Chapter three

Nicole 

In the past few years of my career as a lawyer, I have trained myself to always expect surprises. 

But nothing could have prepared me to expect the person who just walked into the conference room. The person who was supposedly my new client. 

“Ma'am?” I blinked out of my shock as Kim tapped me. 

I cleared my throat and shook off the remnants of the surprise, which was the only reaction this absolute piece of shit will be getting from me today. 

I turned to Mr Fletcher because I still can't bring myself to look at Kai in the eyes without feeling the urge to punch him. 

The only thing that made me just a little satisfied is that he looked just as rattled as me. 

“Mr Fletcher, I thought you said the new CEO is Raymond.” 

“I call him by his middle name because he's like a son to me now.” He chuckled. 

Oh, right. I had completely forgotten that the motherfucker’s middle name was Raymond. But even if I did, there was no way I would have came to the conclusion that Kai was the Raymond that was now my new client. 

“Ms Smith, please meet Kai Raymond Russo.” Mr Fletcher added, looking way too eager to notice the tension between us. 

The introduction left me with no choice but to really look at him and his eyes were already on me. He looked older than the last time I saw him, his beard has grown out and his eyes looked…dead. 

The only emotion I felt inside me was anger, but I wasn't going to let him. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of getting an emotion out of me barely five minutes after I saw him again for the first time in ten years. Especially when the last interaction I had with him green years ago was when he dumped me over text and left me with a child. 

So I plastered a fake smile on my face and muttered in the sweetest voice ever, “Hello, Mr Raymond. Pleasure to meet you.” 

Kai looked confused at my instant change in behaviour. But he decided to play along. 

“Nice to meet you too.” He said in a deep but clearly surprised voice. 

I settled down on my seat, ignoring him completely like he wasn't even there. I tried not to think of the fact that this was the first time I heard his voice again in ten years. 

Sometimes, when I was bored, I would imagine what it would be like when I finally met him again. I imagined him realising his mistake and begging me to take him back and I would refuse. I imagined yelling at him to leave me alone and demanding why he left me in the first place. 

But I've never imagined something like this happening so there's nothing I can do except try to stay professional and not yell at him. Considering that if things do go ‘well’, he would be my client in a few minutes. 

I hope not though. I know it makes me a horrible person to wish that considering there were so many livelihoods depending on this, but I do not want to stay anywhere near this man, talk less of working with him. 

“Can I see the contract of the sale, please?” I asked, looking at the man who came in with him. 

He wasn't a family member that I recognise and he doesn't look anything like the Russo, so he must be Kai's assistant. 

The man seemed to have noticed the tension between Kai and I as his eyes darted between the two of us. Kai dipped his head slightly in approval and the man handed over a document to me. 

I snatched it with more force than necessary and skimmed through the papers. I tried to focus on it and not think of the man sitting right across from me, but he was almost impossible to ignore. He took over the entire space without even doing too much. And I can still feel his eyes on me. 

“We have to renegotiate some of the terms in this contract.” I said eventually. 

Kai stared at me and then looked at Mr Fletcher. “I tonight this was a handing over meeting. Why are we renegotiating the terms?” 

I didn't know when I decided to snapp at him. “Because, Raymond, there are some people who actually depend on this company to live and these terms might hurt them. So if you will, pretty please with a cherry on top, listen for just a few minutes then that would be great.”

It's the least you can do for humanity anyway, considering you might have commited some hefty sins in it's name. But I refrained from adding that last bit. I made sure my face and tone conveyed it. 

“Listen to her, Raymond. She's one of the best lawyers in the country right now. If she says we should renegotiate, then it's probably for the best.” Fletcher said.  

Kai glanced between Fletcher and me and let out a dramatic sigh. Then he asked in a tone that implied he had somewhere else to be, “What's there to renegotiate? I'm quite certain the contract is in Equinox favour.” 

“I wouldn't say it's in our ‘favour’. It says here that you are looking to fire some of our staffs and hire new ones.” I pointed to the part of the new contract Kim had already highlighted for me. 

My eyes went to the signature part again and I saw Kai’s signature on it. I wondered how I never recognized the signature all the time I asked looked at the documents before today. 

Kai didn't bother taking a look at the papers before waving his hands off. “We're only firing the incompetent ones. Those departments are seriously lacking and they need new hires anyway.” 

My blood boiled with rage. I ground my teeth together and tried to keep my calm. “These people you've termed incompetent have kept this company running for many years. The head of sales department has actually tripled the company's sales since he got here. He's done a pretty good job.” 

Kai stared at me for a few seconds and leaned forward. “I took a look at the company numbers before this meeting. And you are right, the sales have gone up.” 

I leaned into the chair, wearing a smirk. Kai held my gaze as he gave me a sinister look. 

“But the profit margin is so incredibly thin despite the revenue. The debts are increasing with revenue. How is that a good job?” He tilted his head to the side. 

I sat straighter in my seat. A look at Kim and she nodded confirming what he said. I cursed under my breath. I should have invited the head of sales department to this meeting, but it didn't seem right to invite him to his potential firing.

Kai's voice broke into my trail of thoughts. “But I guess there's no way you would know that since you're just the legal team. Of course, you don't know what it takes to run a business. I'm not surprised you still don't know anything except lie and pretend you're doing it for someone's good.” 

My blood ran cold. I had every intention of not letting our past affect this meeting. As far as I was concerned, I had just met this man today. I didn't know him before. 

But since he decided to bring this up, I wasn't going to let it go. He had the audacity to call me a liar when he was the biggest liar the world has ever known. 

And maybe it was irrational and completely unprofessional of me, but I stood up.

“You're completely right. I know nothing about how you run a business. Which is why you should find a new lawyer.” I grabbed my things and stormed out of the meeting room, leaving everyone stunned. 

I hadn't walked out of a client's meeting in my entire career, not to talk the biggest client I have, but I couldn't stomach one more second with that arrogant bastard. 

I might kill him.