Chapter 4: Negotiations

Her first week in the office was anything but pleasant. Amidst the paperwork and to-do list, she had to admit that being an executive was too exhausting. For a moment, she wished she were back to her routine of taking care of her children and her home, without having to worry about negotiations and contracts to sign. But she was not that woman anymore. She was not the same Adeline she would have been before.

"Excuse me, ma'am," her personal assistant's voice exclaimed from somewhere.

"What's wrong, Georgia?"

"I remind you that you have an appointment with the importer's executives at 2 PM. It's very important that you attend."

"Oh, yes, of course." She quickly got up from her seat and realized she would have completely forgotten. "Good heavens, what time is it?"

"A little after 1:30, ma'am."

"I'm late!" she squealed and grabbed her purse and the folder that was containing the documents of the negotiation proposal.

"Would you like me to walk you there, ma'am?"

"No, no," she waved her hand anxiously. "I can handle this," she assured her.

Adeline was tired of everyone was giving her a look of pity. It was as if the only thought that crossed their minds was pity. “a poor deceived woman that plays at being an executive,” she even thought she heard some of her own thoughts. No one had faith in her abilities. Everyone doubted her.

So, she left the company and headed to her car. Taking a deep breath, she started the engine and checked the meeting address on her GPS before driving off.

“I can handle this,” she repeated to herself, trying to build up her courage.

Twenty minutes later, she arrived at the chosen meeting location. It was a country restaurant, quite far from downtown. However, she was not surprised by the choice of location. It was usually easier to make important decisions surrounded by nature and fresh air.

"Good afternoon, I have a reservation," she said to the receptionist upon entering.

"In whose name?" she answered politely.

Adeline went blank for a moment. She remembered the name of the company, Houssmel company, but she could not remember the name of the individual she would be meeting with. She did not even know if it was a man or a woman.

"Wait a minute," she said awkwardly, looked into her bag and pull out a piece of paper. "In the name of Anthony Spencer," she read. The name made her feel a little uneasy.

"Spencer," she thought, trying to remember something, but she could not tell what.

After that, she was guided around the place until she reached the appropriate table. Adeline breathed deeply as she found herself standing in front of the person with whom she would be negotiating. It was none other than a man, but not just any man. He was quite handsome. He looked like some kind of model. Spencer," she stammered, briefly lost in the blue of his gaze. It was a deep blue eyes colours, similar to that of the ocean.

"Mrs. Cooper," he greeted with a brief nod. "Or perhaps I should say Carson."

"Oh, no, not anymore," she quickly denied at the mention of her ex-husband's last name.

"Aren't you married?"

The stranger's sudden interest caught her attention, but she was quick to clarify the situation.

"I'm sorry to say I'm not. My marriage is over."

"That's a shame," he said with a faint smile. A cynical smile, in her opinion.

Ignoring that, Adeline looked at one of the chairs next to him.

"May I?"

"Come in," the strange man conceded. But no matter how many times she looked at him, the feeling of familiarity persisted.

"I've seen this guy before," Adeline thought, unable to remember from where. But she had no doubts anymore. She knew him.

"So I'd like to hear your proposal?" His voice was firm and manly, but a little intimidating as well.

"First and foremost, Mr. Spencer, our intention is to expand our merchandise to new borders," Adeline began the conversation and tried to appear confident. "I know your import capacity and your acquaintances all over the world, so I propose we make a deal. You take charge of expanding our market, and we'll give you a generous percentage for your collaboration. What do you think?"

"Sounds tempting," he said, staring at her. His penetrating gaze caused Adeline to feel a tremble run through her body. For a moment, she got the impression he was not just talking about the agreement.

"Does that mean you'll work with us?"

"Does that mean I'll think about it," he replied with a low tone in his voice. “Now, what do you think about leaving me these documents? I picked up the folder on the table, and we can enjoy our lunch”.

Adeline swallowed hard, and felt much more nervous than before. For some reason, she felt like I was flirting with her.

“But that couldn't be possible, could it?” she thought, realizing she was just a fat, ugly woman. She was thirty-two years old, but for some reason, she felt forty.

“Yes, of course,” she said and forced a smile onto her face.

The meal was silent for most of the time, interrupted only by the sound of cutlery. Until her companion decided to break the silence with his powerful voice.

“And what was the reason for your divorce?” he asked bluntly.

“What?” Adeline said, almost choking on her food.

“I suppose there was a reason,” she replied simply. “I'd like to know it.”

"Don't you think that's a little personal?"

She did not want to sound rude, but what did it matter to him why she got divorced?

"Of course I do," she said simply. "But I like getting to know my future partners."

Adeline thought about it for a moment. The reality was that she needed to turn her company around, and expanding her market was a very significant change, so thinking about it, she replied:

"He was unfaithful to me." Those words felt bitter on her palate.

"I see," he replied and gave her another of those scans that seemed to want to strip her completely bare, to scrutinize every corner of her dejected soul.

The rest of lunch passed in an uncomfortable silence. Adeline left the restaurant with the promise that she would receive a response soon, so she had no choice but to wait and hope that her future partner was a trustworthy man. Although she had the impression that he was hiding something behind that mask of kindness.