The Raving Love (Enemies To Lovers)

by Emma Vikes

  She scoffed and then walked back to the driver’s seat of her car. “You’re lucky I don’t have time to deal with you.”

  She left me standing right there, angrier and confused. Then it hit me like a bolt of lightning at an alarming speed. Those brown eyes. The coldness of her expression. The anger that was directed at me and the venom in her voice.

  Audrey?

  2

  Audrey

  It was too early in the day for me to want to murder already, but then again, Julian Hudson seemed to be an exception. It had been five years since I saw the douche, even though social media kept me updated about him every now and then. But I never thought that we would bump back into each other’s lives like that, literally. And god the way he stared at me! Just because he was a celebrity or an A-lister here in LA, it didn’t give him the right to check anyone out so blatantly the way he did.

  Goodness gracious, I hated him.

  I loathed Julian Hudson with every fiber of my being and the reason behind it went way back to college. I went to NYU for college and lo and behold, the douche was apparently smart enough to get a slot in the prestigious university. We didn’t have any classes together- thank God- but everyone around the campus knew him.

  He had the kind of charisma that knew no bounds but at the same time, he was still enigmatic and it was that kind of allure that drew girls in, despite the countless hearts that he had reportedly broken. Maybe it was the dark curls or the blue and gray eyes that made them want to be with him. Or maybe it was because he was passionate for music and had the voice that made anyone swoon. Anyone but me, although I couldn’t say the same thing about my best friend.

  Amber had been in love with Julian and had the notion that she could be the woman that would change him and turn him into a better man. Maybe all the women that Julian had been with had the same mindset but after a few more months of being Julian’s booty call, she realized that she was never going to be the woman meant to change him. It broke her heart and forced her to almost take her own life.

  Well…

  Maybe I re-wrote that story to make Julian the villain.

  “Seething like that only means that you haven’t gotten your coffee yet,” Theo greeted me the moment the elevator doors opened to the floor where my new office would be located. Dad had suffered a stroke two weeks ago and was advised by the doctor to take it easy. In order to ensure his recovery, I had to take over to run the company.

  Finch Records was a company that my great grandfather had built when he was in his 40’s. My grandfather managed it when he was around his 30’s and had made it even greater than it already was and it was passed down to my Dad when he was 35. While my Dad was great at managing the business, the business regressed when he made the mistake of rejecting singing a contract with Born from Ashes. Dad did not expect that Julian Hudson’s band would skyrocket to fame the moment they were signed with a label.

  It seemed as if wherever I went, Julian Hudson simply haunted my existence.

  Theo offered me a Starbucks cup, “One skinny vanilla latte with almond milk for the new chairman of Finch Records.”

  Theo and I were good friends in NYU and after graduation, I begged Dad to offer him a position in our company because I knew how capable he was and I knew that when the time came that I managed the company on my own, I wanted to have an employee that I could trust the most. Initially, Amber and I had planned to work side by side in the company but after her suicide attempt, she was sent to Paris to study fashion and design, far away from the people that could trigger her depression.

  “Thank you!” I smiled at Theo brightly, accepting the cup and sipping the coffee, letting the warmth hit my throat and warm the entirety of my being. God, I needed a warm cup of coffee after starting the day on the wrong side of the bed. It wasn’t the best start to my morning. I woke up late, the car that I usually drove in had a flat tire and to top it all off, I ran into Julian. Well, his car scratched mine and now I had to head to a car shop to fix it which annoyed me further. All I just wanted to do was to get back into bed and let my blankets consume me into another world that’s more relaxing than this one.

  “You know you have a meeting now, right?” Theo said, his voice oddly calm as we both made our way to the conference room.

  I let out a shaky exhale and nodded my head. “Yes, I do and I’m late and they’re not going to be happy about it. I already know that, Theo. Please do not rub it on my face even more. But you know, if we consider the scale tipping in my favour, by any chance, the board isn’t here yet, right?”

  Theo let out a nervous laugh and shook his head. I could feel myself deflate like a balloon. “They’ve been here for fifteen minutes, Aud.”

  There was nothing I could do anymore other than face the wrath of the Board of Trustees. I had been informed by my secretary that the board wanted to hold a meeting with me, regarding the transfer of power. Initially, they wanted my Dad to be a part of it but he with his condition and my mother’s lack of knowledge on how to run a business, I stood here alone.

  “Good morning!” I said brightly as I opened the door, beaming at the twelve board members who were staring back at me with dull expressions. “I apologize for being late-,”

  “Punctuality is part of competency, Miss Finch,” Dick Carson stated. He was my grandfather’s colleague and one of the biggest investors of our company. He was seated at the other end of the table, his hands clasped together on the surface as he looked at me with dull green eyes hidden behind circular glasses, “and I hope your father has taught you that.”

  Dick and Dad didn’t see eye to eye and I always felt that Dick blamed Dad for the regression of Finch Records, especially since Dad had flat out rejected Julian Hudson’s band three years ago. I sat on my seat and looked at everyone calmly. “Of course, he did. And I will not bore you with the excuses of why I had to make you wait. I simply apologize for making you do so.”

  “Well, now that you’re here, Audrey, we would like to discuss our sentiments about your promotion,” the lady beside me stated, she glanced at the rest of the people in the room and then looked back at me, “while you showed competency at the position that you were in, we don’t think that you’re ready to act as chairman of this company.”

  “You’re too young, Audrey,” Dick told me but I could see the smug smirk on his face as he said that, “and while it had been your ideas that the company had used to bring itself back up a little, you’re too young to be able to officially handle everything.”

  “And I’m guessing you have a suggestion?” I asked, trying to keep my voice even when everything they had just said had shaken me up.

  Dick leaned back. “My son had worked in this company for ten years and he’s fairly older than you and has more experience. While you continue to learn the ropes of this company, Anthony will be the acting-chairman until you’re fully capable of being one. You will continue being the COO, Audrey, at least just for a little while until you get the hang of things.”

  I pursed my lips. Of course, Dick would suggest that. Anthony Carson had worked with this company for ten years and had climbed up the ladder as he did so. Since I’d been promoted as the chairman, or CEO of Finch Records, Anthony- as one of the most sought after employee in our company- had been promoted as chief operating officer, the position that I previously held.

  “As you’ve previously mentioned, I’ve brought this company up a little after it crashed when I was its COO which for me, only states that I am capable of running this company all on my own. I acknowledge the fact that I’m only 24 and that’s too young to be a CEO of this company that my family has built,” I paused for a little, making sure that I was looking at Dick evenly so it didn’t show that everything he just said shook me to my core, “but I assure you that I will not allow this company to go downhill. I am Ulysses Finch’s great granddaughter and I will not disappoint.”

  The board looked at each other and some were nodding while some looked like they were not con
vinced by my statement. They were aware of my credentials and though today was one of the couple of times Iran a little late for meetings, they knew what I was capable of. So maybe I was a little young but I was mature for my age.

  “Well, if that’s what you want,” the woman beside me started, looking at me with vibrant blue eyes, “then maybe it’s time we present to you an option that will help you retain that position you were promoted into.”

  My ears perked up at what she said. “And what would that be?”

  “Your father regretted that he couldn’t sign Born from Ashes when he was in your position. That was three years ago. It was a call he made that had this company spiral downhill. Since then given how WR Records Company had signed them and they have skyrocketed into fame.” The man speaking was probably was in his early 40’s and I knew him because Dad talked about him a lot. Maverick Saunders, a business tycoon, my father had managed to convince to invest in our records company. He was mysterious and held himself as if he was a young king and was more intimidating to me than Dick Carson ever will be.

  I was aware of the story behind Born from Ashes’ fame. They had been interviewed about it countless of times and every member told the same story. They were rejected by countless labels- ours, being one of them- and so they decided to use a different approach by starting a YouTube channel that gained so many subscribers in a span of a month and became the platform wherein their manager found them. It was their manager who sent a demo to WR and had them signed and the rest of the world admired them so much that they skyrocketed into fame.

  Much like the other labels that rejected them, Dad couldn’t believe his misfortune. If only he knew that the band would skyrocket to this kind of fame, he would’ve signed with them in a heartbeat but alas, no one could see the future. “What do you want me to do then?”

  “There are rumors circulating that they’re on their last year with WR,” the woman beside me continued on, leaning closer to me and seemed to eye me, “and your father had been at wit’s end figuring out how he could sign them with us.”

  “Your task is simple, Audrey, sign Born from Ashes with us and you can lead this company how you want it. After all, it is yours for the taking,” Dick finished, the smug smirk still on his face that I desperately wanted to wipe away, “and we’ll give you a month to sign them with us and for that month, you’re free to do whatever you want to get Julian Hudson’s band on board with us.”

  “And what about my job?”

  “Anthony will take over for a month,” Dick replied with a wave of his hand, “it’s a take it or leave it offer, Audrey, and I do hope that you’re as smart-thinking as you are capable.”

  The meeting adjourned after that, with everyone assuming that I took on the challenge. If I failed after a month, my position would be left for Anthony to have and I would be back to my previous one. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be demoted, it was just that I didn’t want to disappoint my family. With a heavy heart and troubled mind, I went back to my office to find Theo pacing around, nervously biting on his nails.

  “Hi,” I greeted him rather meekly and then fell on the couch that was in the office. I had planned to redecorate the place to my liking since everything was still of my father’s preference and I didn’t think I could work in a space that was intended to be his. But now I had to push that back further because I had more important matters that I needed to focus on.

  Julian Hudson.

  How was it that every bad thing in my world had to revolve around that douche?

  “How was it?” Theo sounded worried and I appreciated the concern that my friend showed. The thing about Theo was that he was a top-notch worrier. “They didn’t fire you for being late for the first meeting as the CEO, right?”

  I pursed my lips and leaned my head on the back of the couch, staring at the white paint of the ceiling. “If I tell you that it’s something like that, how would you react?”

  “Oh god,” Theo murmured and I felt him sit beside me, “but don’t worry. I’ve thought of a number of companies that I’m certain would accept you.”

  “They want me to sign Born from Ashes,” I said, my voice almost a whisper when those words left my mouth. Theo suddenly stopped mid-thought and I could feel his green eyes boring into my soul and I knew that there were a million and one questions that he wanted to ask but he withheld himself and waited for me to say more, “because apparently Dad had wanted to sign them after regretting rejecting them three years ago.”

  Theo pursed his lips. “Born from Ashes…that’s…”

  “Julian’s band,” I finished bitterly, his name leaving such an unpleasant taste in my mouth. There was simply something about Julian Hudson that irked me to the core. “They want me to convince them to sign with us. Apparently, rumours have been circulating around the industry that they’re on their last year with Wayland and Ross.”

  Theo shifted in his seat beside me. “And if you’re unable to recruit him?”

  “I’m to step down from my position as CEO and let Anthony take my place whilst continuing to learn the ropes in my previous position.” The words left a dull ache in my heart. All my life, I’d made sure that I was worthy of being the chairman of the company that had been in my family for three generations and it was heart breaking for someone else to deem me unworthy.

  Theo stared at me in disbelief. “They can’t do that.”

  I smiled wryly. “Oh, but they can, T.”

  He let out a sigh and then leaned his back on the couch and stared blankly at the wall in front of us. “What are you going to do now? Julian probably remembers you as the girl who threw him out of the hospital when all he wanted was to make sure Amber was alright. Granted, you had the right to do so knowing how he broke her heart. But throwing away all his letters, blocking him on every social media platform that Amber had and deleting every email he sent, crossed every unimaginable line.”

  Theo always voiced out his disappointment at the measures that I took when it came to banning Julian’s existence in Amber’s life and the fact that Amber had no idea of what I had done. I never really used the connections that I had but I did for my best friend. All I wanted was to protect her from the man that broke her heart and I was too scared that I might lose her officially for the second time around if it happened again.

  But when Theo said that Julian remembered me, I doubted it. As far as I know, he didn’t know that Amber never got his letters or emails and he would’ve simply thought that she blocked him on her own. Earlier, he didn’t seem to recognize me. Maybe there was a flash of recognition in the end when I left but I was absolutely certain that with the number of women he had been with, I would simply be another face in the crowd.

  “I can call the people we went to college with. I’m sure there has to be some that are still in contact with at least one person in that band,” I said, grimacing at the thought of having to face Julian. Heck, I wasn’t even sure if I was going to do this.

  I didn’t want to do it.

  Theo sighed. “Or we can call Bonnie. She used to date the drummer in their band and sort of has an on again - off again relationship with him. I’m sure she would help us.”

  “How do you know her?”

  He shrugged and replied nonchalantly, “I had a Psychology class with her and we did a project together. Sometimes I’d hang out during parties with her since Carlos used to leave her to hang with the band.”

  I blinked, staring at Theo oddly. “I never really gave much thought of your friends outside Amber and I.”

  He rolled his eyes and dug his phone out of his pocket. “You’re both thoroughly cute but my life does not revolve around you two. And anyway, do you want me to call her?”

  He held his phone and looked at me expectantly. I pursed my lips. I didn’t really want to contact Julian Hudson and sign their band in our company but I didn’t really have much of a say in the matter. They were a fast-rising and an in-demand band in the country and all over the world. Passing the
m up would be a horrible decision on my part and would also demote me back to my previous position.

  But god, Julian Hudson! He was the one person I hated the most. I hated how he broke Amber’s heart and not just Amber’s but of so many girls back in NYU. I was so thrilled to know that he and the rest of his bandmates had dropped out of NYU to pursue their musical career and had there been a farewell for those idiots, I would’ve been the first in line to wish him good riddance, sarcastically of course. More than that though, I can’t seem to forget Julian’s haunting words directed at me when he was begging for a chance to see if Amber was okay or not, after he got news that she tried to kill herself.

  And I hope that you will also remember everything you just said to me and pray that there will never come a day that you’ll need me.

  Your task is simple, Audrey, sign Born from Ashes with us and you can lead this company how you want it.

  I clenched my fists in irritation and slammed them at my sides, landing into the plush cushion of the sofa. I wanted to scream and throw something against the wall in frustration as Dick and Julian’s words swirled and echoed in my mind. The company was meant to be mine to lead and I wasn’t meant to prove myself when it was birth right and more so, there were a lot of talented bands than Julian’s. Why did it have to be theirs?

  “Audrey…” I could hear the concern in Theo’s voice. He was aware, more than anyone else, of how I didn’t let things get to me easily but they also knew me that when it bothered me, I was a volcano waiting to erupt with a series of cussing which was very unladylike, according to my mother.

  I chewed on my bottom lip and let out a shaky exhale, trying to calm down despite how incredibly annoyed I was with the situation I was in. “Please don’t start with me, Theo. I don’t even know if I want to contact Julian and give him a proposal to sign with us.”