Imposing authority
**Kael**
I stood up from my CEO chair at Anglo-X and looked at him in a way that made it very clear it was an order and should be executed promptly. There would be no more tolerance.
"I will instruct the loan shark to contact Rachel today," finally, he seemed to grasp my urgency. "Now, I'll check with Marta if the helicopter is ready because your meeting with the group of deputies is scheduled for three o'clock."
Ryan calmly walked towards the exit, but I knew him well enough to know that he wasn't satisfied with how things were going.
I recalled the night when I was with Sarah on the yacht and asked him to have the driver drop her off at her apartment, but he didn't follow my order and chose to take her home himself, something I made very clear should not happen again.
Now, I had just learned that he acted against my orders for the second time since he started working for me, and that was something I needed to take into account. There must be an explanation for Ryan's behavior, and I decided to be more attentive to my assistant from now on.
After a few minutes of rationalizing the matter, Marta informed me that the helicopter was ready and waiting for me, so I headed to the helipad on the rooftop of the building. As I boarded the aircraft, I noticed Ryan hurrying towards us.
"I'll accompany you," he informed me, already sitting beside me inside the helicopter.
"I hope you've done what I instructed," I said, seeking reassurance in his response.
"Of course," he nodded quickly and went to talk to the pilot to get clearance for takeoff.
Curious about the developments, I pressed for information.
"When can I expect some news about this matter?"
"I plan on visiting Sarah. I'll bring some updates," he replied, catching me off guard.
It took me a few seconds to process his statement. "You're just going to show up at Sarah's house, just like that, out of the blue?" I asked, still a bit puzzled.
"I believe I can uncover some new facts. Sarah is a kind girl, and I think she'll receive me well," he explained, shifting his stance.
"This makes no sense at all, Ryan. You were against everything I intended to do, and now you want to cooperate?"
"I intend to help you, but I also want to ensure that Sarah doesn't suffer any more consequences from Rachel's actions," he justified.
"There's something you're not telling me," I insisted, trying to understand his reasoning.
“After investigating everything related to the two sisters, I know them better than you can imagine. Sarah doesn't deserve to go through what she's been through, and it's not fair for her to pay for Rachel's mistakes," Ryan revealed.
I agreed with Ryan about Sarah not deserving to be in that situation. She was a good person, always trying to help everyone. However, I also knew that her lack of action had put her in that complicated position.
"So, to ease your conscience, you want to be close enough to protect her from me, is that it?" I asked directly.
"Exactly," Ryan replied.
**Sarah**
I looked at the man sitting on the small, uncomfortable couch in the cramped living room and sighed with displeasure.
"I don't understand why you're here," Rachel commented. "If you work for that jerk, why did you come?"
"I work for Kael Graham, but that doesn't mean I'm like him," Ryan responded, unshaken. "I like Sarah, and I want to help her."
"You can help by convincing your sleazy boss to pay me two million. It's quite simple."
Ryan rolled his eyes with annoyance, not even bothering to hide it, facing Rachel's persistence about the auction money, and I felt completely embarrassed to have to be reminded of that matter.
"Can we talk somewhere else, Sarah?" he said, making it even clearer that he didn't appreciate Rachel's interruptions.
I weighed his request and seriously considered declining his invitation, but upon further thought, it would be interesting to hear what the personal assistant of the untouchable Kael Graham wanted to talk about, so I ended up accepting his suggestion.
Rachel was very upset and made that quite clear to us, but I simply left the apartment in the company of Ryan, and we went to a small café across the street from the building where we lived.
"You two only seem alike physically, as your personalities are entirely different," was his first comment after we placed our orders.
"Did you come to that conclusion after just a few minutes in our company?" I asked curiously.
He denied it with a smile and explained, "Actually, it wasn't that quick. I already know quite a bit about you and your sister, but I can't reveal more than that right now. I don't want to start a relationship based on lies."
"But omitting information is perfectly fine, is it?" I replied sarcastically.
"That kind of behavior doesn't suit you, Sarah. Sarcasm doesn't look good on you," he said boldly, surprising me with his audacity, yet at the same time, I admired his sincerity.
"So, I should understand that I always have to be the fool in the story, the one who falls for anyone's words?" I vented what had been bothering me in recent days.
"I imagine you're upset with everything that happened, and that's entirely understandable Sarah," he spoke delicately and with a convincing tone.
I shrank back at the accuracy of his words. He held my hand gently, looking into my eyes and seeming to convey sincerity with every word he uttered.
"Believe me, you shouldn't change who you are because of other people's actions," he insisted. "If those people hurt you, they don't deserve to have you around, so you distance yourself."
"I understand what you're saying, Ryan. But I don't agree at all," I stubbornly asserted, pulling my hands free from his loose grip. "I'm going to offer each of these people the Sarah they want and deserve to have."
"You can't imagine how exhausting it is to try to be someone you're not. Believe me," he said.
"Speaking from experience?" I insinuated, expecting him to deny it.
"Exactly."
I reflected on Ryan's words, but even so, I didn't share his perspective. I felt upset and exhausted with all the problems that had been happening in my life since the loss of my father. The person I trusted and could rely on was uncertain, and I didn't know if that was truly possible.
As I contemplated Ryan by my side and remembered my father, I noticed a remarkable resemblance between the two men, which brought a smile to my face. What an opportune moment to make this connection! The discovery brought some comfort to my heart because, despite working for Kael Graham, who seemed like a jerk, Ryan truly showed himself to be a good person, just like my father, Patrick Mitchell, despite leaving us in a difficult situation.
We talked at length, and once again, I was captivated by Ryan's sincere and engaging personality. We had coffee, and he insisted on buying a donut for me, which prolonged our stay at the café. Although the place was more modest than Starbucks, it was pleasant, and the donut was delicious.
After leaving the café, he surprisingly suggested that we should meet more often. His suggestion intrigued me, and I think he noticed it because he looked at me with a broad smile on his face. Then, he clarified that he only wanted to be my friend, without any other type of interest.
I felt relieved hearing that, as I had developed a genuine friendship with Ryan and wouldn't like to learn that he had feelings beyond that for me. His sincerity touched me and reinforced my trust in him as a friend, without doubts or misunderstandings.
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