♠️Nile♠️
"Please, wake up, Mr. Garres."
I am back in that dream again. That nightmare where I am groveling on my knees, crying and being the very essence of what it means to be pathetic. For years the image is still burned clearly into my brain. My willpower is too strong when I am awake for it to show itself.
So it only lurks in my dreams. A recollection of the lowest point in my life.
"Mr. Garres…?"
The voice finally wakes me up, and I pry one eye half open to see the woman on my bed, tapping my arm. I groan in irritation, holding one hand above my eyes to block out the light.
"What do you want?" I ask.
"Your phone has been ringing nonstop for a while now, sir." Her voice answers timidly. "With your permission, can I please bring it to you?"
I am tempted to promptly go back to sleep, when I realize I have never seen this particular woman before. I open my eyes fully to stare at her for a full moment.
"Who are you?" I finally ask.
She blushes, suddenly lowering her eyes and fiddling with her dress. The dress was actually lingerie. "I am Lily. Number eight in your harem, sir. It is my fault that you don't remember me, I am sorry, I was brought in late when you already had a few glasses of alcohol. The other girls told me about the rules, and I have not broken any of them."
Casting a lazy glance across the master bedroom, I find it empty, meaning the girls had scurried out of sight, because I never like to see any one of them when I wake up.
I push up from the bed, and lean closer to Lily. Her eyes widen, struggling to stay on my face. "Do you truly know the rules? If you really do, your pathetic self will not still be crawling around on my bed."
She gasps in true terror, tears gathering in her eyes, "I'm sorry, sir. Please don't be mad at me, I beg of you. I really had no idea I was supposed to leave before you wake up."
"Get lost."
She nods, "Thank you for giving me permission to leave, Mr. Gares." She staggers out of the bed and practically runs out of the bedroom.
I close my eyes and drag in a deep breath. I must have been dead drunk last night if I ordered for another girl without even knowing it. My phone begins to ring from the couch, and I slowly uncurl my body out of bed.
I answer the call, "There better be a reason why you're pestering me so early in the morning."
It should be noon by now, but whenever I say is morning, morning it is. The voice on the other end of the call is my head of security. And he sounds distraught.
"Boss, the trillion dollar asteroid diamond piece has been stolen."
I go still immediately, but a second later, my eyes narrow. That is the latest and rarest piece of gem in my possession, and every last business magnate or oil tycoon were clamoring to buy it. But I have no intention of selling it.
The best always belongs to me. And only me. I can only rub ut in the public's noses, do publicity stunts to make them thirst and hunger, but in the end, a diamond found on a fallen asteroid is only meant for the elite of the elite and that is me.
Now, I hear it is stolen.
I let out a cool exhale, and continue, "Mike. Are you ready to spend the rest of your life, and ruin your wife and your kids' lives in the process of paying the price of your carelessness?"
I never yell at my security. That is for lesser men. Besides, a cool, calculated approach to their stupidity is bound to bring better results.
He sounds choked, "Absolutely not, sir! We have our men combing the area and searching for the thief the moment it was stolen, sir!" A gulp, then he continues, "I just wanted to know, sir, if you want us to involve the police."
"No." I say almost too quickly. "No police. I give you an hour to find the thief. Don't make me call you first."
"Yes, sir—"
I hang up and fling my phone away. Making my way into the jacuzzi, I brush my hair out of my face and lean into the warm water. I usually get the police to handle cases of stealing, but now, that is not an option.
My younger sister, despite my warnings, got herself mixed up with the wrong crowd and hard drugs were found in her possession. Of course, the drugs were planted. I was able to bribe off the officers that caught her, and seal their mouths with money, but I can not have any more police around until her case completely dies down.
So, I have to handle this petty thief myself now.
It already sounds like a chore, as I have a million better things to spend my time on. My gaze hardened against the wall. This culprit who had the audacity to steal from me, will regret being a complete waste of my time.
In thirty minutes, my phone rings again, and it is Mike, informing me that the thief has been caught. Without waiting for another word, I get dressed and head down to my garage where the driver is already waiting to take me to the security headquarters. That is where my security has the thief locked up.
On getting there, Mike is dutifully holding a security case.
"The jewel has been secured, sir." He said.
I open the case, and the shiny and unique diamond stone sits in the middle of some red velvet, beautiful as ever. I nod and close the case, asking,