Partnership
1468 Words
“Where are you coming from, kitten?”
Connie knew better than to antagonize a gangster so she responded politely. “Work, sir.”
Dorian scoffed. She wasn’t wearing anything fancy; neat hair, clear eyes, and everything about her screamed naive virgin. She was probably just a housemaid for some family in his neighborhood then. She came at an opportune time. He had just killed his last housekeeper for snooping into his business.
He smiled, the idea of hiring a pretty little thing was quite pleasing. “How much do you charge for work?”
Connie looked at him quizzically, “Pardon?”
“Your cleaning service, how much do you charge per hour?”
Connie tilted her head, confused. “I don’t do cleaning services…”
Dorian frowned, was his original assessment wrong? His voice dropped a notch lower and he asked with a husky tone, “Are you a streetwalker?”
Connie’s eyes flared and her face flushed a deep crimson. “Sir! That is rather rude! I am a personal assistant and I had to help my boss with some work today. I hardly find any of this conversation relevant to the incident earlier. I will leave you my insurance information. If you find issues with your car, please call my insurance company.”
Dorian chuckled, the girl reminded him of a feisty little cat. He took out his phone, “What is your number?”
Connie fished out her phone and logged in to her insurance online and showed it to Dorian. “Here, take a picture of my insurance information.”
Dorian repeated coldly, “What is your number?”
Connie blinked rapidly, “Um, sir. I don’t give my number to strangers…”
“You almost hit my car in a head-on collision and you only give me your car insurance info? How do I even know it’s legit?”
Connie hummed and hawed, racking her brain for an excuse. Dorian yawned and looked at his watch. He didn’t have time to play around; he had places to go, people to torture…
“Get out.”
Connie never felt so happy to hear those two words. She bobbed her head, “Thanks,” before grabbing the door handle and launching herself out of the car.
Skipping town was the right idea. First Ace and now a gangster, if she stayed any longer she might just die early.
***
The next day, Connie went in early with a resignation letter in hand.
“Thank you for this opportunity, I’ll never forget… no no no, what will I never forget?”
Connie practiced her speech as she rode the elevator up to the top floor. She didn’t want to delay the inevitable and was eager to resign effective immediately. She hoped that it wouldn’t reflect badly on her but she didn’t have the luxury to care about that. The last few days had been nerve-wracking and she didn’t know how much more her little heart could take.
As she stepped into the office the first thing she noticed was Jason standing by the large bay windows. He looked so lonely and tired that she couldn’t help but feel a shred of pity.
“Good morning, sir.”
Jason turned and nodded at her. “Good morning. Have a seat. I have something to tell you.”
Connie clutched her resignation letter and sat down at the guest chair in front of his desk.
Jason sat down in his office chair and looked her in the eye. “First, I apologize for what I said last night. As you know, I am not good with words. I did not mean any disrespect. When you are around, I can focus on my task without interruption. Like I said, I am much more efficient with you around but I now understand why you rejected the offer. I didn’t think things through and I am sorry to have offended you. Please know, I have the utmost respect for you and would hate to have this damage our working relationship.”
Connie lowered her head, she was flattered to say the least. This was the most she had ever heard Jason say in one go; he never bothered to talk more than a few words at a time to anyone, including his brother. For him to go so far just so she wouldn’t feel offended meant a lot to her.
Jason tried to catch Connie’s expression but with her head down slightly, it was hard to see. He decided to continue his spiel. “If you are still hesitant to work with me, I’ll ask HR to return you to your original position. You’re a good worker and the company will suffer if you were to resign and work elsewhere.”
Connie looked up and saw the desperation in his eyes, why was he so desperate? She knew her worth, other than being a little more observant than others, she was a dime a dozen. Anyone could fill her role as his personal assistant. She licked her lips and considered her options again. Even if she sold her house and ran back to her parents, the gangster could still find her if he really wanted to. Not to mention, doing so would put her parents in danger.
She nibbled on her lower lip and folded the resignation letter a few times in her lap. “Thank you for saying so, sir. I was also wrong for assuming such things on my own. I apologize for making a mountain out of a molehill. We need to prepare for the Brown Inc. meeting this morning.”
Jason heard the rustling paper and didn’t miss the subtle movement. Crisis averted. “Okay.”
Connie got out of the chair and returned to her desk. She threw the crumbled paper into the waste bin and got to work.
***
The meeting set for ten in the morning had everyone in the office on edge. It was the first time for the two titans in the industry to meet. On one side, Kensington Corporation had been in the business for decades, and on the other was the newcomer but heavily funded Brown Incorporated. Both had a lot to gain from a partnership instead of a head-on brawl.
Johnson barged into Jason’s office and plopped himself in the guest chair. “You ready?”
Connie got up immediately and went to get him something to drink. Johnson, seeing her at the refreshment table, immediately spoke up, “NO coffee for me, thank you.”
Connie nodded, a bit miffed. She had been practicing making coffee just for this occasion. It seemed that the last pot of coffee was so terrible it traumatized Johnson. She poured a glass of water and set it in front of Johnson before she went back to her desk.
Jason, noticing Connie’s displeasure, threw his brother a bored look, “I’m ready. Are you?”
Johnson sighed and turned to Connie, “Give us some privacy.”
Connie glanced at Jason who nodded so she got up and walked out.
Johnson puffed, “Well ain’t she the loyal one. I’m the big boss here yet she checks with you. I guess I did well in placing you in her care.”
Jason didn’t bother correcting him, it was a waste of time anyway. “What did you want to talk about?”
Johnson leaned in, “You know Ophelia?”
Jason shook his head.
Johnson clicked his tongue, “The brunette?” Seeing Jason’s blank look he rolled his eyes, “One of the three useless secretaries I keep around, anyway, I think Ophelia was sent over by Brown Inc. I was watching her activities and saw that she took some key figures and smuggled them out of the company. Then after a few weeks, we were contacted by Brown Inc. to collaborate. What are the odds of that happening?”
“So?”
Johnson raised his hands, “We can use this opportunity. If Ophelia doesn’t know we’re on to her, we can feed her whatever information we want and get the best deal out of Brown Inc. They’re loaded.”
Jason folded his hands and stared at his brother, “So are we.”
Johnson rolled his eyes again, “Who says no to more capital? Brother, imagine, we can go much farther if we join hands with Brown Inc.”
“Did you do due diligence on Brown Inc.?”
“Of course I did.”
Jason sighed, “Then you know where their money comes from. It’s not clean. If we tie our company with theirs, they will only drag our reputation down when their underworld ties come to light.”
Johnson smiled evilly, “Exactly…”
- Writer
