Jason looked up at the door and said in a hard voice, "What the hell do you want again?"Tim halted in his steps, suddenly raising his hands in surrender as he looked at Jason and said, "Uhm, sorry, I assumed the meeting was over and wanted to check in with you."Jason closed his eyes to calm himself. Taking a deep breath, he took his seat and beckoned to Tim."Yeah, come on in," Jason said.Tim walked the large expanse of the office towards Jason's desk. He knew just how reactive Jason usually was after a meeting with his family members, but he seemed particularly pissed right now."I'll get the MOU signed and have Bailey send it over to them," Jason stated."Alright, you have a meeting with Mr. Cheng in the next hour," Tim said to Jason."Oh, yeah, I remember," Jason said, brushing a hand through his hair."Do you need a minute?" Tim asked quietly.Jason sighed and replied, "No, I don't," adding, "There's something urgent I need you to do.""Okay, what is it?" Tim inquired."I need
"What request is that?" Laura asked skeptically. "Tobias White reached out to me a while ago and offered to go to the party with you. He wants to be your escort," Audrey explained. Laura looked amused. "And why would he want to do that? What changed?" she asked. "Would you like me to accept the offer on your behalf?" Audrey enquired. Laura thought about it for a while and said, "No, kindly reject it; tell him I'll see him at the party." "Okay, I'll do that," Audrey replied, leaving the office. Laura spent the better part of the morning in meetings and going over a few things she was working on for her clients while putting the finishing touches on the Hilltop holdings file. As she was closing the last file, Audrey came in and informed her, "It's time for you to get your dress, Laura." "Oh, humm, can I go to the hotel instead? Then I can go get the dress later and head over to the party from there." Laura asked. "Yes, you can; I'll call ahead to inform them you'll be coming in
Jason walked slowly, his smile spreading as he neared his target."Hello, Jared," Jason said, stopping directly in front of the host for the night.The look on Jared's face almost made attending the party worthwhile, Jason thought.Jared's face was neutral; it was hard to tell what he was thinking about."Hello Jason, thank you for coming tonight," Jared replied."It's my pleasure, Jared; you know I wouldn't miss it for the world," Jason replied with a smile."Hi Jason, it's so good to see you here." Pamela Oswell said to Jason."Hello, Pamela, it's been such a long time. Did Jared bring you over for this party?" Jason asked with a cute smile. His right dimple was evident as he smiled boyishly at Pamela.Jacob West walked over to them and hugged Pamela from behind."There you are," he said, pecking her on her left cheek.Jacob turned to Jason and said, "It's nice to see you grace this occasion with your presence, Jason."Jason smiled. "It's nice to see you haven't lost your sense of h
As Laura walked into the hall, everyone turned to look at her. She walked with her shoulders held high, aware of the attention she was getting."Laura, over there is Mr. Jared Tuner," Audrey whispered beside her, nodding in the direction of the small group.Snatching a drink from one of the waiters, Laura said, "Let's go say our greetings."Soft gasps of surprise and awe could be heard among the crowd as they watched her walk towards Jared Tuner."Oh, my god, who the hell is that?" Pamela asked, her jaw dropping in surprise.Laura had on an emerald green night dress that had tiny glistering stones all over her. She had her hair swept up in a French twist, with some strands left hanging from each side of her face."My God, she looks so elegant," Jacob said, whistling silently.Grace laughed nervously and said, "Well, she looks good, but we don't even know her."Jared's face was frozen as he stared at the face that was approaching him."Hello, Mr. Jared, and good evening, everyone," Lau
Laura turned and saw a handsome man standing behind her. He had the most captivating eyes, which showed lines of wrinkles on the side when he smiled."Hello, I'm David Taylor, CEO of Hilltop Holdings," David introduced himself, stretching his hand for a handshake.Laura's mouth formed an "oh." As she took his hands, she replied, "It's nice to meet you, David; I'm Laura Phillips.""Oh, I know who you are; everywhere I've turned tonight, you've been the main topic of discussion," David said with a conspiratorial smile."I guess you've had an earful about me then," Laura replied.Audrey was a few feet away from them, scanning the room to know who Laura was to be introduced to next."Seeing you beats all that I've heard tonight, Laura," David said, adding, "you look really gorgeous.""Thank you, David; it's nice that I get to meet you here tonight," Laura replied, adding, "I was going to schedule a meeting with you tomorrow.""Oh, yeah, we can still get to meet tomorrow; let's not spoil t
~Thirty Minutes Earlier~Jason moved from the group to say hi to an acquaintance of his who was at the center of the room."Hello Jason, it's good to see you made it here tonight," Paul said to him.Paul Wright was a business partner in the food industry; his company produces some of the best spices in the country, and he works both with Jason and Jared."Hi Paul, it's good to see you too." Jason replied, adding, "How has it been with you? I hear you have some products up for distribution next week."Paul smiled and said, "Jason, I won't ask how you heard that; we all know you have your superior ways of finding these things out."Jason nodded his head with a smile, raising his glass to Paul as he said, "That's what keeps me in business, Paul.""I assume there's a reason why you brought up that topic here tonight," Paul stated."Yes, I'd like to get the North hotel on your list for deliveries for this batch," Jason said.Paul looked at Jason intently as he said, "Jason, your deliveries
Jason couldn't believe his eyes; he tried to relax as he looked up again and told Tim, "Get me all that you can find out about that lady.""Okay, I'll do that right away. But Jason, are you fine?" Tim asked.Jason turned to look at him, his brow raised as he asked, "Is there a reason why I should not?""Well, you look like you've just seen a ghost. What has you so shocked?" Tim asked."There is a position in Asia; I'm sure moving there won't be so shocking for you," Jason replied with an amused smile.Tim chuckled and replied, "Thank you very much, but I'm fine here."Jason faced the crowd again and discovered he could not locate her position again."Where is she?" Jason murmured as he scanned the room.Tim stepped aside and did a check-up with Charlie. "Charlie, anything to report?""No, everything is fine, Tim," Charlie replied.Charlie was in charge of keeping tabs on the various bodyguards who were around in the shadows."Tim, I need you to do something," Jason said as Tim joined
Laura paused in the middle of the hall and turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. "Where do you think I'm going?" Laura asked him right back. Jason stepped towards her, his voice low as he replied, "Are you playing games with me?" Laura stepped closer, their faces almost touching, as she said, "If I'm playing games, you'll be the first to know." Then she turned and walked to her door. At the door, Laura turned back and added, "By the way, I stay in this suite; I guess that makes us neighbors, don't you think?" Jason watched her walk into the suite and close the door behind her. He could not believe his eyes. "How the hell did I not know?" Jason muttered, walking towards his room in annoyance. He opened the door and walked straight to his bedroom, removing his suit as he walked. "Laura Phillips, renowned analyst and new CEO of Whites consulting firm," Jason read as he went through what Tim had sent to him. He had been amazed to find out she was the one he had gone to the