Seduced By The Competition

Chapter3

As Morgan left the room, she rubbed her sweaty palms on her pantsuit. She couldn’t believe her crazy pitch actually worked! She had been a bit terrified it might not work out. Well, to be honest, a lot terrified. Carla might have been a backstabbing b***h, the most valuable thing she taught her was to always project confidence. More than half the time, people would buy sand over gold if the person looked completely sure of themselves. A lesson she wished she had earlier in life. It was a secret she never told anyone except Carla but she had once applied for a job for the researcher at Bellini. She had mousy and introverted back then. Could barely get a word out during the interview. And it didn’t help that Alessandro Bellini was one of her interviewers. She had never thought she would be back in this building, for what was basically another interview, but funny how life works out.

Her phone rang and she saw it was Laura’s ID.

‘So, how did it go? I have been holding my breath for the past hour,’ her preppy voice rang out.

‘We might just have a way to turn this whole thing around.’ Morgan said, smiling.

‘I knew you could do it! s**t, we should go out for drinks. Celebrate.’

Morgan laughed. Laura’s giddiness seemed to be catching. ‘Celebrate? This whole thing is one giant maybe. And isn’t counting chickens before they hatch supposed to be bad luck? I would like to avoid that, thank you very much.’

‘Well, considering the week you have had, you deserve to believe in a win. And besides, I have a good feeling about this and my gut feeling is never wrong.’

Morgan also had a good feeling about this. But if there is one thing this incident had taught her, it is that she should be alert. Things could always go south in an instant.

‘So, a merger.’ Jared asked Damian as they came to the end of their run. They ran once a week in the private park that was located at Damian’s apartment complex. Jared was the only one of his sibling he was actually close to and this one of the ways they kept in touch. ‘Are you sure it is a good idea? Because it looks like you are throwing away the race so that you can impress some girl.’

Damian shot him a glare. ‘I don’t make dumb decisions like that. And I am not throwing anything away.’ The Race. That is the name they came up with for the competition their parents had created for them. Each of the four siblings were given a subsidiary 10 years ago and whoever had the highest net worth would become the chairman of the conglomerate. It was the kind of typical thing his parents would pull, pitting the siblings against each other. It was one of the reasons he never talked to his siblings. Except for Jared who decided that he didn’t play those kind of games. Unfortunately, these kinds of competition only excited Damian. His siblings were tough opponents.

‘I do see the way you look at her, Damian. It would not outrageous to assume.’

Damian didn’t know he was this obvious. He knew what it looked like, merging with a company that was on the brink of collapse and inherited all that debt and liability but Morgan had sent over the charter the day before and he was impressed. Beyond impressed, he found himself in the reversal. He might have become the one desperate to merge them together. If she could deliver what she was promising, they might actually change the anti-ageing cream sector. He had already had his lawyers draft up contract and send it out to her. He crunched the numbers and it wouldn’t be just making little profits. It would be like discovering a gold mine. And working with Morgan Reed was just a delicious bonus benefit.

‘I don’t mix business with pleasure. I know what I am doing.’ He took a swig from his water bottle.

‘if you say so. So, are you coming for family dinner? Mother said you have not replied her messages.’

Damian internally groaned. His family was one of the things he hated dealing with and the monthly family dinner was when he had to be around them in droves. He had avoided the past three ones but he was running out of excuses. Wasn’t if funny? He ran a billion dollar institution and made people feel intimidated just by being in the room but meeting his family always tied his stomach in knots.

‘I will be there.’ There was the point postponing it further. He would have to face it eventually.

‘Woah,’ Laura said as she threw back two shots of tequila at the lounge that she had insisted they go to after Morgan had come to work to the best present she had gotten in a while. The contract from Bellini. Of course, conditions and stipulations would need to be ironed out and her lawyers would have to take a look at it but over all, this meant that they had weathered the storm. . It was one of those chic places with tasteful décor and exquisite artwork. The whole place exuded a refined ambience but also gave a sense of comfort with its warm, low lighting and soft music. And though her plan wasn’t to get blackout drunk which definitely seemed to be Laura’s agenda right now, she already on her second glass of wine and her body seemed to want to sway with the soft music that was playing. It had been a long ordeal but it was over and now, she was merging with the number one in the business. It was okay to cut loose a little bit.

‘Hey, that guy has been staring at you for a while.’ She could already hear a slur in Laura’s voice.

She turned in the direction that Laura had suggested and she was surprised to see Damian Bellini sitting there, nursing a glass of whiskey. She didn’t expected to find him at a place like this. She didn’t know whether it was the drink talking, but he looked delectable. He was in a casual black shirt that hugged his frame with its arms rolled up, exposing sexy forearms that did weird things to her insides. She met his gaze and she felt heat course through her body. The intensity was leaving her breathless.

Morgan, control yourself. When did he start to look at her? Like he was a ravenous wildcat and she was his prey. Laura’s words came back to her. He looks at you like he wants to gobble you up. Morgan now knew what she meant. And she was curious.

‘Wait here,’ she told Laura and walked towards Damian. ‘Hello, partner. Fanc

y running into you here.’