Co-Presidents

10

"Ms Mahi, Mr Dyke just bought Essex properties," the secretary came rushing in with the tabloid in hand. Kanti and Ari looked at her weirdly and she just showed Ari the news report.

"And so?" Ari asked after skimming.

"He used the company money," she said slowly, praying Ari would catch on onto what she's saying.

"Wait, he used our company money?" Kanti asked, standing up and the secretary just nodded.

"But that wasn't in the contract. He's supposed to keep to his side of the company and we keep to ours! That includes all profits!" Kanti expressed herself, trying her best not to raise her voice.

"Make a copy of this. I'll pick it up at reception within the next minute," Ari said as she got up and walked out of her office.

Kanti launched the programme to start running; she'd designed a system that would inform her of any backdoors or strange inputs or outputs connected to Dyke enterprises. She was barely finished with the software and she wasn't happy with the confirmations it gave her.

Kanti wasn't sure what her cousin had in mind but she was sure Ari wouldn't keep quiet. She just shrugged her shoulders and shut the office door, taking her phone and plugging in her earphones.

Ari collected the papers from the front desk and got in her car. She drove towards the tall, blue Dyke building, her blood boiling. They didn't even start being partners properly and he was already violating the rules.

"Where is he?!" Ari asked no one in particular as she walked to the front desk, papers in hand. She showed her business card to the receptionist and continued to march into his department. It was always the same in every company. The CEO and all associates had their offices on the same darn floor or around.

"I'm afraid he's in a meeting right now," the secretary at the lobby of the conference floor said, speaking politely. Ari was determined to give that Kaden guy a piece of her mind. Be it if he's in a meeting or not.

She turned to the secretary and stared at her intimidatingly. "Well tell that son of a-"

"She won't be telling me anything," a commanding voice spoke behind her, giving her goosebumps.

She turned around, and for the first time since their recent meeting, came face to face with him. He was clean-shaven and his hair combed backwards. His suit fitted for him perfectly. He stared at her in a challenging and she could inhale his musky-woodsy cologne from where she was standing.

"Follow me once you're done staring," he ordered, turning around and walking through two glass doors. She immediately felt her bile rise as she walked in after him and shut the glass door rather too forcefully.

"Dude, what's your problem?" She asked, trying to control her temper. He just stood in the middle of his office with a cute look of confusion on his face.

Cute? Rubbish. He was far from cute. And certainly not on the good side.

"Pardon me, but I'm not sure what you're talking about," he said politely, giving her a pitiful look.

"Oh, no?" She threw the papers at him and he took a look at them, realisation flooding over his face.

"Oh, this," was all he said as he took a seat and looked up at her, admiring her outfit which displayed her long legs. Her hair was tied back into a tight bun and not a single stray was in sight. Shame. He'd have loved to tuck it behind her ear. Her dress was just above her knee and he wondered what lay beneath it.

"Three hundred million dollars into some properties, are you kidding me?!" She looked at him in disbelief and he just rubbed his temple. Never had he had to explain why he did what he did and the thought of starting wasn't sitting well with him.

"Even though I don't want to, I have a good explana-" he said but she cut him off.

"Well, duh," she rolled her eyes and flopped down in the couch across him. "That's the reason I'm here, so make it quick." She spoke with more authority than him. He wondered if she'd try and boss him around too.

"That's half the prize they were selling it for. And besides, they're now working under us." She knew about the method he'd used to buy that company but the reason he gave her was stupid, if not anything less.

"You had thirty percent of shares in it and I had forty-five percent. Us becoming business partners meant we had seventy-five percent in total," he said, slowly moving his hand so she'd put two and two together. When she looked at him in a confused manner he sighed and continued explaining.

"Having over half the company, and also because I'm an influential man myself," he winked, "I pushed them just a little to sell their company to us." A small smile was decorating his handsome face.

Handsome? Where did all these adjectives come from, she thought.

"So you're saying that they're working for us from now on?" She asked and he nodded. "How will the money return to us? And why would you use my share of the money?"

"It will return through profit and trading. As for why I used the joint money, well that's because if the plan failed then the heavier side of the partnership wouldn't be damaged," he explained. "I had more shares than you, so I can afford to cover the damages done to you, if any were to occur. I can't say the same about you."

"You do know what a partnership is, right? You're supposed to inform me about what you're planning on doing."

"Yes, I know what a partnership is, and we you can see, I was compiling an email explaining everything," he said, opening his laptop and turning the screen to her.

"However, I doubt you know. All this 'my' doesn't exist here," he said in all seriousness.

He was right, she did act like they weren't partners and that they owned separate parts of everything. In truth, they were supposed to work together and own up to each others mistakes and not blame each other.