Page 2
Story: His Ring, Her Rules
As he took his seat on the chair opposite me, I sat down.
“Got a nice office here, Miss Hayes,” he said.
“I am sure, Mr. Dante, you are not here to talk about how good or bad my office is.” Whoa, Vivian, where did you get that confidence!?
He didn’t seem happy with my response; I should know how to close my lips.
“Of course, I’m not here to talk about your office,” he nearly yelled.
“I was wondering,” he joked, “that your company has been really successful recently, and as everyone knows, I am the only competitor you have so…”
“So?”
He leaned forward with a sneer on his lips, “Why don’t we merge our companies by marrying each other?”
And for the next minute, I sat there with my mouth open and my eyes wide. I waited for him to claim he was joking, but his serious expression plainly indicated that he was not joking.
Marry him?! Has he gone crazy?!
And combine my company with his? Never!!
I shut my mouth and collected myself.
“You are kidding, right?!” I enquired, but who was I kidding?
“Did I come all the way here to crack some jokes with you?” he said coldly, fiercely, and calmly, sending a shudder down my spine.
“Well…of course not, but what you just said makes no sense.”
“It does make sense, Miss Hayes. You have to marry me, and we will merge our companies and become the best in the world, and who knows, within months, we can even be the richest person in the world.”
“I won’t merge my company with yours, let alone marry you!”
“Listen to me, Miss Hayes,” he said between his teeth, “it is going to benefit both of us. To the world, it would look as if we are real couples, but only you and I will know that this marriage is just for the sake of our companies.”
“Let me make this very plain to you, Mr. Dante: I worked hard all these years to put up my empire, unlike you, who merely got it from your father. I am not marrying you or combining my firm with yours, no matter how
“How much of a benefit is it for me?” I informed him bluntly, and he was struggling to keep his fury under control.
“Don’t forget that it was my father who helped you set up all this.”
Yes, his father, Mr. Levi Dante, was a very modest and sympathetic guy, unlike him, and he helped me immensely; even though I have already returned his favor, I am thankful to him.
“Your father is a great man, Mr. Dante, and I am grateful to him for all he did for me, but right now, it is you who is asking me to marry you and not your father.”
“Don’t test my patience, Miss Hayes. You know what all I am capable of doing?” his voice rasped.
“I am fully aware of what you are capable of, but right now, you are sitting in my office, and let me remind you that I have more power here right now.”
He threw his fist into my desk, making me cringe.
“Miss Hayes, think about it, or else you will regret all this.”
“Why don’t you accept the fact that you are just afraid that I might overtake your empire in just a few months?” I muttered with rage.
“And besides, to be honest, I have a boyfriend,” said I. Let me tell you, I’m terrible at lying.
“You have a boyfriend?” my conscience enquired. Shut the heck up!
“Boyfriend?” he enquired as if he was already aware that I was lying.
“May I know who that lucky man is?” he said cynically.
Shit! I tried to think of anything as quickly as possible.
“Well…” I trailed off before pressing the intercom and calling Jona in.
“You asked for me, Miss Hayes?” Jona questioned, opening the door.
Damn you, Jona. Whenever we are alone, he calls me by my first name or my surname! I got screwed!
I got up uncomfortably from my chair and stood in front of Jona, with Mr. Dante following me around.
“Umm…Jona, I was telling Mr. Dante about you… my… boy-boyfriend.” Because my back was to Mr. Dante, I attempted to encourage Jona to go along with the lie, but he was too stunned by what I said and made a strange look.
“Boyfriend? Me?” he said, and I mentally smacked myself.
I whirled around to face Mr. Dante, who was already rising, and grabbed Jona’s arm, shouting, “You see, Mr. Dante? This is Jonah Zoe, my boyfriend!”
“But your ‘boyfriend’s’ face says something else,” Mr. Dante said, amused.
“Actually, our relationship is yet not public, so…he is quiet…shocked that I am mentioning it to you”, I said. But he didn’t seem to believe it, so I grabbed Jona’s face and pressed a little kiss on the corner of his lips, making it appear as if I had kissed him. Jona appeared to be about to pass out.
“That was a very futile attempt to prove him as your boyfriend, Miss Hayes,” that arsehole remarked, and I wanted to slam his head against the wall.
“Mr. Zoe, you can leave now,” he said to Jona, then turned around and went.
Who the heck is he to command my assistant?!
“Miss Hayes…”
“I do not agree with you, Mr. Dante! You may please leave now! I have a meeting!” I nearly yelled at him.
He pushed his lips in a straight line, trying not to tear me apart. His eyes narrowed as he approached the door; he came to a halt, turned back, and snarled, “You will regret it, Miss Hayes.” He then left my office with an ugly grin on his face.
God, what am I getting myself into?!
“I do not agree with you, Mr. Dante! You may please leave now! I have a meeting!” I nearly yelled at him.
He pushed his lips in a straight line, trying not to tear me apart. His eyes narrowed as he approached the door; he came to a halt, turned back, and snarled, “You will regret it, Miss Hayes.” He then left my office with an ugly grin on his face.
God, what am I getting myself into?!
As soon as he went, I grabbed the pen stand off my table and flung it against the wall, then stood near my desk, holding myself against it.
What does he think of himself?! God?! He believes he can command anyone. I am not going to agree with him. I really can’t marry him, especially that arsehole. Marriage was the final thing on my to-do list; I still had a lot of things to do.
I never had a relationship; I spent my adolescent years preparing and my adulthood carrying out my strategy. I don’t have time for all of this. And I don’t want to merge my firm with his; I know it will benefit me, but I just can’t marry him.
And when he claimed he’d make me regret it, I knew he meant it. And I can’t help but tremble as I consider all the ways he might make me regret turning down his proposition.
I can’t risk losing my company, which is everything I have.
The door sprung open, and a perplexed Jona stepped in, “From when did I become your boyfriend?! And you almost kissed me, Vivian, what’s wrong?! “
“You were supposed to act along with me, not stand there as if you have seen a ghost!” I fumed.
“How was I supposed to know what was happening? I didn’t dream that you would do all that. First, you call me in and then introduce me as your boyfriend to Mr. Dante; I should be the one yelling at you. It was not my mistake!” said the man.
Before I could say anything, he marched out of my office and slammed the door.
What the hell?
First, that arsehole screwed with my thoughts, and now I’ve had a fight with a pal. We seldom fight.
Awesome, Vivian!
I sat in my chair, my head between my hands, and attempted to relax myself.
“Got a nice office here, Miss Hayes,” he said.
“I am sure, Mr. Dante, you are not here to talk about how good or bad my office is.” Whoa, Vivian, where did you get that confidence!?
He didn’t seem happy with my response; I should know how to close my lips.
“Of course, I’m not here to talk about your office,” he nearly yelled.
“I was wondering,” he joked, “that your company has been really successful recently, and as everyone knows, I am the only competitor you have so…”
“So?”
He leaned forward with a sneer on his lips, “Why don’t we merge our companies by marrying each other?”
And for the next minute, I sat there with my mouth open and my eyes wide. I waited for him to claim he was joking, but his serious expression plainly indicated that he was not joking.
Marry him?! Has he gone crazy?!
And combine my company with his? Never!!
I shut my mouth and collected myself.
“You are kidding, right?!” I enquired, but who was I kidding?
“Did I come all the way here to crack some jokes with you?” he said coldly, fiercely, and calmly, sending a shudder down my spine.
“Well…of course not, but what you just said makes no sense.”
“It does make sense, Miss Hayes. You have to marry me, and we will merge our companies and become the best in the world, and who knows, within months, we can even be the richest person in the world.”
“I won’t merge my company with yours, let alone marry you!”
“Listen to me, Miss Hayes,” he said between his teeth, “it is going to benefit both of us. To the world, it would look as if we are real couples, but only you and I will know that this marriage is just for the sake of our companies.”
“Let me make this very plain to you, Mr. Dante: I worked hard all these years to put up my empire, unlike you, who merely got it from your father. I am not marrying you or combining my firm with yours, no matter how
“How much of a benefit is it for me?” I informed him bluntly, and he was struggling to keep his fury under control.
“Don’t forget that it was my father who helped you set up all this.”
Yes, his father, Mr. Levi Dante, was a very modest and sympathetic guy, unlike him, and he helped me immensely; even though I have already returned his favor, I am thankful to him.
“Your father is a great man, Mr. Dante, and I am grateful to him for all he did for me, but right now, it is you who is asking me to marry you and not your father.”
“Don’t test my patience, Miss Hayes. You know what all I am capable of doing?” his voice rasped.
“I am fully aware of what you are capable of, but right now, you are sitting in my office, and let me remind you that I have more power here right now.”
He threw his fist into my desk, making me cringe.
“Miss Hayes, think about it, or else you will regret all this.”
“Why don’t you accept the fact that you are just afraid that I might overtake your empire in just a few months?” I muttered with rage.
“And besides, to be honest, I have a boyfriend,” said I. Let me tell you, I’m terrible at lying.
“You have a boyfriend?” my conscience enquired. Shut the heck up!
“Boyfriend?” he enquired as if he was already aware that I was lying.
“May I know who that lucky man is?” he said cynically.
Shit! I tried to think of anything as quickly as possible.
“Well…” I trailed off before pressing the intercom and calling Jona in.
“You asked for me, Miss Hayes?” Jona questioned, opening the door.
Damn you, Jona. Whenever we are alone, he calls me by my first name or my surname! I got screwed!
I got up uncomfortably from my chair and stood in front of Jona, with Mr. Dante following me around.
“Umm…Jona, I was telling Mr. Dante about you… my… boy-boyfriend.” Because my back was to Mr. Dante, I attempted to encourage Jona to go along with the lie, but he was too stunned by what I said and made a strange look.
“Boyfriend? Me?” he said, and I mentally smacked myself.
I whirled around to face Mr. Dante, who was already rising, and grabbed Jona’s arm, shouting, “You see, Mr. Dante? This is Jonah Zoe, my boyfriend!”
“But your ‘boyfriend’s’ face says something else,” Mr. Dante said, amused.
“Actually, our relationship is yet not public, so…he is quiet…shocked that I am mentioning it to you”, I said. But he didn’t seem to believe it, so I grabbed Jona’s face and pressed a little kiss on the corner of his lips, making it appear as if I had kissed him. Jona appeared to be about to pass out.
“That was a very futile attempt to prove him as your boyfriend, Miss Hayes,” that arsehole remarked, and I wanted to slam his head against the wall.
“Mr. Zoe, you can leave now,” he said to Jona, then turned around and went.
Who the heck is he to command my assistant?!
“Miss Hayes…”
“I do not agree with you, Mr. Dante! You may please leave now! I have a meeting!” I nearly yelled at him.
He pushed his lips in a straight line, trying not to tear me apart. His eyes narrowed as he approached the door; he came to a halt, turned back, and snarled, “You will regret it, Miss Hayes.” He then left my office with an ugly grin on his face.
God, what am I getting myself into?!
“I do not agree with you, Mr. Dante! You may please leave now! I have a meeting!” I nearly yelled at him.
He pushed his lips in a straight line, trying not to tear me apart. His eyes narrowed as he approached the door; he came to a halt, turned back, and snarled, “You will regret it, Miss Hayes.” He then left my office with an ugly grin on his face.
God, what am I getting myself into?!
As soon as he went, I grabbed the pen stand off my table and flung it against the wall, then stood near my desk, holding myself against it.
What does he think of himself?! God?! He believes he can command anyone. I am not going to agree with him. I really can’t marry him, especially that arsehole. Marriage was the final thing on my to-do list; I still had a lot of things to do.
I never had a relationship; I spent my adolescent years preparing and my adulthood carrying out my strategy. I don’t have time for all of this. And I don’t want to merge my firm with his; I know it will benefit me, but I just can’t marry him.
And when he claimed he’d make me regret it, I knew he meant it. And I can’t help but tremble as I consider all the ways he might make me regret turning down his proposition.
I can’t risk losing my company, which is everything I have.
The door sprung open, and a perplexed Jona stepped in, “From when did I become your boyfriend?! And you almost kissed me, Vivian, what’s wrong?! “
“You were supposed to act along with me, not stand there as if you have seen a ghost!” I fumed.
“How was I supposed to know what was happening? I didn’t dream that you would do all that. First, you call me in and then introduce me as your boyfriend to Mr. Dante; I should be the one yelling at you. It was not my mistake!” said the man.
Before I could say anything, he marched out of my office and slammed the door.
What the hell?
First, that arsehole screwed with my thoughts, and now I’ve had a fight with a pal. We seldom fight.
Awesome, Vivian!
I sat in my chair, my head between my hands, and attempted to relax myself.