Chapter 3

Damon smiled to himself in the backseat of his car. Adrian, his assistant who was driving, looked at his smiling face from the rearview mirror of the car and was stunned. Damon hardly smiled, what could have gotten him to smile that widely? It was strange to see.

"I heard the meeting went badly yesterday but seeing such a big smile on your face, I'm beginning to wonder if I heard correctly", Adrian told him and Damon immediately stopped smiling.

"What are you talking about?", Damon asked coolly.

"What smile?"

"That smile. The one that was on your face just a minute ago", Adrian insisted.

"There was no smile. You should focus on the road", Damon told him and Adrian pretended to be hurt.

"Oh o, and I was so worried last night thinking you were in a bad shape and I wasn't there to comfort you but it seems like you were able to comfort you all right. All my worries and sleepless nights were in vain", Adrian pouted.

"What are you talking about? If you don't stop talking, I'll fire you", Damon told him.

"Alright alright, fine", Adrian conceded as he smiled. He knew Damon would never fire him, no matter how many times he threatened to. The two of them went way back. They've been friends since they were children and Adrian was actually the only friend Damon had but he still knew when to stop teasing him so he focused on driving for now.

Damon on the other hand seeing that Adrian had stopped teasing him, couldn't help the small smile that bloomed on his face. When he woke up this morning and found the room empty he had felt slighted, he had felt even more slighted when he noticed the dollar notes she had dropped on the bedside table. But after the initial shock, he began to find it amusing. Did she think he was a gigolo? What would Adrian say if he told him how, he, the feared and respected Damon Turner was come on strong by a strange woman and then taken for a gigolo? he wondered. The thought itself made him smile amusingly. Adrian looked at Damon smiling through the rearview mirror and shook his head.

Turner Enterprises

Damon's office

"Good morning, sir", Rosa, Damon's secretary, greeted me immediately as they walked in.

Damon waved her off as he headed straight for his office while Adrian smiled and greeted her back.

"You have a board meeting by ten, then lunch with an investor by eleven", Adrian rattled off Damon's schedule to him as Damon sat down behind the big mahogany desk in his office.

"Ok", Damon said when Adrian was done.

Adrian closed his tablet and looked at Damon.

"So can you tell me what happened? How did the meeting go?", he asked.

Damon paused. His mind had been occupied with the thoughts of the strange woman from last night that he hadn't thought about the main problem at all.

"The usual thing", he answered and Adrian scoffed.

"Honestly, how the rich and powerful are so small minded and still think like this even now in the 21st century baffles me", he said harshly making Damon smirk.

"Be careful I am part of the rich and powerful", Damon reminded him.

"Yeah, I know but you're not like them. Do you get it? You're different", Adrian answered.

Damon sighed internally. Yes, he was different except now he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

"It's fine, we'll just have to look for another partner", Damon told him.

"Have marketing look into it", he told Adrian.

"Ok", Adrian nodded.

"By the way, your father called..", Adrian continued like an afterthought and Damon's eyes narrowed.

"...he said you should come home when you can, he wants to see you"

"Did he say any specific reason why?", Damon asked him and Adrian shook his head.

"No. I think he just misses you, he wants to have dinner with you or something", he told Damon.

Damon's mind flashed back to the meeting the previous day. He remembered the possible partner's reply after he asked if Damon's family was participating in the project as well and Damon had answered no.

"The only reason we even agreed to come discuss this partnership at all was because we thought your family would be involved. Sorry but we don't think you can handle it", they had told him.

Family was a very complicated term for Damon. The word for other people might instinctively trigger the feeling of warmth and comfort but for Damon, it was an array of different emotions. Anger, hatred, sadness. Anger that even though he had established himself outside of his family, being the owner of such a successful company, there were still days when he lived in the shadow of his ever-powerful family. Yesterday was one of those days and right now out of all the emotions he usually felt when the word family was mentioned, he felt anger the most.

"Tell him, I'm busy", Damon told Adrian who nodded in understanding.

"Also, I forgot but there is the Under 30 gala coming tomorrow. Do I get your tux ready for it?", Adrian asked.

"The Under 30 gala. Do I have to go?", Damon asked.

"Hey it's not compulsory", Adrian shrugged.

"But you're vying for the SCB deal right?", Adrian asked him.

"Then I highly suggest you attend. Lots of the other bidders will attend and it is the best opportunity for you to scope out your competitors and rather ironically, form allies", Adrian told him.

"I'd be willing to bet anything that M. Globals would send their representative to the gala tomorrow", he added as an afterthought.

At the mention of M. Globals, Damon's face darkened. They were his biggest competitor and he was also willing to bet they would do anything to make sure the SCB deal didn't fall into his hands.

"Alright, I'll go", Damon told Adrian.