CHAPTER ONE

ISABELLA

“Good morning ma’am,” My secretary Nancy greeted me as I stormed through the reception headed to my office. I walked into my not so large office and sat on the creaking old wooden chair that belonged to my dad when he was CEO.

As I sat on my chair, I finally replied to Nancy. “Good morning Nancy. Has Mr. Parker reached out to us yet?”

“Yes ma’am,”

My heart began to beat fast as I waited for Nancy to speak up. Mr. Parker is a crucial business partner that I badly needed to get this company back on its feet.

“Well, what are you waiting for Nancy, spill it!” I said as I pounded my fists on the table showing my impatience.

“He said he’s not interested in our proposition,” She announced, squinting her eyes probably in fear of what my reaction would be.

I let out a sigh and stood up from my chair, looking at the tiny window in my office. Mr. Parker was the only option I had to get this company back on its feet.

My father’s architecture company wasn’t thriving while he was alive but it was better than the way it is while being under me. No one wants to patronize us or partner with us.

“Ma’am, are you okay?” Nancy said to me interrupting my train of thought.

I began to blink my eyes trying to bring myself back to reality. “Yes, Nancy,”

“Do you have any next course of action,” she asked with a worried look.

“To be honest Nancy, I might have to sell this company because I can’t keep going like this. The company is bankrupt now. I do not have the money to pay the staff anymore,”

“Ma’am selling the company shouldn’t be your last resort. You’ll work something out. I trust you,” She said with a tiny smile at the corner of her lips signifying hope.

“Thank you, Nancy. Please can you get me the pay slip of all the employees?”

“Yes ma'am. I’ll bring them to you now,” she said then turned her back away from me and walked out of my office leaving me to keep on thinking about the situation at hand.

I picked up the picture of my late father sitting at the corner of my table and began to look at it “Dad, you know how much I want this company to thrive. Please send help to me from heaven. I'm tired as nothing is working out.”

As I continued to talk about my father’s picture, I received a notification on my phone. I picked up my phone to look at who the notification came from. It was a mail from Steele Enterprise.

“No way!”

The email was from the CEO’s secretary. It said their CEO, Alexander Steele wants to have a meeting with me concerning the future of our companies. The meeting was scheduled for 3 pm and it was 1 pm already.

I replied to them that I would be honoring the invitation. I immediately reached for my coat and stormed out of my office with determined steps. I bumped into Nancy which made all the files she was holding fall to the ground.

“I’m so sorry, Nancy,”

She bent down and started packing the papers on the floor. “No, It’s fine ma’am. Where are you headed to?” she asked.

“I’ll explain when I get back,” I said then hurriedly walked out of the company’s building and called a taxi.

“Take me to 18, Brooklyn Road,”

“Steele Enterprise?” he asked me as he looked at me through his mirror

“Yes sir,”

“Alright ma’am,” he replied, stepping on his accelerator and beginning the trip.

As we arrived at the towering headquarters of Steele Enterprise, my heart raced with a mix of awe and trepidation. The polished marble floors reflected the hushed conversations of executives in sleek suits, while the distant hum of the bustling open-concept workspace echoed innovation.

It was different from how my company looked like, way different.

I walked over to the receptionist’s desk to ask her to direct me to Alexander Steele’s office.

“Hello there. My name is Isabella’s Bennet, CEO of Bennet Buildings and I have a meeting scheduled with Mr. Steele,”

“Wait a minute ma’am, let me call his office,” she replied, picking up her telephone and calling someone probably Alexander’s secretary. She dropped the call and looked at me.

“You may go see Mr Steele now. Just use the elevator to the last floor and you’ll see directions to his office,” she said pointing at the elevator

“Thank you, ma’am,” I said and turned walking up to the elevator. I let out a deep breath as I entered the elevator and pressed the button indicating ‘Last floor’

In no time, I got to the last floor and saw another receptionist’s desk beside the elevator door.

“You must be Miss Isabella. Nice meeting you ma’am,” she said welcoming me with a smile

“Thank you. Can I go see Mr Steele now?” I said sharply because I was nervous.

“Sure thing ma’am. Follow me,” she said as she walked me across the hallway till we stopped in front of a glass door with a silver block on it that read: “Alexander Steele. CEO”

As we walked in, I was welcomed by a bright light shining from the big glass windows that occupied half of the space for walls in the room. I marveled at the decor of the office and wished my office could look just like this.

“Sir, Miss Bennet is here,” The receptionist said to Alexander who had turned his chair to face the windows. He swirled his chair till he faced us.

He was a handsome young man with dark hair. He wore a sky blue shirt that wasn’t buttoned to the top with a navy blue suit on top of it. You could tell all his clothes were designer.

“Alright Maya, you may leave us alone now,”

“Alright sir,” she said as she turned away and exited the room.

“Okay Miss Bennet, please have your seat. I’m going to make this meeting as brief as possible,” he said as he stretched his arm offering me the seat across his

I sat on the chair and it was more receiving than the one in my office.

“What is the purpose of the meeting, Mr. Steele,” I asked him as I could not bear the suspense anymore.

“Alright, I have a business proposal that I’m sure you would be interested in,” he said as he brought out a document from the drawer of his desk.

“A business proposal which is?” I asked.

“I will partner up with your company and give you some of my clients and share some profits with you,”

The proposal sounded too good to be true.

“Alright, so what’s the catch?” I asked with an arched brow.

“That you agree to marry me, Miss Bennet,”