Chapter 4 This Wasn’t a Game

Dylan

I leaned back against the chair, one arm resting on the armrest while the other held the cigarette loosely between my fingers. The faint glow at the tip flickered as I took another drag, exhaling quietly.

Silence.

Finally,

After the chaos of today, this was the only thing that made sense. Never in my life did I imagine I’d end up in a situation like the one today.

Which was funny because I had always had my fair share of being in questionable situations. Chaos was practically my acquaintance if I were to be honest. 

But this? 

Nothing had prepared me for all that happened today and the worst part of it all was that my mind kept going back. 

It kept going back to her, Zinnia Carter.

I let out a low scoff, shaking my head slightly.

Of all people…

Her.

I hadn’t seen her in years. Not since she used to trail behind Elinda like a shadow, always laughing too loud, always talking too much, always… there.

Annoying.

That was what she had been. Just my sister’s annoying little best friend.

So why the hell was she suddenly everywhere today? Bumping into me twice, forcing me to apologize to her and her sister on camera, and all that bullshit that went down?

I took another drag, slower this time.

And why did she look like that? My jaw tightened slightly as the image flashed again in my head.

Her dark curly hair framing her face, those dark brown eyes that were sharp and expressive. Her perfect set of teeth, that body…

I stopped the thought immediately, irritation rising. What the hell was that? Why was I even thinking about her? 

But I couldn’t even lie, she looked… different, a good kind of different if I might add. 

I exhaled sharply, running a hand through my hair. But it didn’t matter, what mattered was what she did. What the fuck was that stunt she had pulled? 

My expression hardened as I thought about it again. What was she thinking forcing me to apologize… in public?

Did she have a death wish? I let out a dry laugh.

No one did that, no one, and the only reason I said anything at all was because I had to.

Simple.

I wasn’t about to let something as stupid as that mess up my image.

I wanted the trust and loyalty of my fans more than anything and I wasn’t stupid enough to risk that over something so insignificant.

Still…

The way she stood there with her phone in my face and her eyes locked in on mine not scared or backing down. It was annoying, very annoying.

The door opened and someone walked in. I didn’t even bother to look because I already knew who it was. 

“You’re quiet,” Wyatt said as he walked in, shutting the door behind him.

I didn’t respond immediately, taking another drag before finally speaking.

“I’m thinking.”

“That’s dangerous.” He said and I huffed lightly.

“Are you thinking about her?” he asked and my gaze shifted slightly, landing on him.

“Don’t start,” I said and Wyatt raised a brow, leaning against the wall.

“She embarrassed you in public and made you apologize.” He emphasized. 

“I did what I had to do,” I said flatly and Wyatt let out a short laugh. “Since when do you do what you have to do?”

I flicked the ash into the tray, my expression unreadable.

“Since it affects my image,” I said and he nodded slowly. 

“Fair enough, but don’t you think we should go after her? She can’t just get away with it like that. I’m sure she must be feeling on top of the world right now.” He said but I didn’t reply. 

Of course, I wasn’t going to let her get away with it like that but Wyatt didn’t need to know that. 

“Let’s go out,” Wyatt suggested after he noticed I remained silent. 

“I’m not in the mood,” I replied and he smiled. 

“That’s exactly why we should go out, you need to cool off, so let’s go to the club so you can have some fun and then blow some steam off ” He said, trying to convince me.

Maybe he was right. I really needed to blow some steam off because right now I was irritated, more than I should be and I didn’t like that one bit. 

“Give me thirty minutes,” I said, crushing the cigarette in the tray. 

Wyatt smirked slightly. “Knew you’d say that.”

“Get out.”

He laughed under his breath and walked out.

I stood up, grabbed my jacket from the chair, and walked towards the door. By the time I stepped out of my room, I was already composed.

No unnecessary thoughts about a girl who wanted to ruin my days and distract me. 

I walked down the hallway, adjusting my cuff slightly when I heard footsteps approaching.

“Elinda?” I called and she froze slightly when she saw me.

“Dylan?” Her brows furrowed. 

“What?” I asked, glancing at her briefly. 

“What are you doing here?” she asked, confused.

“What kind of question is that?” I frowned slightly. Why would she be asking me what I was doing here in my own house?

“You’re… home,” she said, like she couldn’t believe it.

“So?”

“I thought you only lived in your penthouses.” She said and I looked at her properly this time, unimpressed.

“This is my house,” I stated and she folded her arms.

“A house you don’t live in. When was the last time you came here? I’m just surprised, that's all.” She said and I didn’t respond to that.

Because she wasn’t wrong, but that wasn’t the point.

“Speaking of things that don’t concern you,” I said calmly, “you might want to have a conversation with your best friend.”

Her expression shifted. 

“What about Zinnia? Did something happen to her?” She rushed her words and I shook my head. 

“Tell her not to repeat what she did today,” I said and Elinda frowned. 

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb,” I said flatly. “You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

“She didn’t do anything wrong, she was just protecting her sister. Besides, Wyatt was doing too much grabbing her arm like that.” She said and I let out a quiet scoff.

“I don’t care if she was protecting her sister or not, but I want you to tell her something for me.” I stepped closer slightly, my voice dropping just enough.

“What?” Elinda’s eyes narrowed.

“That the next time she sees me…” I paused briefly, my gaze cold. “She should walk the other way.”

“She should run, because it’ll save her a lot of trouble,” I added and Elinda stared at me like she didn’t recognize me.

But I didn’t care.

Because this wasn’t a game. And Zinnia Carter has no idea what she just started.