Finding Mrs Billionaire

She looked up from her desk to see Tristan walking towards her. She had not heard him walk in. Maybe he had forgotten something in the office. He strode up to her desk and motioned for her to stand up. He walked round her table and grabbed her close to him by her slender waist. She had dreamed about this for so long. He began to call her name. “Jessica, Jessica, Jessica” The call became more insistent as she awoke from her reverie. She had zoned out. It was the last of her colleagues calling her as he left the office for the day. The time was 6 pm and Jessica was finishing up at the office before going to join Tristan and at the restaurant booked for the evening. She would have to rush home as soon as the dinner was to start by 8 pm. She wondered where the thoughts of Tristan had come from. She believed she did not see him in that way. The very opposite is what she thought of him. He was cold towards her and anyone that worked for the company. He was a good boss, but that was it. She had worked with him long enough to understand him a little and from what she could see. He wasn’t happy, to say the least. How could he be happy, what with the long list of females that are always trying to get into his bed. The phone on her table rang, and the caller. That said, Tristan Warton. She was tempted not to pick up the phone, but she already knew that he was calling to ask about the reservations. She picked up the phone. “Hello, Tristan.” Hey DorkJess, I guessed you would still be at the office. I am sending Carlton to pick you up. He will follow you home and take you to La Chinata. “Ok, Tristan. Thank you”. The line went off. She looked at the phone in her hand. He never said goodbye, he just passed his message across and cut the line. She always wondered about that when she started, but as time went by she had gotten used to it. She called Carlton, and he confirmed he was already at the carpark waiting for her. Jessica left the office and headed home in her car. Carlton followed her in his car. She quickly took a bath and wore her little black dress. La Chinata was an upscale restaurant located in the hills. It regularly hosted the elite of society who wanted a quiet, serene environment that was away from the public eye. It wasn’t a surprise to find Hollywood actors and top politicians having dinner together and discussing business. She walked in and was greeted by the maître d. Good evening, Ms. Jessica. Always a delight to see you. Let me take you to your table. Good evening, Mr. Escavros. Thank you. He led her into the restaurant past the dimly lit tables where whisperings could barely be heard to a booth in the back of the room. As she approached, she saw Tristan talking with Vincent Koder, his best friend and also senior vice president of the Warton group. Also at the table was John Lee, the first son and heir to the Lee dynasty, a business partner with the company in Korea. It was obvious from the scene that they had been here a while. “Hey, look who is here. You made it in time.” Vincent was the first one to speak up. She had never liked him. He had been Tristan’s best friend from university. His family was also wealthy, but not like the Wartons. They had found themselves in hard times, and he had chosen to work for his friend’s company. She did not trust him, he had tried to date her a while ago, and she had turned him down. She was sure he had not taken it well. Luckily for her, Tristan liked working with her. She knew he would have tried to get her fired. She heard rumors that he had slept with a lot of the women in the office, but she did not do office gossip. Tristan looked up at her and nodded his head. John stood up and greeted her by bowing his head. “Hello, Ms. Durdan. I am glad you could join us. You look lovely this evening,” John remarked. She smiled at him and responded to his remark. “Thank you, Mr. Lee. You are most gracious as always.” The table engaged in small talk, while the waiter came to take orders. After dinner, the conversation turned to business. “What date is the launch of the flagship store in Tokyo and when would you want us there?” Vincent asked John. The partnership between the Wartons and the Lees had started in the Williams era. The Lees had been major distributors for the company in Asia for over 30 years, and the partnership has been fruitful ever since. “The event will take place in 2 weeks. Everything is ready for the launch. Regarding your arrival, the expectation is that you would let us know so that we can make arrangements.” John responded, looking from Vincent to Tristan. Tristan nodded and turned to Jessica. Ms. Durden will pull everything together from our end and talk with your team. We don’t expect that any issues will arise. Great job, John. This is excellent news. The numbers look good, and I am sure your dad will be proud of all the work you are doing. Thank you, Tristan. I am glad you are happy with the results. “So when will you be returning to Seoul?” “I will be leaving in 2 days. My schedule has me visiting with Kim’s American partners while on my visit. She is busy attending to family matters and couldn’t travel with me.” Tristan looked up when he heard Kim’s name. “Oh Kim, how is she doing?” he asked. “She is doing well. Her fashion brand is expanding, and she is thinking of becoming more active over here. There seems to be a resurgence of Asian brands here in the States and this seems like a good time to take advantage of that,” John remarked. Tristan smiled at the remark. Kim had always been ambitious. He thought back to when they had dated. They had broken up because she wanted more from life than to become the wife of a CEO. At least that’s how he remembered it. They had hooked up more than once since then but nothing had come of it. “That sounds great. If there is any way, we can help. Do let me know.” Jessica listened with rapt attention. She wondered about this meeting and what it would mean for the next couple of weeks. It was always busy at the office, but launches and other events meant a myriad of activities would need coordination. She made a mental note to put together a team at the office. The meeting was drawing to a close, and it was already late when the maitre d came and handed Tristan a note. He looked at it and smiled. “Gentlemen and Lady, I believe this meeting has been successful. Thank you for your time. John, always a pleasure having you around. I will call you tomorrow to check up on you.” He stood up and buttoned his jacket, signaling the end of the meeting. The rest at the table also stood up. John reached into his jacket and took out a small gift box. “I know it’s your birthday tomorrow, so I got you a present.” John handed the box to Tristan. Thank you, John. How thoughtful of you, he added, opening up the box. Inside it was a Vacheron Constantin watch. He handed over the watch to Carlton, who had come into the restaurant a few minutes earlier. He turned to Jessica and told her that she would be Carlton and would be dropping her at her home while he and Vincent still had other things to attend to. She bid goodbye to John and Vincent and left the restaurant. As she walked out, she saw Amelia, one of Tristan’s girls as she called them, and another lady walking into the restaurant. She now understood the note he had received. Amelia looked at her and turned her head away with a sneer on her face. Jessica had never liked her. Floozy, she thought to herself as she got into the car. What do men really want, she asked Carlton. He smiled and answered, “It depends on whom that man was and what time of the day it was.” She laughed at his response as she looked out of the window at the city lights as the car moved silently on its way to her house. She was barely awake when she arrived. She thanked him as he drove off. She was asleep before she hit the bed.