ROSES AND RUIN

Chapter Three:

~You have to be willing to do it yourself to get anything done.~

Present.

~Dorian.~

This day was a fucking disaster from the very start.

I woke up late. Past 6 am; instead of the usual 5 it'd been for as long as I could remember, like clockwork. There hadn't been enough time for a morning run to clear my head; the lack of exercise had me feeling edgy and out of touch with my surroundings, but I had to make do.

Today was an important day.

I got out of bed; regardless of how I still felt like sleeping in, and got dressed.

On my way to the kitchen, I picked up my mobile to scroll through any important notifications I may have. I needed a cup of coffee to wake myself up properly.

Registering a lot of missed calls from Ben, and a couple from work, I concluded I'd call Ben back on my way to the office.

The rest could wait.

I let out a breath as I checked my email; my fists clenching involuntarily as my gaze flicked across a certain string of unwelcome emails.

Fuck!

The contract I'd been looking to sign today… it'd fallen through.

Months of hard work, undermined by underhanded measures, deceit, and power plays; thanks to that damned rival company, GlobalCorp. All my efforts for the past few months had just come crashing down like an unsteady house of cards.

Shit.

It was almost beyond me how I'd somehow let a once-in-a-lifetime contract slip through my fingers.

I should have seen it coming. No—I did see it coming, but I hadn't been able to stop it. I’d known they were circling; it was only natural in this field, but to lose like this… to them? It felt like a slap to the face; and the bitter taste of failure lingered, burning at the back of my throat.

But the day wasn’t done screwing me over, I realized soon enough.

I grabbed my keys and stormed out, my mind reeling. The elevator ride down felt like it took an eternity; which only served to amplify the frustration brewing inside me. As soon as the doors opened, I strode over to my car; a sleek black Aston Martin.

I slid into the driver’s seat, the leather creaking beneath me as I shut the door. My hand clenched the steering wheel for a steadying moment before I jammed the key into the ignition. The engine roared to life, a low growl that perfectly matched my mood.

I needed to make some calls and sort through this mess before things escalated any further. I pulled out my phone and hit Ben’s number. It barely rang once before he picked up.

“Dorian,” Ben’s voice came through, low and steady; but there was tension beneath it.

He knew.

“I’m guessing you’ve heard about it, ” I stated, forcing my voice to stay calm, though I could feel the agitation creeping in.

“Yeah, I got the news. But that can wait. You’re needed at the warehouse—now.”

I gripped the steering wheel tighter. "What happened?"

"Bad news. Just… get down here. I’ll fill you in when you arrive."

That was the last thing I needed to hear. “On my way,” I muttered and hung up, tossing the phone aside as I shifted into gear.