Harlem's POV
He closes the door, walks in, gives me a once over and unbuttons his suit. "To what do I owe this pleasure Miss Tamrin?" he asks me. He removes his suit and I'm momentarily distracted by how his shirt clings to his arms. Shit, no. Down, Harlem, down.
"Harlem?" he asks with a raised eyebrow as he walks towards me and seats in front of me. I clear my throat and snap out of it. "I'm not going to take much of your time, I'm aware you have other businesses to attend to. I'm just here to return IT back to you." I ruffle through my purse looking for the envelope of doom and blood money, find it and drop it on the table. He looks at it like he's not surprised I returned it.
He doesn't say anything and I get impatient. "I'm just gonna go now. Goodbye"
"Harlem. Sit back down." Halfway standing I look at him wondering who the hell he's talking to. He closes his eyes for a beat. "Please." I take a deep breath and sit. That's more like it.
"First of all, Good day to you too. Secondly, you're my business as well and lastly what the fuck are you doing?" my eyes go wide, shocked he can speak this way to me. He folds his arms and stares blatantly at me.
I scoff. The nerve of him. "The only thing I'M going to say to you Roth, is that I don't want your blood money. You can keep it"
He pinches the bridge of his nose. "Harlem? Why do you always have to be so difficult? It's literally not even blood money. I did that because of what happened at the bar. I thought you wanted that? I did the thing I thought would make you happy. The least you could do is take it"
"I don't want your money, Ezra Roth. We didn't sleep together, so I don't want your money. Why are you the one giving me the money? You were'nt even therewhen it happened. I assumed it would be her giving me the money, not you"
"She's my fiancée, so it still counts." He states
"You know, she never even apologized. So, I have no idea why youré the one doing it"
"Would you rather she comes and does it? I can call her right fucking now to come here and apologize to you. If that's what you want."
"No! I don't want her anywhwere near me and the last time we met, I let her know."
"So what DO you want, Harlem Tamrin? Because it seems to me, you don't even kniw what you want" he says exasperatedly.
I calm my breathing and look away. "As a matter of fact Harlem, if I'm not the one who should be giving you money and if I wasn't even there, then why do you hate me for it?" he asks so quietly, I almost didn't hear him.
I look at him "I don't hate you." I really don't.
"Yeah? Well, your actions speak louder than your words." He stands and opens the door. "Take the goddamn money Harlem, I don't care what you do with it, I don't care if you start a church with it or better yet, a terrorist group. I'm not taking the money back and that's final. Mrs. Marilyn will escort you to your car" he ends and dismisses me.
I look at him a bit shocked and with no words, but he's avoiding my eyes. I sigh tiredly, snatch the envelope, and walk towards him. I pause at the door before I go. "Terrorist group it is." I whisper. Then do I walk out, but not before noticing the upward tilt to his lips.
-----
I'm walking out of Briggs Corp alone after telling Mrs. Marilyn I could escort myself alone and I'm about to call Lexi when I hear a familiar, shrill, high-pitched voice. I barely hide in time before I see Little Miss Blondie, walk towards the direction I'm coming from and go up the elevator.
I come out from behind the plant I was hiding while still staring at the elevator to make sure she doesn't decide to come back down and catch me unawares. That could go really bad. She's engaged to the guy and Lord knows if she saw me, she was going to make me look bad. A security guy gives me a questioning glare and I just smile awkwardly. Once I'm out the huge sliding doors, I literally run towards my car. I'm surprised Little Miss Blondie didn't see me because I'm convinced she's a witch.
I connect my Bluetooth speaker and dial Lexi. "Sweetheart, how'd it go?" her voice bursts though my speakers when she answers.
"Bad. He didn't take the money and maybe I kinda pissed him off but I can't really be sure with these things. Emotions are a hard topic. But the good news is that I'm starting a terrorist group and I escaped Miss Blondie before all hell could break loose" Lexi sighs on the other end. I'm sure I sound like I did Molly.
"So, all in all you're saying you have 100,000 dollars. Made Ezra Roth angry and almost ran in with your abuser?"
"Correct" I say turning to the street that should lead to the bank.
"And where are you headed now?" she asks warily.
"To lock this money up for half a decade. Because I'm not going to touch it. It'll seem like I made money off a man and he's the reason I end up rich and I can't allow that to happen to me. So therefore, I'm locking it for at least 5 years. Like what is his problem? Like couldn't he have given me like 10, 000 dollars so it doesn't mean much? 100,000 could buy me a house." I state and drive into the bank parking lot.
"True, but he IS Ezra fucking Roth."
"Okay, maybe you should start supporting your best friend more instead of Ezra Roth."
"What? Can you blame me? Have you SEEN that man? Built like a fucking Greek god. He eats up every picture they've ever taken of him, especially the shirtless ones."
"Okay. I'm hanging up now" I say seriously.
"Wait! I wish your hundred thousand dollars the best. Put it in an interest account" she says
"Yes, I know Lex. Goodbye" I hang up and walk in ready to sentence 100,000 dollars to five years imprisonment.