouse, my favourite pair of red heels which exuded confidence. I dabbed some make up to hide my pale, haggard face, and straightened my hair before pulling it into a neat ponytail. I had to look professional.

Once I was satisfied at what I saw at the mirror, I searched at the guild's directory that each perfume company has, the details of the Head of each perfume brand. I looked up for the address I was headed to, I couldn't wait until tomorrow. Time is more than a luxury for me now, the sand was trickling down and I had to act.

"I will choose you Darcel Karwitz." I murmured before grabbing the car keys and departing to try my luck on the biggest deal.