C9 Chapter 9

Selene.

The man turned his pale green eyes to us.

"Khloe?"

"Dad" Khloe rushed to hug her father who patted her head and kissed her hair.

His eyes landed on me standing beside Jason and he studied me.

"Good evening Sir" I greeted when he maintained his silence and kept studying me.

"My son has surprised me again" the man whistled.

"Please spare me your words of criticism" Jason grunted.

"I always thought you were gay, who would have thought that you have an interesting taste in women or rather in a woman. If I'm not wrong, she's the first to enter here, am I right? First to enter that is not on the brink of death, that is"

I stilled, this people talk about death like it's common topic.

"I needed her for a job, I'm not interested in her" Jason coldly blew him off.

"Hey, I'm right here and I'm not interested in you too" I protested but he barely spared me a glance.

His father studied me again.

"Model height, black hair, ocean blue eyes, oozing sexual appeal. Isn't that the woman you said you fancied Jason?"

"Stop disturbing my peace of mind and I don't remember telling you what type of woman I fancied" Jason turned a chair towards his father and sank into it.

He turned to me, "Sit"

"I need a change of clothes?!"

"1908. My bedroom is the last floor up"

"What exactly am I going to do in your room?"

"Find something to wear, I don't care"

"How helpful" I snorted.

I exited the room and wandered until I reached the top floor.

I entered the numbers on the dashboard and the door opened.

I peeped into the bathroom and smiled.

It was beautifully decorated with a giant tub sitting at the end with a shower on the other side and a water closet.

I stripped and put the clothes into the washing machine then took a quick shower before searching for clothes in the walk-in closet.

I picked a plain black t-shirt and a white Calvin Klein boxer.

"Suitable for tonight"

The door opened, I shrieked and jumped behind a curtain to cover myself.

"Are you naked?" Jason pulled off his tie and flung it to the bed.

He popped his first three buttons open and I spied a tattoo on his chest.

His white shirt hugged the muscles of his body and I looked away flushing.

"Stop being too straightforward. I'm not"

"Then get out from behind my curtain, I came to check on you in case you drowned in the bathtub"

"I'm fine" I stayed where I was.

Jason walked closer until he was in front of me.

He stretched his hand and I stilled.

His hand touched my wet hair.

"You're making my curtain wet, get out of there"

I meekly left the curtain and moved towards the door.

He grabbed my arm and pulled me towards his vanity.

"Sit"

I sat obediently, he plugged a hair dryer to a socket then helped me dry my hair.

Occasionally, he would stop then comb it and then continue again.

When it was dry, he rubbed a sweet smelling ointment on my hair and fondled with it.

"You love taking care of hair, don't you?"

He looked at me.

"Yes, I love my sister looking absolutely beautiful"

"That's the reason?" Sometimes his words didn't match his action and this confused me.

"Let's go" he ignored me and pointed towards the door.

We walked with space between us but I could feel his gaze on me, it was heavy and so uncomfortable.

"Is something wrong?"

"What do you mean?" He was still looking at me.

"You're staring too hard that I'm getting goosebumps. Did I take your favorite shirt?"

"Was I?" He whirled his shoulders and stretched his hands, then flexed his biceps.

"Yes. Your favorite shirt?"

"No" he opened the door and led me into the dining.

Jason's father looked at me a little longer than normal.

Strange.

I went to the other side of the table and sat down. Khloe ran to my side and sat down beside me.

"You look pretty in Jason's t-shirt and boxers"

"You said my mind Khloe" Jason's father nodded.

"Stop that nonsense, like you said, she's just more than average pretty. Don't confuse yourselves"

I'm more than average pretty? What were they talking about?

Soup was served and I tuned them out as I decided to enjoyed the meal.

"How was the journey to Paris?"

My ears perked up at the mention of Paris.

I looked at Jason's father.

"Aren't you going to at least introduce your lady?"

"We've been here for almost twenty minutes together, Is that still necessary?" Jason sighed as he asked when he decided to ignore his father use of ‘Your’ instead of ‘The’.

"I agree, is that still necessary?" I asked.

"Of course" he grinned but it was only the end of his lips that moved.

Like father, like son.

Jason sighed.

"Miss Orlando," he pointed to me, "meet my Dad, Mr Danvier. Mr Danvier meet Miss Orlando"

"You call that an introduction," he shook his head at Jason,"What's your name?" He turned to me.

"Selene"

"Pleasure to meet a beautiful woman such as yourself Selene, I'm Damien" Damien nodded.

"The pleasure is all mine" I smiled.

"So what do you do?" He took a sip of his white wine.

"Father, please. This is not an interrogative section" Jason interrupted.

"Don't you think I should know?"

"It's not necessary to be interested in her life"

"I still want to know"

"It's fine Jason" I said to stop the argument.

"See?

Jason threw his hands up in the air.

"I work at Dusty's Tasty Doughnuts"

"All? Come on, tell me a little something about yourself"

Khloe was silent but listening.

Jason spooned soup into his mouth while looking at me.

"Umm... I'm twenty..."

"Perfect!" Damien said as he wiped his lips with his napkin.

"Still a girl" Jason refused.

"I'm not" I snapped at him, "How old are you then? Thirty four"

"Don't act like you don't know" Jason scoffed.

"You're just three years older Jason. You're still a kid but this is a matured woman who is ready for a family, am I right?"

"Kind of. I'm matured... but not ready for a family"

"Any potential interest?" He asked me.

"What?"

Why do they keep shortening their sentence and expecting me to understand, I'm not psychic.

"Is there any guy that is interested in you?"

"No..."

"Are you interested in any guy?"

"No"

"Perfect" he smiled this time revealing his pearl teeth.

He looked at Jason.

"Don't you fucking look at me"

I don't understand what is going on.

"I'm sorry but you have me lost somewhere in the middle"

"Never mind that" Damien wiped his mouth again.

"Khloe, how's school?"

"Fun, it is far better than home schooling"

"You think?" Her father asked her.

Khloe spooned crouton into her mouth and chewed as she nodded.

"Made any new friend?"

"One. Her name is Becky"

"And what age is this.., Becky?"

"She's a year older than me, we're the same height though and she's Asian"

"Grew up in Asia"

"Yes"

"Jason?" He turned to Jason.

"I don't want to say how my month went"

"Spill it, young man"

Jason looked at me then back at his father before he sighed in defeat.

He wiped his mouth slowly with his napkin, taking his time, he reached for his glass of water and took a sip before sighing again.

"You're not escaping this" his father told him raising an eyebrow at him.

Jason sighed again before talking.

"I secured the deal with the China firm for construction, I now own the most successful chocolate factory, I've finished the construction of the newest shopping mall in Hawaii, I almost done with the designing of the hotel in Italy..."

"Alright, I understand, you've been working so hard. That's good"

The table was silent.

"It's my turn, isn't it"

"Yes" Jason sipped from his wine glass.

"I just came back from Paris, I met with the minister for security, it's seems like the government wants to increase security with the recent terrorist attacks..."

"And you're needed because?" Jason cut in rudely.

"I get to design the prototype of the drones the government wants us to produce"

"Us?"

"Yes"

"That doesn't make sense, aren't there tech companies that can do that in France?"

"He's a close friend is all I can say"

"Right. They're all close friends, all sixtynine job offers I got for the past three years"

"Yes, take it that way"

Jason scoffed before looking at me.

"Miss Orlando, what would you like as your bonus for a mission completed"

"I get a bonus? So what's the actual pay?"

"You don't get an actual pay but you get a bonus pay, you're not my worker but I still reward for a good job"

"If you insist..."

"I'm not insisting, you can choose to decline"

"No chance in hell, after all that shit you made me go through. I want my phone back, you destroyed the only one I was managing" I screamed at him.

"What's this barbaric act I hear you did, Jason?"

"I was furious, the thief was there"

"What was his name again? Adius?, Odies?"

"Odysseus" I answered.

"Yes, Parker Odysseus," Damien smiled, his lips stretching,"where's he?"

"Home with his child"

"Can Sandra come to play tomorrow?" Khloe asked.

"Yes she can" Khloe fist pumped her small hands in the air.

Jason looked at his Dad.

"Sweetie, I'm not sure she would want to" Jason reached for Khloe's free hand on the table and gave it a squeeze.

"How would you know? Did you ask her?"

"No, but I know"

"I want to also know, so I'll ask her" Khloe huffed and continued eating her soup, removing her hands from under Jason's.

I snickered then turned away as Jason glared at me.

"So about the phone?" Damien pointed his knife at Jason.

"Even though she's was with the thief, it gives you no right to oppress a lady, have you no shame like that boy, that psycho blockhead "

"Why do I feel like it's Cordero you're talking about"

"You know him?" He asked.

"We just met"

"Introducing her to that psycho of a cousin that you have"

Wait a moment.

"Stop making it sound like it's a big deal"

Stop.

"Cordero's your cousin?"

"Yes" we had finished dinner and the chef cleared the table, he smiled when he met my eyes.

He turned to Jason and smiled sheepishly, then left.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked Jason.

"You did not ask"

"How was I supposed to, you people acted like complete strangers..."

"That boy is bonkers upstairs, stay away for your own safety. Nobody knows what murder of thoughts is flowing from his veins to his brain"

"Thank you for the advice, Troy is your brother and Cordero is your Cousin. You have influence everywhere"

"Troy is your brother, really?" Damien trailed his finger over the wine glass.

"I had to get into his head"

"So Troy isn't your brother, then the words you told him earlier about his mother transferring fertilized eggs..."

"It's all a lie. He isn't but we're related... somehow"

"My twin brother impregnated a woman, they died in a planned shooting incidence, I took care of Troy" Damien explained.

"In order words, he is adopted. So that's why he's so uptight"

Jason stood up and tapped Khloe who was dozing off.

"Get up Doe, go to sleep. You have school tomorrow"

"..."

"Becky is waiting"

Khloe jumped up and ran to her room, Jason followed.

They disappeared through the door and I was left alone with Damien.

I tried to hide my anxiety but I guess he noticed.

He finished his glass of wine in one gulp and turned to me.

"You should relax, I don't bite...except when It is really demanded"

"I'm trying to, you keep me on edge"

"Think of me as a fatherly figure, I have a job for you"

"..?" I swallowed.

I don't like the way you people give jobs randomly.

"Watch Jason for me"

"What? I can't do that. He will have my head"

I was now panicking.

"You are now his new chef, he will fill you in on the details"

"Wait a moment..."

"You will also get paid for your services"

"Who will pay and for what?" Jason walked in carrying a whiskey bottle in one hand and a small bowl of ice with two tumblers in it in the other.