The Billionaire’s Conquest

The car ride

“We need to stop meeting like this” Estephan said to Diane just as he walked up the pedestrian walk way right by the side of the street.

“What you need to do is to stop stalking me” Diane said walking away from him in a swift motion.

He stood still for a moment and then walked towards her trying to catch up with her.

“Actually I just bumped into you, totally accidental” he lied with a grin

“What can I do for you, my bus will be here any moment from now” she said looking at her watch as she finally came to a stop while turning to look at him.

“Easy Tiger”Estephan said trying really hard to ignore her rude attitude and unpleasantness as he had a goal, an aim.

“Please fill me in on what is so important you had to bride a delivery person to come into my office in the middle of the day and embarrass himself like a 12 year old” she said.

“You have to admit that was cute” he giggled

“Okay so two questions, how did you know it was me? and secondly, why do you think I needed to bribe him?” he said

“He could have just been taking one for the team” he added

“For what team?” She said in utter confusion

“The bro team, like the bro code, oh just never mind” he said

She shook her head in disappointment, was that all he could come up with, that was really low even for him.

“I didn’t tell him my name so you definitely got it from his description of me which means you were also checking me out” he added with a grin

“Oh no I could sense the arrogance in the description, I didn’t need to guess multiple times ” Diane said as she looked at her watch.

The bus was to be here any moment from now, she wouldn’t like to miss it, as it will take a long time for the next one to get there.

“People like you just buy your way into anything” Diane said

“People like me?” Estephan asked

“Yes Estephan, people like you” she added

“You have figured out who I am, that is impressive, how long did that take you, 12 hours, a day?” Estephan asked

“Do you have a point here? I don’t have time for meaningless banter” she said while checking her wrist watch again, the bus should have been here by now.

“Easy Tiger” he said again

“How about I give you a ride home, I can see you always checking your watch like you desperately needed to go so, where do you live? He asked

She wasn’t about to take a ride from the arrogant play man of a person who hasn’t even had the decency to apologize for the rude way he acted at the meeting. But on a second thought, the bus is always crowded and mostly filled up before it gets to her stop. The only empty sits are the reserved seats for the elderly. But this was a harmless ride she said to herself, how bad could it get?

“You want to take me home, like my own house?” Diane asked.

“Except you want to go somewhere else, let’s say my place” He replied

With the sudden change in her facial expression, he had to quickly giggle to lighten the mood to make the awkward situation less awkward.

“Just kidding, get in I will drive you home” he said walking towards the order side of the car to get in.

She made a cough-like sound that sounded as though there was something obstructing her throat. He had gotten into the car and she was still standing at that exact spot , when he turned to the right hand side, he saw she hadn’t moved an inch.

“You must be kidding me” he said to himself and step back out of the car to open the door for her to get in.

“Thank you” she said as she got in and he closed the door. Did he just succumb to the meaningless gentleman nature of opening car doors for ladies. Where the hell was his balls he thought.

“And where are we going Miss?” He asked

Her mind travelled really far as she heard him refer to her as miss. Did he know about the failed engagement? He couldn’t possibly know, except he had done a research on her and she had studied men like this, they didn’t care what baggage the women came with all they wanted was to get laid.

“ Madison Avenue” Diane said

“What number exactly?” he asked

“When we get there I will let you know” she added

He drove a maserati levante hybrid, black in color. The interior was so comfortable she stretched her legs and got into a more comfortable position, this was way better than the congested bus she rode. She should get another car soon enough, but this would be after she had cleared her debt with the bank and her income flow was more stable. She looked at him while he drove, he looked really handsome and those cheekbones couldn’t be hidden in that side view.

“Like what you see?” Estephan asked Diane looking a little to her side and lingering his eyes on her breast.

There it was, the dog in all men she said to herself.

“Why wouldn’t you come downstairs the other day? just curious” Estephan asked trying to make sense of the whole situation.

“Well I had no interest in talking to you, I was so sure anything you had to say was unrelated to business so I decided to pass at your offer” she said

With a grin on his forehead he spoke back to her

“You only do business meetings?, I find that really hard to believe” he said to her.

“ I am only interested in having business meetings with you, this is highly personal” Diane added

“So this is solely due to the fact that my company is buying yours?” He asked

“This is due to the fact that I have better things to focus on that playing hide-seek, chase or flings , what ever you guys term it this days, just count me out”

“And you are so sure that is what I am interested in?” He asked her stealing a glance at her and placing his eyes back on the road.

“Your reputation precedes you Mr” she added

“Isn’t that a hastened judgement” he asked

“Oh no I don’t think that is, my job gives me the opportunity to analyze investment opportunities and advice my clients on profitable ventures, as for you Mr, you are high risk with very low level of profit , so I will say what I always say to my clients, this is not worth it”

Did she just call him a high risk investment with very low chances of profit. That was just cold even for him. He had a choice, to shut this girl and her bluff down or to keep playing nice guy and prove his point to Raymond that he could still get any girl he wants.

“Low chances of profit doesn’t translate to no chances of profit” he said

“Investments with a high risk are usually the ones worth taking” he added

He didn’t know why he said that, he never believed that one bit, he knew better, he had built a company from scratch to where it was today. He didn’t do that from acting dumb to get into a lady’s panties but here he was, making a fool of his educational background. But he was willing to go all the way to stop the teasing from Raymond.

“Yeah right” Diane said

She had a lot of come backs for that very fallacious statement, but she wasn’t going to use them as they could bruise his ego and he was still going to be her boss if the deal pulls through and she was hardheaded but not outrightly stupid.

“How long have you worked at Great Monument bank honestly?” He asked

“5 years now” she replied

“And you head their investment team? That company must really be a joke” he added.

She held back herself the first time he belittled her intellectual capacity as they were in a meeting , this was the second time he was throwing stones at her again and the deal wasn’t final yet, Dune’s global may not get to buy her bank. She needed to put this rude arrogant punk in his place.

“Do you go around spitting out baseless unclassified statements to people you barely know?” She asked

“What makes you think I am unqualified for the job, because I am a woman, because I am young or it is just your very own misogynistic attitude that makes you have this prejudice against any successful woman” she said

She shook her head looked right at him

“I blame you not, just because you have dipped that joy stick of yours into so many honey jars that you find it hard to distinguish one from the other , you think every lady is just a p***y with head and legs and you have the right to address them as you so please” she continued

She knew she might have no job to return to as the only thing keeping the company afloat was the hope of the acquisition with Dune Global which she might have just destroyed to safe her dignity. Was that a stupid high risk, low chances of profit venture? hell yeah it was, but it felt totally liberating.

“ I would alight here” she said

He looked up at the place that she pointed at, it was a supermarket. She obviously didn’t want him to know her house which was fair enough after she had just rained insults on him and calling him a misogynist.

He stopped the car and she alighted from it without him saying a word. It was certain, she had definitely lost her job.