Page 61 of Organized Chaos
Brandon
Milo didn’t approveof spending my day stationed at the bar, getting drunk. Mr. Responsible devoted his time taking notes like a good little trooper. He even declined to join me for a fucking drink afterward.
God, that guy was insufferable.
Some people were happy drunks. Not me. Everyone pissed me off when I drank, especially while left to drink alone.
This shit was depressing.
I found myself looking up at the entranceway every fifteen seconds, knowing it was unlikely for a certain blonde-haired girl to walk through those doors. Still, I glanced up like clockwork for yet another disappointing—
What.
The.
Fuck.
I froze in place, accidentally spilling my drink on the bar counter. Through the entranceway, I could see the hotel restaurant and... Maya.
Shewas standing there... hugging Milo.
***
Mia
“JUST THINK ABOUT IT,” I pressed, unable to conceal my eagerness. We loitered outside of the hotel restaurant, following the early dinner.
Milo suspiciously narrowed his eyes. “I don’t understand why you have been so interested in my company lately.”
I shrugged nonchalantly. “Remember when you sent me your company by-laws for my econ project? I researched the potential of reaching IPO for companies that do micro-investments. It might make sense to have big players as investors, but down the road, each percentage you give away could mean another million.”
My face was placid though I felt irritated that I couldn’t disclose to Milo how I had come across this information and what had sparked my concerns.
When I was at the cottage with Brandon, I came upon divestiture contracts and realized Milo had sold too much of his company. I hadn’t been able to hold back my tongue and, over the last few months, had taken every opportunity to warn him against it.
The efforts were futile. Who could blame him for not heeding a teenager’s opinions regarding a multimillion-dollar company?
Milo sighed. “Fine. Guess I could ask Brandon to pull up the contracts since it’s only the hundredth time you’ve brought it up. But I doubt he can access the files from here.”
I froze.
“W-What?” I blinked, certain that I had heard him wrong. “Here? Brandon’s here? In Nice?”
Milo nodded. Meanwhile, it took everything in me not to gasp.
This convention in Nice took place twice a year—summer and winter. Typically, Brandon attended the summer convention while Milo took the winter session.
This year, the convention took place shortly after New Year’s. Milo flew me out, intending to make a vacation out of it. We were staying here during the convention, along with the subsequent weekend. He rarely had the time to indulge in vacation, so I was elated by the offer.
I wouldn’t have agreed if I knew Brandon was here.
After returning to New York, I had kept my vow and didn’t keep tabs on him anymore. But I had also been vehemently cautious against running into him.
My paranoid eyes swept the surroundings. “But I thought you were coming to Nice alone,” I reproached.
Milo frowned. “I did. Brandon only flew in today. Why does it matter, anyway? You used to love Brandon. I was the one who didn’t like his influence on you.” He shrugged. “Assumed you’d be happy to see him after all this time.”
I browsed my setting, struggling to find a reasonable excuse now that Milo no longer believed Brandon to possess the capacity to corrupt me. “I-I just thought you wanted to spend time withme.”
