Bonded To The Enticer

Chapter 19 (part1)- First Dispute

"Thank you for not telling him about yesterday's incident," I whispered to Stephan once Dad got at some distance.

"Well, you kind of saved me too last night so I guess I owed you one and don't forget he's my dad as well," he replied with his casual cute smile on his face. He winked at me before getting back to his cooking.

"What's that horrible smell?" yelled dad from the living room.

"Nothing...I..I was just checking if the stove is functional," Stephan answered in a rather tensed tone. I had a glance at what he was preparing and it was seemingly not something edible. He was trying to make omelettes but it was a failed attempt. The egg shells were scattered on the table and partly on his shirt and the yolk was in the pan but the egg white was... well it was in his hands, dripping down to the floor. And it was already stinking. There is way to go with your culinary skills my brother. I thought sarcastically.

I couldn't stop myself from the laughter that tickled my belly. I couldn't resist the urge and laughed so loudly that my eyes started burning with tears. I saw him glaring at me like a kid who just painted himself and still couldn't figure out why the opponent was laughing. His silvery eyes sparkled with a nonsensical humour. He knew he looked ridiculous and he had to admit that cooking was definitely not his cup of tea.

"Eggs and I, we are apparently not in good terms," he stated hilariously while removing the egg shells from his shirt.

"I assume cooking has not been your favourite time pass in California," I added, repressing my laughter.

"What to say? Not all men are chefs. I regret," he said, playing with his hair with a boyish grin. He had eggs all over him.

"Well, I would suggest a proper perfumed shower to an egg stinking guy before signing the deal of his life. You don't want to make bad impression, do you?"

"Absolutely not, at least not after everything I have at stake," He said but lowered his tone for the last part. 'At stake' what did he mean by that? His brows arched and his eyes looked elsewhere while saying this pensively.

"At stake?" I quoted.

"I mean my reputation, you know." He replied hastily to kill my rising curiosity, "I've never missed any deal in my whole career, and so, I have my own image to save."

There was definitely something wrong. He seemed to be assuring himself more than explaining me. I could see the tension lines on his forehead but I knew he wasn't going to spill the beans. I didn't want to pressurise him as well so, I deliberately dropped the topic. He walked up to his room to get himself in a cleaner state while I prepared the breakfast and cleaned the mess.

Dad was reading his newspaper on the couch when I brought him his morning coffee.

"Thank you" he said.

I sat down next to him, sipping my herbal tea.

"He's in the front page again. This guy has more success than any other businessman in the State. They say his company's turnover is up to $30,000,000 and still counting...," He read to himself.

"Oh! Who's this person who is stealing the headlines like that?" I asked, taking the last sip of my drink.

"A world classed businessman named S.Hayden," he replied before I coughed as if a bone was stuck in my throat. This man is richer than I thought. I spilled the tea on my clothes.

"You know him?" dad asked, raising his eyebrows to me. He could see how this name made my heart jump at once.

"Yeah, actually he's the one with whom we had a meeting yesterday. Stephan's...," I corrected my words, "I mean our new boss."