Deceiving Dimitri, page 15
“Come in.”
The sound of the door opening reached my ears, but I stayed put, trying to catch my breath and tame the accelerated heartbeats.
“My apologies for interrupting, sir, but it’s important.”
“No, Mr. Cortez.” There was a pause. “You didn’t interrupt anything.” Mr. Kingston paused for another moment, and I felt his intense gaze burning my back. “What is it you need?”
“I’m done researching on Daniel Montero as you asked.”
My heart stopped, as did my breathing. I swirled around to see the manager standing a few feet away with a file, his expression impassive.
“What did you find out?” Mr. Kingston inquired.
“I didn’t find much but from as much as I have gathered—” Mr. Cortez turned over a page of the folder in his hands, looking into it, “—Mr. Montero used to be a clerk before he came to Chicago and bought the Norman company. But most of the properties he holds possession of right now, belonged to his late wife, Evanora Montero.”
I felt my heartbeat pounding once again, and my palms turning clammy. He was right. Most of Montero’s properties belonged to my mother from my biological father.
He turned over another page. “Rumor says he is involved with illegal activities and desires to be the top hotelier soon.”
Mr. Kingston’s brow arched at hearing that. “Anything else?”
“Yes, sir. He has two heirs.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat as the manager’s firm eyes found mine.
“A son and a stepdaughter.”
CHAPTER 23
TAMING THE BEAST
“Ms. Green, you either listen to me, or the consequences will not be in your favor,” Mr. Cortez spoke, enunciating each word slowly.
I nodded, licking my lips. My heart throbbed in the corner of my chest like a timid cat. “I will do as you say.”
“Good. Do not, I repeat, do not go near Mr. Kingston unless he requires your presence.”
I nodded again.
“He is beyond pissed today.” Closing his eyes, he exhaled loud in relief. “Almost threw the globe at me.”
“But what happened?” I asked, curious.
“Well, I don’t know much, but,” he leaned closer and whispered, “I think it has something to do with his mother.”
“Oh.” My eyes rounded in acknowledgment.
“I will go finish my tasks. Hopefully, this day will end soon,” he prayed, and walked to his room.
I glanced at the CEO’s closed door before me. He had been snapping and barking at the employees since morning. I had not seen him yet though, but as much as my head commanded me to get away, my heart yearned to get a glimpse to be sure he was all right.
Nonetheless, I listened to my head. It was better to wait than push myself into the fire.
Coming back to my room, I sat down and checked my phone. It was awfully silent on Montero’s end since that night at the club. Since Blake had his time with him. What they conversed about, he never told me. Only that everything would be all right soon.
Did Montero really give up on hunting down Dimitri? My heart refused to believe. But whatever it was, it was better, as long as I didn’t have to commit any more crimes.
And about Mr. Cortez, luckily, he never found out the names or whereabouts of Montero’s heirs. But he managed to give me a mini panic attack that day. However, I handled it just fine.
After lunch break, I was ascending the stairs back to my floor when someone called me from behind, making me turn back.
“Yes, Sabrina?”
“Oh, how do you manage to look so beautiful even after working so hard?” she shrieked, swaying towards me. She was one of those curly-haired, chubby women who were loud for no reason and laughed at everything like it was a dad joke.
I almost smiled at the compliment. But then an image of my hair sticking in places, sweat-beaded face, and mascara-strewn raccoon eyes emerged in my mind, making me grimace internally. I raised an eyebrow. What was she getting at?
“It had been so stressful for me. I began to get wrinkles on my face. See?” Leaning closer, she brought her face so close to mine, I could smell the unpleasant odor of sweat blending with make-up that almost gave me nausea.
I stumbled up a few steps back. “Yes, yes, I see. I see.”
Fanning herself with her hand, she let out a dramatic sigh. “Aw, Hazel, I’ve heard so much about your kindness.”
“What is it, Sabrina?”
Lunging towards me, she clutched my hand. “I couldn’t finish the document. I need one more day. Please?” Her eyes widened, and her bottom lip pushed out a bit too far. I suppose she was trying to make a pouty face and instead ended up looking like a strangled fish.
“But today was the deadline. I need to submit it to Mr. Kingston tomorrow,” I tried to reason.
“Please,” she dragged out the word. “I’ll send it to you first thing in the morning, I promise.”
I sighed. “All right. Tomorrow morning.”
Her lips curved from ear to ear as she lunged forward once again, pressing a kiss on my cheek, and skipped away to her cubicle. The sound of her happy laugh ricocheted behind.
I stood in the spot, blinking. Gosh, this woman...
My phone beeped, unfreezing me and reminding me of the meeting with our Asian clients in fifteen minutes. Whirling back, I ascended two steps at a time, rushing to the CEO’s room. Puckering my lips, I exhaled loudly and twisted the knob, hoping he had calmed down by now.
Entering, I found the manager already present in the room. Then my eyes met the gray ones of the boss. They darted lower on my face and narrowed.
“The hell?” he remarked lowly.
I frowned, glancing at Mr. Cortez to receive the same expression from him.
“What?” I asked.
His hand lifted, pointing at his right cheek, and pointing back at me. Confused, I brought out my cell phone and slid open the camera. My eyes widened, and my hand shot up, covering the hot pink lipstick mark.
Oh, Sabrina, I’m going to kill you!
The muscles in Mr. Kingston’s jaw twitched, and he proceeded to march toward where we stood. Not wanting to get knocked over, we both jumped out of his way as he stormed off the room. Apparently, the boss hadn’t cooled down yet.
Handing me a tissue from the desk, Mr. Cortez ran out as well.
Wiping my cheek clean and grabbing my laptop, I rushed down to witness another mess. Brown liquid marred the white floor and before that stood an enraged CEO, his nose flaring.
“Who did that?” His booming voice shook the walls of the building.
The room held its breath as the employees eyed one another with panic-strewn faces. A woman who I thought was named Janice stood in her cubicle and timidly walked forward, eyes cast down and complexion paler than usual. “S-sir, I-I apologize. I was—”
“Where the hell is the janitor of this floor?” He cut her off as the old janitor came running with a mop and a bucket.
“Here, sir. I was getting the mop—”
“Fired.” The word came out of his mouth in a furious whisper. He didn’t even let one finish their sentences. “Both of you! I don’t need such useless employees in my building.”
A series of gasps was heard throughout the room, and shock took over everyone’s face.
“N-no. Sir, please, I—”
Before Janice could finish whatever she wished to say, Mr. Kingston glanced up, his eyes shooting lasers everywhere. “Back to work. All of you!”
Sounds of feet shuffling away filled the room as the spectators who developed enough guts to move a few feet out of their cubicles for better look hurried back to their desks. The atmosphere soaked into the tension, turning so heavy one could literally taste it in the air. He stalked away from the scene like a predator, ready to pounce on anything that crossed his path.
I stood there, not believing my eyes. I had never seen him like this before. Something serious must have happened for his anger to escalate to such heights. The sound of sobbing seized my attention, and I rushed to the now ex-employees. Janice had her hand on her mouth, muffling the cries, while Henry watched the mess on the floor like a lost soul.
“Janice, please, calm down.” I rubbed her back.
“How will I pay the fees of my granddaughter now?” Henry’s words tugged at my heart.
I couldn’t stay here for long if I wanted to keep my own job, so I ran an assuring hand on both of their shoulders. “Don’t worry. I’ll see what I can do, okay? Go home and take rest for now.”
“Please, Ms. Green. I’ll be so grateful,” Janice uttered between sobs.
Nodding, I dashed to the elevator and to the conference room on the fifth floor. Setting up the table and making sure the translator was there, I informed Mr. Cortez, who brought the clients in. The meeting started in a few minutes and proceeded well. The CEO seemed to summon just enough control over his temper. But then like the little day it was, the opposite group offered an unbelievably unfair proposition, provoking the rage Mr. Kingston had been trying hard to suppress.
He shot up seething, followed by everyone on the table. “This is unacceptable,” he snapped.
On hearing from Mr. Jheng, the translator said, “They’re open to negotiation, sir.”
“There’ll be no business between us anymore,” he barked, and walked away.
My widened eyes met the manager’s.
“Ms. Green, you go handle the boss. I’ll handle it here.”
Though it’d be like jumping into fire, I nodded and ran after the CEO. “Mr. Kingston, wait!”
Not regarding me, he kept striding away.
“Mr. Kingston, sir!”
No response.
“Sir, please!”
Finally, he halted, not looking back. His hands clenched, unclenched beside him. “I do not want to be rude to you, Ms. Green,” he forced out.
Reaching him, I stood in front of him, inches away from his chest. “You shouldn’t be rude to anyone.”
His eyes closed. I could clearly see the veins on his temples and neck throbbing. “I can’t.”
“You can.”
He opened his eyes, gazing at me with fierce intensity. “How?”
I took a hold of his clenched fist. “You need to calm down first. Come with me.”
A gentle breeze caressed my cheeks, ruffling my hair. The soft susurration of yellowish leaves overhead sang an ethereal melody to the ears of the beholders with occasional cheers from the swans majestically floating in the lake ahead.
Nature. It’s a gift. Even the simplest of its beauty is enough to rescue souls from all their sufferings.
A soft sigh emanating from beside me, made me turn my head to the soothed soul. With his eyes closed and no trace of emotional strain on his physiognomy, the man looked like a sophisticated piece of art, belonging solely to this nature. He was handsome from the curvy length of his dark lashes to the depth of his tranquil sighs.
“Feeling better, sir?”
His eyes opened. There sported an unspoken glee that clearly answered my question. “How come I never found this place before?”
I smiled, a set of treasured memories refreshing in my mind. “It was our secret sanctuary. I used to come here with my dad often.”
“Often?” He frowned. “I thought you lived in California with your parents.”
My eyes widened in the realization of my slip-of-tongue, and I quickly found a way to rescue myself. “Relatives. My dad used to bring me here whenever we visited our relatives in Chicago.”
He nodded.
“So... What happened today?” I queried, not being able to keep a leash on my curiosity. “If you want to talk about it,” I added. “If you don’t want to, it’s—”
“We met my mother today,” he said, somewhat surprising me.
“All right...” I trailed. The fact that his day was ruined to the point of him destroying an important business relation of Kingston Co. after meeting his mother filled my heart with deep, raw compassion.
“She said hurtful things to Dad, and now he’s mourning the loss of the love he never had.” His fingers curled once again, balling into a fist. “She didn’t even spare Jaz. My sister cried, Ms. Green. I couldn’t bear the tears in her eyes.” Lifting his fist, he slammed it hard on the bonnet of his car we were leaning on.
I bit my lip, my heart squeezing in my chest, and no matter how much I disliked Jaz, I felt bad for her. How could a mother hurt her own child? How could she turn so heartless? But I had a feeling this wasn’t all.
“What did she tell you?”
If his fist was tight before, now the knuckles whitened as well, and the strain lines were back, marring the smoothness of his features. “She never loved me. I always told myself that she was only angry. She’d take me back into her arms like before once her anger subsided. But I was wrong. I was always wrong. She never loved me.”
I felt a pull in the strings of my heart. At that moment, the man sitting beside me was no big, bad tycoon but a small child, yearning to feel the sweet caress of his mother’s touch. I didn’t know what happened in the family that turned the woman into such a heartless soul, but I knew I had to ease the pain that shattered even the strongest man.
I wrapped a gentle hand around his fist, rubbing a soothing circle on it, and feeling the muscles relax under my touch. “You do know that a mother can do anything to protect her children?”
His narrowed eyes glanced at me.
“Perhaps your mother was doing the same. Making everyone hate her so the pain of staying apart lessens for your family.”
He sighed again. “I don’t know what’s on her mind, but the world isn’t as beautiful as you look at it, Ms. Green.”
“Well, as long as my eyes are happy seeing things beautiful, I’m happy to continue.”
He let out a breathy smile, then sighed again. “I was too harsh today.”
“Yeah. Those two you fired had been working in the company for more than five years.”
“Five years?” His brows lifted in astonishment. “How come I never noticed them before?” he muttered to himself.
I shook my head. The downside of being ignorant. “Henry even has a sick grandchild to look after.”
“The janitor?” He asked, like he heard that name for the first time today.
“Yes.”
His eyes darted forward and brows furrowed. The guilt was clearly written on his features. After a few moments of silence, he spoke again. “Send them a recruit-back email from me.”
“That’s all?”
“I’m not apologizing if that’s what you mean.”
“Okay.” I smirked. Since I was in charge of this matter, he wouldn’t know if he apologized, right?
His eyes squinted at me. “I don’t like the look on your face. What’re you thinking?”
“Nothing.” I bit my lips, trying to keep them from stretching wide when another idea popped into my head. “Why don’t you take your family on a vacation? A day or two away from city life might refresh your mind.”
He brooded over the offer for a bit. “Well, you’re coming as well.”
“What? No, sir. Thank you for the offer, but my best friend came over to visit after months. I can’t leave her.”
“Then your best friend comes too.”
“Oh no, sir. It’ll be your family time. I don’t want to intervene.”
“I’m not offering, Ms. Green. I’m ordering. It’s pure business. You want me to relax? Then you should handle the work while I do.”
CHAPTER 24
ROAD TO THE LAKE HOUSE
“What the hell is this here for?” Brooke eyed the third backpack in the backseat beside her. “He is not invited.” She pointed an accused finger at Blake.
“Unlike you, I keep things near for safety measures,” Blake bit back while driving us to the location Mr. Kingston ordered me to wait in.
I stared at him with raised brows. I very well knew what flavor pancakes he was cooking in his head right now. He had been against me going on that vacation. According to him, Mr. Kingston was a dangerous man, and I should stay a thousand feet away from him. But when Brooke battled against him, he had to step back. So, he insisted on driving us there with an extra backpack.
“You’re not doing anything like that, Caveman,” I warned him. “I’m only going there to work, and Brooke will be there to take care of me.”
“She can’t even take care of herself,” he scoffed, referring to Brooke’s clumsiness.
“Hey! At least I don’t force my way into someone else’s vacation,” she retorted, ready to jump from her seat and chokeslam him.
“He’s not going,” I assured her, then glanced back at Blake. “Please don’t embarrass me in front of them.”
“Don’t worry, Smurfette. I know my ways.”
I sighed, shaking my head, and looked out of the window. That man was impossible. Hopefully things would go smoothly.
On reaching the designated highway, we stopped and looked for a certain black range rover. Instead, two halted before us, and out came the Kingston men.
My jaw almost dropped to the floor at the outfit Dimitri Kingston wore. Dark jeans with a round-neck white tee, topped with a leather jacket. He looked like he went back to his college days with a change in wardrobe. Gorgeous, dashing, and hot were all the words that flashed in my head like a flickering bulb.
“Morning, Ms. Green,” he acknowledged..
“M-morning,” I stuttered in a daze when a nudge from Brooke straightened me, and I looked away, my cheeks gaining color.
“Hazel. Mr. Evans. Lovely to see you again.” Rupert Kingston hugged us both, then turned to Brooke. “This must be Ms. Green’s best friend. Hello, dear.” He shook hands with her.
From the look of it, the sparkle that always occupied his noble face was missing. His complexion turned paler than before, and the age lines deepened. From the depth of my soul, I hoped for this vacation to heal his broken heart.
