Chapter Nine_Blackout.

Elena's POV.

"Okay, let's go" he was gesturing to the door.

"Where?" I asked.

"Somewhere serene"

"Lead the way" 

We left the dining area with him leading the way and me following, as usual.

After few minutes of walking around,he finally pulled open the double door in front of us and we stepped into the terrace.

"Have a seat"  he gestured to a sofa and sat down in the one opposite.

I abondoned the sofa and chose the swing chair next to it. Making myself comfortable I signaled him that I was ready. But I was not,my heart was racing and my head was swimming with thoughts, forget about his looks this man might be a terrorist or  even something worse or my thoughts  must be running wild.

"So"he began "what do you want to know"

"Everything that you wish to divulge"I answered, choosing my words carefully.

"Maybe we should just start with your name"

"No, let's save that for last".

"The best for the last,  I see".

He cleared his throat and crossed his leg in that manly fashion.

"I am an only child to my mum, but I have a step sister"

"Which you must really dote on".

He didn't reply to that instead he said "how about you?"

"Your sources should have told you that, I am disappointed" I said in a bid to make jest. "Anyways I am an only child to my mom just like you," I began "I couldn't care less about my dad" I added nonchalantly.

He raised his eyebrows and asked "why?"

"He left when I was still young, he probably has another family now" I replied bitterly.

"Okay, that's rough but  not new"

"What do you mean by that" I said my temper rising.

"I mean to say that it happens often and you must not dwell too much on it since it's in the past"

"Easy for you to say"

"Oh no, you wouldn't know that"

"Onto lighter topics, what do you do for a living"

"Well.."

"Let me take a guess"

"Go on"

"Real estate, you deal in real estate"

"Okay, real estate it is, but how about you,what do you do apart from food delivery service"

"You say it like  an insult"

"No offense" he apologized.

"Well I do theatre arts, I can act, model and partially sing" I answered.

"Okay, onto the next question,do you have any fears, like a phobia of some sorts"

"I am arachnophobic, I fear spiders, you?"

"I don't have a phobia, but I'm allergic to nuts,so I guess I fear that"

" That's too bad" I remarked , shaking my head.

"What have you always wanted to do but couldn't do it, like places you've wanted to visit and the rest" 

"Well I've always wanted to go sky diving, visit exotic places, go on a nice vacation with my mum, and do fun things like go watch a carnival with my date,  go on holiday in Alaska,the list goes on and on, it's literally endless"

"Well your bucket list must be really large" he commented.

"I mean, we're supposed to dream big right"

"My turn to ask the questions" I  said, eager to ask him the question that was forming in my mind.

"Shoot" 

"Who was your childhood hero".

"My mentor"

"Who?" I queried.

"Not necessary for you to know his name"

"You are really secretive, anyone ever told you that"

"And curiosity killed the cat" he retorted.

"Hmmph" I huffed, frustrated at the man in front of me.

"So, who is the most intelligent person you know"

"My mom" I said smiling.

"Well the most intelligent person I know, is my mentor, then myself" he said fondly.

"No need to be so boastful" I said eyeing him ferociously.

"Well, like it or not, it's the truth of the matter" he said, smirking his signature devilish smirk.

"Who annoys you the most?" I asked without even thinking.

"Well...... everyone annoys me, except you".

This man definitely had a way with words, because my stomach was exploding fireworks and my ears were beet red, I could just picture it in my mind.

"No need to flatter me so much" I said trying to hold back the blush that was spreading rapidly from my neck.

" when is your birthday, and what present would you like?"

" 9th of July, and I do not really have the need for a present, I would just love for my Mom to attend my birthday, hale and hearty, and to be sorrounded by loved ones on that day, that is pretty much all I would really want."

"Well that is not exactly a bad present, in fact it is a good one, shows that you are thoughtful and considerate and not overly, materialistic. We're polar opposites."

"It's very obvious." I concurred.

"Tell me about your family" I knew I was treading on on a very dangerous topic, Nancy had warned me, but I was willing to take my chance.

"Well my great grandfather was a chaffeaur to a big family, these were dangerous people, they were a mafian family,things started becoming brutal and bloody due to an entanglement the family got themselves in , so he resigned from his job and started investing in businesses, he faced a lot of losses,but with losses comes profit,so he persisted, continued investing in stocks and all that, built up Capital and started an export and import business, the business grew and soon my great grandfather was filthy rich, both my grandfather and father were born into wealth". He narrated.

"So were you" I declared.

" You are right in some way, I was born into wealth,but I didn't stay there. I took a stance and decided to not depend on old money, but to indulge myself and make my own money, to have my own life that would not be tied to the family business, my great grandfather's story motivated me , as time went on I succeeded and I'm still succeeding".

"That was a big ,risky step for you to take that only a strong person would be able to do it" I commented, amazed at his braveness.

"What about your Mom, what impact did she leave in your life"

"My mom was an alcoholic, she had a lover outside, as a result of her alcoholism, I had to be nannied by Nancy, the few times she was not drunk, she was depressed and sat at a dark corner in her room, my mom was almost never around. She was addicted to anti depressants and died of drug overdose."

"I'm so sorry for asking"

"It doesn't matter now, that was way back, but she did leave a legacy, well not exactly her but her lover, he was my mentor."

"Oh my gosh, didn't you feel guilty towards your father for getting close to your mom's lover"I questioned.

"I was at first, until I learnt that my father had been the cause of mother's depression and constant alcoholism, she never loved him yet he forced her to get married to him by blackmailing her, then raped her on their matrimonial night, turns out he only wanted her as a breeding cow, so she turned to drinks and  anti depressants to relief her heart ache,but when she found someone she actually loved she left him and me in the process, when my mum died  I was only seven years old and in need of consolation because she was my mother after all, Father was always busy and Nancy did not really follow my every step any more, so I was pretty lonely, until one day, my Dad came home with someone and introduced him as my private tutor, but I already knew him because he was the wallpaper of my mum's phone. He offered me a safe space and we became the best of friends."

I looked at the man in front of me and couldn't even begin to imagine what he went through as a child with an uncaring father,an alcoholic mother and a mixed up family. Those troubles had probably shaped him into by the man he is today, I  could only wish to be as strong as this man sitting before me. Then it dawned on me that  he had told me the truth about his family and I chose to believe that he  had been completely genuine about it.

"Thank you" I said, without even knowing.

"For what?" He looked taken aback.

"For trusting me enough to be sincere with me and telling me your truth"

"I guess, you are welcome"

"You endured a lot, you definitely deserve all that you have now".

"That is true, LSC groups was not easy to build, it took blood sweat and tears on many parts for it to become a success"

"Did you just say LSC groups, isn't LSC entertainment a sub division of LSC groups?"

"It is, and I built it from scratch, all of it"

My whole body became numb, this couldn't be.

"As you said before,save the best for last, my name is Lorenzo Shane Cole, founder of LSC groups."

That was the last thing I heard, my vision became blurry then everywhere became dark.

Authors note:

Hey lovelies 🥰, to all of you reading  this book, YOU ARE THE BEST, thank you for diving into my imagination and I hope you enjoy it, if you have any question, or anything to say about the book, please feel free to do so, but remember, BE POLITE ♥️.