Chapter Three: The Business King

Hawkins's POV

"Should I park, sir?" Jim, my driver, asked me when I got out of the car.

"No need. I will be out in a few minutes and we'll have to go to Manhattan right away." I told him with a smile and walked my way inside Samsoon for a business offer.

"Good morning, sir. How may I help you today?" A blonde woman with a friendly smile asked me when I approached the reception.

"Yes, I am here for my appointment with Mr. Soon. I am from Pride Tech."

Hearing the name, the woman instantly checked her boss' schedule and allowed me entry. I was escorted by one of their employees who opened the electric doors using their card keys and I can say that I am impressed with their technology. Judging by the design, I can guess that it was Lee Tech, the number one leading technology company, who built it. Pride Tech is still a long way considering I only built it five years ago, but we already made it to the list next to them. Three more years and I am confident that we can surpass them. Not only because I believe in my own skills, but because I have the right team with me.

"Here you go, sir. The CEO's waiting for your arrival."

"Thank you."

I walked inside the office and saw an elderly asian man with gray hair. He stood up to meet me and we shook hands before he motioned for me to sit.

"I always like how diligent you are, Mr. Pride. You can send a representative but you always do this personally."

I took the document from my satchel and handed it to him with a smile. "In my defense, no one can do it like me."

"Let's see if you can live up to your name as the 'Business King' today and make me agree in ten minutes, Mr. Pride."

The title sounds ridiculous to me and it's the people I worked with who labeled me as 'Business King'. It all started when I consecutively closed some deals under ten minutes and I haven't failed the last five years.

I gave him a small smile and opened my mouth to explain the project to him. Samsoon is a leading car brand in America and we just launched a feature they can install to their cars.

"We launched convertible seats for any type of cars but it is more suitable for family cars. You can convert the seats horizontally and diagonally depending on how you want them to. If you need to load baggage, you can also fold them to save some space. It can be converted to a bed for long drives or if you just want to use your car to rest. If you're worried about the design, don't worry because we will maintain the original design of your car. Other parts are removable and it will be easy to remove and put back together. Just like lego houses. As usual, you can trust that we will only use top quality materials for safety and you can use it in the long run."

I proceeded to explain more things and Mr. Soon looked impressed as he asked some questions that I answered patiently.

"I have one important question."

I let out a knowing smile, already knowing what he wanted to ask. "Yes, Mr. Soon, it's highly safe to have a car sēx and you can trust that the seats won't give up no matter how much pressure you put on it."

"Ah, I'm afraid that is the one thing that sold me out, Mr. Pride. You do really live up to your reputation."

"So, do we have a deal?"

"You do."

We shook hands and I glanced at my watch to see that it took him six minutes to agree. We signed the documents and he walked me out with a promise of dinner someday.

I stormed outside the building and I didn't have to wait long before Jim appeared in front of me, and I instructed him to get to Manhattan in thirty minutes for another deal with another car company. It's not that I don't trust any of my employees, hell, the COO is my best friend, but I like doing some things on my own, especially big deals like these.

"You've been working non-stop this week, sir. I think you need some rest." Jim advised while looking at me through the rearview mirror and as if proving his point, we coincidentally stopped in front of a billboard where a royal cruise is being shown. For some reason, I felt the urge to see it and I wondered why.

"Yeah, I think so. A little break sounds good."

The next day, I asked Lizzie, my secretary, to clear two days so I can relax and take a breather. I was in my office, doing as much work as I can before I left, when Damien barged in without knocking.

"The youngest billionaire at the age of twenty-seven, Hawkins Pride," he said dramatically and threw the magazine where I recently did an interview on my table and I cringed when I saw myself on the front page. "Not only is he one of the richest men in the country, a self-made, but he's also the most sought-after bachelor." He continued to tease me and I threw a pen at him.

"Fūck you. Get your ugly face out of my office."

Damien laughed before he turned serious. "I'm afraid not, boss. Baldy from Peterson Corp. wants to sue you."

I let out a scoff. "Let him so he can see that he's only humiliating his stupid ass. That motherfūcker only wants money because I didn't want to work with him. At his age, he should accept that he's talentless and he only has a name because of his daddy."

Damien chuckled and started messing with some things in my office. "So, I heard the workaholic CEO wants to take some time off, and yeah, I think you need it, man. What you need is a good fūck."

"And have another woman following me around like a lost puppy because I fūcked her so good she fell in love with me? No thanks."

"You're so full of yourself, dude."

I was about to respond when the door burst open again and Zara, my little sister, entered without knocking as well.

"What the hell? Does nobody really know how to knock anymore? It's basic manners!" I stated in annoyance, glaring at both my best friend and sister.

Zara, my seventeen-year-old sister, pouted at me and acted cute with puppy eyes, and I automatically knew she wanted something.

"Stop that. You look like a pug."

Damien laughed at my comment and Zara pouted even more.

"What do you want?" I asked in irritation although everybody knows how much I love my only sister, but she can really be a brat sometimes.

"Can you give me five thousand bucks, big bro? My allowance suddenly disappeared and I only used them for school."

I snorted at her lame excuse. "And if I find new shopping bags in your room?" I asked with a raised brow and she smiled sheepishly.

"I promise I will spend it wisely, brother. Please be a dear and give me some allowance." She said in a cute voice and I sighed, reaching out for my wallet and she clapped but the smile faded from her face when I only handed her a thousand.

"The week only started and you already used up your allowance? I told you to stop overspending, Zara. Money doesn't grow on trees. Try spending that wisely because you won't get anymore."

"Grr! You're the worst brother!" She snatched the money and stomped her way out of my office, slamming the door behind her.

"Brat." I grumbled under my breath. "She needs to be taught a lesson, I swear."

"Well, that's my cue. Enjoy your trip, man. Don't worry, I will take care of everything here." He winked at me while making gestures with his hands and left.

The next day, I did my morning routine such as a workout and a healthy breakfast. It was a slow morning and I enjoyed walking around my garden, playing with Teddy, my golden retriever I had since fifteen. He's a sweet little thing and I feel bad leaving him alone most of the time so I hired a dog sitter for him.

When afternoon came, I was on the ship like the others. I have something a little smaller than this, but it's no fun traveling alone. As much as I love my solitude, I also like being around different types of people to judge. I was wearing a simple black shirt, not bothering to button the first three buttons that showed my chest, and I was aware of the hungry looks I was receiving from both sexes. I don't fūck around much like I told Damien because I hate attachment, and every single one of the women I slept with ended up being attached to me. And the thing is, I know most of them are only after what I have.

I spent the rest of my day going around the ship, meeting some people I know or have met before, but not really hanging out with them for long. When night came, I stayed at the bar and already had a number of women approaching me.

"Hi, handsome. Wanna dance?" Another one asked me and she's probably the fifth one and I just got here.

"Can't I just sit here in peace?" I asked in annoyance and turned to the brunette. She's pretty and she has a killer body, yes, but she's nothing special. "Sorry, not interested."

After the sixth woman I rejected, I finally left the bar and my feet took me to the deck where I saw the most amusing thing ever; a woman in a red dress that sticks to her body like a second skin, dancing with a glass of wine in her hand.

Is she even dancing or is she being electrocuted?

I found myself laughing at her antics, but my smile faded when she acted like that chick from Titanic, and my body was moving even before she could slip, as if I was already anticipating it, and thank fūck I caught her!

"Let me go. Just let me end it, please." She pleaded, her voice telling me she meant it, but her eyes were begging me to save her, so I held her with both my hands.

Something in me stirred, and told me to never let go.

"Then I will jump with you. Do you want that?"

"What? No! Are you crazy?!"

That's the moment I waited for when she let her guard down and I effortlessly pulled her up. We stumbled a little and she ended up on top of me.

"Don't you know that you won't be a good-looking corpse? You will be bloated like a whale. Won't be a pretty sight to look at when you're in a coffin."

I felt her body shaking before I heard her laughing. "Sorry. I haven't laughed like that in years."

She raised her head and our eyes met. A brunette beauty filled with so much sadness. Her perfectly arched eyebrows are pressed into a frown as she scans my face. Her almond blue eyes lack shine. Her cupid bow-like lips had a smile, but it wasn't a smile for herself, but to me.

"Do you want to share your problems with me?"

She stood up, pulling away from me and I copied her. "A young man like you wouldn't understand what I'm going through."

"Try me. I might be young, but I know a lot of things, probably more than you."

She smiled and it didn't reach her eyes. "Do you know how to love a woman?"