Chapter 15 The New MarketX&J EMPIRE, NEW YORK.“X&J,” Nina repeated as she entered the ground floor of the building. It was bustling with activities, and many people moved around that she feared a stampede might happen.When Xander had casually mentioned that he owned one of the wealthiest enterprises in the country, she almost didn’t believe him. But when he sent a driver to get her down to the company with a luxurious car. She had to start believing him. Tania had been too excited at the sight of the vehicle and admitted how much she would like to be in Nina’s shoes.“Please, come with me, ma’am.” The driver urged as they weaved through the many people.They took a different elevator, which Nina guessed would be for the CEO, on getting to the office of the CEO, which, in other words, belongs to Xander. Nina had her mouth agape at its enormity. It would have been inappropriate if a building as magnificent as this possessed minimal offices. But then, it is more than Asher’s.Xander w
Chapter 16 Andrea’s AppearanceSIMS GROCERY STORE, NEW YORK.“As painful as it is that you are leaving, I am glad you finally got a deserving job,” Samson said, hugging Nina slightly. “I will miss you, and I hope you won’t mind coming around here whenever you are chanced.”Nina smiled heartily at him. “I will make sure to do that. Thank you so much, Samson, for taking a chance on me. I have you to thank for this change of direction.”“So, when will you be leaving?”“Since I didn’t tell you before. I will work the counter today and tomorrow until you can find a replacement.”“That is super kind of you, Nina. Thank you so much.”“You are welcome. I will get back to work now.” Nina said.With her head bowed to put things in order, the door opened, causing Nina to raise her head. A light gasp escaped her lips at the sight of Andrea, who seemed carried away with the discussion she was having on the phone.“If only you had packed some in my bags, I wouldn’t have had to stop by the road to g
Chapter 17 A GlimpseTANIA’S APARTMENT, NEW YORK.Nina winced as the evening sun shined brightly into her eyes. She sat up groggily. The door to the room opened, letting in Tania with a tray of food and Xander behind her.“Thank goodness you are awake,” Tania said, sitting beside her. “Before you say anything, you should take water. You must be thirsty.”She collected the glass of water and drank slowly from it. “What happened?”Xander sighed, pocketing his hands. “One of the customers found you unconscious on the floor and notified Samson. He found out from the CCTV that Andrea came to the store. How did she find the place?”“It was a coincidence. I believe if Andrea had known earlier, she would have come by. She came to get pads. I heard her talking to you on the phone, Tania.” She said.“That witch! I remember now. She was heading out of the house and expected me to be able to tell when her cycle would start. Blaming me for not putting a pad out for her. What did she do to you?” Ta
Chapter 18 Her OutburstM&M FOODS, NEW YORK.Asher held onto his head as he stared blankly at the computer screen. Nothing seems to make sense. The numbers seem to be depreciating. He needs more money pumped into the company as soon as possible if they intend to have any heads way. To make matters worse, Andrea isn’t exactly turning up as expected.His phone rang, showing his father as the caller. Asher picked up the call with less enthusiasm.“Yes, Dad.”Darren cursed from the other end. “What is this I am looking at, Asher? Why is our market value this low? What the hell are you doing?”“Dad, can you not yell? I am going through a lot at the moment. I don't believe it's my fault you went recklessly with your money; stop trying to make me the bad egg. As you asked, DDFoods are topping the sales chart because they found better ingredients for our best-seller, and the consumers are going crazy over it.”“Are you stupid? Why would you respond in such a dumb manner, and you run a company
Chapter 19 His Childhood FriendX&J EMPIRE, NEW YORK.Xander chuckled at something Nina said on the other end. “You sound like you have it all planned out.”She made a gurgle sound on the other end. “I am just nervous.” He reached for the pen in front of him and started twirling it. “Come on. You are not new to this. Don’t let yourself get worked up for nothing. It will all work out, trust me. So, what are your plans for the weekend?” “Why? You need me to do something?” “Err, I am not sure yet….” He drawled as the door opened, letting in an excited Dawn. “You know what? Let me call you back.” He said.“Sure,” Nina replied, ending the call. “Hey boo boo!” Dawn screamed as she rushed towards Xander. “Oh My Dawn!” Xander dropped the phone, stood up from where he sat, and pulled her into a hug. Dawn is his childhood friend and COO of X&J Empire. She had gone on a two-month leave and was returning from her vacation. He didn’t think he would miss seeing her around. “When did you retur
Chapter 20 A Fulfilled PersonTANIA’S APARTMENT, NEW YORK.With a delightful tune on her tongue, Tania strolled into the room, giggling multiple times. Nina looked up from the sweater she was crocheting. “What's going on? Why do you look so happy?” She asked. Tania exhaled like a fulfilled person and handed her an envelope. “Take a look at the content.”Nina raised a brow as she received it. Reading through it quickly, she gasped. “Oh, my goodness! Tania, this is such good news. Brooklyn College? That’s a big deal.” She squealed, clapping her hands. “This is my lifelong dream, Nina. I will finally study art history and learn as much as I want. And this is all thanks to you.” “Me? What did I do?” “You noticed my excitement whenever there’s a new art piece in the house. You made it a duty to always seek my thoughts on any new art piece that caught your interest and even praised me, saying I would make a good curator. So, I got more curious and started reading. I got my GED and then
Chapter 21 Dining With Xander Jackson“Are you that excited to have her over?” Carla asked Xander as they arranged the dining table. Xander grinned sheepishly. He had invited Nina and Tania to have dinner with him at his house. He would have loved to have Nina alone, but he worried she might decline. But inviting her friend seems like a good idea. “I won’t say I am not. Nina is a long-time friend of mine, and I am just happy to have her around me.” The older woman smiled; she didn’t need anyone to tell her that there was more to his explanation. However, it felt nice to see Xander look radiant and bustling. He has never invited a female friend over except for the one who barges in like she owns the place. He hardly does anything aside from work. His diet and social life are unbalanced. He practically lives like a monk. She hopes this Nina lady will make a good impact in his life. “As long as your face keeps being this radiant. I don’t mind entertaining this woman every day.” Carla
Chapter 22 The PresentationX&J EMPIRE, NEW YORK.Nina chewed nervously on her nails. She kept pacing the office back and forth, hoping that Xander would branch at the office before heading to the meeting room. It's been two days since she resumed work, and they haven’t met since then. Her attitude at the Sunday dinner didn’t seem pleasant, and Tania had something to say about it, putting her in a fix. She apologized for treating Xander like that when he only showed concern. She had arrived early at the building of the X&J Foods factory to take a look around and note things for the meeting she would be having with the CEO, the COO, and other administrative officers of the company. At first, they had set up the office of the research department staff at the factory location, but the company’s team moved it to the main building the day before. And it felt nicer as it would make meetings like the one they are about to have much more accessible, while the factory will only be more super