(Grayson's Game Plan).
Grayson exited his car and checked his phone for the right address; he still needed to walk three more blocks ahead.
He fixed his black baseball hat for disguise; he couldn't be seen walking freely in the lower streets of Brooklyn.
"Seriously, man, you haven't told me why we came down here. I'm starting to feel unsafe; the Nigerian in me is telling me to retreat. I don't venture into unknown trips with unclear directions." Okani walked over from the other side of the car, his brow lifted in silent questioning.
"Market survey," Grayson replied and walked forward.
"Nawa o," (What the hell?). Okani shook his head and followed Grayson down the Brooklyn street.
The street was bustling that night as Grayson walked along, staring at his phone to follow the directions. He stopped in front of a small building with blinking lights and a dangling sign; he knew he had found the place.
"So, this is it?" Okani asked, staring at Grayson, who looked as if he'd found the most important thing in his world at the moment.
Grayson gave a curt nod.
"Don't tell me you came from Tribeca to compare your drinks with some cheap wine retailer," Okani asked in disbelief.
Grayson turned to look at Okani, "Just stay beside me and don't speak to anyone..." he said before he proceeded to enter the place.
As he entered the busy bar, his eyes were instantly drawn to the red-haired young woman, who was pouring an old man a drink at the counter.
Looking away so he wouldn't get spotted, he walked over to a table in the corner and quietly sat down, observing.
"Hey, man, I gotta say, it's weird," Okani lowered himself beside Grayson and looked around the shady environment.
"What would you like to drink?" Grayson casually drummed his fingers on the table, his eyes monitoring Callie's movement.
He couldn't help but feel she was a bit robotic in her movements. He hadn't seen enough of her to conclude if that was how she normally worked or if she was under pressure, but his memory was correct; there was nothing robotic about the girl who had publicly rejected him at the game show.
He watched her carefully as she tended to other customers, and each time she returned to the old man, her countenance would change, hence the robotic movement.
Okani saw that Grayson's attention was drawn by something, or rather, someone, so he decided to look where his friend was looking.
"Hold on, Grayson..." Okani moved his chair close to Grayson, who still didn't take his eyes away from the bar.
"Wait a minute, that's the red hair from the game show," Okani pointed out.
Grayson slowly looked away from Callie and stared at Okani. "Yes." He replied.
Okani chuckled, "So, you don fall for am truetrue?" (So, you've truly fallen for her?). He smirked at Grayson.
Grayson frowned at Okani, "Don't be ridiculous, Okani. You know I'm searching for a wife, and you know my rules," He said.
Okani slowly nodded, "Oh, I remember now. So that's why we're actually here. But why her? I've got a lot of clients lined up for you to choose from, yet you come all the way down to Brooklyn to search for a nobody who, by the way, almost destroyed your image. Why?" He narrowed his eyes at Grayson, trying to search his expressionless face for any clues.
"Well, it was initially revenge; I planned to make her lose her job so she would regret messing with me. But after some thought, I realized she was the best candidate for my purpose." He spoke calmly.
Okani turned serious, "Do you really think she'd agree to your crazy demands?" He questioned.
Grayson fixed his eyes on Callie as he responded to Okani. "She's poor, Okani—very poor. She would rejoice at my offer. It'd be easy to manipulate her; for some reason, she seems to be in dire need of money. Once I offer her the money she needs, my words will be her law." He smirked.
"She would be easy to control, not like those exposed gold-diggers that would look for a loophole to either keep me tied to them forever, or they would take half of my property. She's a country girl who's in the big city for the first time; trust me, she's the best one." He gave a calculating smile.
Okani was now watching Callie too, his eyes sincerely taking her in as she worked. "She seems quite nice and cute. I suggest you try a softer approach toward her. If she really understands your predicament, she might be willing to help in exchange for your help, too." He raised a brow at Grayson.
"I have my ways, Okani. Why not go order a drink from my future wife?" Grayson ordered with a bored tone.
Okani sighed, shook his head, and stood from his chair before walking toward Callie at the counter.
Callie was currently mixing a drink for a young woman; she looked calm, but her nerves were all over the place.
Richard was quietly sitting nearby, watching her every movement. He hadn't finished his drink since it was given to him, busy savoring it while his eyes uncannily savored Callie.
Callie knew he was waiting for her shift to be over so he would follow her to her home, and she dreaded it.
Her mind was filled with how she would escape the older man when someone tapped the counter in front of her.
"Hi, gorgeous," Okani greeted in a gentle voice.
Callie chastized herself for allowing her thoughts to distract her from work. She looked up to see a handsome man in a colored shirt, smiling at her, his caramel skin glowing beautifully under the dim lighting.
"Hi, what can I offer you, sir?" She asked, pushing her hair behind her ear.
"Two glasses of Whisky... neat, please," Okani replied.
"Okay, just a minute, sir," She replied and went to prepare his drink.
Okani sighed as he watched Callie prepare his drinks; he could already sense her calm nature as she spoke.
It was going to be chaos when she met Grayson's forceful temperament. Grayson might seem calm and quiet, but he was a stubborn dictator and an authoritarian; he wasn't the kind of man Callie would want to be with. Even if it was just a fake relationship, they would still face a lot of trouble.
He couldn't wait to see how Grayson would manage to convince Callie to marry him.
"Here it is," She gently placed two glasses of whisky in front of him.
"Thank you, milady," Okani nodded at her as he took the glasses from the countertop.
He turned to leave when he suddenly bumped into an old man and almost spilled his drinks, but with his quick reflexes, he managed to save them. He was about to apologize to the man when he saw how the old man gave him a hateful glare before walking away.
He simply shook his head and walked back to the table. "Here's your drink from your future wife." Okani offered Grayson a glass of whisky and sat down beside him.
Grayson took the drink but didn't drink it; his eyes watched Callie with a frown, something suddenly didn't seem right.
At the counter, Callie wanted to go serve some people at a table when Richard suddenly grabbed her hand.
"I think it's time to go," He whispered beside her.
Callie gritted her teeth in annoyance, her nostrils flaring in irritation, "Get your hands off me, old man." She said quietly, not wanting to draw attention to herself or spill the customer's drinks, which she was carrying in a tray.
Richard stepped closer to her, "You didn't think I came here for just a drink, my precious? I've come to take you home. I already paid your father some money, you either come with me or give me back my money," He chuckled wickedly.
Callie was infuriated, "Take your hands off me, old Richard. If you want your money, go ask the person you gave it to; don't cause trouble for me in my workplace." She managed to remove her hand from his and went to serve her drink.
However, as she returned to the counter, Richard pulled her to his side, his fingers digging into her arm.
"Ah! Let me go!" She groaned and tried to push him away, but his fingers dug deeper into her skin.
"Be quiet, bitch. You think it's the first time I'm giving your father money? Come home with me, now," He gave Callie a hard pull and wrapped his arms around her.
"No! Let me go, you stinking punk," She raised her hand to slap him, but decided against it. Rather, she stepped on his foot, causing him to lose his hold on her, and she quickly moved away from him.
"Argh! You stupid bitch," Richard was quite fast for his age; he leaped and grabbed Callie's arm before she could enter behind the counter, drawing her back to his arms.
Callie panicked; she knew no one was going to help her. This bar was a place where only crazy people came. They would probably find her predicament entertaining, laughing, and enjoying themselves.
"Leave me alone!" Callie punched the old man, causing him to fall on a table, breaking it as he landed on it.
Laughter surged the atmosphere with comments on how he's been handed his ass by a woman.
Callie slowly backed away from Richard, her heart pounding from anger and fear. She was scared that she might be charged with murder or accidental damage; she didn't want any of them.
"Stay away from me, Richard, I don't want to hurt you," She warned as she pressed her back on the counter, her hand reaching for the bottle she left there.
"Leave the girl alone, old man!" a man shouted from a corner, causing a few more men to laugh at his comment.
Richard glared at Rose, anger and hatred visible through his eyes, "You idiot! You'll pay for what you've done!" He heaved as he lifted a wooden chair by the side and aimed it at Callie.
Callie's eyes widened in fear, she wasn't able to reach for the bottle, so she could only shield her face with her arms.
However, in the next second, she heard the chair being smacked to the floor, the weak wood scattering across the wooden floor.
"Enough," A very familiar, cold, and commanding voice filtered into Callie's ear.