Chapter seventeen : Lucifer

My eyes were trained on the girl on the far right, the girl who'd been in my thoughts lately, my Everly. Earlier this morning I got a call about an accident that took place in one of our warehouses. I had to head out immediately which meant I couldn't be with her. Fortunately there was no severe harm to the employees on duty.

After the employees were looked after and the problem got under control, I planned to get back to her. And that's when Linda reminded of the event I was supposed to attend. I was in no mood and refused immediately. Then she brought out her master weapon, my father. She told me how my father was the one who started sponsoring that thing and it became all the more important for me to attend it.

I knew my father was into philanthropy but I never asked him where he used the money. He might have retired a long time back but he still enjoyed managing the charity work for the company and I had no reason to stop him.

I was agitated but it all went down the drain when she told the event I'd be attending was the National Mathelte and immediately my mood got better. But then again she dropped another bomb telling me that my father had taken the pain to arrange a date for me, Charlotte Watson, some mayor's daughter. If I got to see my Everly I'd bear that too.

But now I guessed I was wrong. Now in a private room upstairs, her perfume had started getting to my head and I really missed the sweet fragrance of my Everly. "Hey Lucifer," Charlotte chirped, damn her voice was piercing through my ears, "what's on your mind?"

"Nothing much," I answered, I really wanted to get out of here.

She opened her mouth to say something and then I heard a buzzer, I immediately turned my head, it was Everly.

"Contestant number twenty-five," the man motioned at her. She nodded and spoke the answer which was correct.

My eyes were on her. She was in a complete different zone, her eyes spoke nothing but determination. Every time she pressed the buzzer she was so sure of herself. She played on her instincts and it payed off well. And I was so proud of my girl.

That was a new feeling.

The twenty questions came to an end and as expected Everly made it to the final round with a boy. As they were prepping up for the finale my phone rang and I excused myself.

The call took longer than I expected, it was my father who called to check on me with a motive to ask about Charlotte. I mean he was a great guy but it always bugged me when he poked his nose in my private affairs. He'd been trying to set me up for a long time and I always managed to escape it somehow. Today I really wanted to tell him to stop because I had already found the one but I saved it for later.

When I ended the call Charlotte was standing behind me, "Let's get inside," I moved past her but she put her hand on my shoulder halting me. She moved in front of me and then leaned up getting close to my ear she whispered, "Let's get out of here. Shall we?" She kissed me behind my ear.

I felt myself cringe and suppressed my urge to push her away. I stepped back and looked down at her, "I'm sorry Charlotte but I'm not interested with taking this any further. I already have someone and apologize for my father for getting you involved in this mess." And I started back to the room.

"I have no problem with that Lucifer. It's not like I'm interested in anything serious. I mean we're both young, why can't we just enjoy ourselves." She put her hands on my back.

My jaw clenched, "No." I gritted out the single word. She removed her hands and then stomped in front of me, "So you're telling me that Lucifer Adler the infamous ladies' man is gone?" She said in a screeching voice.

"Yes, now if you would excuse me," I started walking again.

"It's that girl right? The one who made it to the finals." She said in low voice.

"Yes," I didn't stop walking.

"Well, just so you know the other one is my little brother. And I am damn sure she'll be the one tasting the dirt."

I smirked, "We'll see about that."

The final round had already begun when we got back inside and it was all clear. They were at a tie. Both of them had got two questions correct and the final one would be the tie breaker.

"So the eyes on the screen, here's the last question," the man said.

My eyes went to the question, I read it once and then re-read it again, it was a trick question and then a buzzer went off. I looked down, it was the boy, Everly's eyes were still on the question. The boy answered, it was wrong. My eyes went on Everly again and I saw a small smirk on her face, she got it and she pressed the buzzer.

"That is the correct answer," the man announced and the auditorium erupted in a huge applause. She looked around herself still not believing she'd won this thing. I smiled, that's my girl and now I finally get to meet her.

The winner was supposed to get a check of worth $5000 while the first and the second runner ups got a check of worth $3000 and $1000 respectively. Guessed today was my lucky day because I was the one giving away the checks. As I stood on the stage with the other judges, the winners were called out.

Our eyes immediately met but something felt different. The check for the runner ups were given away first. My eyes were locked on Everly but she was looking everywhere but me. And when it was finally her turn I smiled down at her but her face had cloak on it, it was expressionless, "Congratulations."

All the participants and the judges were called upon the stage for a group photograph. I stood beside Everly and I wrapped my arm around her waist and felt her stiffen, I pulled back, something was definitely wrong. After the photograph when everyone got busy chatting I noticed her standing in a corner, I walked up to her and she seemingly stepped back. "Is everything alright?" I brushed away a few stray strands of hair from her forehead, before she could answer, one of the judges popped out of nowhere, urging me to leave with him. I looked down at her, she was staring at the floor. "Wait for me," I pinched her chin to make her look up at me and I saw it, she was fighting something, holding something back. She freed her face from my hand and nodded and left the stage.

The judge apparently wanted me to meet his son who was able to make it to the top twenty-five but then got too anxious and failed to reach the finals. And then one after the other I got bombarded with people and questions. The more I tried to get out of it the more they pulled me in. I finally got rid of them when their rides arrived for them, had I waited for another minute, I'd have made my own way out.

I rushed outside the auditorium looking for her. She was nowhere. Maybe the cafeteria. She there either. I checked a few halls around but they were all empty. As I was making my way out of one of the halls, Linda called out, "Mr. Adler!"

"Not now Linda," I said pacing up.

"She's gone." I stopped dead in my tracks, "Mr. Adler she left immediately after she came out of the auditorium." she was now standing beside me. "She returned this," she handed me the box of phone I'd got for her. I threw it away on the floor it fell down with a thud and slid away on the floor.

Linda flinched but regained herself, "Mr. Adler please calm down–"

"What else? What else did she leave?" My anger was rising with every passing second.

"She left this." I looked down and saw the check she'd just won moments ago in Linda's hand. "She asked to clear up the loan using this money." I took the cheque in my hand and crumbled it.

"Where did she go?" I whispered.

"Mr. Adler please calm down she's just a gir–"

"Where did she go Linda?" I shouted.

Linda was taken aback, "she was talking about catching a train,"

That was enough information for me. First she stepped away from me, then gave me that dead expression and now she ran away from me. I guessed it was my foolishness giving her an idea she could leave me hanging. She made the wrong decision this time.

Run as much as you like sweetheart, I'm right behind you. You can't escape from me.