Page 3
Story: His Ring, Her Rules
An hour later, my intercom beeped, and when I pushed the button, Jona remarked coldly, “You have a meeting with the French investors in fifteen minutes.”
“Cancel all the meetings; I’m going home.” He didn’t respond, but I knew he understood.
I was not in the mood to attend any more meetings or do anything, so I took my belongings from my desk and decided to return home.
Walking past Jona’s desk, he did not even look at me. He was angry!
I chose not to say anything to him and went home.
“You’re back early, Vivian,” Tonia replied upon seeing me.
“Yeah…I wasn’t feeling well, so I came back.”
“Are you ok?” she inquired.
“Of course, all I need is some rest,” I said, smiling.
She nodded and smiled back. When I called her, she turned to go, adding, “And Tonia, there’s no need to cook dinner tonight; I’ll make it.”
“Yes, Vivian,” she said before departing.
I know how to make things up to Jona.
Jona likes my smoke-flavored chicken curry, so I decided to prepare it today for him and apologize.
So, I started cooking my curry while marinating the chicken…
Two hours later, my curry was ready, and I packed it with some homemade bread. After dressing casually in jeans and a T-shirt, I went down to my favorite automobile, the Bentley Continental GT.
I instantly drove to his flat and rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, Jona opened his door with a bored attitude, and when he saw me, his eyes brightened slightly.
“What are you doing here?” he questioned, attempting to appear chilly, although I knew it was an assumption. His gaze dropped to the packet I was holding, and I’m sure he could smell the curry instantly.
“Why can’t I come to see my best friend?” I said, sidestepping him and heading inside his flat, keeping the packet on the table.
“Thought Miss Hayes was angry that I couldn’t act along with her lie…” he babbled.
“Come on, bro, you know I could never get angry with you. I am sorry; I was just frustrated and yelled at you,” I apologized, giving him puppy eyes.
He rolled his eyes and grumbled, “Well…what have you brought?”
“Your favourite smoky-flavoured chicken curry! Am I forgiven now?”
“Of course, Miss Hayes,” he laughed.
“Yay!” I cried cheerfully, softly pecking his cheeks.
Jona prepared the table, and we all sat down together for dinner.
“So, what happened today?” Jona enquired, cramming his teeth with food.
“That arsehole wanted to marry me.”
“What!?”
“I mean, he wanted to merge our companies by marrying each other…” I told Jona everything.
“And that’s when I called you in, and you know how bad I am at lying, and your expression only made it worse.” By the time I finished talking, Jona’s mouth dropped.
“But…what if he…actually does something…like, you know what he is capable of?” he said, concerned.
“I know, Jona,” I said, “he did threaten me, and I know he will be doing something sooner or later…we just have to be prepared.”
“But I can’t marry him either,” I explained.
“Yes, you can’t marry him, and what if he finds out about…” he trailed off, and I understood precisely what he meant.
“He can never know that…I have tried my best to hide those things for seven years, and no one knows about it till now, so I don’t think that he will get to know about it.” Jona laughed as she said.
I hope he never finds out about all that…
“And Vivian, remember the land that we had to buy in Texas for the new restaurant?” Jona asked, changing the subject.
“Yes?”
“The couple that is living there are not ready to sell the land no matter how much we tried to persuade them,” stated the man.
“What is their problem?”
“They say that it’s difficult to find a new house and all that.”
I paused for a second before saying, “Fine. Find them a decent house and even double the amount we were paying them earlier. I need that land.”
“Ok, Miss Hayes.”
A week had passed…a week of quiet, with nothing happening and everything running perfectly; it seemed like the calm before the storm. He did nothing, but I knew he would because Jaxon Dante should never be underestimated.
I was standing in my office, near the glass wall, scanning the highways. My office was on the 50th level, so the view from here was breathtaking and always soothed me.
My intercom beeped, and I touched the button to hear Jona say, “Miss Naomi from the Finance Department wishes to see you; it is important.”
Miss Naomi was the head of the Finance Department.
“Send her in.”
A few seconds later, there was a tap on the door, and Miss Naomi stepped in with her laptop in hand, appearing afraid. If I am not intimidating, why does she seem pale?
“Good morning, Miss Hayes”, she said.
“Morning”, I answered.
“Ma’am…there is a…problem.”
“Which problem?”
She strolled up to me, set her laptop on my desk, opened it, and began typing.
“Ma’am…suddenly our restaurants in Ohio have started…to incur a loss. We have been going smoothly till yesterday, but suddenly today they incurred losses and not small but huge, and it’s not just one restaurant but all the restaurants in Ohio”, she said, causing me to become pale.
“Show me.”
She showed me her laptop, and she was correct; the losses were large and sudden.
“Ma’am…we are…trying…but…” She was frightened I would yell at her and criticize her, although I know she is not to blame.
“Miss Naomi, you can leave now; try to handle it, and I will see to it.” She nodded before departing.
I massaged my temples with annoyance…
Then I grabbed my phone and left my workplace.
Walking up to Jona’s desk, I asked him, “Do I have a meeting today?”
“Yes, you have a meeting in an hour.”
“How many meetings do I have today?”
“Just this one.”
“Cancel it,” I instructed.
“But…why?”
“I will explain later, Jona; just cancel all the meetings. I have more important work to do right now.”
“Where are you going?” he enquired in perplexity.
I informed him as I walked away from his desk, “To settle a few things.”
I drove as rapidly as possible till I arrived at my destination.
I approached the receptionist’s desk and stated, “I want to meet Mr. Dante.”
She was still typing on the computer when she said, “Do you have an appointment?”
“Listen to me!” I yelled, forcing her to glance up at me as her eyes widened when she recognized me. “Just tell your boss that ‘Vivian Hayes’ is here; he must be expecting me.”
“Ye-yes, Ma’am.” She held the phone to her ears and whispered a few things before standing up and stating, “I will take you to his office, ma’am.”
“No need of it; just tell me the floor.”
“70th floor.”
“Cancel all the meetings; I’m going home.” He didn’t respond, but I knew he understood.
I was not in the mood to attend any more meetings or do anything, so I took my belongings from my desk and decided to return home.
Walking past Jona’s desk, he did not even look at me. He was angry!
I chose not to say anything to him and went home.
“You’re back early, Vivian,” Tonia replied upon seeing me.
“Yeah…I wasn’t feeling well, so I came back.”
“Are you ok?” she inquired.
“Of course, all I need is some rest,” I said, smiling.
She nodded and smiled back. When I called her, she turned to go, adding, “And Tonia, there’s no need to cook dinner tonight; I’ll make it.”
“Yes, Vivian,” she said before departing.
I know how to make things up to Jona.
Jona likes my smoke-flavored chicken curry, so I decided to prepare it today for him and apologize.
So, I started cooking my curry while marinating the chicken…
Two hours later, my curry was ready, and I packed it with some homemade bread. After dressing casually in jeans and a T-shirt, I went down to my favorite automobile, the Bentley Continental GT.
I instantly drove to his flat and rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, Jona opened his door with a bored attitude, and when he saw me, his eyes brightened slightly.
“What are you doing here?” he questioned, attempting to appear chilly, although I knew it was an assumption. His gaze dropped to the packet I was holding, and I’m sure he could smell the curry instantly.
“Why can’t I come to see my best friend?” I said, sidestepping him and heading inside his flat, keeping the packet on the table.
“Thought Miss Hayes was angry that I couldn’t act along with her lie…” he babbled.
“Come on, bro, you know I could never get angry with you. I am sorry; I was just frustrated and yelled at you,” I apologized, giving him puppy eyes.
He rolled his eyes and grumbled, “Well…what have you brought?”
“Your favourite smoky-flavoured chicken curry! Am I forgiven now?”
“Of course, Miss Hayes,” he laughed.
“Yay!” I cried cheerfully, softly pecking his cheeks.
Jona prepared the table, and we all sat down together for dinner.
“So, what happened today?” Jona enquired, cramming his teeth with food.
“That arsehole wanted to marry me.”
“What!?”
“I mean, he wanted to merge our companies by marrying each other…” I told Jona everything.
“And that’s when I called you in, and you know how bad I am at lying, and your expression only made it worse.” By the time I finished talking, Jona’s mouth dropped.
“But…what if he…actually does something…like, you know what he is capable of?” he said, concerned.
“I know, Jona,” I said, “he did threaten me, and I know he will be doing something sooner or later…we just have to be prepared.”
“But I can’t marry him either,” I explained.
“Yes, you can’t marry him, and what if he finds out about…” he trailed off, and I understood precisely what he meant.
“He can never know that…I have tried my best to hide those things for seven years, and no one knows about it till now, so I don’t think that he will get to know about it.” Jona laughed as she said.
I hope he never finds out about all that…
“And Vivian, remember the land that we had to buy in Texas for the new restaurant?” Jona asked, changing the subject.
“Yes?”
“The couple that is living there are not ready to sell the land no matter how much we tried to persuade them,” stated the man.
“What is their problem?”
“They say that it’s difficult to find a new house and all that.”
I paused for a second before saying, “Fine. Find them a decent house and even double the amount we were paying them earlier. I need that land.”
“Ok, Miss Hayes.”
A week had passed…a week of quiet, with nothing happening and everything running perfectly; it seemed like the calm before the storm. He did nothing, but I knew he would because Jaxon Dante should never be underestimated.
I was standing in my office, near the glass wall, scanning the highways. My office was on the 50th level, so the view from here was breathtaking and always soothed me.
My intercom beeped, and I touched the button to hear Jona say, “Miss Naomi from the Finance Department wishes to see you; it is important.”
Miss Naomi was the head of the Finance Department.
“Send her in.”
A few seconds later, there was a tap on the door, and Miss Naomi stepped in with her laptop in hand, appearing afraid. If I am not intimidating, why does she seem pale?
“Good morning, Miss Hayes”, she said.
“Morning”, I answered.
“Ma’am…there is a…problem.”
“Which problem?”
She strolled up to me, set her laptop on my desk, opened it, and began typing.
“Ma’am…suddenly our restaurants in Ohio have started…to incur a loss. We have been going smoothly till yesterday, but suddenly today they incurred losses and not small but huge, and it’s not just one restaurant but all the restaurants in Ohio”, she said, causing me to become pale.
“Show me.”
She showed me her laptop, and she was correct; the losses were large and sudden.
“Ma’am…we are…trying…but…” She was frightened I would yell at her and criticize her, although I know she is not to blame.
“Miss Naomi, you can leave now; try to handle it, and I will see to it.” She nodded before departing.
I massaged my temples with annoyance…
Then I grabbed my phone and left my workplace.
Walking up to Jona’s desk, I asked him, “Do I have a meeting today?”
“Yes, you have a meeting in an hour.”
“How many meetings do I have today?”
“Just this one.”
“Cancel it,” I instructed.
“But…why?”
“I will explain later, Jona; just cancel all the meetings. I have more important work to do right now.”
“Where are you going?” he enquired in perplexity.
I informed him as I walked away from his desk, “To settle a few things.”
I drove as rapidly as possible till I arrived at my destination.
I approached the receptionist’s desk and stated, “I want to meet Mr. Dante.”
She was still typing on the computer when she said, “Do you have an appointment?”
“Listen to me!” I yelled, forcing her to glance up at me as her eyes widened when she recognized me. “Just tell your boss that ‘Vivian Hayes’ is here; he must be expecting me.”
“Ye-yes, Ma’am.” She held the phone to her ears and whispered a few things before standing up and stating, “I will take you to his office, ma’am.”
“No need of it; just tell me the floor.”
“70th floor.”