6 - Xerxes and Economics

"I feel the need to endanger myself every so often."

― Tim Daly

. . .

Olivia Woods

I was not aware of this. No one had told me that this was happening. Professor Duncan loved to surprise us, he was a new professor, but this surprise was not a good one.

I watched as Xerxes Creed entered the room, followed by some tall guy who, from what I knew, was the CFO of Creed Enterprise.

"Guys," Professor Duncan said, grinning like a Cheshire cat. "As I mentioned last week, Mr. Creed and Mr. Brown are here to explain to yo-"

"I would like to take over," Xerxes interrupted, his eyes right on...me. He looked good, dressed in a dark blue suit and his hair down.

Professor Duncan was too excited to even be embarrassed by the rude interruption, he just nodded, still grinning, and walked a little away.

"The Creed Enterprise indulges in many things," Xerxes said, his one hand in the pocket of his coat as his CFO did something with the projector. "We have several hotel chains, which are spread over the world. We have several restaurant and hotel chains. We have multiple businesses under us around the world-"

I tuned out.

He continued speaking, his eyes on me. And I got lost in them. "Earlier this year we..." And he spoke, his voice confident and demanding attention, commanding it. I wondered if he was like this when he was of my age.

I wondered how the Creeds were at my age. Were they like this, intimidating and powerful, or had they been normal young people who liked to drink at frat parties and hide things from their parents?

Their father, from what I knew, had died years ago. There was no mention of their mother anywhere online.

Not like I searched them up.

I didn't!

It was just a quick search to sate my curiosity.

. . .

I was, somehow, the last one to get out of the classroom. Maybe because I had not torn my eyes away from Xerxes even after he had finished.

I, aware that Xerxes was looking at me, walked out of the classroom with my heart beating furiously. Did he know I had barely paid attention to what he had said? I had been mesmerized by how long his eyelashes were and how soft his hair looked and how sharp his jaw looked.

Good looks - too good looks - was something the Creeds had under their belt easily. They could have been models if they weren't billionaires.

And, maybe, criminals.

I walked inside the washroom and looked at myself in the mirror. My cheeks were faintly pink. I was wearing a black shirt with black jeans, a white sweater on the top, the shirt peeking out from the edge of it. My hair was in a low ponytail, some strands of it framing my face. My glasses were on my nose, my eyes were lined by thick eyeliner.

Did I look good enough to be stared at by a man like Xerxes? He had looked at me, all through the lecture. I knew people must have noticed but I didn't pay attention to them, I just looked at him. It was...interesting to look at him.

It was interesting to look at them.

They seemed like an old painting I had just discovered. I felt the same restlessness I had felt when I looked at Starry Night when I looked at them, maybe a little more. Restlessness because I couldn't wait to decipher them, to look at the different lairs at them. In a painting, I often wondered why an artist used a certain color to color a certain thing, while looking at them I wondered why they were like they were, what had shaped him, what did that emotionless look in their eyes meant.

I loved mysteries. I loved finding things out.

I wanted to figure them out, as I did with everything. I wanted to figure them out.

And I knew I was never going to do that, I did not have the courage to do that. They were dangerous men.

I walked out of the washroom and I bumped right into him, his expensive cologne invading my nostrils. I wanted to ask which brand he used, even though I knew I would never be able to buy whatever he used.

He wrapped an arm around me to keep me from falling. I froze and look up at him.

He arched an eyebrow, perfect face showing amusement. "Is that how you greet me, little love?"

Blushing at the nickname, which sounded so...soft as if spoken with great care, I pushed away from him.

"Hello, Mr. Creed," I said softly, smiling because I did not stutter.

He smiled at me, a small smile. "Hello, Olivia. You can call me Xerxes."

Just when I was about to say something back, professor Duncan walked towards us, his round face smiling. He was a small, happy man. He carried good vibes and wore weird ties.

He made economics bearable for me.

"Mr. Creed. Oh, you are here with Miss Woods, she can use extra guidance." He chuckled. My eyes widened. Xerxes smirked at me.

"Actually, I know Miss Woods, I just came to say hello and ask if she needed a ride home. It's raining quite heavily."

What?

Mr. Duncan looked out of a window nearby. It was raining quite heavily. I had forgotten to check their weather update, today.

Idiot.

"Yes yes." The professor smiled. "You should go with him." He nodded at me with a look that said 'go with him or your grades go down into the drain.'

This guy...

"Come on, then, Miss Woods." Xerxes smiled at me, a feral smile. "Let me drop you home."

. . .

Sitting in the passenger seat of his Bugatti, I could barely breathe because of the constant fluttering in my stomach.

He looked at ease, using the driving wheel with one hand and his other hand was resting idly on his lap, his eyes fixed on the road as the rain harshly splattered over the car.

"Are you excited about the next week?" I frowned. "Next week?"

He chuckled, a deep husky sound that made me bite my lip. "Top twenty people from your year are coming to our headquarters for a tour. It's something your Professor suggested. You are the twentieth student in it."

When was this announced? God, I really needed to pay attention in class.

"Oh," I said, a little excited. I had seen their headquarter building, it was large and looked really expensive.

"Yes," he said, glancing at me, our eyes clashed for a second. "I do hope you will come."

He wanted me there?

I nodded. "I-I will be there."

He smiled a gorgeous smile. "Good."

When we reached my apartment and I was just about to get out of the car his choice stopped me.

"Olivia...did the police find out who attacked you?"

I paused in trying to open the car. I shook my head. "They are trying."

He hummed, watching me closely. "Do you have any idea who it was? He knew your name."

I froze. "How...how do you know th-that?"

He watched me, dark eyes, and once again I was remembered of who they were. They were not normal businessmen, they were dangerous men. They had bad rumors, really really bad rumors, surrounding them and there had to be some sort of brutal truth under those rumors.

"We have our sources, little girl."

I let out a shaky breath. "I-I have to go."

He nodded, his hand clenching on the steering wheel till his knuckles went white.

I shot out of the car and jogged inside my apartment building.

When I turned the lights of my apartment on, I heard his car drive away.

We have our sources, little girl.

I did not understand this, at all. I had not met them once for so long and now I was meeting them every other day, bumping into them at the most random places. They didn't even use to come to Cassandra's cafe and now they were frequent there.

They were predators, with their strong bodies, merciless beauty, and eyes with showed intelligence.

I was the prey.

I wondered if this was what being hunted felt like.

. . .