The Business Ultimatum
1394 Words
“What......! Of all the people, it had to be him!”
Ava’s voice highly pitched through her penthouse kitchen as she slammed her coffee mug onto the marble counter. Her assistant, Mia, flinched but didn’t bother to look surprised. She’d been working with Ava long enough to know that anything involving Carter Deville meant chaos before breakfast.
“Let me guess,” Mia said, scrolling through her tablet. “He said something stupid again?”
“He exists stupidly,” Ava snapped. “He’s everywhere lately, news, interviews, sponsorships. Even my father can’t stop talking about how impressive he’s become.” She rolled her eyes. “As if punching people for money suddenly makes you a genius.”
Mia snorted, trying not to laugh. “He’s also the CEO’s son. That helps.”
“Oh please,” Ava muttered, pacing. “He walks around like he invented discipline. He called me ‘Miss Spotlight’ last night at a public event! You know what that means? The news already spinning stories about how we’re secretly fighting again.”
“Secretly?” Mia asked. “You two were practically at each other’s throats in front of the press.”
Ava glared, her lips curling into a thin smile. “Good. Let them write whatever they want. The truth is, Carter Deville is arrogant, insufferable, and....”
“Hot?” Mia offered.
“infuriating!” Ava finished, ignoring her.
But her assistant’s smirk said it all.
Across the city, Carter Deville was having his own morning activities, early training, and an ongoing argument with his coach.
“She’s poison,” he muttered between sets, his gloves slamming into the punching bag. “Every time I see her face on a magazine cover, my blood pressure spikes.”
Coach Don laughed, crossing his arms. “That model girl again? The Sinclair one?”
Carter threw a sharp right hook. “Ava Sinclair. The spoiled daughter of a man who thinks PR can fix anything. She’s never worked a day in her life.”
“Still sounds like you care,” Don said dryly.
Carter shot him a glare. “I don’t care. I just can’t stand her attitude. She walks into a room and acts like everyone’s there for her.”
“Maybe they are,” Don replied.
He ignored that, hitting the bag harder. Sweat rolled down his jawline, his movements sharp, precise. “She called boxing barbaric. Said I was just a glorified street fighter. That was three years ago and she still walks around like I owe her an apology.”
“Uh-huh,” Don muttered. “You sure you don’t like her?”
Carter paused mid-punch, expression flat. “Don, if I ever liked that woman, put me out of my misery.”
The coach chuckled. “Noted.”
By evening, both families gathered at the Sinclair estate.
The mansion’s private conference room was large enough to host a government summit. Polished table. Portraits of ancestors lining the walls. A single chandelier hanging low, throwing gold light across polished surfaces.
Ava arrived first, punctual, poised, hiding her irritation behind lipstick and diamonds.
Her father, Robert Sinclair, sat at the head of the table with his wife beside him, flipping through documents that looked more like war strategies than financial reports.
“You wanted to see me?” Ava asked coolly, placing her clutch on the table.
“Yes,” Robert said. “The Devilles will be here shortly. We have business to discuss, serious business.”
Ava’s brow furrowed. “Then why am I here? I don’t handle corporate deals.”
“This one concerns you,” her mother said softly.
“Great,” Ava muttered. “That sounds promising.”
Before she could press further, the doors opened and Carter walked in.
He looked effortlessly composed in a dark suit, tie undone, confidence radiating like heat. His father, Dominic Deville, followed, along with Carter’s mother a woman whose smile could melt steel.
Ava’s heart sank. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Carter raised an eyebrow and within himself he said
“You again.”
Robert cleared his throat,putting on a sly smile
“Let’s all sit.”
Carter took the chair directly across from Ava. Their gazes met like a clash of swords.
Dominic Deville leaned forward, smiling faintly. “I assume you two are conversant with each other.”
Ava scoffed. “Unfortunately.”
Carter leaned back.
Ava bit her lip, glaring at Carter before sinking into her chair.
Robert leaned back. “Now. The reason you’re both here is because the board of Sinclair Holdings and Deville Enterprises have reached a decision regarding our future partnership.”
Ava frowned. “Partnership? I didn’t know we were partnering with anyone.”
“We haven’t......yet,” Robert said. “But we need to. Both families are facing instability. The markets have shifted. We’ve lost key investors. The Devilles have had setbacks in their sports division.”
Dominic nodded calmly. “And rather than allow both our legacies to weaken, we’ve decided it’s time for a stronger alliance.”
Carter crossed his arms. “An alliance? You mean a merger?”
“Something like that,” Dominic said.
Ava’s gaze flicked between them. “Why are you telling us this? You have entire legal teams for deals.”
“Because this isn’t just business,” her mother said softly.
Something in her tone made Ava uneasy.
Carter noticed too. His instincts sharpened by years in the ring, sensing a setup. “Alright,” he said slowly. “What exactly are we talking about here?”
Robert and Dominic exchanged a glance, silent, deliberate, heavy with intent.
But instead of answering, Robert said, “Let’s discuss the numbers first.”
He opened a folder and began explaining projections assets, joint ventures, philanthropic outreach all things that sounded too careful. Like cushioning a blow before it landed.
Ava’s attention drifted to Carter, who was half-listening, jaw tight. He wasn’t a man used to sitting still, especially when something didn’t add up. Their eyes met again suspicion mirrored in both.
The meeting dragged on. Words like legacy, unity, and family interest echoed off the polished walls. Ava hated every one of them.
When her father finally said, “We’ll finalize the announcement by the weekend,” she sat up straight.
“Announcement?” she repeated.
Robert gave her a patient look. “Yes. It will affect both families equally, and we’ll need your cooperation.”
“What kind of announcement?” she pressed.
He hesitated. “You’ll know soon enough. For now, all you need to do is keep things civil.”
Ava let out a humorless laugh. “Civil? With him?” She gestured toward Carter, who looked equally unimpressed.
Carter chuckled. “Trust me, I’m not thrilled either.”
Her glare could have frozen fire.
Robert pinched the bridge of his nose. “Enough. Both of you.”
But Carter wasn’t done. “Maybe if she’d been raised to handle confrontation”
Ava’s chair scraped the floor as she stood. “You don’t get to talk about my upbringing, Deville. Not when yours involves beating people unconscious for attention.”
He stood too, voice dropping. “At least I fight for something. You just pose for cameras.”
“You think you’re better than me?”
“I know I am.” she replied.
The room went dead silent.
Then Robert’s voice broke through, calm but edged with steel. “Sit down. Both of you.”
They obeyed, though neither looked away from the other.
Dominic exhaled slowly. “You two need to learn to coexist. That’s an order.”
Ava folded her arms. “Then good luck to the world, because that’s not happening.”
Carter’s smirk was faint, bitter. “For once, we agree.”
The older men stood, signaling the meeting’s end. “We’ll call another session tomorrow,” Robert said. “Until then, no interviews, no statements, no public altercations. Understood?”
Ava muttered something under her breath that sounded a lot like “kill me now.”
Carter slid his hands into his pockets, expression unreadable. “Understood.”
As they left the conference room, Ava brushed past him, her perfume sharp and intoxicating. He turned slightly, watching her walk away, posture perfect, chin high, arrogance radiant.
- Writer
