Chapter 4

Stephen POV He was preparing a presentation for his Minneapolis firm regarding an expansion project. Radiance industries was on the brink of successfully merging both the Chinese and the U.S. market. For the longest time, the two markets operated separately from one another, without ever realizing their potential as a mass conglomerate market for consumer products. But Stephen had succeeded in nullifying the traditional terms of business to coalescence. Radiance industries now aims to capture the European market too. It was a phenomenal presentation that took off from his laptop just a couple of days ago in the process of convincing Oyster Inc a European firm with its branch in Minneapolis to join him in the fusion. Yesterday was completely stressful in the office with overbearing work regarding the presentation and possible mergers of the top most international firms. He needed a release and he was dog tired. The next morning…. The light from the window coming out woke him up from the soothing darkness of sleep. Unfortunately, he was yanked back to the bed with the feel of soft feminine hands on his sturdy sternum. He reluctantly opened his eyes to the annoying realization that the treat of the night was still in his bed. Generally he saw the source of his fleeting pleasure get lost the moment he found his release. But since he was too tired yesterday…. His eyes skidded over the olive-skinned, platinum blonde. He had met her at a party and discovered her fascination for him. Her long toned legs were accentuated by six-inch heels, he had merely paid attention to her curvy figure but with stress and sex drive building up in him the steamy endeavor felt the best option. 'I want more." Her gentle feminine voice got him out of his thoughts. He preferred engagements that satisfied his bodily needs in hotel rooms. A sigh flowed from him as he mentally kicked himself for falling asleep with the one-night-stand in his home. "I'm done, I need to catch a flight shortly. Get dressed. My driver will take you home." The covers flipped back with a simple flex of his muscular arm, and he swung his feet to the red carpeted floor. With the heels of his hands, he rubbed the weight of sleep from his eyes. The revolting muscles of his limbs told him just how exhausted he was as he boxed up with sleep. He got up and strolled over to the floor-to-ceiling glass window of his bedroom, staring out at the beautiful dawn of California. The weak shade of light from the corner lamp silhouetted his tall, muscular frame in the darkness as he stood stark naked before the window and lit a cigarette. Those innocent crystal blues often rolled up in his memories, that made his heart skip a beat. He would never forget them, the pristine blue eyes which reflected many questions and emotions, the most significant of them was pain and abhorrence. He couldn't tolerate it.  He was ordained to reply to her that he was not the killer of her parents. Recollection of a memory…. It was the first time that he saw her.  His father was informed by Samuel that she was born. His parents, him, along with his brother went to see her. Samuel was like a younger brother to his father and thus like a family. She was the first girl child born. So his dad even went to the extent of telling him that he needed to always protect her. His brother was too excited to watch the new born baby. But since he was older, he was expected to behave. Even though he was equally excited to watch her, he maintained a poker face. But once they entered the room, he was instantly pulled to the crib where she was. He was nine and so he was tall enough that his head reached above the crib and saw her clearly unlike his brother. He looked at her and their eyes met. She stared back at him with those pulchritudinous blues oozing out all the innocence that she had. Her eyes were dilated, she was whimpering and he didn't know why, his heart leapt for her pain. He wanted her to stop crying. Few days later she returned home from the hospital along with her mother. He watched her from the crib extending his finger to her and she held it in her little fist never to leave. And that was the moment he knew he was bewitched. Sitting on the couch in the house of Samuel he was holding her in his arms. She stared back at him with those big blue eyes like he was her only hope. Something snapped inside him and he kissed her forehead calling her with a name that always stayed with him. Flower. He was there when she took her first steps, her first day of going to school and even the day when she came home crying that one of her friends took away her Barbie pencil. Few years later his dad sent him off to boarding school. He wanted him to be a tough man to take care of the mafia. And by the time he returned Merlyn's father was transferred by the bank to a different city. Merlyn was nine and it was the last time he saw her.