Luc’s POV:
I blared the horn at the truck in front of me. Everything was worse from the morning. My sleep was disturbed by the old memories, and I woke up late. I had already sent James to the office with all the necessary documents. I had to be at my office in another 30 minutes for a cross-continental meeting with my Japan office. We recently acquired a Heavy Industry, and some issues prevailed still on the merger. We were one of the top manufacturers in Air Crafts and recently stepped into Helicopters. It was Jack's idea.
Thinking of Jack made me zoned out, and I came back with a start when I heard someone honking from m back. The truck was nowhere to be seen now, and I cursed myself for getting distracted. I then saw her smiling and waving at me. It was the same female from the restaurant yesterday and was wearing an oversize sweatshirt and stone-washed denim. The sweatshirt was oversized. I know she was not those skinny females. Why can't she dress appropriately?I saw her running towards my car. Ha, another Gold Digger trying to catch me. No, my girl, this direct approach would never work. I rolled down my window to tell her to find someone else. She crossed and went to the other vehicle behind me. I snapped back to see her hopping in that car. She was smiling at the guy in the other vehicle. How stupid of me! Oh God, this could have been embarrassing. But I was surprised to feel the pang of jealousy shook me seeing her laughing with another guy.
I eased my car inside the parking lot. My driver was waiting, ready to drive the vehicle to my private parking lot. I loved driving. Recently that was the only way to ease away my worries and tension. So I started to go to the office in the morning and made my driver wait in my office to pick up the car once I reached the office.James was already in my room. He looked severe and mouthed that it was ten already. I nodded my head to show that I understood and reached my seat. My phone rang as soon as I sat on my desk. I signalled James to do the usual and pressed to answer.
"Lucian Alastair." I snapped.
"Good morning Luc, baby. I know it is you. Did you dream about me? I know you were. You look zoned out for the whole ten minutes in the middle of traffic. Don't worry, darling, and your dream will come true soon," she cooed on the phone.
How the hell did she know? Was she watching us the whole time? James's alert eyes were on me immediately. I understood that he was also thinking on the same line.
"Who the hell are you?" I shouted at her.
"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Do you still want to provoke me even after seeing the picture?"
James mouthed me to continue the call as he needed more time to trace it.I mentally counted to ten to calm myself.
"What do you want?" I asked in a controlled tone.
"Sweetheart, I told you already. I want you. Let's meet Thursday evening at 8:00 at Mandarin. Book us a Suite like a sweetie, will you?"
I crushed the phone hard that it hurt my palm. One more squeeze, and it might break.
"And Lucian, don't you dare to act at my back. All the magazines are eagerly expecting my next hint. I hope you are smart to understand. Tell James not to sweat on finding me. Coz, you cannot."And suddenly, the line was disconnected. I kept staring back at the phone when James stood in front of me. I looked at him but already got the answer in his expression. No luck.
"She is watching us the whole time. She should have been near us in the restaurant too. How the hell did she know my schedule?" I questioned James, knowing he was also equally puzzled as me.
I saw James booking a Suite in Mandarin. "What the hell are you doing?" I shouted at him as I finally realized his actions.
"Luc, we have to be careful. Since this female knows all our actions, she might also check if we comply with her demands. We cannot risk her taking serious actions. I don't want to risk, in case she is checking with Mandarin if we had booked any Suite."
I slumped in my seat, understanding that he was correct. Who was it? Why suddenly coming into the picture after one year? How did she know about Jack and Diaz? Was there any mole inside my office?
James shook his head gravely when I asked the same to him. "I am equally puzzled like you, Luc. But, I will try to break this puzzle. Your meeting with the Japan team is in another ten minutes. You go ahead with the call. Let me dig into this issue."
I nodded and left to the conference room where my board was waiting for me. I felt that I got up on the wrong side of the bed. It was going to be a long day.
Three hours later...
"How was the meeting? Were they able to accept your demands?" James queried mildly.
"Negotiations completed. Our Eurasian COO is traveling tomorrow for the final agreement. All set to go." I smirked back. For me, it was always either my way or none. No adjustments ever. But I should say I was slightly worried as I was not entirely into the meeting today.
I was zoned out towards the call today, but mainly on one specific smile. Was it a coincidence that I saw her twice consecutively? I was intrigued to find about her, but how to? What will James think if I instruct him to find about her. He probably thought that apocalypse was near because I asked to check about two females in two days, especially when I did not know one thing about them. I chuckled, thinking about his reaction.
"Any progress from your side?" I asked in a severe tone.
James hesitated a second too long for me to guess the answer. "No luck so far. You have to go ahead with her demands on meeting her on Thursday."
"Cut it. I am not going to dance on some cheap *****'s tune." I barked back.
"Just listen out," James sighed. "We still don't have an idea on what is she having with her. I am not asking you to comply with her demands. We need to catch her in person, and so we need to act as if we are accepting her demands. We still don't know if it is a single female or a group acting on our back. And don't forget about the mole. Else how come she knows so much about you?"
I shook my head, still not able to accept his words.
"Think about your parents and Thea. They have just recovered from Jake's death. I don't think they can face another controversy soon."
God! My parents and my little sister Thea. I have distanced from them since Jake's death. I know they didn't blame me for that, but I could not tackle my conscience. The least I could do was not disturbing their peace of mind.
Mitchel entered the room with a tap on the door. She was my chief assistant for my father for the past ten years and now mine.
"Mr. Alastair, you need to check on the final list of gearbox manufacturers for the next two years of the contract. Our old alliance 'Worth Manufacturers' is also on the list."
"Thanks, Mitch. I will look into it."
"Yes, Sir. To remind you that our next batch starts in another 20 days, and we need to finalize the contract by Monday." Mitch left the room immediately. She was always like that. Be specific on your point, and no-nonsense was her motto.
"Why are you looking for a new one? We never had any issue with our old suppliers. They are supplying gearboxes for the past six years. "James asked in a curious tone.
"I know. It's not I am unhappy with them. But there is no harm in checking on new alliances."
"If you say so." James knew when to close the conversation. "And, Luc, I will be your chauffeur till Thursday as I cannot rule out anyone in benefit of the doubt." James left the room with a nod.
Adelia’s (Lia) POV: "He did what?" I started laughing at Mitch's story. Cole's face was flushed red, but he never took his hand from Mitch's. Mitch, aka Michelle, and I was buddies from primary school. Cole, aka Nicolas, joined us in Grade 8. We were inseparable in school. I recently completed my degree in business administration in Manufacturing and Logistics. I joined my Dad in his "Worth Manufactures." I could not help a smile whenever I thought about my Dad. The company was his life apart from my family. Even though my grandfather started it, my Dad made it a big success. The company and my family were like two eyes for him. But recently, we were facing struggles due to the recession. I was a big shock to see the company's situation because my Dad usually made it look as if the company was running without any issues. Even my idiot brother never opened this before. He
Lia’s POV:The sound of my mobile penetrated my ears. I tried to snooze, but my mobile acted as if it had its idea to bug me. I tried to open my eyes only to find that I was getting a call and not an alarm. I groaned myself. Who in the Earth was calling at this early hour? I suddenly became awake to see that it was Max from my office. Max was the chief design architect in our company. He was a complete brainer and recently had come up with some exciting designs for future technology."Morning, Max. What is the emergency to call me at this morning?" mumbled between my yawns. "Good morning Lia. We have a meeting with my boys on the new gearbox designs, remember? We need to finalize this by this week.""Oh, Crap. I forgot that. My car broke down yesterday, and I don't have transport. I cannot hitch a ride with dad as he and Jax have to go to the
Lia’s POV: "Honey, we are home," Max called Alyssa while we entered the living room. Max and Alyssa live in a two-bedroom apartment in central park. I loved their home and spent time with them as much as possible. So Als made the guest bedroom as mine, and I had my spare clothes here if I had to crash on any night. I am so thankful to get such friends. Oh, God! Thinking alike for the second time today. I was so going to jinx me. I then realized max had settled comfortably on the couch. When I decided to move to the kitchen to help, I saw Als standing at the kitchen door with both hands on her hips. Her eyes narrowed at Max. "How many times I have to tell you to keep the keys and coat on the place, mister?" Als asked in a dry tone. "Great. I got an OCD girlfriend." He muttered but immediately got up
Lia’s POV I tried and failed not to tap my foot impatiently as I was not alone in the lift. The old couple looked back at me and muttered. I could not catch it but heard words like 'Young People' and 'No Patience.' God! It was taking forever to reach the floor. Finally, after what seemed to be like hours, I entered the floor. There was no difficulty in finding the Suite as it was the only room on the entire floor. I took a deep breath and pressed the calling button before I chicken out. And I did not expect the person when the door opened. Whoa! If this is Lucian Alastair, then the film and magazines have not done any justice at all. I saw a fine specimen of almost 6 feet. His hair was black and sticking up attractively, and so his dark eyes. God! Girls would die to get such eyelashes. And did I miss out on the perfect jawline and the lips? The black Khaki and white butto
Lia’s POVI tensed, hearing the doorbell. And immediately felt a hand over mine to calm me down. I turned to see Alyssa looking at me with concern-filled eyes. I felt Max moving to check the door, and the smell of pizza made me realize that the food had arrived.I could not help recalling the evening and a fresh set of tears started flowing down my cheeks. Alyssa embraced me and whispered at me to calm down. But the words gave a reverse effect. I shuddered at the thoughts. What if he had not got a call? I knew his demeanor changed after the phone call. What if he had not attended the phone call? What if he had not cooled down? And so many what-ifs haunted me.I was not able to recall what happened once he opened the door. I saw some flash, and Alastair was blocking me from those lights. I also heard
Luc’s POV A tap on my shoulder made me look at the source. James nod that we have reached the destination. "I will wait for you here." James made a move to settle in an upholstery near the window comfortably. "Oh no, buddy. The invite is for both of us." I smirked back at him, and I let out a chuckle when James suddenly looked as if he had swallowed a lemon. "But why should I be invited for tea with your Mom?" "Since when they have treated you an outsider?" I raised an eyebrow at him. James smiled softly, expressing his love towards my family. But now, my mom had not invited me to a lovely family union. So the invite for today's morning tea was mainly due to today's news on me. I got a big round of advice from Hal. He stated that the damage control would be challenging
Lia's POV I entered a vast lobby. Despite my nervousness, I could not help but admire the infrastructure. Unfortunately, I did not remember how long I stood admiring the area when I felt a tap on my shoulder. "May I help you, ma'am? You had not responded when I called you,"
Lia's POV I entered the lift and let out the breath I was holding subconsciously. I knew it was a big mistake to let out such a statement. But who did he think himself off? That arrogant, self-centered, egoistic, handsome, eye-catching... What? Get a grip, Lia. Please don't say that you fell for him. You were not one of his lapdogs.