A tempting deal

Nathan Dubois

I look at the prototype of my upcoming launch, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction knowing that, for the first time, the Lefebvres won’t be able to steal my idea. I let out a sigh of relief and set the small glass jar back in its place.

“How did you like the container?” the head of production asks me.

“I like it. It’s just how I imagined it—really, it’s perfect for the new product.”

“I knew you’d like it,” he replies cheerfully.

After exchanging a few words and instructing him to start full-scale production, I head to the packaging area to review the final details of the packaging we’ll be using.

I check with those in charge to make sure the materials are exactly what I requested, and once I’m done, I return to my office.

“Boss, here’s the sales report you asked for,” Scarlett intercepts me as soon as she sees me stepping out of the elevator. “You’ll find the details by product and by region.”

“Thanks, Scarlett. Always so efficient and…”

“Your dog is waiting in your office.”

“Scarlett! What did I tell you?”

“Alright, sorry. Your driver is waiting in your office.”

“I don’t know what I’m going to do with you two—you’re about to drive me insane,” I scold her as I enter the office, shaking my head.

“You seem pretty cheerful today,” Kalet comments when he sees me close the door behind me. “What’s going on?” he asks, eyeing me closely.

“How could I not be? I just went down to check on the progress of our latest product. I’m confident this time it’ll be a success. I don’t think Lefebvre will manage to steal our idea again—we’ve been more cautious than ever.”

“I hope you’re right. Otherwise, I don’t know how that guy keeps managing to steal everything from us.”

After I ask him to find Leroy so we can begin working on the next formula, my office door suddenly swings open, hitting Kalet as he’s about to leave.

“Didn’t anyone teach you how to open doors like a decent human being, witch?” he grumbles, rubbing his arm.

“It’s not my fault that you’re such a dog, always guarding the door and getting in the way.”

“You two, stop fighting,” I interject as I see Kalet about to shoot back at my assistant. “Will there ever be a day you stop arguing?”

“Never!!” they reply in unison, earning a click of the tongue from me.

“What is it, Scarlett? Why were you looking for me?”

“Sorry, boss, your dog interrupted me.”

“Damn it, you human chalkboard!” Kalet growls, glaring at her.

“Kalet! And you too, Scarlett—what’s going on?”

“Sorry, boss, there’s something really important you need to see.” She takes a couple of strides to my desk and grabs the small remote to turn on the TV.

She searches for a few seconds, and when she finds what she wanted to show me, I clench my hand into a fist and grit my teeth in rage as I watch that bastard Oliver Lefebvre giving a brief interview outside his company to announce his new product—which, conveniently, has the same name as mine: Tentation Oscure (Dark Temptation).

“How the hell did that bastard manage to steal from us again?” I shout, jumping to my feet and glaring at the two people in the room. “Only a handful of us knew about the new launch,” I protest, running my hands through my hair as I realize we’re going to suffer massive losses because of him.

“I don’t know—I don’t understand how this could have happened,” Kalet mutters, just as furious as I am.

“Scarlett, call the production and packaging departments right now. Tell them to cancel everything. Damn it!” I scream, grabbing a paperweight from my desk and hurling it at the television.

“Breaking things won’t solve anything. Right now, the most important thing is to come up with a new product similar to the one we were going to launch.”

“So everyone can say we release cheap knock-offs of that bastard, when he’s the one who always steals from us? I’m sick of this—it can’t go on,” I growl, throwing on my coat and making a rash decision.

“Where are you going?” Kalet asks when he sees me open the office door.

“To put an end to all of this.”

“What crazy thing are you planning to do?” he presses, catching up to me in the hallway and grabbing my arm to stop me.

“What I should’ve done a long time ago,” I say, shaking off his grip and pressing the elevator button.

“Please, boss, don’t do something you’ll regret later,” Scarlett says, looking at me with concern.

“Why haven’t you done what I asked yet? Call those departments before it’s too late.”

“You’ll go—I’m coming with you,” Kalet cuts in, getting into the elevator with me.

Before the metal doors close, I see Scarlett’s expression—she nods slowly, but at the same time looks deeply disheartened.

“What are you planning to do?”

“If I tell you, you won’t let me. I’m driving this time,” I warn him, snatching the keys to my truck from his hands.

“For fuck’s sake, Nathan! I hope it’s not what I think. Do you realize the scandal you’ll cause if you do something to that scumbag?”

“At this point, I don’t care anymore.”

He’s about to protest again, but since we’ve reached the underground garage, I dash to my truck, and true to his word, Kalet gets in on the passenger side.

Throughout the entire ride, he keeps warning me about what might happen if I lay a hand on that guy, but I’m so furious I tune him out completely.

When we arrive at the Lefebvre house, I guess you could say luck is on my side—the gates are open, and slamming the accelerator, I sneak onto the property.

“Are you insane? Now thanks to you, we’re going to get arrested for trespassing!”

“I don’t give a damn—just like he’s never given a damn about stealing from me for years. And I didn’t ask you to come, so stop lecturing me like you’re my mother.”

I hear the shouting of men running after us, and to avoid being caught, I speed up until I reach a car, from which an older man emerges—I recognize him as Oliver Lefebvre’s father.

“Who the hell let you in like this?!” the man demands when he sees me get out of my truck. “I’m calling the police,” he threatens, pulling out his phone—but I don’t care. I snatch it from him and smash it against the ground.

“After I beat your bastard son’s face in, you can do whatever you want.”

Without listening to any more of his protests, I run up the marble staircase, and thanks to the commotion, the main door opens. Without a second thought, I head straight for it.

“Who are you, and what are you doing here?!” a woman shrieks.

"Where are you, Oliver? Don’t hide, you damn bastard!" I shout, walking past the older woman and ignoring her.

I keep walking, and just as I’m about to go upstairs—ready to search room by room—I see the person I hate most at this moment coming down with a smug grin on his face, which makes my blood boil to the point I grind my teeth.

"What are you doing here, Dubois? Didn’t anyone teach you to respect other people’s homes? Aren’t you afraid I’ll call the police and have you arrested for theft this time?"

"You’re the one who should be worried. I know you stole the new perfume formula we were about to launch, and I swear I won’t let it slide this time."

"I don’t know what you’re talking about, Dubois. It’s just a coincidence we had a similar idea," Oliver mocks, "or maybe you’re just trying to steal my ideas again, like you’ve been doing lately, creating cheap knockoffs of my products.

Remember, sometimes you lose, sometimes you win. That’s business—especially for those of us who know how to play the game."

"This isn’t the first time you’ve done this to me. I’m certain you just tweaked my formula and passed those perfumes off as your own," I spit, absolutely sure of what I’m saying.

"It’s not my fault you’re a fool when it comes to business. I can promise you, I’ll destroy you completely very soon."

Without thinking twice, I raise my fist and slam it into his face a couple of times, catching him off guard so he can’t defend himself.

"Let go of my son!!" a woman shrieks behind us, grabbing my arm to stop me from hitting the bastard I have in my grasp again. I shake her off and land another punch on Oliver, feeling such satisfaction that I don’t stop until I see blood trickling from his nose.

"You damn bastard!" Oliver croaks. "This isn’t over. I’ll sue you for trespassing, and the rest of you—get him out of here!"

"This will be nothing compared to what I’ll do next time you steal from me."

"You’ll pay for this, Dubois. I swear you’ll regret what you did to me today," Oliver warns, wiping the blood dripping down his chin.

"Let’s go, Nathan," murmurs Kalet, taking me by the arm and pulling me away from the Lefebvres.

We get into the truck, and since I’m still too furious from Oliver’s words, I let Kalet drive us back. However, before he can close the door, a woman slips in with us, and we leave the Lefebvre estate at full speed.

When the woman reveals her identity, a wave of hatred courses through me—she’s the wife of my greatest enemy. But since she offers a tempting deal, I decide to hear her out.

"Are you thinking of accepting her proposal?" Kalet asks after the woman gets out and notices my eyes fixed on the formula she gave me.

"I want you to take this formula to one of our chemists…"

"We can’t trust them. We don’t know who the traitor is, and that woman swore no one else could identify the necessary components."

"Even so, someone needs to look at it. I heard Scarlett’s brother is a chemist—he might be able to review it."

"I’m not asking that witch for help."

"Kalet, stop calling her that."

"She called me a dog, and don’t even pretend—earlier you were worse to that woman."

"That’s different. I honestly don’t understand the hatred you two have for each other."

"Why is it different? Just because she’s Lefebvre’s wife? Even so, you shouldn’t have acted like a jerk."

He defends himself, deliberately ignoring my comment about his feud with my assistant.

"Forget about that woman and do what I’m asking."

"Fine, I’ll do it," he grumbles. "Are you going to help that woman?"

"I don’t know. I don’t trust her."

"You don’t trust her, but you accepted the formula without hesitation. What will you do if you can’t find something to complete it in the next few days?"

"Trick her into giving me the full formula. Looking at it, it seems like a very different perfume from anything we’ve created—it would be madness not to launch it."

"What do you mean, trick her?" he protests, slamming the brakes.

"I’ll make her believe I’m going to help, and once she gives me what I want, I’ll walk away from the deal.

"You can’t do that, Nathan. That woman is trusting you. If you dare betray her, you’ll be just like that idiot Lefebvre."

"So what? I don’t care about that woman’s suffering in the slightest. And why are you defending her so much?"

"Because I don’t think she’ll betray us."

"Do you even know her well enough to be sure of that?"

"No, but something in her eyes showed such pain—it was like she was begging for help. I just don’t think she’s capable of betraying you."

"So now you can tell everything about her just from her eyes? Besides, I don’t like her."

"Why? And don’t give me that ‘she’s Lefebvre’s wife’ excuse—she’s nothing like him."

"Didn’t you hear the nonsense she said about us? That I’m gay! I wanted to throw her out just for saying that."

"And she didn’t even mention that you’re impotent. Besides, she’s not to blame for the rumors your stepmother spread on TV—but you are to blame for still being a virgin at thirty-five."

"What do you mean ‘impotent’? Who says that crap? And I’m not a virgin, idiot! I just don’t sleep with anyone—that’s different."

"Who else? Your stepmother spat that venom. I thought you knew."

"That venomous witch will pay for this," I hiss, clenching my fist.

"And you do come off as a virgin, just so you know. But don’t worry—I have no desire for you to prove otherwise. You’re not my type and never will be."

"Stop talking nonsense and let’s get back home. Besides what I asked, there’s something else I want you to do…" I growl, unable to stop thinking about everything that happened today. Lefebvre’s blatant theft and that woman’s proposal… Can I really trust her to destroy her husband, or is she just playing me so she can betray me later?