Pleasure and Sin

CHAPTER TEN

LAURINA'S POV

Amira stood at the arrival hall waving excitedly the moment she saw us. I let out a soft chuckle amused by the way she was waving at us in a childish manner. She made a quick run towards us.

“Ms, Laurina! Welcome back to New York, there's so much work left for you to do!”

“What's tickling you, Amira? I just got back.”

“A lot of things! I can't wait to tell you the events that took place while you were in Paris,” she whispered, her eyes glistening with ecstasy.

“You better start talking, you know I don't have time.”

I turned to Jack, “You're excused from your work today. Take a break.”

Amira moved closer to me asking in a low tone, “Are you sending him out of the company?”

I glared at her, “What do you mean?”

“Like, is he fired? It's been a week you know…”

“No.”

She nodded, her eyes scanning Jack suspiciously as he placed the luggage in the booth. I ignored both of them and settled at the backseat resting my head on the car headrest.

So much happened in a week.

“Good morning, Ms,” the driver greeted.

“Good morning, Edmund.”

Edmund was Charles's driver and I wonder why he's here picking me up. I caught him looking at me through the rearview mirror, but I acted as if nothing happened.

“Let's go!” Amira announced the second she entered the car.

A notification popped on my screen, it was a message from Elena, “Girl! Are your lungs okay from screaming!?”, I swiped the message from the drop-down notifications regretting why I told them about my rodeo with Jack yesterday. My phone rang, I sighed in exasperation before swiping the receive icon.

“What…”

“How are you feeling now after getting your p***y wrecked?” A voice from the other end blurted.

My eyes bulged, “Jane! I'm in the car, I'll talk to you later.”

Such wild friends.

My father was in his office when I walked in on him coaxing Roselle. Her face turned into a sneer the moment our eyes met.

“I'm back, father.”

He didn't look up or even acknowledge my presence, he just gestured with his hand that I should sit. Typical billionaire father. Always acting cold towards me while he butters up my half-sister even when I'm the one doing the perfect job being his daughter and his employee.

His secretary brought my coffee. Heads down just flipping through pages of documents that meant nothing!

I dragged my fingers to grab the coffee but it was already cold, his pendulum clock struck. I glanced at my wrist watch, it was almost 3 pm.

I've been here for over an hour without my father looking at me. Roselle had walked out after seeing that I wasn't ready to leave.

“The investors have been sorted out. I have invited a few for the board meeting coming up in three days.”

Mr. Derrick Cole, looked up to meet my eyes for the first time since I walked into his office, his face crumpled with his never ending frown, his ears were slightly red. I could tell he was clearly offended.

“Who gave you such authority?”

“I'm your daughter and a loyal member of your family, and a worker in this company for years. I have such rights!”

“You're clearly overstepping. I won't tolerate your childishness!”

“You haven't even asked me how I was able to convince them. You don't care about how I'm doing.”

“What good would that bring to my company?”

I sucked in the air around me and clenched my fist. I won't let him win this time.

“Save your affection for Roselle. I came here to propose my conditions to you.”

He scoffed, “Like mother, like daughter.”

I swallowed the lump that kept growing in my throat. He knows where to hit me hard.

“The upcoming board meeting…”

He paused and sat still. The corner of his mouth tugged up slightly while a glint appeared in his cold dark eyes as he let out a quiet exhale. After a few seconds, he retorted.

“What about it?”

I straightened, my eyes fixated on him, “The foreign investors will withdraw all investments if you refuse to act appropriately.”

“By what means do you mean appropriately?”

“That is left for you, father.”

“And Charles?”

“You can't threaten me with Charles, Father.”

“How about your little plaything, Jack?”

My heart sank.

“You would not want to risk it, father.”

“Let's see about that.”

I managed to walk out of his office without stumbling, my knees were all wobbly and my palms sweaty. My father would stop at nothing but to ruin Jack just to get to me, so I need to strike before he does. Amira walking beside me.

“Amira, prepare Jack's resignation letter now!”

“Okay. Wait! What???”

“Do as I say!”

“Alright, Ms.”

The sound of my phone ringing uncontrollably woke me up. I squinted my eyes to absorb the glowing light of the morning sun seeping through my room.

“Amira.”

She sprang up on her feet and grabbed the Notepad.

“Today is the board meeting, you need to be ready in an hour. I'll prepare everything you'll need.”

“What about Charles?”

That was the first time I asked about him since I returned from Paris. I haven't seen Jack in three days. He came to the company, but I ordered the security personnels to stop him from entering.

“Mr Charles is recovering. He's in the OPD now.”

“And Roselle?”

“She's currently in the ICU.”

I nodded. Two days ago, after being called in for investigation by the Internal Revenue Service and the prosecution, Charles and Roselle fled by car. Luckily for them, they got involved in a ghastly automobile accident. Their names were all over the news. My father is in the hospital because his blood sugar spiked.

I'm yet to visit any of them. I'll do that after the board meeting.

My phone buzzed again. The name on the screen loomed. I stared at it, my finger hovering around the screen, I swiped up at the third ringtone.

“You go around calling me a cheat, but you could not take your eyes off your employee? Cheap w***e!”

“Jack is no longer my employee. Address him with respect, he is my boyfriend!”

I ended the call on him.

“Ms Laurina, you have to see this.”

Amira rushed to show me the news. The headline glared at me, as I stared at it and for some reason, I was calm.

It read: LAURINA DERRICK COLE AND HER SIDEKICK ON A VACATION IN PARIS AMIDST UNRESOLVED MARRIAGE DRAMA. IS THE COLE GROUP SAFE WITH HER???

I let out a high-pitched and jagged sound which hollowness pierced through my throat containing a mixture of sob and amusement.

Derrick Cole. That's the man I was born to and was raised by. He would stop at nothing than to ruin his rival even if the rival is his daughter.

Well, two can play the game.

It's just a few hours to the board meeting. I need to do something. I had sent my divorce papers by courier to Charles. I don't want a grand revenge, why? Charles is not worth my time and energy.

I glanced at the clock. My father is supposed to receive the gift I sent to him by now. A smile played across my face, I've never felt this euphoric feeling before today. I know he would love it; a picture of his wife in an hotel room with his business rival and a DNA test result showing that Roselle is not his child.

A notification popped on my screen, just what I was waiting for! It read: He fainted when he saw your gift. Mr Derrick is in a critical condition right now.

I walked into the quiet boardroom in my burgundy pantsuit, the shoulder cut and styled perfectly and under my jacket I wore a silk white blouse buttoned to the neck as my burgundy colored heels clicked on the polished marble floor, Amira followed behind.

Due to the recent developments, the board members had unanimously voted me as the new successor of Cole Group.

President Laurina Derrick.