Resisting The Billionaire

5. Can People Really Change?

Diana looked down for a moment at Adrian’s hand that he held out for her to take and then looked up at his face, finding it incredibly irritating due to the smile that rested on his lips.

“Go on, go with him.”

Emily nudged Diana on the side, making her grunt in silence.

Diana knew that Adrian had played his cards right and he had made sure that Emily would put pressure on Diana to sit down and have a talk with Adrian, against her own better will.

Diana gulped hard, trying to think of a way to get out of the situation.

“I have some clients…” she told Emily, trying to get out of the whole façade but Emily only pulled her arm and pushed her forward.

“Gosh! No one cares about them…” she mumbled, making all the other clients in the salon, with some in the middle of their treatments, looking up at Emily with quite the discretion.

Diana bulged her eyes out at her Aunt, making her realize what she was doing and Emily also sensed her mistake and immediately reprimanded her behavior, laughing with a small ashamed snort.

“I mean… I don’t want to hold my niece back from meeting an old friend of hers. He seems like he has gone some big troubles just to meet her and Diana also don’t have many friends. So, I am just excited for her to meet an old friend.”

This time, not just the clients but even the workers at the salon, rolled their eyes, knowing how big of a lie Emily was stating. She hated to see Diana happy or having a life other than her aunt and the salon, because then she knew that Diana would not only be getting out of her hands but also having the courage to leave the salon and opening up her own makeup studio. This narrative was infamous all around the town, even the clients who had been visiting the salon and makeup studio, with many of them being quite rich, offered Diana to sponsor her and open up her own studio. And each time, she rejected their offers, the other workers at the studio would then inform them that Diana was held back by her aunt, especially after her fall out with her ex harasser fiancé.

Sensing that no one was buying her pretenses and things were getting quite suffocated for her, Emily then further pushed Diana, just so she would leave the salon but in the awe, she pushed Diana a little too hard, making her stumble forwards and lose balance.

Diana went crashing straight and down but before she could’ve hit the floor, two strong hands held her shoulders and held her up, preventing her from falling down.

Diana breathed in relief that she didn’t fall down, that also in front of her old nemesis but the mere thought of that nemesis, made her open her eyes wide, as the realization began hitting her that he was the only who stood in front of her and perhaps, he could be the only one who may have prevented her from falling down as well.

She immediately lifted her head and her eyes up and found those electrifying cobalt eyes, looking right down at her soft face.

Diana felt a jolt of electric current passing through her entire body, that melted her insides but at the same time, evoked all the feelings of hurt inside her, that came with just a single glance of those navy blue eyes.

She straightened up and pushed her arms around her, to signal Adrian that he should let her go but instead Adrian held her firmly, making her look up at him in confusion.

“Can I please, talk to you for a minute? I promise I will not take more than five minute.”

The plead and implore his voice was too deep and Diana felt shocked, to hear so much plight coming from such a stringent and arrogant person.

Has he actually changed after all these years?

She wondered, lost in the translation of his tone and Adrian kept his smile soft, finally letting go off Diana, who felt bad for hating him and judging him for his past behavior all along.

She realized that indeed people can change and it led her to think that the Adrian she had known from ten years ago, who was selfish, narcissist, an opportunist and an exploiter. She had known him and learned that he was someone who was trained to be a manipulative unscrupulous man, who was supposed to show no mercy on anyone or else he would be crushed under the world’s feet.

Diana knew all this way too well because it was her own father, who had trained him. she had closely studied and read him during his training because she stayed very close to him. and it just wasn’t her father, who kept her close to Adrian but he own obsession with him. she kissed the ground that he walked on and felt butterflies all over her stomach and her body, just by looking at him. that was how crazily in love she was with him. and that was also how she got to know, through the hard way that why Adrian would never want her in his life.

Because he only dated girls, who benefitted him, by adding value to his power and seat. Made friends with those who were rich and powerful and helped him climb up the ladder of his family’s company.

Diana hated to admit it but he was still smacked on every other magazine.

And one thing that was fervently adjacent with salons was magazines. So, Diana had to suffer the monthly or quarterly talent of having to watch Adrian’s face plastered over the front page of one magazine or another, that would be supplied to the salon.

That’s why even though it had been ten years, Diana still had not been able to forget about Adrian, who served to her as a constant reminder of why she was fine in LA and should not even think about going back to New York.

She never read those interviews of his and only remembered him as this meticulously harsh person, who used people who his own purpose and threw them away once he was done with them. Be it, if it was for business or pleasure.

But seeing him speaking so softly and kindly towards her, only made Diana feel completely baffled and dithered. His soft tone took her aback. It was something that he had never used against her, even when he was in severe pain and Diana was the one helping him.

Could it be possible that he has changed?

She wondered and Emily shook her up, startling her out of her daze.

“Huh?” she looked at her aunt, who once again pushed her forward but this time Diana kept her balance.

“Can I please have five minutes of your time?”

Adrian asked again and Diana couldn’t deny it anymore. She was intrigued. The man, who used to daunt people, dominate them with his demands was actually being nice, polite and appeasing.

She gulped hard and looked around the salon, knowing that if Adrian was to harm her in any way, there were multiple witnesses, who would not only testify against him but also drag him to the gates of hell because she believed that everyone in the salon cherished her.

She looked at Tony, who nodded at her, gesturing that it was fine for her to go out.

She then looked at Adrian, whose eyes were still pleading in a soft manner and she simply sighed and shrugged at him.

“Fine! but just five minutes.”

With that she strutted forward, walking ahead and past Adrian, who turned along Diana’s direction and watched as she daunted her way out, taking the lead.

He felt slightly amused that Diana was trying her best to remain in charge of the situation and whatever negotiations were about to take place between her and Adrian, all the while remaining completely oblivious of the fact that Adrian indeed was the real mastermind, all along.

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What do you think Adrian's plan would be?

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