The Billionaires Duel

Odd Stranger

HENLEY

Meetings back to back, it can be tiring.

I don't know which is more tiring.

Online meetings or physical meetings.

My eyebrows rise and fall in a quick move, my eyes feeling like lead.

Both type of meetings are tiring, that's for sure. Especially when you have to attend several in a day on two hours of sleep.

I really do need to sleep properly.

But I have to keep it up until I achieve my goal.

Defeating my brother and Mother in the business world.

Mostly mother because, come on, she basically runs the company through her puppets Jason and Father.

Mother would prefer I kiss Jason's ass and lick his balls at his beck and call.

No can do.

Not after she's told me several times that I am a nobody. Well, I'm someone now mother, how about that?

It's not a usual thing for one's mother to hate her child but that's what fate cursed me with. I feel nothing for her.

I heave a sigh.

Their surprise when they found out I carved a path for myself outside of MERC still remains a strong motivation for me to give shock them even more.

To stick it in their noses, especially Mother.

Establishing HENPRO.inc to be a publishing company took a lot of guts and everyone told me I would fail because MERC ruled the financial world.

To their surprise, I didn't and Mother's hatred for me has doubled, she's on the verge of not pretending for the public anymore that she cares for me.

My goal is in sight.

Already, I dominate the charts and I have appeared on the front page of Forbes three times in a row.

The youngest African Billionaire From Nigeria.

And I have had a whole article written about me in Forbes.

Would love to see you beat that, brother.

"Thank you for your time. I'll have my secretary reach out to you if I have any questions," and with that the huge screen goes black.

I take a deep breath.

I take another.

Another successful day completed.

"Mr Daniels?" My secretary knocks softly.

"Yes?" I give her a nod as I make my way out of the conference room to my office.

The air smells clean, like flowers.

Must be a new scent the cleaning company used.

"I just received the contract from Singapore, where would you like me to send it?" She walked briskly beside me.

Very efficient.

"Send it to my email, I'll work on it at home."

"Yes sir," a sharp nod.

"Thank you," I enter my office and walk straight to my desk sitting proudly in the center of the very wide room with an unlimited view of the city of Lagos stretching out to the horizon.

I really do need to attend to things before heading out.

My phone vibrates in my pocket.

It's a text from Karen, my new best friend.

– hey.

The texts reads.

"Just hey," I mutter.

– Hello Karen. Good afternoon.

I text back.

I stare at my phone screen.

– so…are we not going to talk about the spider in the room?

She replies after a minute.

Spider? What spider?

Ohh!

It hit me then.

– I didn't forget what we discussed the last time we spoke.

– you're my new friend, remember?

I reply.

– I should be mad at you for not texting your friend you know?

– why?

I text back.

– you have had quite an eventful week. So, I forgive you.

I can't help it, I laugh.

Traveling to 7 different countries in one week, having meetings back to back and collecting the Innovative Publishing Award for the youngest African Billionaire publisher for the first time.

Yes, quite a week it has been.

– thank you for understanding how swamped I was.

I reply her text.

I had settled in my chair unconsciously smiling at my phone screen.

It's nice having a friend to talk to.

– you're welcome.

She texts back.

I pause mid reply.

Would it be too forward asking her to dinner this weekend?

Isn't that what friends do?

I heave a sigh.

The urge not to destroy everything before it even starts is overwhelming.

I text her anyway.

– what do you think about dinner?

A very long pause from her.

Maybe she's already thinking about how absurd this whole thing is.

She may be thinking of Jason?

– dinner would be lovely.

She replies and the breath I didn't know I was holding expels with a whoosh.

That went well.

– you have just made me the happiest friend in the planet. Did you know that?

She sends a blushing emoji and a giggling sticker.

I'd give half of my wealth to hear her giggle right now.

That'd have to wait.

This business lunch can't.

HENPRO.inc is having it's first partnership deal with one of the biggest companies in China.

It's not one to be ignored or put off till the next day.

– I have lunch soon, business reasons. I'll call you tonight okay?

– it's perfect, have fun.

She sends in a workout emoji and a fire emoji.

I really can't believe my luck.

I click a button on the telephone and immediately my secretary's voice comes on through the speakers.

"Yes sir?"

"I'm heading out for that very important two o'clock lunch and I don't know how long I'll be gone. How many appointments are left for today?"

I really need to have enough free time by Friday.

"Just four left sir," she says after a brief moment.

Four, hmm…

"How important?" I ask to be sure.

"Three are start-ups and one is a client,"

"Put them all first thing tomorrow morning. I'll attend to them when I arrive," then I'll have enough time to surprise Karen.

"Yes sir," I end the call.

I grab my jacket and briefcase on the way out.

I already know what the outcome of the lunch meeting will be.

The elevator dings as the doors slide open smoothly. I am using the general elevator because my car's parked out front today.

Soft music wafts through my ears from the expertly hidden speakers as the elevator glides down smoothly and very fast, something I made sure of.

This lunch is a huge success for my company.

In your face dear family of mine.

"Let me see you beat this, brother," I mutter as I get off the elevator.

I have barely taken fives steps when someone rams into my right side with enough force to knock me back a few steps.

"Ah!" She yells and crumples to the floor spilling the contents of her bag in the process.

A stranger hurries to help her get up.

"Don't worry. I've got her," I wave him away.

"Ow! I am so sorry," she apologizes with a very strong British accent.

It's not something you get to hear everyday in Lagos.

Hmm..

"Are you alright?" I help her up by holding her gently by the elbows.

"Yes, I guess. I am such a klutz," she says with a glance at her open bag and it's spilled contents.

I wonder if she knows she's quite elderly to refer to herself that way.

It's such a Gen-Z word to use really and definitely not for a millennial.

Her voice though, her accent triggers something in my memory.

It's so distant and too faint to grasp that I forget immediately.

I stop to pick her bag and it's contents.

That's a lot of paperwork.

I grab all the files that spilled out wondering what they're for.

I wonder what brought her to my company.

"There you go," I hand her the bag with a smile.

She stared at me deeply without saying a word.

Okay, this is odd.

She has hazel eyes, lots of green mixed with brown. Quite beautiful.

A nice oval shaped face, round eyes and a soft chin. Her nose is very straight and pointed, something a lot of people can't quite pull off.

Her skin, the color of smooth caramel.

Why does she look familiar?

I wonder.

"Do you know me?" She asks softly, her eyes earnestly searching mine.

What she searches for, I have no idea.

I shake my head in response.

"I don't know you but you seem oddly familiar,"

"Oh," she says quietly, her expression downcast.

I do have a business lunch to attend.

"I'll be on my way now. Take care," I say to her.

She nods and keeps staring at me in that searching manner and a bit of…longing?

I wonder who she is.

I haven't seen her before and yet she's so familiar.

All thoughts of the odd stranger vanish from my mind as the five star restaurant comes into view.

I have a deal to sign with China.