“Oh yeah,” she jubilantly muttered to herself.
As he slowly opened his eyes, he realized he had fallen asleep while pretending to be awake. He wanted to move but felt some weight on his right hand. Looking down, he saw Clarisse sleeping peacefully, her head resting on his hand. She seemed to have fallen asleep as well. A smile appeared on his lips as he watched her sleep soundly, like a baby.
He gently tried to pull his arm, which felt sore, and carefully placed her on the bed. He smiled as he pushed the strands of hair away from her face, tucking them behind her ear. He wanted to peck her forehead but restrained himself. He couldn’t risk waking her up or giving her the wrong idea. He needed to focus on gaining her trust, not providing her with more reasons to distance herself from him.
He stood up straight and made his way to the bathroom.
Clinton was about to enter Christian’s room when Christian walked out, all dressed and ready to go to work. Clinton immediately smiled as the events of the previous night replayed in his mind.
“Good morning, sir,” Clinton greeted, but Christian walked past him, adjusting his tie.
“How was your night, sir?” Clinton asked again.
Christian glanced at him, still working on his tie. “Say what’s on your mind, old man.”
Clinton followed behind, grinning. “I wanted to ask you something.”
“What is it?”
“How come you’re a tycoon and not an actor?”
Christian stopped in his tracks, turning to glare at him. “I’ve been meaning to say this-are you sure that isn’t the wrong ambition for you?” he asked. “I don’t think there’s an actor who looks like you. You have the looks, the talent, and-“
“Don’t wake her up,” Christian cut him off. “She’s sleeping in my room.”
He walked away, leaving Clinton laughing.
Not long after Christian left, Clarisse woke up. She stretched her body, and when her eyes fully opened, she realized she was in the wrong room. She remembered she had fallen asleep in Christian’s room.
“Oh my goodness! Clarisse, what have you done?” she panicked, jumping up. She ran out of the room, then stopped, wondering where he might be. After a moment of frantic thinking, she ran to her own room and locked the door behind her, panting and overwhelmed.
“Why would you? Why would you fall asleep there?” She slapped herself and bit her lip bitterly. “I should just avoid him forever,” she whispered through her tears.
Ferdinand strode into the room and was met by the director and the CEO of Construction Cooperation, who were waiting for him in his office. They stood up and bowed respectfully.
“Good afternoon, sir.”
“Good afternoon,” Ferdinand acknowledged, then turned to the CEO. “Is this him?”
“Yes, sir.”
“It’s nice to meet you, sir,” the CEO said, extending his hand, which Ferdinand shook.
“It’s nice to meet you too,” he replied with a smile, then took his seat before them.
“I hope the terms and agreement are to your liking?” Ferdinand asked.
“Very well. My presence here is to inform you that the delay is now on your end.”
“From us?” Ferdinand asked, glancing at the director of the cooperation with a questioning look.
“Yes, sir, it’s from us. We’ve sent an email to the investor, but there’s been no response, and you said you’d take it upon yourself to send another one.”
“Oh yes, I did,” Ferdinand replied, then called his secretary through the telecom. Within two minutes, she appeared in the room.
“You called for me, sir?” she asked, bowing in respect.
“Yes. Any response from Iston Cooperation?”
“No, not yet, sir.”
“That’s not possible,” he said, frowning. He turned back to the CEO and the director. “I’m so sorry about the delay. I’ll make sure to get back to you tonight. The project will proceed as planned.”
“I’ll await your message, sir,” the CEO said. They both stood up and left, with the secretary winking at Ferdinand before leaving. However, his disturbed mind didn’t allow him to respond to her.
He took out his phone and dialed Charles’s number. Charles picked up on the third ring.
“My in-law,” Charles greeted.
“How are you doing, my in-law?” Ferdinand replied.
“I’m doing well, and you?”
“I’m fine, also.”
“May I ask the purpose of this call? I have a feeling it’s not just to ask how I am.”
Ferdinand laughed. “You sound like you know me too well.”
“I know a businessman when I hear one.”
He laughed again. “Well, you’re right. I called for a reason.”
“What’s it?”
“It’s about… hmm… the investment in my project. It’s getting delayed, and that’s not good at all.”
“My son is your investor, right?”
“Yes.”
“Okay…”
“There has not been any response from him since the contract email was sent, and I’m-“
“Wait,” Charles cut him off. “Christian isn’t the type to delay or not respond to something unless it’s not worth his time.”
Ferdinand felt as if he’d been slapped hard across the face. He felt insulted and clenched his fists.
“You two agreed to work together, right?” Charles asked, and the question caught Ferdinand off guard.
He had never asked Christian directly. He assumed that, since they were family, they should help each other. But then, what his wife had said earlier dawned on him. It would have been possible if it had been Alice he married. If it had been Alice, he would have brainstormed with her, and the job would’ve been hers to handle. What had he done?
“We are family,” he replied, laughing awkwardly, and Charles burst into laughter as well.
“Yeah, we are,” Charles said. “Send him an email and a message personally. I’m sure he’ll respond quickly this time.”
“I will do that, thank you so much. It’s just that… um…”
“I was wondering… if you could, you know,” Ferdinand laughed nervously between words, “talk to him. You know, tell him to sign.”
“I get what you’re saying,” Charles interrupted. “But I must tell you first, I can only help persuade or convince him. I can’t make decisions for him, especially if he’s already made up his mind. There’s nothing I can do about it. Christian isn’t the type who can be convinced to do otherwise once he’s made his choice. So, all I can say is… good luck,” he said, hanging up before Ferdinand could respond.
Ferdinand stared at his phone and groaned. “They’re all rude in this family,” he muttered, hissing in frustration.
He followed Charles’s advice and sent the email, along with a personal message. Indeed, he received a quick response from Christian. But the message he received made him collapse into his chair. He couldn’t believe what had just happened.
Karine laughed at the hypocritical workers in mockery, shaking her head as she walked toward Christian’s office. Everyone in the building knew when Christian was around-everything was in perfect order. The employees were fully focused on their work, all neatly dressed in professional attire, busy and diligent, not trying to distract or get distracted. The tension was palpable, knowing who the man in the building was.
He couldn’t tolerate any form of slacking off while on duty, unless someone was willing to risk losing their job. And none of them wanted to take that chance, especially considering how well they were paid. They received incentives for jobs well done, including vacations to beautiful overseas destinations if they worked hard and diligently. This happened mid-year, and no one wanted to miss out on that. The company received thousands of applications every year, but they rejected most applicants. Only the lucky ones got in, usually when an employee was fired.
Karine knocked carefully on the door.
“Come in.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.