TAKEOVER STRATEGY
Reid didn’t have many friends growing up with the strict parenting he had and it stuck with him. The only person he could call a friend was Colton and gone were those days they spent their free time together visiting various bars and clubs.
His mother being absent was one of the main reasons his father was hard on him. The iron fist training he had as a child molded him into the man he had become.
For a child, he was too busy to make friends or hang out with his friends. He was either dealing with academics, athletics, or art. Mr. Martakis believed in versatility and gave his son the option to do whatever he wanted as long as he was the best at it. Fortunately, his son followed in his path.
Colton who was like his brother and only friend had become such a bore that getting him to tag along to the club was a struggle. He was either running home to meet his wife or choosing to stay home.
Reid thought of how nice it must be to have someone waiting at home. Someone waiting on you after a stressful day at work. It was a foreign feeling to Reid.
With Colton no longer available, his evenings became pretty uneventful. Reid’s evening routine began with him coming home to an empty large apartment, workout in his private gym, then he'd take a shower before getting dinner, and he'd call it a day.
His routine became quite an addiction that going to the gym morning and night was a necessity. It took the void of not having friends to talk to as it helped clear his mind.
Exercises were therapeutic to him and he cherished those moments. One could say he was obsessed with the vigorous exercises he did day and night and It had become a part of him.
Colton warned he’d pop a muscle one day with the strenuous exercises. Perhaps having someone like Colton would ease his excess exercise routine.
Saturdays were pretty bleak like his evenings but as he got out of bed that morning he had this strange feeling it was going to be better. He had little work to do for his father which he cleared up after a healthy amount of time at the gym before heading over to Colton’s house.
He sent a text to Colton to inform him that he was on his way and Colton replied that he too was on his way home.
Reid could have stayed home to watch the football game but it wouldn’t be as pleasant as watching it with Colton. It was a thing between them that had been going since the time they understood football.
It was also an opportunity to see his brother who he hardly saw these days. It took about 20 to 25 minutes to get to Colton’s estate from his penthouse.
As he parked his car, his phone rang out which he picked up from his dashboard. Seeing his secretary’s name put a frown on his face. He made it clear to his employees that work calls shouldn’t be made on weekends and if his secretary could break that rule, there must be a problem.
“Work calls shouldn’t be made on weekends, Kate.” His secretary, Kate was quite the workaholic who still made numerous work calls on weekends with the excuse of not having much to do.
“I know, sir. I’m sorry.” Her voice resonated through the car’s speaker. “I’m calling because of something very important that you might want to hear.”
Reid sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “What is it?”
“Despite my efforts in raising our offer to acquire the La'buena restaurant, they vehemently refused. I went over last night to meet the owner and he made it clear he was no longer interested in selling.”
“How much did you raise the offer to?”
“Fifty percent to the original amount.”
Out of anger and frustration, Reid punched his steering wheel and groaned loudly. He concluded that his enemies were after how his plans to start a new business venture kept flopping.
The food business had been one he’d always wanted to get into but had no idea how which was why the best option he had was to acquire an established restaurant with good clientele and he could do whatever he wanted with the restaurant.
He had the idea a few years back after he graduated from college. His father was present alongside his uncle, Colton, and some other family members. He looked at his family and looked at others. There was something odd. Something missing that he had never questioned because of fear.
He knew his mother died trying to give birth to him but he had never asked questions about her character or even how she looked. Things were kept away from him until he got into high school then he began to get bits of information about why his mother wasn’t around.
It took time to digest it all but couldn’t bring himself to ask for pictures or ask his father to tell him personal stories cause he felt guilty. He knew his father loved her wholeheartedly and it must have to keep all her pictures and memories locked away.
He finally summoned up the courage to know everything about his mother. His father was passive in divulging information about her and took him to a room in the Manor that was always locked. There he found all the answers to his questions. So many pictures that featured her bright smile and pearly eyes. A diary of hers and a journal from his father about all their memories together.
An entire day seemed too small to dissect every part of the room to put her in his memory. During his search, he found something that was now gold to him. He found a cookbook filled with recipes written by his mother. She was a chef who wanted to open her restaurant after the birth of her child.
This information made Reid feel so much worse.
He accused himself of robbing the beautiful woman of her dreams. He thought long and hard till he came up with the idea of fulfilling her dream. It was the least he could do as it would make him feel better and closer to his mother. The only people who knew of his plan were Colton and his workers helping him to make his dreams come through.
“What about our plan B?” He asked Kate who had been waiting patiently on the phone.
“The plan our strategy team created was a success but I haven’t gotten detailed feedback.”
“Do that and report to me on Monday,” He ordered and ended the call.
He sighed for the fifth time, suddenly feeling choked and in need of fresh air. A knock on his car window snapped him out of his thoughts as he glanced at Colton.
He picked up his phone as he killed his car engine and stepped out.
“You look like someone pissed in your food,” Colton said as he looked at him from head to toe.
“What’s up?”
“Not much, just work. The restaurant I wanted to buy pulled out of the market.” Reid realized he must have been in deep thought cause he didn’t notice Colton drive-in.
“Ahh, I’m sorry man. Just have faith, you’ll get one sooner than you think.” He patted him on the back and led Reid to the front door.
“Do you reckon Man United beating Man City?” Reid asked as he pushed the door open.
Colton chuckled lightly. “They better, I made a bet with my assistant.”
“You just might lose a grand, bro.”
Athina came out from the corner of the kitchen to greet her husband with a kiss and hug before whispering something in his ear. Colton’s attention shifted to a female figure standing a few feet away. Reid took his time to assess her while her attention was on Colton.
She looked different from the last time they saw her. He wondered if she was still uptight like he knew her to be and the tight bun on her head confirmed it.
A notification ping came from his phone in his hands that made the ladies notice him. The message was from his secretary and his eyes narrowed at the P*F files and links that he didn’t understand what they were meant for. He quickly texted Kate back that he was going to block her number if she tried reaching him again until Monday.
He locked his phone and put it in his pocket before his eyes landed on Maria. Her lips were in a tight smile with her eyes directly on his chest.
Reid remembered how she’d always avoid eye contact with him and only did occasionally when she wanted to put him in place.
He was unimpressed she hadn’t gotten over it realizing how uptight and annoying she could be. She looked at him in the eye for a little while and caught the glare he was giving her and she mirrored his expression.
Reid leaped for joy internally at being successful to get a rise out of her without even saying a word. It was nice to see that fiery that haunted his dreams once in a while again.
"Hey, Reid. Didn't know you were coming over today.” Athina's voice took his mind off his thoughts as he turned to her.
“It’s the start of football season and you know how I and Colton are at that time,” He said in a soft voice and a smile.
"Besides, I figured you’d need help with teasing this big head,” he added pointing at Colton, who grumbled at his words making Athina laugh.
"Hey, remember Maria yeah?" Athina asked as she pulled Maria to her side.
"Your maid of honor, yes I do,” Reid replied, his gaze not moving to her to get a rise out of her.
"She's going to stay for a while here. At least I have a partner now,” Athina said with a grin on her face.
"Welcome," Reid curtly replied as he glanced at her.
“We’ll head over to the game room now, see you in an hour babe,” Colton said and pecked his wife on the cheek.
“Okay, I’ll get started with dinner and have someone bring you guys snacks and drinks.”
Colton thanked her and greeted Maria goodbye with a feel-at-home statement.
“You’re the best,” Reid said to Athina and kissed her on the cheek too before following Colton up the stairs.
BUSINESS PROPOSAL"So, you guys are pretty chummy with Reid" Maria chuckled nervously as soon as she and Athina stepped into the kitchen. She felt like her chest was loosened and her breaths came out better. That male had a way of sucking up all the air in the room."What do you mean?" Athina guffawed, bending forward to rest her hands on her knees at how hard she laughed. "He's my inlaw Minnie, of course we're chummy with him. But you wouldn't mind though, would you" Athina straightened and narrowed her eyes mischievously at her best friend. Maria's cheeks heat up and she glanced away."Of course. It's none of my business" Maria bit out silently plotting how to repay Athina."There's absolutely nothing between you guys, is there?" Athina asked further, cocking an eyebrow at Maria. There was never a time when teasing Maria wasn't fun, she just made it so easy."Nothing but irritation. In fact! I'm repulsed by that proud inlaw of yours. Now please, let's just make something to eat, I'm
SEALED DEALHell be damned if Maria didn't slap this man in front of her. So it was a bright Monday morning and she had taken the necessary documents to Reid's office so they could finalise the deal and sign some papers. She had woken up in a good mood today, finally deciding to look on the bright side and get over her problem with Reid. She would still get him back of course, but not now, her time would come. She was dressed in a sleeveless burgundy top and black palazzo leather pants that brought out her hips more than she liked but Athina encouraged her that she looked "breathtakingly sexy" and she believed her hundred percent. Athina would not let her step out if the house looking anything short of perfectioni. However, as she arrived at the twenty storey building that had 'Martakis' printed boldly in front of it, her jaw dropped. Reid owned this place?Maria got into the elevator to go to the last floor and a man dressed smartly in a black suit stepped in after her. She almost r
PARTNERSReid could not believe Maria had accepted his offer without too much protest. He expected her to at least demand something else other than the profit percentage they had agreed on. Deep down, he should be feeling lucky but felt bad at how he had cheated Maria.He was so sure she’d never forgive him once she found out about all his terms and conditions. The scowl that she always had on her face when talking to him was sure going to worsen. He wouldn’t be surprised if he got murdered in his sleep or worse, get thrown off a cliff. Knowing the fact that it would be teamwork (Athina and Maria), there’d be no chance of him surviving.The joy Reid felt as he finally got what he’d been dreaming of was un unexplainable. Things were finally set in place to fulfill his mother’s dream.He took his time flipping through the pages of her recipe book, commiserating the tone used in the explanation like she was right beside him and speaking to him. Reid had long gone found the perfect chef t
DEVIL'S ADVOCATEMaria paced to and fro, hand on chin, face set in a tight frown. She couldn't shake the feeling that Reid stood a chance to gain more from the deal and at the same time, she couldn't back out because as much as she hated to admit it, it was a good way to expand the business and make high profits. Maybe leaving Clara in charge of the head branch wouldn't be so bad too, considering she basically knew Clara's family ties and other personal information. Plus, they were considerably close friends.However, that meant she would have to stay with Athina for a while. Her lack of clothes were an issue since she only packed enough for two weeks but thankfully, her mother had decided to come visit Athina and along with her, bring the rest of her accessories. She had just explained to both her parents what had been going on with the business the night before. It was through face time, she could see her mother's smile crack with uncertainty and her father looked down sadly, no dou
ROCK GIRLIt was a quiet ride for the first 20 minutes as they both kept to themselves and enjoyed the uncomfortable silence. Reid considered starting the conversation but decided not to since Maria hadn’t been particularly warm towards him. Turning on the radio seemed to be the solution to ease the tension in the car.Imagine Dragons “Believer,” a heavy base resonated within the car and Reid caught a glimpse of Maria, who was staring out the window, nodding and humming to the song.Reid smirked and said, “I didn’t peg you to be a rock kind of girl.”He judged according to the kind of music Athina tortured him with the first and last time they took a road trip to his uncle's cabin upstate. It was all pop and heartbreak songs that made him groan all through the ride and made him regret not driving himself.He assumed those were the kind of songs someone like Maria would like, or perhaps a touch of hip hop or whatever trended these days.She shook her head. “How stereotypical,” She murm
EMBARRASSING MOMENTS OF MARIA'Maria Papantoniou, you've really done it this time' Maria muttered under her breath.Her eyes stayed glued to the ground as she fiddled with her fingers. This definitely topped the list of the most embarrassing things that had ever happened to her in her lifetime of 24 years. She had never wished to be hauled out of existence more desperately than she wished now. They had both heard it, the ripping of her gown right when she bent down to pick up her purse. So maybe wearing a fitted gown wasn't exactly the best idea.The gown ripped vertically, right where her natal cleft was and no doubt, her pink panties were probably showcasing themselves proudly since the color was a contrast to the silvery-white gown. She hoped Reid didn’t notice but unfortunately, he did. If the questioning look he gave her when the sound of her dress ripping wasn't enough proof then his goofy stare definitely was. She couldn't stand it. She couldn't even move a step, literally as t
THE ART OF FIRST DATEAfter much thought, Athina had decided it was better for Maria to dress lightly, in a sundress and black summer boots. After Maria and Reid had gotten back that evening, Kyros called, asking if it was okay to reschedule the date the following day. Of course, Maria was overjoyed and jumped at the offer, thankful that Kyros was in fact willing to still meet up with her over coffee. She put on light make up, courtesy of Athina. Before Kyros had come to pick her up for their little date, Reid had stopped by that morning. She was just coming down the stairs when she saw Reid talking to Athina who was describing something to him by the looks of it since she kept making wild hand gestures. Reid's eye lit up a little when he saw her but slightly dimmed when he took in her appearance. Or maybe it was just her imagination."Oh Minnie here is getting a lot of attention from the males" Athina jumped to explain proudly when she noticed Reid's questioning look at Maria being
REALISTIC OUTLOOKTo be happy all the time was not realistic no matter how Nadine, Reid’s mother made the writings in her journal flowery. Every page was selling a hint of happiness that Reid wasn’t buying as he read the book but he did adore the optimism his mother had.In the spirit of celebrating mother’s day, Reid finally got his alone time after getting rid of the insufferable couple that rubbed their happy marriage in his face every chance they got and it made him regret spending time at their place. Yet, he kept coming back.Other than the fact that he was enthralled with his mother’s poetic and witty writing, he was appalled by Colton's disregard for the champions League game abandoning him for Athina. The level of betrayal had him shaking his head with a bitter taste in his mouth.Reid was tired of waiting and decided to call it a night. As he closed the book in his hand to head off to bed, the front door opened.He watched as Maria walked in gently like a novice thief. It di