Letting Him Save Me || ✎

Chapter 8

Clayton Reid's POV

It's been a few days since I last saw Stella and I would be lying if I said she hasn't plagued my thoughts.

I awake earlier than usual and call Maryanne. 

"What progress has been made?" I ask once the call goes through. 

"Just wrapping up the finer details." She responds. 

"Alright. You're gonna go get her in two days." 

"Yes, Mr. Reid." She responds, and I hang up.

I get out of bed and make my way to the shower, my thoughts stuck on a 15 year old girl.

"God Clayton, what have you gotten yourself into?" I yell out, punching the wall of the shower. I stand there and let the water trail down my body, my thoughts filled with how wrong and illegal what I want is. 

"If I can't love her I can keep her safe and give her the world she wants." I mutter to myself. I look to the ceiling with a huff to let out all of my negative thoughts. I feel my skin grow numb after sitting under the scolding water for so long and look down to see my skin painted red from the heat. I shake my head of my final plaguing thoughts and turn the nozzle to the shower, ending the stream of water. I step out of the glass entrapment and walk to the granite slab under the large wall length mirror and place my hands on the edge of the counter, putting all my weight there. 

I look myself in the mirror and recognize the man staring back at me. Clayton Reid. Rich. New York's hottest bachelor. CEO of Reid Motor Enterprises. You're confident and put fear into all your business partners. You can get a 15 year old girl. I nod at my reflection with a grunt of reassurance before walking out of my bathroom and across my room to the closet to get dressed in my usual suit. I decide on a grey one today.

Once I'm presentable I head to the elevator and make my way to the garage on the lowest floor. I find Axel waiting near a concrete pillar ready for any instructions I would give him. I nod at the Cadillac Escalade and he turns to find the pin on the pinboard  labeled Cadillac before picking up the keys and making his way towards me, where I'm patiently waiting for the door to be opened.

Once I'm sat down I set my briefcase that homes my laptop and any papers that need to be transported from my home office to my work office on the empty seat beside me. I busy myself looking through emails and contracts on my phone as I wait for the car to arrive at my building. As we pull up I hear the roar of the paparazzi no doubly waiting for my arrival. 

"Do you want to walk through or should I shoo them first, sir?" Axel asks.

I glance at my watch before responding, "No, I don't have time. I have to be in the conference room in eight minutes." 

"Yes, sir."

Sawyer pulls up along the curb directly ahead of the front doors, in a parking spot labeled with my name. I grab my briefcase as Axel takes the key out and steps out to get my door. He waits as I fix my suit before I knock twice on the tinted window signaling to him that I'm ready to be let out. 

I step quick and strong so I don't get knocked over by the crowd of cameras and microphones. Axel walks along side my right with his arms stretched out in attempts to block the paparazzi from getting any closer. The people yell questions of no importance asking if I'm single, am I dating the girl I got pictured with a week ago, how did I manage such a successful company at such a young age. All the same questions I get asked. And the girl was a hookup. I've had my fair share of them but I'm normally able to avoid getting caught, looks like this one slipped through the cracks. 

We push our way through, myself staying silent and my eyes staying stuck strongly on the doors with trained emptiness. 

We quickly make our way inside and security keeps the paparazzi from entering the building. I tug on the ends of my suit to make sure it looks neat as I walk towards the elevator. The crowds of people part as I walk past and the girls at the desk nod their heads as I pass and I return the gesture. 

We make it to the elevator and hits the button to the top floor. I exhale as we make the journey 40 floors up and I start my day.

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Stella Pov

I wake up to a noise near the door. I peek my eye open and notice the sun hasn't yet risen and Hayley's missing from her bed beneath the window. I glance across the room to the twins beds and notice they've got the same expression I probably have. Natalie's eyes look to the wall across from the window and I follow her gaze to find Hayley going through every bag on the desk. I throw the blanket off me and walk up behind her, looking over her shoulder. I realize the pencil case she's holding is similar to mine. As she's shuffling through it I see a note I got passed in school a couple days ago before I realize it's my pencil case. 

I reach and grab it out of her hand. "What the hell are you doing? You have no reason to be going through my stuff." I look on the desk and see my backpack completely taken apart. My notebooks and folders that were color coded and organized are all thrown apart and my homework sheets mingle. 

Her face falters for a fraction for a second and I would've missed it if I blinked, but I saw it. She puts on a smile, "I was just looking for a pencil." 

I grab a pencil sitting right on top of her open backpack and wave it in her face, "In my folders?" I question.

"Oh." She laughs. "I didn't look there." She grabs the pencil out of my hand and walks back to her bed and sits on it.

I walk over to her and place my left hand on her bed beside her and get eye level with her. "No. I wanna know what you were looking for in my backpack Hayley." I said with a menacing tone.      

Her smile falls and her eyes glare into mine, "Fuck off Stella."

"Stay out of my stuff Hayley and I will." I tell her, my gaze not faltering.