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CELINE HERRERA POV

"You have got to be joking or raving mad," I said then gasped in shock because I hadn't meant for the words to slip out of my mouth. I glanced at my grandfather whose wry expression spoke volumes of just how much my outburst had offended him. 

Forcing myself to appear remorseful despite the rage that burned in my chest, I got to my feet. "I am so sorry, I didn't mean to say that, it's just that this whole conversation is so jarring, I can't seem to process it and because of that I am having a brain-to-mouth malfunction, please I did not mean to insult you"

Grandfather sat straighter, his gaze piercing into mine. "And what is so jarring about this conversation? Didn't you say you were ready to do whatever it took to make sure you get the company as an inheritance, or am I mistaken"

"No you're not, but I don't understand how you can come up with such a requirement. I have been running the company for five years now, I already have a sizable amount of share to my name and the people at the company are like a family to me and now you're just going to take all that away from me if I fail to fulfill your conditions"

Grandfather crossed his arms. "If you do not want to follow my instruction then you should just resign this very moment and give Delia the company since she is ready to do that which needs to be done"

Delia nodded and I wanted nothing more than to wring her neck. After college, she had thrown in the towel and fought hard that she didn't want anything to do with the company and yet here she was acting like the dutiful daughter all because she wanted to make my life miserable. 

"But getting married and having a child is just plain ridiculous!"

"Celine!" He thundered and Delia stepped toward him and gently touched his arm.

"Don't be upset grandfather, you know how selfish Celine can be" Delia said giving me a pointed look. "You're trying to be fair by giving us these terms and yet Celine is still being mad about it. You've always wanted to hoard everything for yourself haven't you" she asked, a sneer on her lips. 

"So you are ok with being forced to get married and have a child in two years because no matter how I see it, that's the most absurd condition if I've ever heard one"

Delia shrugged, then grinned, her lips stretching so wide they gave me the creeps. "I could do it in one, Celine... You see, I don't plan on losing to you in this life or the next... So you should just quit the company now while you can"

I scoffed in disbelief, my gaze moving from Delia to Grandfather's. This was the plan all along, wasn't it? Grandfather had always loved Delia. I was the daughter of the mistress who caused his Son and his wife's death, so why would he allow me to run the company when he could come up with something so bogus and almost impossible to achieve, something he knew Delia could get done since she lived recklessly anyway? I was sure they knew that I wouldn't be able to go through with it... They wanted me to quit. Delia had always coveted anything I had, especially after I worked hard for it.

I'd confronted her once in high school after she stole my boyfriend and she just laughed and said she did it because it was fun and that it made her feel good to take away things I worked very hard on and how it being easy gave her all sorts of thrills. I'd been bawling my eyes out and she'd just been grinning. 

It was a vicious circle that kept repeating itself and now as I stared at the triumphant look on Delia's face, it became clear that the only reason I'd been allowed to run as CEO of the company for so long was that Delia wanted me to suffer for it, she wanted me to grow attached to it so that she could rip it out of my hand viciously, that way I'd be doubly hurt, and there was nothing more that fed her crazy than my pain. 

Why couldn't she just let me be? She'd already taken so much, the company was the only thing that was really mine, and I had poured my blood sweat, and tears into it, so why was this happening? No. Not this time. I was going to fight her this time and I was going to win. 

"Fine then," I said and watched as a look of surprise passed over their faces. "I'll do what you want, and if I am the first to achieve the condition, the company will be mine, with no arguments"

Grandfather's expression soured but he nodded and called for his lawyer to bring in the document.

We signed the papers, got our own copies as evidence, had pictures taken and when everything was done, I left stewing in anger. 

*******

I was here on a mission- a bit of an exaggeration, but considering that I was at El Salvador club which only the elites frequented instead of lying on my couch, working on my laptop and munching on chocolates, I guess it was a mission and I was loathing every minute of it.

"This should be easy," I told myself as I combed my fingers through my short-cropped hair to give it more volume. "I mean, who wouldn't want to be with Celine Herrera" I told myself as I took in the faces of the good-looking men that filled the place and that was when I saw him. The man I had looked into that would be the most suitable and perfect candidate. George Jorhé. I'd reached out and we'd set a date to meet at this club. 

He was gorgeous. He had the most amazing golden hair I'd ever seen, a perfect jawline, a statuesque nose, and full gorgeous pink lips, and his eyes were a light brown color that made my heart skip a beat.

This was it. I took a deep breath, turned to the bartender, and ordered two glasses of their most expensive wine. The bartender looked shocked to see me since it was news that I hardly ever ventured away from my office or my house.

I picked up the wine glasses and walked toward the man, only to stop in my steps when a very familiar woman walked toward him, hugged him from behind, and pressed a kiss to his neck, then she glanced up, her gaze connecting with mine, a salacious smile on her lips that screamed triumph.

I stared at the man laugh at her, his eyes shining with what I could only describe as love.

Delia whispered in his ears and he nodded, then she met my gaze again and started in my direction.

I stood rooted to a spot. Delia stopped in front of me with a smirk.

"What are you doing here... Don't tell me you're going to do what grandfather wants. You must really love the company" she said grinning. "look at that, you are even about to buy a guy a drink"

I gritted my teeth, then stared at the glasses in my hand. "I ordered this for myself, I was just going to find a cool spot to drink..."

Delia laughed. "You're still such a terrible liar Celine, and you're also very far behind. Do you think you are going to win over me with how slow you have been, then again with that face of yours, I understand why you are skeptical of putting yourself out there" she said and my heart nosedived.

"I have given my all to the company Delia, I won't allow you to steal it from me just because you think it's fun to destroy me"

Delia stepped closer. "Oh, this time, it's not for fun. I want my father's company. I am the legitimate child anyway. I don't know what I was thinking allowing you to run it for so long" she hissed, then stepped back. "Don't even try Celine. You and I know you do not stand a chance against me. You're too ugly to find someone to fall for you, even in five years, except of course you offer them loads of money, and that would be breaching the contract. You're going to lose so just give up before you make a fool of yourself" she said viciously, laughed, and walked back to go meet George.

I was boiling and as I turned with the force of my anger, I crashed into a wall, my drinks splashing between us as I stumbled back and fell on my ass. What the heck was that? I groaned, my ass smarting from the fall. There was an expensive shoe in the line of my vision and red wine was splashed all over it... So it was not a wall, it was a person?

Oh fuck no! I glanced up at the man I'd bumped into and gasped when my eyes met his icy dark green pissed-off ones, my heart kicking up a bit faster. 

Belshar Nessar Abed; the rumored heartless killer billionaire with Mafia ties and every company in Hartford rivalry.

His gaze slowly took in the damage my red wine had done to his white shirt before they came to land murderously on me.

I gulped because it was so intense, that it stole the breathe right out of my lungs.

Was he going to kill me?