The Billionaires (#1)

19 || Glitz and Glamour

Logan did not understand what was wrong with him; he was not usually this angry and reprimanded himself for letting May Smith get to him, but the woman was inveterate. However, that was not why Logan was angry. He felt guilty for throwing his brother to the wolves, and the worst part was that he was not doing anything to redeem himself. A part of him told him that he should get Liam out of prison, but another part of him told him that this was the only way Cameron would grow up and stop being irresponsible.

Logan sighed and washed his face, and then stared at his reflection in the mirror. Logan could not deny that he was good looking- he knew it, and everybody else knew it. His good looks were the reason why he changed women more than he changed his tie and handkerchief. He had a reputation of a “bad boy” - a player; he slept with a different woman each day and threw them like trash after that. Women ran after him, so why would May Smith be any different? He smirked as he dried his hands, and then he went back to his office.

About less than ten minutes later, Logan Parker was not as confident as he was when he stood in front of the mirror. He was shocked to see what MJ had done. Never in his life had he ever met a hot-headed woman like her; after ordering her to get to work, he never thought she would oblige. In fact, he thought she would have been gone by the time he came back, but no; she stayed and did her job. She worked, all right, except, she just picked up the papers, placed them together in a pile, and left them on the floor next to his desk.

If Logan thought that was worse, he was proven wrong when his eyes moved to his desk, and there she was, sitting on his chair– HIS chair, with her eyes closed and her legs crossed. If he was not furious, that sight would have been quite alluring, but no, she was sitting on his chair! Not even her sexy legs and pretty face could erase this, it was unforgivable. He had a string of curses lined on his tongue, but he could not find his voice.

“You are back.” She said, not bothering to move or open her eyes.

The nerve! He thought as he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. "Get off my chair," Logan said sternly, which was no use because she did not even flinch; she got up from his chair and moved away with a smirk plastered on her face.

Before he knew what he was doing, Logan’s hand shot out and he grabbed her wrists, pulling her against his chest. “Don’t you ever sit on my chair again, do you understand?” He warned, his breath fanning her face.

Logan thought she was going to try and fight him, but instead, she stood firm and looked him straight in the eye, and said in the deadliest voice he had ever heard coming from a woman, "And don't you ever put your hands on me again, Baby Doll." Logan's eyes momentarily flickered and he instantly let go of her before walking around his desk.

He stood and looked at his chair, and then shot May Smith with a cold gaze before pushing the chair back in and standing behind it. “Tell me something; who the hell are you? What the hell do you want from me? I give you a simple job and you can’t do it. Why on earth are you here?” He gritted and crossed his arms. “Are you a spy from the Billings siblings? Did MJ Billings send you to destroy my company? Because I am sure as hell that with your working experience at Billings Corporations, you gained some work experience and you should know how to do some damn filing!” He shouted at her and slammed his fists on the table, his eyes filled with fury.

MJ wore a confused expression on her face. Why would she want to destroy his company? Was that what he thought of her, that she was out to get him? He asked to get to work and she did just that, but it seemed as though her being cooperative was not working, so why keep it up? "Listen to me, Baby Doll…" She moved around his desk and stood in front of him, staring into his face. "You don't shout at me, do you understand that? I don't care how important or rich you think you are; you don't speak to me in that tone." She said in her business tone. "You have no idea who I am or what I am capable of." She grabbed her handbag and left his office.

Logan was shocked. How dare she? Who the hell did she think she was? But again, that was the same question he had been asking himself over and over again, and whom was he kidding? There was no answer to that question, but that was going to change soon. He just stood there and tried to process everything she just said.

She was right about one thing, he did not know what she was capable of, but she forgot to mention one thing; she did not know what he was capable of. The interesting part about being rich was that money and power could get you anything in this world. He took his office phone and dialled a number. "David?" He paused. "I need you to investigate someone." Well, May Smith wanted to play, right? Then he was game.

MJ did not expect her day to end so soon, but she was glad for it because she could not stand spending another second in the presence of Logan Parker or anything related to him. She left his office and decided to take a tour around Cape Town because she did not get to see much during all the car rides with Liam. Maybe this way she would get to find new business ventures.

MJ slowly walked through the streets of Cape Town, taking in her surroundings. She had simply dedicated this day to looking for new business opportunities, properties she could buy and expand, and a few other small businesses she could sponsor. Her tour was better than she had expected, she did not even see the time until it was late and a little dark. However, it was worth it.

She had come to know a little bit more about Logan Parker by just walking around the city. MJ never saw anyone as competition; every person, rich or poor, was an amateur to her. But there was something about Logan Parker that made her feel like she finally had competition. Logan owned almost all the restaurants in the street where his company was located. It was as if he owned half of the town, she had to give it to him; the bastard was good. Of all the places she had gone to, this part of the town was the only place that happened not to be Logan's cup of tea.

All was well, but as MJ continued walking, she felt as if someone was following her. Feeling some presence behind her, she came to a halt and looked back, daring whoever was following her to make a move or at least show themselves. Seeking the culprits with her eyes, she narrowed them into slits when she did not see anyone in sight. Whom was she kidding? She could not see in the dark. She rolled her eyes and turned to walk away, but stopped in her tracks when she heard movement from behind her. Her hands moved to her bag involuntarily, and she reached for something inside.

She did not know what to expect, but she was ready for anything. With every second passing, MJ found her hand tightening inside her bag. The shuffling rose again and as soon as a figure appeared in the darkness, MJ’s hand shot up and she aimed at her target, but a tinny, terrified voice screamed for her to put away her weapon. It took MJ an eternity to hear what the person was saying. “It is just me, Chad!”

MJ sighed in relief and quickly placed the silver metal away. “Chad, what the hell are doing? I could have killed you!” She scolded, and Chad flinched.

“I know! I’m sorry, but well, you are the one walking alone in the darkness of the abandoned town.” He shrugged, and MJ was about to make a nasty remark when Chad’s words sank in.

“What?” She asked.

“Yes, and I only followed you because Liam asked me to; you were using shortcuts and he couldn’t get out of the car and follow you without knowing where exactly you were headed.” He explained. Without saying another word, MJ gave a firm nod, and he did not need to be told twice; he led them to an open street.

As soon as they stepped into the open, a car pulled up in front of her, and not just any car but a white limo. Liam did not own a Limo, so what was limo doing in this part of the town? She turned to voice out her question to Chad, but to her surprise; he was gone. Could he have…? No. MJ narrowed her eyes at the empty space before they zoomed in on the driver when he stepped out of the car and opened the door. Was he opening the door for her? MJ wondered, but before she could come to any more conclusions, a man stepped out of the car.

She crossed her arms and watched with an anticipated breath as the person at the back came into view. To her dismay, it was the last person she expected to see.

“What are you doing in the streets at this time of the night?” He asked sternly.

MJ looked at him and looked over her shoulder to check whom he was speaking to because surely he was not speaking to her. "Me?" She asked with a humourless laugh.

"What are you doing at a place like this?" He asked with distaste and looked around in disapproval.

MJ wondered what he was doing here if he disliked this place so much. What was the almighty Logan Parker doing in the abandoned part of the city?

Sighing, she stepped up in front of him and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Listen here, Baby Doll, what I do outside of the office is none of your business.” She said coldly. “In there, you are the boss, but out here…” She waved her hand in the air, gesturing at the buildings around, “I am the boss.” She declared.

Logan clenched his jaw. “Get in.” He commanded. MJ saw red as released her arms from her chest, but before she could say anything, a female voice spoke from the car. “Logan, what’s taking you so long?” A blonde girl whined and peeked through the door. She stepped out of the car and her face changed when she saw MJ standing there. “Logan, what’s going on here?” She asked, clinging to his arm, causing him to tense. MJ looked at her and snickered; beautiful and clingy, she thought. She was wearing a short blue sleeveless dress with white heels. She had a gold-hearted necklace around her neck and wore a matching bracelet and earrings. She was beautiful, and obviously, the type Logan went for.

“Carmen, get back in the car.” He said hardheartedly.

“No, I’m not going anywhere until I understand why we are here. We are supposed to be going on a date, not standing here and talking to her.” She said and gave MJ a once over.

MJ looked at Logan. A date? No wonder he is dressed up, she thought. He was wearing a navy-blue suit and a white shirt with a red bowtie. This is going to be fun, she thought with a smirk as she got into the car.

Logan was not so sure about MJ anymore, what if she caused trouble? The last thing he needed right now was to get into another fight with Carmen.

He and Carmen got into the car and sat opposite MJ. “Thuso, make a U-turn!” Logan shouted over the windshield.

“WHAT?” Carmen shrieked, and MJ fought the urge to cover her ears. “What do you mean he should make a U-turn? We have a date!” She snapped and flipped her blonde hair.

"Carmen." He gritted, and she sunk back in her seat. MJ looked at Carmen, her face looked quite familiar, but MJ could not remember where she had seen her before. The car started to move and they drove in silence, with MJ and Logan staring at each other throughout the entire car ride. The car came to a stop more than an hour later, and the driver opened the door. "Come to the office at 6 a.m. tomorrow morning, don't be late." He said to MJ, but all he got in return was a smirk as she stepped out of the car.

*****

The time finally came for Meryl to go out on a date with Jorge. Unfortunately, Jorge’s driver was meant to pick her up immediately. Fortunately, Jorge did not show up at the office, which meant that she could sneak out of the office without anyone noticing. She left the office and literally begged for one of the girls at the office to watch her desk for a few hours while she was away. She spent four hours looking for the perfect dress and shoes to wear, and then she went to do her hair, makeup, and nails at the nearest salon. She was back at the office before closing time and managed to change just in time before the driver arrived, and before she knew it, she was standing in front of Jorge’s door.

She knocked on the door three times, and a few seconds later, the door opened to reveal a distraught-looking Jorge. Meryl frowned as she stared at him; he had not made any efforts to at least look presentable for dinner, or anything at all. He was wearing grey sweatpants and a black dress shirt. His hair was messy and he looked like he had just woken up. He looked at Meryl from toe to head and gave her a funny look. “Uhm…can I help you?” He asked, a frown on his face.

“Excuse me?” Meryl asked, and Jorge’s frown deepened as he wondered where he had heard that voice before. “Uhm…Jorge, you sent me a bouquet of roses and asked me to join you for dinner at your place tonight. Your driver dropped me off here.”

"Meryl?" Jorge asked, shocked, and Meryl merely nodded; feeling rather awkward and flattered that Jorge did not recognize her. "Oh, Uhm…" Clearing his throat, he continued, "Come in." He stepped aside to let her in.

Meryl walked into the spacious sitting room and looked around awkwardly. Jorge's house was beautiful, small, and cosy, but there was something wrong with this picture; the lights were dimly lit, but not too dim for her not to see anything. The house was covered in dark grey walls, and the ceiling was a light grey. There were no chandeliers or bulbs dangling from the ceiling, just small dim lights that were built as part of the ceiling. Meryl knew that Jorge did not like bright lights, so the lighting was no surprise. At the centre of the airy sitting room, there was only a black couch, a huge coffee table, and a small TV-stand with a huge LG TV. At the far corner, there was a solemnly small table surrounded by four chairs.

But that was just it; there was nothing intimate about this view.

There was no ice bucket with a bottle of champagne and glasses, there were no plates covered with silver lids, there was no mouth-watering aroma, there were no rose petals splattered across the floor, there was no soothing music playing softly in the background, and there was no candles lit. There was simply no candlelit dinner for two.

Meryl slowly turned around to face Jorge who was standing next to the door, scratching his head awkwardly. “I-” Meryl started, trying her best to bottle her anger in. “Jorge, am I early?” She asked with a shaky breath.

"Uhm…look, Meryl, I had a few drinks earlier and it just slipped my mind," Jorge said in an apologetic voice.

Meryl slowly nodded her head in understanding and ran her tongue over her lower lip. Angry was not even enough to describe how she felt; she had gone all out to look good for him, and yet he did not even notice. “Well…” She sighed and stared at her shoes. “I guess I should get going then.” She said and walked towards the door.

“No, wait!” Jorge screeched, and Meryl turned to look at him, a little perplexed. “Uhm…stay, please. I will order something for us.” He said, scratching his neck.

“It’s okay, Jorge, there’s no need to trouble yourself.” Meryl gave him a small smile.

"No, you don't understand, I really need to speak to you," Jorge said pleadingly.

Meryl stared at him for a while before she agreed to stay. "Fine then." Jorge sighed in relief and led her to the couch. She sat down while he went to the kitchen to get her a bottle of wine and a glass. About thirty minutes later, their food arrived, and they ate in awkward silence. The only time they spoke was when Meryl asked him about Cameron, and Jorge told her that he was fine and that he was going to be in England for a while, and then Jorge apologized again for insulting Meryl. Meryl told him that it was okay, and then they lapsed into a comfortable silence.

“So…what did you want to talk about?” Meryl had asked after dinner, and as Jorge was about to answer, there was a knock at the door. “Are you expecting someone?” Meryl asked as Jorge stood up.

"That must be the jeweller from the ring store," Jorge said, and Meryl's eyes widened.

“The what?” She asked.

"The jeweller; she's bringing a set of engagement rings to choose from."