RIVALRY RULE NUMBER 101

The Stormy Night And Miss Burton Playing the role of Knight.

It was raining heavily when I closed the shop. It was lightening too. I shivered lightly as I pulled the raincoat closer to me, before I pulled out my bike. It would be freaking cold tonight— freezing cold even. Shaking my head, I kicked start the bike, before the engine roared to life. The rain drops kept hitting my raincoat with force and the temperature had already dropped down to a few Celsius.

As I took a turn, my eyes narrowed at the familiar figure standing under the shade of a closed ice cream parlour, rubbing his arms around his thin sweatshirt—clad arms as his sweatshirt barely resisted the cold weather outside. i***t. What was he even doing out in such a weather and that too in a bloody sweatshirt when it was freezing like hell? And that's when I saw that he was alone, his bodyguards didn't accompany him as usual and he kept slamming his phone, irritation sketched on his usual smug face. And realization stuck me.

He was stuck here.

I turned my bike, riding towards his direction and stopped in front of him. His eyes snapped at me when I shouted his name over the pouring rain. His eyes widened when I parked the bike there and started to walk towards him. His dark gaze narrowed as he stopped rubbing his arms for a while, making me roll my eyes.

"What are you doing here, Burton?" He asked, shivering lightly and something inside me curled before I locked my jaw. Empathy. This is the only emotion I could feel for him.

"Wandering, great weather, no?"

He didn't like my sarcasm, not even an ounce as he gritted his jaw, glaring at me. His fingers clenched around his sweatshirt's sleeve, an attempt to stop his shivering but he was failing miserably. Shaking my head, I unzipped my raincoat and his eyes flashed dangerously as he took a step back.

"What the hell are you doing?" I rolled my eyes, gritting my teeth to stop my own self from clattering. I removed my oversized sweater I recently bought from my bag before throwing it towards himself.

"Wear it and come, I—I'll drop you home."

"I do—don't need your he—help. My men mu—must be on their way." He shivered.

I looked at him incredulously. I could sense storm on it's way and he wanted to play the freaking rival card now? Glaring at him, I stepped closer to him, grabbing fistful of his lightly damped sweatshirt, making him narrow his gaze at my fingers creasing his sweatshirt. One thing Victor Harris didn't like was being disrespected in any terms and ways. But like hell I would care about his ego.

"You'll freeze to fre—freaking death, Harris." I clattered from the cold as I gazed at the deserted road before throwing him an exasperated look. He still hadn't wore the sweater.

"I—I said my me—men are on their way. And I—I'll never wear a girl's swea—sweater." He again shivered, making me grit my teeth in annoyance.

"You don't have your bodyguards with you, Victor. Your goddamn phone must be useless for now since there's no signal. You f*****g snuck out and knowing your father, he must have sent a damn searching party for you. People will die, Harris. People will die if they don't find you in time and guess whom will they doubt first? My Father! My family! So do both of us a favour and wear that goddamn sweater, keeping your male ego aside, for once and come with me. I'll drop you home."

"I—" He sounded hesitant, making me press my lips as I looked at him intensely.

"For one night, forget that I'm the daughter of your father's biggest rival and enemy. Just think like I'm just a girl— Serena, just a stranget helping you, okay?"

"I won't sit be—behind a girl." I narrowed my eyes before flashing him a sweet smile. He can take his male ego and shove it down his throat!

"Freeze to death then!"

I walked away, towards my bike, kicking it start as I waited for him to move his god damn legs and he did before shrugging in the sweater I handed him to and pulled the hood up his head and rushed towards me, taking a seat behind me.

He gripped on either side of my raincoat, not touching my flesh as I heard faint voice of his teeth clattering over the noise of rain. I was quick to ride towards the path I left two years ago. My heart kept thumping as we neared to the place where my childhood was linked, to a place where I had spent most of my life.

I didn't knew if it rain or tears that rolled down my eyes. It felt hot and cold at once. I stopped at a few distance away from the private land of his father. He got off; my sweater was completely damp by now and his dark gaze were focusing on mine, making me gulp. It's just cold, I reminded myself. I was shivering. It's just cold. His gaze can't make you shiver.

"Burton,"

"Harris."

For a moment he didn't speak and just kept gazing at me. He suddenly didn't care that he was getting wet in the rain or that his men were approaching us, sensing the arrival of their Boss. Neither did I. For once, I was appreciating him. He looked innocent, wet in rain but that made him look even more beguiling. I swallowed the saliva, my lips parted and my eyes shifted to the armed men approaching us before they fell on Victor Harris again.

"I think, I shall leave."

"Bu—Burton,"

He called me out again and I rose my brow at him and he nodded his head slowly. "Thank you. You did—didn't had to help me, af—after all we are rivals. We are enemies." We are not.

"You don't say, Harris." I smiled weakly before I roared my bike back to life before turning around back to where I came from, back to my apartment.

~~~~~

I quickly shrugged out of my clothes before running hot shower for myself. I closed my eyes in bliss as hot water hit my skin, making me sigh in content. Damn! What a day. I made fine money today. I helped Victor Harris. If my father gets to know this, he would turn crazy. I giggled at the thought of him going crazy.

Turning the shower off, I dried myself before I shrugged in a sweater and sweatpants and rushed towards the kitchen. I was hungry. Hungry enough to graze grass— hungry. I didn't had enough energy to cook a meal for myself so I quickly moved to the option of instant noodles and made myself some hot coffee and plopped in my bed, wrapping the blanket around me as I turned some music on as I ate my dinner.

What a day, indeed.

I was sleeping when my phone started to ring making me groan in my sleep. Why do people never let me sleep? Groggily, I picked up my phone to see it was William, who was calling me four in the morning. Sighing, I picked up his call with a small smile on my face.

"It better be important, William. I was sleeping after a very very tiring day at the bakery."

"It's verily important."

My eyes jerked open and I sat straight on my bed, pulling my phone away to check the caller. By now, my whole drowsiness and sleep had vanished away. It was William's call but the speaker wasn't William. Gulping, I pressed the phone again to my ear, only to hear him again.

"You there, Serena?" Swallowing harshly, I nodded my head. Damn you, Ser. Speak up. He can't hear your nod.

"Serena?"

"Yes, Father."

"I heard you helped Hariss' son and dropped him at his place?" His cool voice sounded decisive from the phone. He wasn't cool, he must raging from within. He must be wishing to break all the decoratives; he must be wishing to kill one dozen of people. He must be wishing to kill me— in a dozen of ways.

And how does he get to know everything I do against him, every single damn time! Has he inserted a chip within me to keep a track of me? Can a girl never have her privacy? And was it this important for him that he had to ruin my three a.m. sleep?

"Serena," The sharpness in his voice made me stiff and I murmured a low 'yes father'; he wasn't happy, not in the least. I helped his enemy's son. He would kill me for this. He had no ounce of empathy or positive emotion towards any person, not until it would benefit him monetarily.

"Shall I be worried for you, Serena Eliana Burton? You keep dozing off in every minute." You woke me up at three in the morning, Father! I wanted to yell but the desire to see another sunrise was still prominent so went against my primal instinct of snapping at him. It never ended in my court.

"Of course not, Father."

"As I said you helped Hariss' son and I must say, nothing in my life—" Ever disappointed me as much as you did, today. You made me shameful today, Serena. Shame on you. I was waiting to hear these words but the mighty Lord must have been in my side or he must be really intoxicated for his words were exactly different from what I anticipated. "— ever made me proud as much as you did today."

"Huh? Are you— are you drunk?"

Silence. Deafening silence. Silence so heavy that one could easily pierce it down.

"Father?"

"Why would you assume that I would waste money in something that would make me lose control over my mind?" Definitely sober.

"I'm sorry, Father. No reasons."

"As I was saying, I'm proud of you, Serena." My father— being compassionate? "I've been trying to seek an upper hand over the Harris for a long time now and you made it possible today. You saved his son and I've got an upper hand on him."

I blinked once, twice before rage started to build inside me. He was using my compassion for his benefit? This is was erroneous. Wrong!

"You called me at three in the night to tell me you've got an upper hand over the Harris'?" I asked incredulously and I heard William laughing at my words which was followed by silence. Poor William, must be dealing with Father's death stare.

"No." He spoke without missing a beat, making me furrow my eyebrows at his two lettered word. "I woke you up at three in the morning not in the night, Serena."

I almost rolled my eyes. But then again, he can't see my unladylike reaction, so rolled my eyes— twice.

"What's the difference, Father? I was sleeping, be it night or morning!"

"Difference here is you were sleeping, Serena. I, however cracked three very important deals that will make us quite big profit."

He left me speechless there. I really was, for once.

"That's..... marvellous."

"That's not the point of me calling you, Serena. We have a very important business party on this Saturday and we are invited for it."

"And?" I heard him taking a sharp breath before he spoke again, very very calmly. Too calmly that it scared me.

"Invited as a family, Serena. You are to accompany us. At seven p.m. sharp."

"What? No!" I cried out, shaking my head. "I won't be accompanying you."

"And why, pray, tell me?"

"I—I—" Think of something, Ser. Think something before he forces you to accompany to his stupid party. "I—I have assignments! And—and orders too!"

"That can be procrastinated—"

"It cannot be! You just cracked three business deals. You made profit in the midnight, Father and you're asking me to procrastinate my work that will bring me profit in the daylight, Father. Money!"

"You will procrastinate it, Serena. I cannot leave this party because of your measley profit, and especially not when the Hariss' are holding it." That caught my attention.

"Who are holding the party?"

"Stewart Harris and family."

"And since when did we started getting invited by them?"

"Since the day you saved his son." God! Kill me!

"You won't need me—"

"Remember our part of deal, Serena. If you're going to break your part of the deal, then I'm your father, darling, I won't ever give you the independence you so much crave for." I gritted my teeth, taking a deep breath before I spoke again. He's hitting the nerve, I see.

"I'll be there."

"I knew."

"Okay, Father."

"And dress appropriately. Buy a good dress for the party, Serena or shall I send it for you?" I shook my head, a mischievous smile gracing my face.

"Wouldn't it be wastage of money, Father?"

"Will you buy one or shall I send you a dress on my own? Can I atleast trust you on this?" He asked again, calm as ever and a shiver passed down me.

"Of course not, Father. Your money is very precious. I'll buy a dress from my own money."

"Very well. I'll see you on the Saturday evening, then." Not that you've left any other option for me.

"Of course you will, Father."