She Was Doomed.

If being surprised was a color, then Noelle’s complexion would be black and white, as she stood there, her eyes slightly wide and her brain short circuiting, trying to comprehend how and why the very same man who she had a one night stand with, had introduced himself as Wallace Castellano, her biggest multi-billion dollar client and supposed target!

It was almost as if the universe was playing a funny joke on her, one that she wished wasn’t true.

But the man standing in front of her and her slow sense of rising panic, told her that this wasn’t a joke and the irony wasn’t funny.

The man in front of her, was indeed the person she had spent a night with, left a hundred dollars tip and then fled in the morning.

He was also the man who, she had planned to make him fall head over heels for and use to get revenge against Jason and his newest ATM.

This was…a mess.

But even at that, Noelle knew she had to pull herself together. There was no room for error, and the fact that Wallace’s eyes were glued on her 24/7, with a type of unidentifiable spark in them, showed that he remembered her.

So, there was no use playing the stranger card.

“Well,” his voice sliced through the air like a sharpened knife, snapping Noelle out of her internal panic. “I was looking forward to hearing the pitch provided by Gravity International, but it seems that their representative is at a loss for words.”

His words were a clear reminder of the position she was in, and the realization was sobering, as she realized she couldn’t afford to mess this up.

Her revenge plan hung on securing this contract, and if she was unable to do that, her entire plan would be for nothing.

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to regain her composure and smiled.

She couldn’t let Wallace’s presence derail her.

She had to focus on the task at hand and secure the contract.

This was the only way she could have her revenge on Jason.

“I apologize if I made it seem that way, Mr. Castellano. I’ve heard so much about you, so I was just very excited to present your pitch and show you why our firm is the best choice for your needs.”

She held out her hand and accepted his handshake, his touch sending a shiver down her spine as he gave it a firm shake.

“Let’s hope that’s all this is.” He said in a professional manner, very different from the man she had met at the club.

But Noelle did not fail to notice the subtle smile that tugged at the corner of his lips, serving as a haunting reminder that this was indeed the person she had slept with.

Swallowing thickly, she pulled her hand out of his and turned to the rest of his group.

“Please, have a seat and we’ll get started.”

Wally, or Wallace Castellano as she now knew him, and his team took their seats, and Noelle began the presentation, doing her best to keep her nerves under control.

She knew she had to impress them, but with Wallace’s gaze burning into her, it was hard not to be distracted.

Throughout the presentation, she did her best to keep her focus, but every so often, her eyes would drift to Wallace, and his intense gaze would cause a wave of heat to wash over her.

She didn’t know if it was because of the embarrassment of having slept with the man and then bailed like a coward after leaving nothing but a note and a hundred dollar tip or because his gaze was simply unnerving, but whatever the reason, it was enough to throw her off her game.

By the end of the presentation, she could tell that she hadn’t been her usual self. She had stumbled over her words a few times and her usually confident demeanor had faltered.

It was a disaster.

If the fact that she had left him, a multi billionaire, a hundred dollar tip, wasn’t a well enough reason to be embarrassed as she just realized, then the fact that her pitch had been subpar would surely be the death of her.

“Well, that was certainly an interesting pitch.” Wallace finally spoke after what felt like an eternity.

“Interesting” was code word for terrible.

Noelle’s stomach sank and she braced herself for the rejection.

“We’ll be in touch with our decision.” Wallace continued as he stood up and adjusted his suit, signaling the end of the meeting, and Noelle watched as the bigger half of his team walked out of the conference room.

But Wallace stayed, his blue eyes burned into her for a few seconds before he suddenly approached her and much to her surprise, reached into his suit and pulled out two dollar bill notes, placing it on the table and giving her a subtle smile before exiting the room.

It was the same hundred dollar bill she had left for him as a tip, with an additional hundred dollar note.

The message was clear; he remembered.

Noelle stood there, stunned and at a loss for words.

As soon as the door closed, she slumped into a chair and let out a frustrated sigh. She had fucked up.

Not only had she made a fool of herself in front of Wallace, but she had also ruined any chance of getting the contract.

She buried her face in her hands, feeling defeated.

She had failed.

All her plans had been ruined.

She would never get her revenge on Jason.

And she might just as well, kiss her career goodbye, because there was no way her boss would allow her stay after messing up such a big opportunity.

She was doomed and so was her revenge plan.

~•~

Wallace sat in the comfort of his car, scrolling through the information provided on the tablet, the very same information, his assistant, Khalid had obtained on the woman who he had just encountered in the office.

His signature subtle smile played on his lips as his eyes skimmed the data. Khalid who was beside him and witnessed this, couldn’t help but ask.

“Is everything alright, Mr. Castellano?”

Wallace tore his eyes from the device and glanced at the man beside him.

“Yes, everything is fine, Khalid. More than fine, actually.” He responded, his voice carrying a hint of amusement that didn’t settle too well with Khalid.

But nonetheless, he decided to focus on the more pressing matter at hand.

“Before I forget, Sir, your family, Mrs. Castellano, to be precise, called.”

Wallace felt his mood sour at the mention of the his family. He knew each time they called, no good came from it and right now, he was sure that notion of his was about to be proven right.

“Your brother is holding the monthly family meeting and they’ve requested that you come with your partner.” Khalid continued.

“With my partner,” At this bit of information, Wallace frowned and the previous amusement that had been playing in his eyes as he studied Noelle’s file, faded away. “What exactly did they say?”

“That it’s time you settled down, Sir. And as head of the Castellano empire, they expect you to have a family of your own and produce an heir that will carry on the family legacy. Otherwise, there is a chance that your brother, will become the next head of the family.”

Wallace couldn’t help but scoff at this. His elder brother was the least qualified to become the head, yet, here they were, threatening to put their entire empire in the hands of an incompetent bastard.

“They can’t be serious.” He chuckled and let out a frustrated sigh.

He really wished his mother would stop being so nosey and could understand that he was not interested in getting married, or starting a family.

He had better things to do with his life.

“Unfortunately, they are.” Khalid responded, a frown creasing his forehead. “And unless you can find someone to marry..." he didn't complete his words, but their implications were well known.

“Tch,” Wallace clicked his tongue and shook his head.

Could they really be anymore bothersome. At this point, he really needed to shut them up.

As that thought crossed his mind, his eyes landed on the picture of Noelle and an idea came to mind. A smirk tugged at the corners of his lips and he couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I think I have a solution to that problem.”

Khalid’s eyes widened and his eyebrows shot up. “Really? How so, Mr. Castellano?” He asked curiously, after all, he hadn’t seen his boss with any woman for quite some time, so how had he figured out a solution?

Wallace’s smirk only grew and his eyes glinted with mischief.

“Oh, don’t worry. You’ll meet her soon.”

With that, the conversation was over, and as the car drove off, Wallace glanced at the data again and smiled.

Who would have thought that Noelle Hart would be useful for more than one thing, he mused.

She would not only be his key to getting his family off his back, but also, the perfect key to gaining full control over the entire Castellano empire once again.

He was blissfully looking forward to how this would play out.

~•~

After the disastrous pitch, Noelle had called and lamented her entire situation to Elena, who, although tried to reassure her that things would work out in the end, she didn’t see how.

She was sure she had messed up the presentation and their target, regrettably, had turned out to be her one night stand.

It was a mess.

Picking up her usual coffee order from the counter of the café a few street away from her work place, Noelle paid and turned to leave, only to accidentally bump into someone, spilling her coffee.

“Ah, I’m so sorry. Please forgive –“ she was in the process of apologizing when her eyes fell on the figure whom she had bumped into and her breath hitched.

Because the person she has bumped into, spilling her coffee was none other than her wonderful ex boyfriend Jason and his newest ATM; Ivette Castellano!