I open my mouth to answer
"Fine. But you're not allowed to ask me any follow up questions...",
"Agreed"
"It's for my friend's mother, the one who met with an accident, the doctors wouldn't start surgery without depositing at least half the amount."
He doesn't speak a word. I keep going
"My friend, she doesn't have a lot of cash lying around and honestly my father is out of town....when I saw your brand in the pharmaceutical wing, I knew that your company is associated with this hospital."
I take a deep breath, "I need that money to save her"
A long pause
"The 90k is yours"
My pulse skips a beat, I bring the phone impossibly close to my ear, "Wait, actually?!"
"Don't get too overjoyed little kitten, nothing is free in this world", he drawls
Little kitten
My brain freezes. Did I just mishear that? Am I hallucinating?
"What. Did. You. Call. Me?"
"Little kitten", he says without missing a beat, smug and cocky
"Call me that again and see what happens"
"Oh my, the little kitten's got some claws, huh?", he chuckles hecka cocky
I take in a deep deep breath, willing myself to keep my hands from smacking the wall nearby.
I'm literally about to die. His godforsaken future-mother-in-law is about to die.
And he has the audacity to —
"What's the catch?", I ask sharp
"Huh?", he asks clearly failing to bite back a laugh
"What do you want Ashford?", I snap
"You"
The world froze. The phone nearly slips from my fingers. As if on cue, his voice slithers through yet again,
"I want your loyalty, your submission."
I hold my breath
"When the time is right, I'll ask you for one favour. One only"
I freeze momentarily but I don't give him the satisfaction of winning, "Not a chance, Ashford"
His voice darkens, low and intimate, "Think again little kitten. Little kittens don't enter a lion's den to roar at the lion"
"I said no", I say firmly
"You wouldn't have called me if you had a choice", he chuckles
This smug little bastard—
I open my mouth to retort again, to refuse, to negotiate—, but the dull ache in my chest sharpens suddenly. I hate to admit that I am in no position to contradict.
No position to make a choice.
My voice comes as merely a whisper, "Fine."
"What?", he says darkly amused
"I'll do it. One favour. One only"
"Very well, you've got a deal little kitten. Until the time is right, get ready to pounce", he says with the lilt in his voice making me bristle
"Wait—"
Beep
He hung up on me?!
Wasn't I supposed to have the upper hand?
What did he mean by a favour? This was not supposed to happen....this is wrong—so wrong.
How dare he? How could he? How did he?
As I was spiralling in my little delirium, Aiden's overjoyed jubilant voice burst through, "Genny!"