Daring The Billionaire

"The boss is here." A whispered shout sounded from the entrance of Shanti-Goddess Co.'s top floor of their headquarters. The warning had every employee scrambling to their workstations and others, trying to look busy. The once-a-week visit from the boss and owner was always a scary surprise. If caught in the wrong place or doing the wrong thing, you could be out on your ass before you can say, Shanti. Mira Cole, the boss' personal assistant, rushed to place a cup of black coffee on the desk before leaving and going to her office next door. The whole floor fell into silence as all that could be heard was the clicking of keyboards or shuffles of paper. When the clicking of shoes sounded on the marble floor, no one dared to lift their heads, scared to be called in. Apart from their frightening boss, everyone loved and valued their jobs. The salaries were good, the benefits better and the hours were the best. Shanti-Goddess was a great company to work for. Shanti-Goddess was a company, founded and owned by Simone Njopera, that focused on hair care for all races. When it started, it was just one saloon that focused mainly on African women's hair. But Simone had a bigger dream to work with all hair types and help women manage their hair and beauty. Three years back, Simone branched out into men's care, which was a whooping success that catapulted the company to international markets. Now Shanti-Goddess had more than twenty franchised saloons, and successful hair care products for both males and females. The climb to the top had not been a walk in the park, Simone had to toughen up to reach the goal. Being ruthless and having a low tolerance for nonsense was important. Hence, why everyone feared their boss. "Mira, my office now." The boss' calm, cool tone called out, making Mira scramble to get up and rush. She quickly walked into the office, shut the door behind her, then stood waiting with her tablet ready. "Good morning," Mira spoke out when she saw that her boss was lost in a file and did not even notice that Mira was there. "Morning Mira. Thank you for my coffee, I really needed it after the family dinner last night." Simone replied, offering a tired smile. Mira moved to go sit down and set the tablet with the planner on the side. She knew family dinners at the Njopera's were taxing, having attended a few herself. Mira and Simone were cousins, their mothers had been sisters. Mira's mother had passed away when she was ten and her father had moved them to Cape Town to be closer to his family. After Mira graduated, she moved back to Johannesburg and joined her cousin in the hair business. This was when Shanti Goddess Co. was still a baby, still a dream. Now it was a growing multibillion empire and Simone knew she could have done it without Mira. "Did your mother try matchmaking again?" Mira asked with a grimace. "Worse. She compiled a catalog of all the eligible and well-bred bachelors, according to her at least. It was horrible." Simone complained as she sat down and laid her face on her desk. "Don't do that, you will ruin your makeup." Mira scolded. "I don't care," Simone mumbled but still lifted her face, her make-up unaffected. Simone had a beautiful, milk chocolate skin that she looked after. Her hair, the inspiration that sparked her empire, was kept natural and styled to perfection. She was the first face of Shanti-Goddess, the first model for her brand. Back then, she would also do hair for her few clients on her own instead of handing it over to her assistants. Now she mainly concentrated on the business side of her empire, which she did flawlessly. Mira sometimes felt jealous of how her cousin had it all; beauty, brains, and drive. Mira was by no means ugly; she was a beauty in her own standing. Her father had been white, so her skin was a caramel tone. Her hair was a messy curl that she struggled with until Simone taught her how to maintain it. Her cousin knew hair and her products made hair of all types healthy and easy to maintain. A much-needed miracle for women all over. "You will have to choose someone one day or she will not stop," Mira told her cousin. She did sympathize with Simone, but there was no helping her. She was turning thirty in a month and Claire Njopera wanted her married. The problem was Claire did not want just anybody as a son-in-law. She wanted the cream of the crop. The poor man had to be the right pedigree to even be given a second glance. Claire Njopera was from old South African money. She married Simon Njopera, a newly rich man from Zimbabwe, and helped him become even richer. Their only daughter was expected to marry a man of their standing, at least Claire expected it. Simon was more laid back and cared for his daughter's happiness, but the push of his wife made him step back when Claire played matchmaker. "I do not have the time nor the tolerance to deal with a relationship. Shanti just went international; I need to focus on that. Did you manage to arrange a meeting with Mr. Stein?" Just like that, Simone switched from venting to business mode. She knew she had no time to willow and moan about her mother. Shanti needed her to be sharp and focused. But Mira knew better, she knew her cousin had longed for a relationship. Mira had just moved in with her boyfriend and everything was great. She saw the flicker of sadness in Simone when Bradley came to visit. It was not jealousy, more like the fear that she did not believe she could find love so easy-going and right. She had suitors lining up, but they felt like vultures to her. All see her more as a business advancement wrapped in a pretty package. "Yes, he agreed to dine tomorrow night at seven. I have already called and booked a private table at Marble. Do you still want to personally interview the models? I have it scheduled for today at nine." Mira quickly responded, she knew the schedule by heart, having planned every detail personally. "Yes, I can never trust Billings with that. He sees big breasts and sees beauty, to hell with what the face looks like or what we are looking for." "Big boobs, huh? Are you not just jealous because yours are tiny?" Mira teased as she got up. "At least they're bigger than those mosquito bites you have." Simone teased back with a playful smile, earning an outraged gasp from her cousin. "You leave my mosquito bites alone you Meany." Mira countered as she used the tablet to shield her chest. For an extra dramatic flair, she stuck her tongue out at her boss who giggled at her childish behavior. "Haha now get back to work, I do not pay you to joke around with me," Simone ordered, pretending to be serious but ever grateful to her cousin who always cheered her up. "Ma'am, yes ma'am," Mira said with a mock salute before leaving the office. She quickly wiped off her smile before people thought her cousin was getting soft. Simone Njopera had a reputation to protect.