Chapter 2 - The Mysterious Billionaire

      Staring out the window of her beautiful office, she couldn't help but feel grateful for all she had achieved in such a short time. Her company, FS Phoenix, which ran a chain of businesses, for instance, brings joy to her every time she thinks about it. Sitting here in this luxurious office, an office she had always wanted, It had a lovely view of the city; the passing cars, the rooftops of buildings around them, the lovely skyline, and the beautiful horizon.

      As a child, she loved looking out the window. Everything outside her window fascinated her. Now at 26, she is still fascinated by everything outside her window. Something new happens everyday, like the two men having a heated argument on the sidewalk or the passersby who were paying no attention to them as they hurried to their destinations or the nursing mother who was trying to get her child to stop crying. A lot had changed, but her fascination with windows will never change. Windows were like an escape from reality. It gave her the opportunity to imagine and bring to life the things in her head. Unfortunately, imagination wasn't what she was doing today. She was only taking a break from the work on her desk. This is why she needed to be at work more often, she thought to herself.

      She peeled her eyes from the window and looked around her neatly arranged office, just the way she liked it. The black glass table in the middle of her office reflected the rays of sunlight shining through the windows, making it sparkle. The chairs were neatly placed in a symmetrical order. Her office subtly screamed luxury. How is that even possible? She smiled at the thought. 

      She turned her chair back to her desk, which was also made of glass. Right in the center was a black laptop, which was opened. A document was in front of it. Those that needed to be finished were placed on the right side of the laptop.Her desk was devoid of any fancy objects or decorations, which she preferred.She went back to working on the documents in front of her. She loved being organized. It was something Nora sometimes whined about. She would tease her about how oddly organized she was. A knock was heard on the door

       Without pausing or looking up from her work, she said, "Come in." Her business partner/best friend, Nora, who she shared the office with, walked in, wearing a pair of maroon palazzo pants and a black long sleeve shirt with a pair of black block heels. Nora had a dynamic style of dressing, which was a huge contrast to hers, which was almost always black. As she is at the moment, putting on a pair of jeans, a tank top and a pair of ankle high boots, all black, of course. 

      She looked up from her work at her friend, who was smiling from ear to ear. Nora sat on one of the chairs in front of her desk and said, "We finally sealed the deal."

   Her eyes lit up, she smiled and said, "So tell me, Nora, how it went?" 

     Nora began with the enthusiasm of a child, "We got there expecting to meet the same hostility we've been getting over the past few months. Surprisingly, the chairman was there, finally ready to speak with us. I was glad we didn't have to deal with his arrogant son today. I am so tired of seeing his stupid face! She said this in a slightly raised tone.

"The chairman finally agreed to our proposal, and he signed the documents," she continued."I assured him that this merger was only to save his company. He also agreed to our condition that his son be removed as the CEO of the company. He explained to me that he could no longer run his company at his old age. He also explained why it had been difficult for him to agree to our proposal from the beginning. I had to keep reassuring him. I told him a suitable replacement would be made for his son".

      She listened attentively, with a small smile plastered on her face, as Nora went on with the details of her meeting.

      She smiled and said, "It's a good thing he has finally come to the realization of the fact that his company is on the verge of collapsing because of his son's reckless lifestyle. He has squandered the company's resources on failed projects and investments. 

"... and women, drugs, and partying" Nora added, with an eye roll.

"He was shooting daggers at me during the meeting, but I ignored him. If I hadn't, he would have landed in the hospital because I really wanted to knock some senses into that rich brat."

   She erupted in a fit of laughter as the image of Nora beating him up formed in her head. Nora couldn't contain her laughter either, as she joined in as well.

    After a few minutes, she said, "I'm glad you controlled yourself because we wouldn't want the press to air a scandal about us." 

  Nora nodded and continued her narration.

"The chairman was sentimental, but he made the right decision. All that's left is your signature and we will be part owners of Martin's corporation."

  She replied, "that's great, so where do I sign?"

"I'll go fetch the documents. I'll be right back". Nora hurriedly replied as she rushed out of the office.

   She returned a few minutes later with two folders, placing them In front of her friend, she directed her to where to sign. She briefly went through the documents and signed them. Her signatures were the only proof of her existence as the co-founder and co-owner of FS Phoenix. To the world, she was just a phantom. 

   After signing the documents, she said, "I do not understand why it is so hard for people to put sentiment aside and make the right decisions."

"I do understand him". Nora spoke up.

With a raised eyebrow, she asked, "How?"

"The old man single-handedly started this company and he hoped to one day pass it on to his son as a legacy. He wanted to leave behind something for his family. It would definitely be hard for him to simply agree to a merger." Nora responded.

"It's just a merger, Nora. He should be grateful that I'm not trying to buy his dying company. I only want to save it from going bankrupt after the mess his son made. I'm only helping him by investing our money into his mess of a company. " She said this in a slightly raised tone.

Nora calmly smiled and said, "You wouldn't do this if we didn't stand to gain much more." She paused, then said, "This is why you don't handle the negotiations."

She lowered her eyes a little. Nora was right. A playful chuckle was made by Nora as a soft smile danced across her friend's lips.

"That aside, I need to get this done before the day ends," she said, gesturing to the work on her desk.

With a triumphant tone, Nora replied, "We should celebrate. This is a huge win for us, after months of back and forth. Besides, we've not had time to try out the new restaurant not too far from here."

She paused for a few seconds, toying with the idea in her mind. It really had been a while since they both went out. Besides, Nora was right; they both love trying out new restaurants. She looked up at her friend, who was smiling at her in anticipation.

Okay, we'll go once I'm done with these. "

Looking at the clock that hung above her friend's shelf, Nora replied, "It's almost 5pm. Please hurry, I'm starving."

With that, she picked up the two folders she came with and left the office. She was surprised at how fast the time had flown; she really hadn't been paying attention to the time. She quickly went back to work, knowing it wouldn't be long before Nora came calling.