Chapter 5

SEAN

Five years later.

“This is your chance, Remington.” Jake's voice rang in from the black earbud in my ear. I winced at his fucking grating voice, and ground my jaw together. “Not just your chance, but Atrix's chance of becoming great again.”

The valet eased the Lamborghini into the parking lot of the event venue. My eyes roamed through tinted glass, at the guests bedecked in finery stepping in and out of the various flashy cars. Looked like I was not the only one late to the party.

“I know, Jake.” I answered flatly, “I fucking know. Now get out of my ear.”

I ended the call just as the valet moved over to open the door to the backseat while lowering into a bow. I stepped out, pulling my black suit together. The disdain I truly felt towards being here, was smoothed over by the mask of indifference on my face. From the moment I stepped out of the car, various glances from all over the parking lot swiveled in my direction.

Most of them, from the ladies.

Unabashed desire and open flirting danced in their expressions, making silent promises of a raunchy night ahead. Nothing unusual. It was common knowledge that very few of them could resist wanting a piece of me. From the few escapades I have had with a couple of pretty socialites, I had pleased them so well that they spread word of it to their respective circles.

They would not approach first, as my cold demeanor definitely wasn't inviting, and I wasn't planning on chasing skirts tonight.

Eventually, if it came to it, I would use that to my advantage. But I was not that desperate yet. I still had a chance at redemption, and that was why I was at the annual National Communication Awards, even though I was damn sure I wasn't winning any damn awards tonight.

Fuck, I had not even gotten any nominations.

That was because my career was on the verge of ruin. I was going bankrupt. And fast. Atrix Communications, the once flourishing million-dollar PR agency I had inherited from my family has gone down the drain in the past five years. No matter how fucking hard I worked, no matter how many strategies the team cooked up, the results were always fucking the same.

Cash drained. Customers lost.

This was not public knowledge yet, but to keep up appearances, the agency has had to lay off some workers to cut costs. I was not fucking naive. I knew whispers spread faster than wildfire in this industry, and the state of Atrix Communications would be known to the entire world soon. This was not just about my fucking ego, it was a blow to the hard work I had put in for years.

My entire life was geared towards running the agency as CEO, only for it to head towards failure after a few years.

But if I played my cards right tonight, I could save it before the news spread. The NCA awards gathered PR arms, billionaires, and business tycoons from all over the biggest countries in the world, meaning there would be someone willing to strike a partnership contract with Atrix Communications. I was skilled in making bargains, so pinpointing the people willing to make alliances among the throng was all I needed to do tonight.

It had to be tonight, because waiting any longer could mean more people finding out about the bankruptcy. And only a few business people would be willing to work with a company on the verge of bankruptcy.

I could not afford to have my options further limited.

It was Jake's idea. My trusted advisor, top staff, and best friend. It was a good idea, so here I fucking was.

“Mr. Remington of Atrix Communications?” An usher stepped forward from her position by the building entrance, holding a card. “Let me show you to your seat, please.”

I gave her a polite incline of my head and followed. The event had gone far ahead, because now it sounded like the hosts, a man and woman, bedecked in expensive suits, were starting to give out the awards. I lowered myself into my seat, which was at a table of four. The seat right beside mine was empty, and the other two occupants were some middle-aged women who cast sly, appreciative glances down my chest.

I picked up the glass of champagne and took a sip, looking around the tables for my first target. I was so engrossed in doing this, that I finished my entire glass of champagne and got another. I was halfway through the new glass when I heard the hall grow even quieter than before. There was a shift in the energy. It was like a pause button had been pressed somewhere, and everyone was now holding their breaths… waiting…

My eyebrow arched, realizing everyone's attention was now on the stage.

“...and this award goes to…!” The female host trailed off with a smile, adding to the crippling suspense. “Sekina Salvador! Billionaire CEO of Ultra Media!”

A thunderous ovation swept over the entire building, louder than any of the cheers so far. But that was not what had me frozen. It was the name. A name I had not heard in years, one I had never expected to even hear again.

Sekina Salvador.

A lithe feminine figure moved up to the stage, a silky black dress flowing behind her. The slits in the dress flaunted long pale legs in extremely high heels, as she strutted across the stage to receive her award. Hard-cut diamonds adorned her neck and wrists, with her black hair longer than I remembered, flowing down the exposed skin of her back.

The confidence and power she exuded were crippling, as she received her award and turned to the microphone. I got a full glimpse of her face. It was devastatingly beautiful, nothing like the Sekani I used to know years ago. Her deep green eyes were bright, and her face was a picture of confidence even as she gave her speech. And no, she wasn't all smiles and bashful appreciation, like I would expect from her. There was cold pride in her eyes, like she could expect nothing less.

She was… beautiful. And it was like looking at someone else.

There was an uncanny resemblance to her twin, Simone, but Simone had been dead for years now. And Sekani had turned out to be who I thought Simone would be.

She turned away from the stage, holding her award, and many people congratulated her on her way down. It was the way the entire room bowed and swayed for her that got me thinking about what the hosts had called her.

Billionaire CEO of Ultra Media.

Billionaire. My chest seized in shock. CEO? I ran a hand over my chin and leaned into the table, watching her back retreat to the other side of the room. Disbelief ran through me like fire in my veins.

After the terrible incident that befell the Salvador family years ago, guilt ate me alive for sleeping with Sekani without knowing my girlfriend would die a few days after that. I had walked away from everything that reminded me of them, and just assumed the billion-dollar company went to the uncles since the chosen heiress, Simone, was dead.

I had heard news of the company doing massively well, raking in so many billions that the federal government had to send investigators to see if there was any shady business going on behind the scenes. But no, it was all real, legal business. And Sekani had been behind it all this fucking while?!

It was mind-blowing. Horrifying, even, at how the tables had turned.

Who would have thought the loser would end up winning years later, and the winners would pathetically lose everything they had? The awards were over, and some music played and the lights were dimmed, meaning it was time to party and socialize.

This was the right time for me to go socialize and bag some new alliances, but I could not fucking keep Sekani out of my mind. The middle-aged women at my table were trying to talk to me, but I got up from my seat and mixed in with the crowd. I was moving towards where Sekani was, hovering in the crowd a few feet away as she sat cross-legged against her chair, daintily sipping on a glass of red wine.

It was the same color as the lipstick on her plump lips, and it was shockingly seductive. Her back was ramrod straight, even as a burly man in a suit leaned in to whisper something into her ear. She gave a sharp nod and shot back an order at him. He bowed and quickly scurried away to do whatever her order entailed.

It was fascinating to fucking watch. This dangerously beautiful woman right here looked like Sekani, but was nothing like the Sekani I knew. She was now cold, content, confident, and powerful. It was evident in the way she carried herself, like every soul in this room was lucky to be in her presence.

Nothing like the sniveling girl I had rid of her virginity. Given the ugly way we had parted ways all those years ago, it would be fucking wise to remain in the shadows and stay away from her. But fuck it, I never claimed to be wise, I loved risks.

I needed to talk to her.

She got up from her seat, the dress rippling around the soft curves she had added around her breasts and hips, and turned towards the door in the far corner. That led to the bathrooms, and it would be my only chance at talking to her alone.

So, I fucking followed.