With an opportunity of a lifetime to make her entrepreneurial dreams come true, Thea finds it getting increasingly harder to hide her attraction to her boss, Aiden Steele - not knowing that the man under all the cold layers has a secret worth millio...
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Wide awake and in the presence of the beautiful sun outside, I found myself appreciating the German city more and more. I had always dreamt of visiting Europe, the place was the essence of history and lessons to learn, but with Mr Killjoy present, it was hard to appreciate anything in its entirety. He was dressed in a sharp blue suit, and on more than one occasion I had to tear my eyes away from him before he would start noticing something. I had opted for a soft yellow dress; some might even argue it was cream. The shapewear I had purchased had been a godsend under this, and I was admiring the flatness of my tummy every second I could see myself in the mirror. Sure, it made breathing tough for the first few minutes, but who needed air anyway?
Jade and Monica were perfectly paired like two peas in a pod, down to even their shoes being the same shade of black. Jade's braids were held behind in a ponytail while Monica had made a smooth looking bun. We were all at our professional best and then there was Jason, dressed in possibly the messiest red shirt and black pants, the top buttons of his shirt undone. He looked very much like a fuckboy with daddy's wallet in the look, and I had no doubt this is what he would have looked like all those years ago at HBS. He was a year younger than Aiden, but Aiden had identified his talent before anyone else had and grabbed the opportunity to lock down the man with both hands.
Now, the world is chasing after Jason Emerson. But Jason would never forget the face that had faith in him when no one else did. He had practically shared many of Aiden's firsts in the business, and leaving Steele Enterprises was like leaving home.
Don't quote me on it, I only read it in his Forbes interview last week.
While Monica and Jade worked in tandem to run the meeting smoothly, Aiden and Jason carried on negotiations with the dealers we were losing our relationship with. Someone else was offering higher returns, but would they come with the trust of the Steeles? The Germans discussed among themselves in hushed tones, and I found the complete exercise unnecessary. They could be screaming and I wouldn't understand shit.
Jason cracked jokes and made light of the situation with the men when we took a break, and I realized that his outfit and demeanour both served a purpose. He wasn't here as CMO of Steele Enterprises. He wanted to appear like he was a friend of theirs, who was hoping to build a broken bridge. Fucking geniuses.
Aiden turned to me, "What do you think?"
I hadn't spoken a word since I had entered the room, but being put on the spot like that was nothing new. Luckily, I knew how to pay attention better now. "I think he's considering the offer but he wants to see how much more we can bring. It's almost like he's assessing which partner is worth keeping over the other."
Aiden nodded, continuing, "How much more can we give?"
"Breakeven is at letting them have 27%, so I'd say nothing above 15%."
"Brutal." He grinned, "I trained you well. But I'd go lower. 5%."
I raised a brow.
"Any company in business with the Steeles gets undue credit and advantages their competitors don't."
