So many thoughts circulated my mind but I didn't know how to process any of them. The main one being that Cole got himself into my office and that Hakeem was hosting a gala at Times Square. He never mentioned anything to me about it, but it made sense. I have barely seen him this week, so he must've been down there planning for it.

The thought made my jaw tick since Hakeem and I were going behind each other's backs with information that could harm the company, but it was something we were used to. Growing up, we were never on the same accord when it came to business, and it only worsened after dad died.

I forced myself to steer away from that mindset and finish the contracts that were in front of me. I wasn't the type to get easily distracted but with Cole tainting my brain, it was incredibly hard not to. I didn't want to admit it, but he always looked good. Even though I told myself I wouldn't mix pleasure with business, I couldn't help but take a double look at him.

He was one for his expensive tailored suits and I could tell that his two main colors were olive green and grey. The colors suited him well, and I couldn't help but stare with every encounter we had. It was absolutely draining, yet a deep part of me favored it.

"Ugh, get a grip Navehya." I mumbled to myself and stacked all of my folders into one line

Suddenly, I came across a flyer that requested a position at Anderson Corporations for a personal assistant and my blood boiled instantly. The fucker had the audacity to leave the flyer after the shit he pulled.

I crumbled the paper into my hands and threw it away in the trash bin and grabbed my stack of papers again. I heaved a sigh as it was already around nine o'clock and I wanted nothing more than my bed and sleep. I didn't know when the gala would start, but I did know that I would be in for a treat.

I turned the lights off and walked out of the door, closing it behind me, and called Harry to tell him to meet me outside. I took the elevator down and called Savannah to cancel our plans about going to the club. Before she could get mad at me though, I invited her to the gala with me and she agreed, cheering and squealing in the process.

I smiled at her and eventually ended the call and made my way to Angela's desk to see if she knew anything about tomorrow.

"Hey Angela, what do you know about the met gala tomorrow?" I asked and she looked at me with a conflicted expression

My eyebrows furrowed in response and she sighed deeply before taking a deep breath.

"Your brother asked no one to speak of the met gala with you, but because I knew you'd find out soon, I made a flyer with all of the information on it. That way I didn't technically tell you." She replied and I couldn't help but smile at her

Despite my inner voice screaming at the top of her lungs right now, I kept my cool, knowing that it wasn't Angela who was at fault. It was my jackass of a brother.

I grabbed the flyer from her and looked over it and my teeth gritted in annoyance. Hakeem had basically touched basis with the entirety of New York in the past week and I couldn't believe he was doing all of this behind my back. I wanted to slap the grin that he wore in the flyer right off of his face, but I knew that if it was my absence he wanted at the met gala, my mere appearance would teach him the perfect lesson.

I thanked Angela with the kindest smile I could form and walked out of the exit doors to meet Harry. He was already waiting for me outside of the door and he opened it for me just in time for me to slide in smoothly. As I wrapped my seatbelt around me, he rounded the car, got in and started it.

As we started the way home, my thoughts swarmed me entirely and I started playing with my fingers anxiously. So many things could go wrong at this gala, but the main one I was concered about was being around Cole in a public area. The press already wanted me to leave FR Inc. for Anderson Corporations, so the gala would only fuel the headlines and magazines.

Fuck, Hakeem what have you done.

—

"Wake the hell up Savannah!" I yelled, throwing a pillow at her head

It was two in the afternoon, and she was still asleep. How she could sleep for this long was beyond me, but I knew better to wake her up earlier than what she wanted to. Her attitude in the mornings was much worse compared to mines.

I needed her to get up since the gala started at six and we both knew it took us damn near a decade to get ready. Even though I was the most prepared out of us two, I wanted my clothes fresh and my makeup fresher. It was a process.

"10 more minutes." She grumbled and I rolled my eyes, gripping the pillow tighter in my hands

"You've been telling me that for the past two hours and now we have four hours to get ready! Wake your ass the fuck up." I gritted every syllable, hitting her with the pillow again

I continued hitting her when she raised her hand up in a feeble attempt to stop me and I guess she finally had enough because her head raised from under the sheets with a fierce look in her eye.

"Ugh, dammit Navehya, I'm up. For fuck sakes!" She yelled, grabbing the pillow in mid air

I smiled at her softly and chuckled when she threw a glare at me. When she saw my smirk, she tried throwing the pillow back at me, but I caught it before it could hit me, making her jaw clench in pure frustration.

"Good." I whispered in a low tone once she started getting out of bed

She sent me a death stare that screamed "shut the hell up" and I couldn't have laughed harder.

Deciding that I've had enough of pissing her off, I walked out of her room so she could do her morning routine.

Hmm, what do I want to go with for today?

Sometimes I was indecisive when it came to fancy events at the company, but I knew today I wanted to remind the press that I was here and capable of running things. I also wanted to remind Cole that I didn't need his assistance or his presence near me. He's been feeling too entitled lately and tonight I was going to prove to him that he had no control over me.

His unexpected pop up last night only fueled my determination.

Walking into my closet, I skimmed over some of the long and short dresses that were hung on the hangers in a color coordination. Yes they all represented confidence and elegance, but they didn't hold the power I wanted to exert tonight. I was just about to go back into Savannag's closet when I saw it.

My lips turned upwards into a sinister smile as I pulled out the long navy blue silk dress that I knew would cling to my body deliciously. The tint of blue itself complimented my skin tone wonderfully, but when I realized it had thin straps, holding the dress up, and was lengthy, I knew it would cascade down my legs and trail behind me slightly.

As I continued to examine it, I noticed that there was a surprising slit that would be on the left leg that would stop right above my mid-thigh and I knew it was the perfect dress for the occasion.

Even though we were going to be inside of a building for the gala, I could still bring a black fur coat with me to add onto the look and to keep me warm. I smiled at the thought, laid my clothes on the bed, then bent down to grab my black high heels with black lace straps to tie around the ankle for support. I smiled at the final look, and Savannah came out the bathroom right on time.

"Oh my God, you're wearing that!" She squealed in excitement and I simply nodded

"Great, now I have to find something to beat you." She teased, walking to her dresser and closet

I rolled my eyes with a soft chuckle, grabbing the clothes off the bed and walked to my bathroom. When I saw my reflection, I pondered on what to do with my hair since it would start late at night, and eventually decided on putting it up. I wanted my curls to frame my face though, so I decided on a high pony tail with a few strands in the front and back.

Upon my final decisions for the look, I closed the door and started getting ready for the night.

~

"Ms. Robinson!" I heard someone call my name from behind me

I whipped my head around as soon I stepped out of the limo Harry brought and smiled dashingly at the camera. The night was filled with party lights and stars but Time Square was filled with people and cameras flashing. I could've only guessed that the press would beat us here.

The building that held the gala was to the right of the cramped yet spacious area and I couldn't have felt more confused. It was a safety hazard having famous company owners crossing through traffic this late at night without the proper security, but I tried shaking it off not wanting to ruin the night. I had one goal and one goal only.

To rub my pettiness in Hakeem's and Cole's faces.

I walked out to the concrete pavement, the sound of my heels clicking behind me, and waited for Savannah to round the car. When I heard her heels clack against the concrete, I smiled knowing that she was dressed beautifully as I was. In contrast to my dark dress, she opted for a rose gold dress that also had a slit, but it wasn't as long as mines. She also wore rose gold heels instead of her signature black strappy ones which made me a little frightful since those heels were like her babies.

She finally came up beside me with a smile directed towards the camera and once we were finished taking pictures, we walked towards the entrance doors. My breath hitched once I realized that the stairs that had prepared for us to walk up were high as hell. There were at least 30 stairs and I was scared that I would fall and bust my ass.

Savannah must've sensed my hesitation since she hooked her arm around mines, granting me a reassuring smile. I blew out a breath but before we could even take a step, we heard someone's voice behind us.

"I'll take her."

Rolling our eyes, we both turned around to see Cole standing there with his signature smirk and all of my blood boiled in an instant. I already knew that he was referring to me and that made me decline his offer almost immediately.

"No it's fine, I'd rather go with her." I remarked and this time, he rolled his eyes

I smiled sweetly and turned around so Savannah and I could walk up the stairs again when suddenly my arm was pulled back and Cole began leading me up the stairs. Instantly, Savannah's protests and curse words were heard from behind us and they mixed with mines the entire way Cole and I walked up the stairs.

Every other step was filled with our back and forth heated bantering and I didn't even realize that we had finally made it to the top until a security guard greeted us.

A scowl took over my face at the situation, but I immediately masked it knowing that it wasn't his fault. It was Cole's. Even though I didn't appreciate him practically dragging me, he made sure that I wasn't tripping over my feet so I couldn't say the situation was entirely bad.

Then again it was Cole – him alone soured my mood.

"Looks like those two legs trailed behind mines perfectly." He turned around to me and commented snarkily, making me take every fiber in my fucking body to not punch him

There were other ways I had in store to bring this man down, but they wouldn't work if I moved impulsively. With that thought, I plastered a fake smile on my face that would've made Satan himself cower and took a drink off of the waitress' platter.

"Well it looks like you need to learn when to take a hint and leave me the hell alone." I replied, taking a sip of the bubbly alcohol

Once the words left my lips, I walked through the door, completely leaving Cole behind and tried to see if there were someone else I noticed. I only hoped that Harry brought Savannah up safely because I couldn't bare going back down those stairs to help her myself. Maybe I was a shitty friend, but I knew she was in good hands when it came to a certain chauffeur of mines.

I started taking notice of the scenary
and realized how the building was filling up rather quickly. At the thought of hundreds of people near me, I couldn't help but feel a sliver of worry creep into my mind. What this night held for me at the end was over clouding my thoughts but I forced myself to focus on the expensive decorations that accentuated the party and theme perfectly.

As I waited for Savannah, I placed my empty glass on a table, and took a seat beside it. Eventually, I felt a presence beside me and I smiled, instantly thinking it was her. My thoughts were clipped once I saw Cole again, but with a more dark tint of grey to his eyes and his jaw clenched tightly.

He came in closer to my ears so only I could hear him and the hairs on the back of my neck rose abruptly at his close proximity. His hand was skillfully placed on the side of the chair that didn't have my thigh fully on it and my breathing damn near stopped when he raised it above it, but not directly touching me. The action brought goosebumps to my skin and I clutched onto my purse for support.

"Hmm, I don't remember being good at taking hints, so I believe that the tone you used with me earlier was a poor decision. It's alright though, we'll take care of it later tonight."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey everyone!

I hope you find Cole's and Navehya's back and forth bantering entertaining so far because they have a lot more in store for them.

Anyways I hope you liked it.

Remember to vote and comment.

Stay blessed

-Imacrazyprincess❤