Resisting The Billionaire

7. A Game of Wits

Silence was pinned around the entire length of the street and sitting on the bench, right outside the salon, Diana only wondered if it was always this silent or whether there was something special happening that evening.

Right outside the salon and between the walkway of the street, was a small, around three foot wide greenbelt, where the street lamps were embedded along with other small bushed and plants, that were added by the local businesses, to enhance the beauty of the street and the salon, had decided to add more to its peculiarity and placed a small white bench right outside it, giving a small space for the waiting clients to sit and be patient, while their turn would come during days when the salon would be too filled by clients. And it was another one of Emily’s business strategies. She believed that since there wasn’t a single waiting bench on the street, would at least entice the customers to look at the salon and think about visiting the place.

Diana sighed in quite the exhaustion and spared a glance around the entire street and sitting across the bench from her on the other side was Adrian, who kept on glancing at her but Diana didn’t bother to look at him.

She looked everywhere but at him, keeping her face completely and entirely away from him. Adrian could tell that Diana was deliberately avoiding to even stare at him and it was not just irritating but actually offensive for his soul that a mere girl like Diana was ignoring him.

But he also found it to be odd and grotesque, making him wonder why was she being so ignorant towards him.

What is her problem?

He wondered but then his gaze shifted towards the Range Rover standing in the very corner of the street. He knew that it was Jared sitting inside the car, staring at him for being so cumbersomely awkward.

He cleared his throat and shook his head up, immediately snapped back to the reality that he needed Diana and she didn’t need him. he had to show her that he was her friend and not the enemy.

He gently slipped in to her directly and Diana immediately pulled herself more towards the corner of the bench, acting as if Adrian was some sort of sting ray and she needed to get away from him.

Unintentionally, his eyes darted towards her long, tanned and toned legs and he couldn’t help but not deter his gaze away from her legs. There was something just mesmerizing about them.

Were her legs always this long and toned? She never wore such short skirts when she was in New York, so what happened to her now?

Diana looked at Adrian, once she noticed that he was static and not moving and the moment her eyes fell on his face, she noticed that he was looking at her but not ‘at her’.

She followed his gaze and her eyes bulged out of her sockets as she noticed that his eyes rested on her legs.

She looked down at herself and noticed that her tight little skirt had pulled up, revealing a good part of her legs, including her upper thighs. She immediately tried to pull her skirt down to cover up her legs but it only reached an inch down and the move made by her startled Adrian out of his daze, who immediately shook up and his eyes popped out of his sockets as he realized that he was gazing at Diana’s exposed skin like a p*****t.

He immediately shocked his head and Diana looked away, feeling blood creep in to her cheeks and flabbergasted at how much of a sinful p*****t Adrian still was.

He was doing it again, being sultry and soft towards her, all the while his ulterior motive was something that had hurt and broken Diana before as well.

Angered at his audacious means to gaze at her in such a manner, Diana immediately snapped her neck towards him and threw daggers with her eyes at him.

“What is it? what do you want?”

She asked in a stern and rude tone and taken aback by her words and tenor for a moment, Adrian held himself together and reminded himself immediately, in order to keep his calm.

Remember; you need her! no matter how irritating she acts. Just bear with it.

He held himself and calmed his nerves down, as he finally began speaking up.

“How have you been Diana?” he asked, in a tone so polite that it completely stoned Diana.

No… do not fall for his sweet tone. You already did once and where did that lead you to? To the worst heartbreak of your life. He is going to hurt you again. This is Adrian Sarmiento we are talking about. He cannot be polite without a reason. There has to be an ulterior motive that he is holding for which he has come to you.

Diana reprimanded herself, daring not to fall for his tricks and games.

Remember! Every time he needed something from you, only then he would be nice and polite. Just keep that in your mind.

Diana held her head up and perched a faux smile at Adrian.

“Well, I have been just well.” She shrugged, “What about you? what are you doing here in Los Angeles? And I guess you came here searching for me specifically, so why?”

“Ouch! You are being quite prudently direct, without caring about my feelings. Did time do you so dirty that you have become cold towards everyone? Are you still mad at me about what happened between us ten years ago?”

Diana looked at Adrian’s face, taking in his expressions. Those cold blue eyes of his turned soft and slightly grey, something that Diana will never understand how Adrian was able to do. The stringent look on his face that showed how tough and resilient he was, suddenly became malleable and gullible, taking a complete one eighty turn of expression.

But Diana immediately shook her head, not letting the cold of her heart melt away. She kept her brain firm and didn’t let her heart take the lead this time. She knew that she needed to think sharp, just like how Adrian was or else, he would devour her. because he was a shrewd fox and she was an innocent vixen in his comparison and he masticated people like her on daily basis. There was a reason how he was able to achieve the mark of success in such a short period. And that reason was his sly brain.

Diana kept her brain and thoughts upright, keeping a grip on herself and not letting Adrian have the benefit of doubt. And instead, she decided to play Adrian at his own game. She realized that just like Adrian was holding an upfront of being nice and kind, she would do the same all the while, keeping her walls up and high. Because so far, she didn’t have a reason to be mad at him, except for their past and she needed to show that she was over the past and still not dwelling over what had happened a decade ago.

“No, I just know that you are a very busy man. I mean you must be, right?” she turned her tone casual and this gave Adrian the immediate sense that Diana had slowly started to melt towards him. he felt his inner egoistic side feel satisfied that he was completely right about Diana. She was still a sucker for him and she immediately bought in to his politeness and took it as his interest in her.

Oh Diana! Sweet Diana, I know I still hold that magic on you.

“Well, I would be very honest with you…” Adrian spoke up, using his sly tricks, in which he would use words, to make one believe that he was vulnerable to the most but in reality, he was just being a sneaky little unscrupulous man.

“… I was very busy and I remained so for the last ten years because I had a goal and I was working hard towards it. and I feel so happy, sharing this with you that I have been able to achieve my goal.”

Diana shrugged at him slowly, her nose scrunching up as she spoke with complete confusion of why Adrian was telling her all these things after popping up unannounced in her life, ten years later.

“What goal?”

“I am going to become the CEO of Sarmiento Corporations.”

He announced and Diana nodded her head, showing no sign of shock or surprise on her face, something that rendered Adrian confused instead.

“What? You are not surprised?”

Diana shook her head casually, as she looked down at her lap, fidgeting her fingers, as she felt lost in deep thoughts.

“No! not at all.”

“Why?” Adrian leaned low and tried to study Diana’s expressions, that were hard to read, since her face was against the light and most of her expressions were darkened out.

“Because you worked hard for it. and I believe that, my Father trained you well enough to achieve this mark. So, it is not surprising for me at all.”

She finally breathed in, as she said those words that were hard for her to state and once she was done, she finally lifted her head up and perched out a fake smile at Adrian.

“Well Congratulations, I guess?”

“I didn’t just come here for you to congratulate me?”

“Huh? Then what do you want?”

“I want you!”

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