Chapter 43
I watch the city streets pass us by, taking note of the honking horns and pedestrians as the driver drove down the street. The hot dog vendors. The familiar cracked sidewalks and loud, crowded restaurants. It seemed like it’s been forever. My mind was a mess right now and I was currently zoning out on whatever news Jessica was trying to give me a feed of.
I cut my eyes from the outside and gaze down at the tab she had in front of me, showing me something on the screen, her voice slowly getting more audible next to me.
…..I told Taylor to hold them down while I call you to meet us there,” Jessica is saying “thsts why ive been calling you all morning but you weren’t answering your phone. Wait, where is your phone Miss Genevieve?”
I shake my head, trying to ward off the event that happened earlier “it doesn’t matter.” I reply, trying to get my head straight.
While I was fighting for my life at some line cabin at the outskirts of the city, my company was getting sabotaged by some sharks. Yes I would like to call them that. As in loan sharks.
According to the little I understood from all Jessica has been saying since we started this ride, some group of company personnels has come to my company, claiming some sort of ownership to my company. They were thieves and this was common with many publishing firms around the world.
I watch the video playing on her iPad showing the lobby of my office. In this video, I can see two men whose backs are turned to me. They are talking with some of my board members.
Once the car pulled into my company and came to a full stop, I pushed the door open and hurry out, Jessica stepping out with my bag through the other door.
The crowd I’d seen earlier in the video has now disappeared. Taylor, my desk manager on the first floor quicky runs over the moment she sees us walk in, her short sandy bob hair humping on her head as she came.
“Good morning Miss Genevieve,” she greets with relief, her hands openend in front of me as if trying to stop me from getting closer to the elevator. “I think you need to calm down.” She adds.
I stop quickly, taken aback by her statement. If I looked angry then I didn’t realize that I was.
Ignoring her words, I ask “where are those men?”
“I was able to get them settled in the boardroom waiting for you” she replies. Without waiting to hear any more of what she had to say, I brush past her and into the elevator, Jessica hurrying to join me before the doors slid shut.
Seconds later, I was matching into my boardroom, the anger visibly showing now, I could feel it myself.
Inside, two men in co–op Navy blue suits sits around the table, one of them has his leg crossed over the other.
On the other side of the table sat two of my Congress members, all appearing to be waiting for my arrival.
One of the men, the one with his leg crossed over the other turns around as soon as he senses my entry, a dark shades concealing his eyes. But he appeared to be in his middle thirties.
I catch a quick smile that tucked at his lips and disappeared almost immediately as he rose up, his hands going over to fix his suits.
“Hello Miss Genevieve. My name is Miko,” he stretches his hand out for a handshake “we represent investors who helped fund your company’s early stage. I have been sent by my company to collect a due that you have not met up with for the last two years since your organization became stationary enough.”
Ignoring his outstretched hand, I slid on the opposite side of the table, facing him and reply “I’m sorry Mr Miko but I do not recall your claims, neither do I recall getting into such agreement with a company as yours. If you don’t mind, I would like to see a paperwork showing this agreement that we ayou claim.”
They exchange looks, as if they hadn’t expected me to ask for that before resuming his seat. If they were true business men they would know how business works; you do not get into anything, especially the one that could potentially cause you your business in the future without signing a contract.
The second man moves over the table, his fingers interlocking on the table as he addressed me “Miss Genevieve I do not know if you are familiar with the MayWay Article in Hong Kong. We do not know what agreement you had with them but we are merely here as messengers delivering messages.” He gestures to Miko who is more closer to me and Miko pushes a stapled white papers towards me.
Jessica picks it up, while I thread my eyes on Miko. There was something off about him, something very like he enjoyed doing this. Were they just scams looking to scam businesses owners for their own benefits?
“This is legit Miss Genevieve,” Jessica speaks softly from beside me, causing me to lower my gaze from Miko and move them over to see her peering into the papers.
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Chapter 43
“Now that is the kind of statement we’ve been waiting to hear, isn’t it Jim?” Miko says
to his acquaintance.
I take the papers from Jessica to read for myself. On the papers, there’s series of agreement which was clearly written under my company name as well as theirs, I didn’t understand what any of this mean. I skim through everything and went below, at the end of the paper to see the highlighted amount of money that I’m expected to pay, tax inclusive. $20,000
I raise an angry look at Miko who seemed to have been waiting to see that look on my face. “Twenty thousand dollars?! This is ridiculous.”
“That is an accumulative fee Miss Genevieve,” Jim says “it is nothing compared to the kind of help we offered before your company could
stand this tall.
I try to think hard to the day that I signed this agreement but couldn’t quite remember. When I first started this company I remember I’d been in a very bad shape and had been very desperate to do something with my life. I remember partnering with the MILAN company in China which had funded me, what was I missing.
“It was MILAN companies that funded my company in the beginning, so I stand my ground when I say that I refuse to give you a dime. Besides, I am done paying that company back.”
“MILAN companies is a small branch of MayWay Articles. We are the head office. And your refusal to do as expected would only lead to the confiscation of your company. By all means ma’am.”
I open my mouth to reply but the conference door pushing open with an urgent loud sound causes me to look, as well as everyone else in the room.
The first person that walks in is Mr Miles Moretti, his hand casually over his walk stick as he strolled across the room, his greying hair appearing a bit more white than I remembered, a grim look on his face. Nathan walks out from behind him, a pissed off look on his face before his eyes falls on me for a quick minute before they travel back to Jim.
“You will not be doing any of that today gentlemen,” Miles Moretti says calmly, as his escaping his teeth as he added “or any other day for
that matter.”
“I’m sorry who are you?” Jim asks nonchalantly.
Miles looks back at Nathan and chuckles, a shoulder heaving chuckle before looking back at him, a deep frown quickly replacing the grin.
“In case you haven’t heard of the ARCHITECTICA & CO. then allow me to spell it all out for you,” Miles started as he round the table “my company is one of the largest companies in the entirety of five nations combined. I could snap my fingers and have your little company crumbling down to my feet. So,” he leans over the table without sitting on the chair in front “are you still asking who I am son?”
Nathan scoffs from beside me and I look up at him. His eyes falls down on mine and he gives me a small smile.
I hear the door slam open and I tried to see who walked into the room but I couldn’t as Nathan’s body blocked my view.
“Well that doesn’t solve the problem now, does it?” The same voice that sent shivers running down my neck speaks, thudding sounds of shoes getting louder as it neared me.
Everyone’s heads turned including Mr Miles Moretti’s to see Cain walk into the room, white papers held up with his hand, his eyes darting predatorialy from either of the men seated around the table. He doesn’t look at me and just rounds the table until he was lowering himself onto the seat at the tip of the long oval table.
He sets the papers in front of him and clamps his fingers on the table, and speaks “gentlemen, ladies…… I like to formally put a stop to this nonsense right now.”
“And you are?” Miko speaks, anger edging his voice.
Cain’s eyes trained on him but he doesn’t mutter a word. His eyes moves and falls on me. “Miss Genevieve, I would like to seek your permission to deal with this matter my own way please.”
I nod my consent after a while, but he lingers for another long moment. I can’t tell what he’s thinking, but the intensity of his gaze makes a flush creep over my neck.
I swallow, and his eyes traveled down my neckline before they snapped away immediately to Jim.
“You are Jim Romero, and you Miko Valdez, Cain says to them “it would interest you to know that from now on, you would answer to me.”
That said, Cain leans back, sinking into the chair and leaving everyone stunned and confused, wondering what the meaning of what he just said was.
Jim and Miko shared gazes, obviously wondering what was going on too just like the rest of us in the room.
Sensing the confusion between them, Cain moves back over the table, a smile creeping onto his lips as he said “my name is Cain. Cain Malachi. Here,” he pushed the papers in front of him towards them and Miko caught it “this might help you understand.”
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8:28 AM
Chapter 43.
Miko gingerly turns the page and starts to cagerly read the contents. Seconds later, he’s flinching from his seat and walking over to the window while Jim picks up the paper to see what has gotten his partner so riled up.
Miko retreaves his phone and starts to call someone.
I am heavily confused and looked at Cain for answers but his eyes are fixed on Miko instead.
“Why didn’t you notify us earlier boss?!” Miko sneers into the phone.
“Enough of this nonsense,” Nathan says as he moves closer to the table, his eyes angry. “What is the meaning of this?”
I don’t fail to take note of the bad blood between these two men. I’ve watched how they behaved around each other whenever they happen to be in the same room, especially Nathan.
Cain tilts his head back to look at Cain, a long smile flirting on his lips again as he leans over the table again, interlocking his fingers on the table and saying “isn’t it obvious already, Nathan? I now own Mayway as well as every other little branch under it. And as such, all that tax that Miss Genevieve here was being forced to pay will be out under thorough check after which….” he pulls his shoulders up for a shrug….may be nullified.”
My jaw drops.
