My Turn, Mr. Bully

Chapter 8

Who hurt you?

The question rang in my head like a siren as the phone slipped out of my fingers.

He had the guts to ask me who hurt me! The very person who was the center of my pain and hurt seven years back was suddenly wanting to know who hurt me.

I chuckled at my predicament. How ironic!

I didn't realise that Tracy had picked my phone until I heard her screaming into it angrily.

"Never call this number again, do you hear me?! If you ever contact this number again, I promise you I'll file a restraining order against you. Who do you think you are to just waltz into Kara's life? I don't care that you're a public figure, I'll drag you down. I promise!"

With that, she tapped the screen so hard I hoped it won't break. She was probably blocking him from ever reaching me again.

My eyes were heavy. I had told myself I was done with crying years back but sometimes, the tears just couldn't be held back.

Tracy wrapped her arms around me as the tears found their way down my cheeks without my permission.

Ashton shattered me seven years back and now, he had reopened the wounds I was trying so hard to cover up.

He had to pay for this. He would pay for this. And he would know how it felt to be shattered.

*

Work the next day was smooth until it wasn't, but I wasn't surprised. In fact, I had expected it. After all, ants couldn't resist sugar.

I was in the middle of a very busy day, working on a new project when my miss Lola rang my phone.

"Lola, you know I don't like to be disturbed in the middle of work? I hope you have a good reason for calling."

"I know, miss Reed, and I'm terribly sorry for the interruption. Unfortunately, it's unavoidable. There are some guests who insist on seeing you. I told them that you won't be seeing anyone today but they won't budge."

I sighed, rubbing my brows to ease the tension building in my head. "Do they have an appointment?"

"No, ma'am. But they say they're from Deluxe Conglomerates and they want to work with us on a project."

My heart skipped a beat. Deluxe Conglomerate? I had worked with top companies and high-rising conglomerates in the past but Deluxe Conglomerate was another level. This was rolling with the high-flyers. The biggest of be biggest.

I knew my hard work would pay off even more as I built my way to help top but Deluxe Conglomerates. That was skyrocketing miles above my normal efforts.

But I couldn't let my excitement be so obvious. It was fishy that they would suddenly show up at my office without prior contact or information. Not just that, but they were also a really close partner of the Hall's Empire—Ashton's empire.

"Ma'am, are you there, please?"

I clicked my tongue, snapping our of my thoughts. "Yeah. I am. Bring them in."

As I placed the phone down, I let my mind wander for a bit while fixing my appearance—nor that I looked bad anyway.

Something was up and I was going to figure it out before I became a pawn in the game.

*

The meeting was actually quite brief but very informative.

The two men who had come representing Deluxe Conglomerates knew what they wanted and were very clear on their requirements.

They wanted an exclusive AI-powered technology for their newest hotel ventures. Operating Systems for their smart home. AI security system. Futuristic interactive showrooms. Immersive technology for their high-end resorts.

This was definitely a whole lot of big bucks for my company but somewhere within me, I could shake off the weird feeling that this was something more.

What it was, I didn't know yet but I would find out soon .

"We have watched your growth over the last few years and we must say that we are greatly impressed. We would love to have you work on this project for us because your technology really stands out from the rest so far," the first man stated in a tone that almost sounded rehearsed. "We know we can trust you with this contract."

"Yeah. So what do you say?" The second man asked, inching forward with an eager expression. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

I let out a deep sigh. Just the thought of working on the project sent shivers of excitement down my spine. I mean, I was a tech nerd so anything that had to do with technology turned me on.

"This is a truly amazing opportunity, Mr. Ross," I started, clearing my throat and leaning forward to rest my arms on my desk. "And, I must admit, I'm looking forward to working on it. However, I'd need to be clear on the terms of this contract, so you'd need to give me some time to go through it."

He beamed. "Of course. How long do you need?"

I sighed, holding the thick document in my hands. "A week."

His face fell slightly but he soon shouldered a smile. "A week then. We'll be back with our lawyer in a week."

I forced a smile at them as they stood to leave.

"Thank you so much for this opportunity," I stated awkwardly, not knowing what else to say.

"We look forward to hearing from you," the second man responded before taking his leave.

The work of the day drained all energy away from me, but I couldn't be too tired to read through the contract handed to me.

I sent a copy to my lawyer the next day, while still going through it and it seemed cool.

Who was I kidding? It was wonderful. The contract value was about three hundred million dollars. I wasn't so surprised though. I mean, we were talking about the Deluxe Conglomerates here.

My lawyer, Mr. Eric, dropped by my office four days after the meeting with the Deluxe officials with an expression they told me something was up.

"Miss Reed, I think there's something you need to notice in this contract."