Page 44 of Mistaken Prejudice

“So, Andrei, mon chéri, how is school so far?” Elliot’s question cut my line of thought and brought me back to the table. I placed my cutlery on the yellow tablecloth before answering, “It’s very nice. I enjoy most of my classes and am trying to keep my grades up.” I looked at Miles as he slightly nudged my shoulder with his own.

“He’s being modest, Papa. Andrei is top of his class.”

Elliot’s mouth curved in a smile, and even Daniel found the time to look at me.

“You’re exaggerating.” I wrinkled my nose as a flush crept to my cheeks. I was so unfamiliar with being bashful or embarrassed that I didn’t know where to look. I didn’t want them to notice how red my face turned just from one compliment. It wasn’t even a compliment; I was a good student.

“That is impressive!” Elliot said as he filled Miles’s glass with more iced water. “Miles said you will”—he stopped for a second and moved his hand in the air like he tried to catch something—“what is the word, enseigner?” he asked as he turned to look at Daniel.

“Teach, darling.” Daniel covered Elliot’s hand with his as he gave him a warm smile.

“Merci, mon amour.” Elliot gleamed at him before he looked back at me. “I’m sorry, Andrei, but even though I have been here for so long, English still escapes me sometimes.” He laughed.

“It’s okay. The fact that you know another language is amazing as it is.” I tried to offer him some consolation. Knowing a second language was incredible and shouldn’t be taken for granted.

“Oh, but the accent. Oh, mon dieu, I thought it would go away after over twenty years, but no! You should hear my brother talk. No accent at all.” As a protest, he raised his wine glass in the air, and I thought he might be a bit drunk. I laughed as he continued, “So, my point. You will teach my Miles math? Is that correct?”

I nodded. “Yes, at least I’ll try.”

“Well, that’s surprising,” Shay-Lee interrupted, a fake smile plastered on his face. “I mean, the fact that you’re in the same grade as us, considering all the time you missed being locked up. Oh wait, silly me… you did repeat a year, didn’t you? Even though, I’m still impressed.”

“Shay-Lee,” Miles snapped at him, his tone sharp and irritated.

“What?” He lay back in his chair and looked genuinely surprised. “I mean it, it’s awe-inspiring. Now tell me something.” He moved forward and leaned his elbows on the table. “How long were you locked up? A year? Two years?” He was anything but impressed. His eyes gleamed with hatred while his lips curved into a wicked smile as he waited for any reaction. Whether it was mine or someone else’s, it didn’t matter to him. All he wanted was to see me fall into his wasp nest. But I wasn’t born yesterday, and by now, I’d gained enough experience with privileged assholes like him not to let them get what they want.

Rather it was an older kid in juvie who tried to prove he was the big boss, my mom or one of her so-called boyfriends, and sometimes even Diesel. They all needed a reaction to prove to themselves they had power over me, which they didn’t. Eventually, they all realized they got nothing on me, and hopefully, this bastard’s realization would strike him sooner rather than later. The funny thing was that to him, I was nothing but an opportunity. An easy way to show supremacy. But that’s the problem with those types of people. Bullies like Shay-Lee seemed to forget that you didn’t gain power by pushing others down, but the other way around. Power was given, not taken. And a strong person was someone who knew how to keep it.

I was about to put him back in his place when his smile was suddenly erased, and the look in his eyes changed to something dark and fearful. He straightened back in his chair as his body went stiff. It took me a moment to understand that his odd reaction had nothing to do with me but with what was behind me.

“Oh my, look who is here!” Elliot jumped out of his chair with a massive smile glued to his pretty face. I turned to look who earned such warm greetings and was shocked to see none other than Christian W. Rogers. The self-made multi-billionaire was standing in front of us in all of his glory. Dressed in designer clothes, tailored to fit his large frame, he wrapped his arms around Elliot and hugged him in return.

“Elliot, how are you?” His deep voice was somehow charming, and I watched as he and Elliot exchanged their greetings. It probably had something to do with seeing a celebrity in real life, but his persona hypnotized me. You could say he was just a businessman, but he wasn’t. He was a star––a big one. With his perfect white smile, sculpted jaw, and golden blond hair that was the same as… Shay-Lee’s. His sudden appearance was such a shock and with everyone’s reaction to him, Miles included, I almost forgot the odd way Shay-Lee’s whole body reacted to the sight of his dad. I looked back at him, only to find him shrinking in his chair as he pretended to be busy with his food. The resemblance between the two was almost frightening, from how their mouths moved when they talked to their posture. Shay-Lee was a younger and smaller version of his father. While they were both considered tall, Christian’s shoulders were double the size of his son’s, and so was the rest of him.

“How are you, Chris?” Daniel asked as he got up from his chair and exchanged handshakes with Christian.

“Very well, Dan. Remind me I need to consult with you about this matter. Something about the land I want to buy.” He landed his free hand on Daniel’s arm and gave it another shake before letting go.

“Sure, we can do it over golf next weekend.” Daniel’s assertive voice came like a promise. “Anyway, care to join us for lunch?”

“Not this time, I’m afraid.” He smiled at Elliot, who looked disappointed before he shifted his attention toward his son. “I came to pick up this one.” By now, Christian was standing behind Shay-Lee, his big hands plastered on his son’s shoulders. The act may have seemed ordinary, even fond, yet I could swear Shay-Lee winced when his dad touched him. “You see, he didn’t come home last night.”

“I told you I was crashing at Ty’s.” Shay-Lee interrupted his father’s speech before he took another bite from his food and swallowed so fast he almost choked.

“You sure did, buddy.” His mouth twitched. “But you can’t blame a father for being worried about his son. Especially when you don’t pick up your phone.”

“Sorry, my phone broke.” A deep silence followed his words, and I wondered if I was the only one at the table who noticed how weird this situation was.

“We’ll get you a new one. We’ve got a lot to do today, so thank Elliot and Daniel and get your things from the house. We’ll meet outside.”

The moment Shay-Lee got up and left to do as his father ordered him, Elliot started some small talk, and while Christian talked back, his eyes followed his son’s steps like a hawk.

“Miles, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Miles’s name coming out of his mouth made me tense up, and anxiety built up in my chest. I didn’t know why, but I didn’t like him looking at my Miles.

“Yes, it has. The last time we met was in Lake Como, wasn’t it?” Miles beamed back, looking at ease like he was talking to a close friend.

“Indeed. What a wonderful time we had there. I remember the mess you and my son made on my yacht.” He laughed and Miles joined him.

“I apologize again.” Miles tilted his head to the side as a sunray landed across his face, making his porcelain skin gleam like rare diamonds. God, he is beautiful.