Love's Rebirth

Episode 1

Delia's POV

It was a cold day in downtown LA, the sky overhead cloudy, and the buildings looming like predators. I walked into the glass skyscraper that housed Cooper Holdings, my family's company. Cooper Holdings was started by my great great grandfather, as Cooper Railways. The company slowly expanded as the industry began to boom. We are now a billion dollar corporation with stakes in transportation, telecommunications, hospitality, gaming, sports, entertainment, and fashion. We had our fingers in many pies. I was the CFO, with a knack for acquisitions and mergers. My dad knew I had a talent for negotiating. My brother, as the CEO, ran the entire operation.

As I approached the bank of elevators in the lobby, I noticed a few male employees looking at me. Their gazes raked over my body as though trying to memorize every part of me. I pressed the up button and waited for an elevator. Two male employees came to stand next to me, and I felt one of them staring at me intently. "Is there something wrong?" I asked the male on my left. "Miss Cooper, I apologize, I didn't mean to stare. You just look really pretty today." he stammered. I offered him a polite smile and breathed a sigh of relief as an elevator opened. I walked in and pressed the button for the 19th floor, where the executive offices are located. I noticed him pressing the button for the 13th floor, where the marketing team operates. I faced forward, avoiding their gazes. The other male employee was headed to the 9th floor, the base of operations for our IT team.

The elevator arrived on the 9th floor, and the one male employee exited, pausing to glance at me once more before walking to his work station. The doors closed, and the elevator continued its ascent to the 13th floor. I could feel the other guy's stare burning a hole in the back of my head, but I refused to acknowledge or entertain this interest he had in me. The elevator reached the 13th floor, and I could feel my body slowly start to relax. "My name is John, in case you're interested." he said before exiting the elevator and walking away. Once the doors closed, I sighed and rolled my eyes, wondering what he meant.

The doors opened to the 19th floor, and I was immediately greeted by Greta, the receptionist of the executive floor. "Miss Cooper, good morning. Abi is already here. Have a good day, and if there's anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask." I smiled at her gently and responded, "Greta, I've told you many times to call me Delia. There's no need for formality. Any messages from my dad or brother?" She shook her head and gave me a small smile. I knew fighting her about the name thing wouldn't change a thing. She was adamant that all the employees address me correctly. I laughed silently and walked towards my office, mentally preparing myself for the day ahead.

Abi, my assistant, was already at her desk, positioned right outside my office, with a cup of tea in hand and her tablet under her armpit. She gave me a sly look, nodding approvingly at my outfit choice. "Delia, I wish I had your style. You look amazing, as always." she said as she followed me into the office. My office was spacious, with a wall of windows behind my desk overlooking the bustling city streets. I placed my bag on the couch near the door and settled into my leather chair, taking my phone and placing it face up on the desk. "Here's your chai latte. 1 sugar as per your preferences. Today, you have 3 meetings. The 1st meeting is at 10 am with our clients from Hong Kong via teleconference. The 2nd one is at 1 pm with Jules Vance, and your last meeting is at 3h30 pm with your brother. I've already sent the report for the Hong Kong merger to your email. Your meetings with Miss Vance and your brother will be here, in your office. The files you requested for the Trident acquisition are also in your email. Also, you said to remind you a week before about your mother's birthday. Consider this your reminder." she said. I looked at my computer to verify that the Hong Kong and Trident reports were there. "Thanks, Abi. Efficient as always. Please call Mercer Jewels and ask them to prepare their latest collection for viewing today at 5h30 pm. I'll head there after work to pick something out for my mother. Can you call my dad and ask if he already has a gift prepared for my mother? If not, he can just come to Mercer with me. I think that's it. I have the New York trip coming up. Please make sure all the travel and accommodation details are finalized. And thanks for my latte." I said, smiling at her. Abi toom that as her cue to leave and swiftly exited the office, closing the door behind her.

I immediately got to work, going through the Hong Kong report with a fine tooth comb, making sure I didn't miss anything that might skew the merger in their favor. We were looking to merge our shipping business with theirs, thereby expanding our reach to their market. The report looked solid, and I didn't notice anything that might lead to delays or re-negotiations. The meeting went by quickly, and the discussion was amicable, with the Hong Kong team seeming pleased by the conclusion. They agreed to sign the merger deal and send it to our legal department by the end of the week. This merger could lead to a 20 to 40% increase in profits, plus an increase in jobs. I was really excited about it. The meeting with Jules Vance also passed quickly, and she still remained insistent that she didn't want to collaborate with us. Our hotel chain was really successful, and her interior design firm would benefit from a collaboration with us. My brother's continued interference with this deal was the main reason for her refusal. He wanted to take over her company, whereas I wanted to collaborate. It's been difficult getting him to see reason. Jules and I said our goodbyes, and she ledt, with the promise of another meeting to rediscuss the collaboration.

I rubbed my temples, feeling a headache coming on. "I got you a sandwich. You need to eat." said Abi, carrying a plate with a massive sub. "Abi, that's too much. I won't be able to finish that. There wasn't anything smaller?" I asked as she put the plate on my desk. She let out a small laugh before responding with a shrug. "I'll bring you some juice to wash it down." She walked out of my office, returning minutes later with a glass of apple juice. I ate as much of the massive sub as I could stomach before taking a long sip of my juice. "Thanks, Abi. I'm stuffed." I said, smiling at her. She took the plate and glass to the kitchenette before returning to her desk. I continued with work until I heard a loud knock on my office door. Kyle was never one for subtlety. His stride and knock were the same, loud, purposeful, and domineering. "Hey, sis. Time got away from you?" His question made me glance at the small antique clock on my table, and it read 3h35 pm. "It's only 5 minutes. Besides, the meeting is in my office, which means you're the one who's late." I said, grinning at him. He sat across from me, and we discussed the Vance deal. The meeting got heated, with Kyle insisting on a merger rather than a collaboration. We talked in circles, and after an hour of bickering, decided to end the meeting, with the understanding that we'd schedule another to try and come to some agreement over this deal. I sighed, knowing I had my work cut out for me with the Vance deal.