CHAPTER FOUR

Chloe just got out of work when she went straight to Carter's office but was told that he had gone for a business dinner at CRAVE IN with the CEO of Mona's empire. 

Curious about who the CEO might be, she decided to go over there and see for herself. 

Chloe was escorted to the VIP floor because she had been seen several times with the boss and concluded that she was an important person to him, so they did not hesitate in giving out the information about Carter's whereabouts. 

James saw her going inside the hall where Carter and Audrey were having a meeting, he quickly rushed over in an attempt to stop her. 

“ I am sorry, but you can't go in! ”. He stood before her, preventing her from taking any step further. 

“ Are you stupid, who do you think you are to stop me”?

“ He is in an important meeting right now, you can wait for him, but I am sorry you can't go in”.

“ Mona or whoever she is, why will he be having a meeting with her”.

“ you can speak to him about it after the meeting, but please do not go in”.

“ Who are you to tell me what to do, you are just an ordinary bodyguard, you have no right to stop me, now step away while I ask nicely”.

She bared her teeth as she stared at him intensely, although he had a dark shade covering his eyes, she could tell his gaze was intense as hers. 

“ I said move!! ” She spoke more loudly but he stood firmly in front of her. Chloe could feel her heart racing hard and immediately pushed him away while hitting him hard with her purse. 

“ What? Are you going to hit me back, try it and see how much Carter values you! ”.

 She pushed the door open feeling victorious because she had always felt that hateful gaze around James and needed a way to put him in his place. 

The smirk that had formed around her tiny lips quickly vanished at the scene before her. 

Carter stood there with his arms wrapped around Audrey while his lips were deeply sucking hers. 

“ Audrey! ” Chloe called, not sure she was seeing clearly. 

“ Chloe, what are you doing here”. Carter lowers his head while he adjusts the strap of his suit. 

“ What I am doing here, I should be directing that question to you, what in God's name is she doing here Carter! ”

 She could feel the tears slowly building up, but it was Audrey they were talking about and she dared not look weak in front of her. 

“ Audrey is here for a meeting, on the other hand, I do not recall inviting you over”

“ Seriously! Did you listen to yourself speak, she abandoned you and her child when you needed her the most, and you let her walk back into your life again, just like that”.

“ Chloe we are not having this conversation here, I will send you home and we can discuss it at home”.

“ So you could finish what I interrupted, what is wrong with you Carter! She is the one that needs to go and not me”.

“ I will be on my way now while you settle your drama, thanks for the contract”.

A devious smile filled Audrey's pale face as she walked past Chloe who had her fist firmly clenched. 

“ What contract is she talking about?”. Chloe asks the moment Audrey was gone. 

“ Wait! She is the CEO of Mona Empire?” 

Chloe scoffs, feeling realization struck her in the face as she continues. 

“It is all making sense as to why you would let her take the lead in our magazine”.

“ Chloe that is enough, go home now”.

“ Even after all these years, you still let her make a fool of you”.

“ No one is making a fool of me, she is my wife and I think that it is only normal that we have misunderstandings”.

“ Your wife, then what am I to you, just a pillow to cry on, I can not believe that you would treat me like this after all these years”.

  Chloe sobs loudly while she rushes out of the hall. 

**** 

Audrey got into the car while Jason took the wheel, the drive was quiet with Jason stealing glances at her. 

“ So you are married to the CEO of Colton Fashion”.

“ Can we not do this now, please I am not in the mood”.

“ Sure! ”. A wide grin spread across his face with his head facing forward. 

**** 

Carter arrived home later in the night when he was sure that everyone was asleep, he had so much going on in his head and the last thing he needed was more drama. 

But just as he strides into the living room was Grandma Nana who seemed to have been waiting for him for a while now. 

“ Finally, you choose to return home while reeking of alcohol”.

“ Grandma! What are you doing here”.

“ Can't I be here? ”.

“ You can of course, but you could have called me first”.

“ This is my house, Carter, I do not need permission to come”.

“ I am sorry grandma, it is just that I have a lot on my mind”.

“ Yeah! I heard, she is back and just going to crawl back into your life again”.

“ Grandma, it is not like that! ”.

“ She left her child in the hospital, that girl is not capable of loving anyone, Chloe was the one who stayed and picked up the pieces of your broken heart together and now you are going to do this to her”.

“ Grandma please stop! Have you considered for once that she might have heard her reasons”.

“ Oh you are going to defend her, Carter, that girl left you at your most vulnerable state alone with a baby who was barely a day old and you are going to stand here and defend her”.

“Nothing is going on between Audrey and me, I had previously promised her the subsidiary company when we got married and that was all I gave her nothing else”.

“ If that is true, then get married to Chloe”.

“ Grandma! Isn't that too soon? ”.

“ She has been with you for seven years Carter, what else do you want her to do to prove her love”.

“ Fine! I will talk about that with her and we can start making plans, for now, I need some rest”.

“ Do whatever pleases you”. Grandma Nana waves her hand at him before striding upstairs. 

**** 

Audrey spent the entire night thinking, and the next day she blazed up in a pink customized jumpsuit, patting her face with some light makeup and a pink lip gloss before stepping out of her space. 

Standing beside her car was Oliver in a blue suit and blazer pants, a gold necklace hung around his neck while his curly hair was neatly washed, conditioned, and oiled. 

His face was slightly powdered that it would seem that he was aiming to impress. 

“ Good morning pretty! ”.

“ Oliver, you are here early and also glowing, is there something we are celebrating? ”.

“ You got your company back, isn't that something to celebrate? ”.

“ Yes, it is”. She pinches her brows while avoiding his gaze as she gets into the car and he follows. 

“ You do not look happy Audrey, what is it? ”.

“ NO,  I am fine, I will be speaking to the board today regarding my new project, so I am just nervous”.

“ you will do just fine and I hope you do beat Colton fashion off the market”.

“ That won't be easy, but we will get there”. She announced before tucking on her seat belt. 

The board members were already at the conference hall when Audrey stepped in along with Jason who had a bunch of designs printed in a file. 

“ You showed up today, we thought that you were going to waste our time like the other day”.

Mr. Eric, a full-bearded man in his late sixties, spoke, his Aura intimidating with his eyes piercing deep at her. 

Mr.  Eric has been in the fashion business for a very long time and knows smoke when he sees one. 

“ I apologize for the other day and that is the reason why I will get to the point because I wouldn't want to waste your time”.

“ Go ahead Ms Jayden, let us see what you have for us”.

Mr. Leonard spoke and Audrey signals to Jason who began to distribute the printed design to each of them, then she began speaking while standing elegantly in front of them. 

“ People especially women want to look classy, they pay a lot of money especially to companies like Colton Fashion in other to look good, 

But what about those who cannot afford the designs from Colton fashion, are they not permitted to look good? ”.

Audrey clicks on the button on the projector she was holding and a white screen appeared on the wall. 

“To attract the attention of the masses, especially those with the money, we need to create something unique and budget-friendly while pushing the other competitors off the market”.

This is my latest collection, it's a series of casual and dinner wear for women with its unique design, special stitching, and the same quality fabrics as those from Colton fashion but most especially at a lesser price”.

“ That is the most ridiculous thing I have heard, you want us to give out quality fabrics for a lower price? ”.

 Mr.  Eric chuckles at how bitter the words tasted in his mouth. 

“ What do we stand to gain? ”. Mr. Leonard questions. 

“ We are going to get in the fashion market, it is going to put those big companies off the edge and thereby reduce the quality of their design, and then people will begin to trope in here, then we can officially start a business ”.

“ So what you are trying to say is that we sacrifice our money for the greater good”.

“ What I am saying is that we have to take out our competitors before we can enter the market value”.

Audrey ambles around the hall while she speaks.