CHAPTER 5: The Table Is On Him

Shantelle

It's been a week since my firm met with Gavin, but I've received no feedback. 

Every day, I had multiple meetings with various customers, but I never heard from Adams Enterprise.

“That man, really.”

I was irritated because I believed we were missing, which was why they stopped contacting us. 

Gavin was the first to reject our proposition, and he should be the last.

I couldn't believe him; it was his idea, yet he dared to fully reject us. I really wished we hadn't agreed to offer our proposition to them.

"Hi ladies, how have you been?" It was Dani.

I gave her a quick look before returning to what I was doing.

"How did your idea with Adams Enterprise work out? Did you reach an agreement?" she said, her eyes bright with joy.

On the contrary, I stopped writing and vented my rage once again.

Cara tapped Dani on the shoulder and said she shouldn't bring it up since it was irritating me when others questioned me about it.

"It's all right, Cara. She has a right to know," I explained.

Dani was one of Star Food's investors, although she was not actively engaged in the company's operations. 

Unlike Cara, she was an investor as well as the business secretary. She chose to be one of my workers, so she was privy to everything that transpired within the organization from the start.

"I don't believe they will accept our plan, and we didn't receive any reaction from them at all. I think I made a mistake? Oh, I don’t know, really." I explained briefly to her.

“What!? They rejected your proposition! Are they insane?" she said, laughing, sarcastically.

"No, they don't. Maybe we're missing in some manner," I shrugged.

"There is no way we are short in something, dear. Did you show our best-sellers, the most valuable and famous items? What about the price? Did you have a proper discussion?" 

Cara was the one who answered her questions after she harassed me with them.

"We did, I'm also there for the conference, and all I could say is that Shantelle did a fantastic job. We are not wanting in anything. They are not contented with what we showed them, maybe?" Cara defended me.

"Oh, they're greedy," Dani concluded, and nodding, she was correct.

Her statements made us chuckle. That wasn't a decent thing to say, but if we were talking about Gavin, I could agree with her.

"Come to think of it, they wanted something we didn't have, and they wanted more of what we had," she remarked, which made me and Cara shake our heads.

"Well, Dani, keep your comments to yourself. If you said anything to anybody, it would damage our image, particularly with Shantelle," she cautioned. 

I knew Dani would do anything Cara said since they were buddies before I arrived.

She was a little afraid of Cara when she was serious, and Cara was the only one she couldn't pull to the night-out party. 

While there were times when she was the one who asked us out for a drink, Dani was always there.

"Alright, but do you know why they didn't accept up until now?"

"I'm not sure, maybe personal reasons? As far as I recall, Mr. Adams indicated that his taste in everything had changed." 

I assured her I understood what Gavin meant, but there was no need for additional explanation.

"I'm still furious, but there's nothing I can do," I said before returning to work.

Dani did not depart, and Cara remained to work at my office. 

Whenever Dani came in, she would remain and converse with us, despite the fact that Dani was the one who did all the talking.

Dani wanted to eat during our break, and she promised to serve us outdoors. 

I urged them to be patient since I needed to complete my job here and will be unavailable later. 

We just had thirty minutes since I couldn't postpone my appointment.

Cara knew I'd be meeting with our first-ever customer, which was why I couldn't stop smiling despite all that had transpired a week before.

Mrs. Helena Thompson resided outside of Kensington, so the trip would take three hours. 

Mrs. Thompson owned many restaurants across Standford, and Star Food created all of the dishes on the menu.

Mrs. Thompson and I met via Cara, who was a close friend of her mother's.

I was grateful that she was our first customer since her positive feedback had extended to a large number of people in other places around Standford.

We agreed to meet at her hometown's first eatery. 

Even though this was not my first trip there, I was nonetheless awestruck by its beauty; even though we were in contemporary times, you could sense a sparkle of tradition.

"Shantelle, please accept my greetings. I'm delighted you've arrived. I understand how difficult it is for you to get here," she said as she helped me to my reserved table in her restaurant.

"Mrs. Thompson, don't be concerned. I appreciate your inviting me here and your continued interest in our services."

"Just disregard the formality. Aren't we pals?"

"Of course, you're my buddy, Helena, and my first business partner."

"Let's eat first before we begin our talk, shall we? It's free of charge."

She remarked this as she gave me the menu. Helena was quite helpful, so I had no problems with my first commercial transaction.

But, I have met nasty customers, whom we did not entertain since our organization wanted to maintain a good connection with clients in order to secure future projects.

"I wanted to create a resort with an inn and a restaurant," Helena began talking about our true goal.

"Shantelle, I'd want you to come up with fresh meals and menus for me. I'd want to include my children's favorite cuisine, and I'd like you to try it and tell me what you think."

We kept talking about all she wanted me to do for her. I also learnt that she hesitated at first but then remembered her children. 

She realized she wanted to satisfy their desires, which were to run the resort in a location near and dear to their hearts.

Helena has always struck me as a remarkable individual. 

For a large corporation to give a large sum of money to cease developing the resort indicates that they were intimidated by her ability to make it more successful than those other corporations.

"Thank you for your faith in me, Helena. It motivates me to keep doing what I'm doing now. I want to devote myself entirely to this endeavour." I stated it with a sincere grin.

"I know you can do it; I believe in you and your teams," she added as she took my hand in hers.

"I should be going. It's already after seven o'clock in the evening."

"Well, I forgot about the time. I forgot you had another three-hour drive ahead of you. Do you want to spend the night at my house?"

"No, but thank you; I must return home. I'm still able to drive. I truly loved our conversation today. See you again soon!"

Helena accompanied me to my vehicle and gifted me with a painting.

Today was both exhHarryg and rewarding. Even though I didn't receive the huge break I was looking for, I did acquire some new customers this week, which was a blessing.

But after an hour, my vehicle broke down in the middle of nowhere. I'm new with the area and couldn't find a business that could assist me in repairing it.

I still had a long distance to go, but I didn't know what to do with this tire. 

It seems that my luck had run out for me to be struggling here, on the road at night. I couldn't make calls since there was no signal in the region.

I leaned against my vehicle and waited for a car to pass by, but there was none. I waited a few moments but was still alone.

I was going to get in my vehicle when I heard a loud honk. Someone came by.

"What's a lovely woman doing here in the middle of the night?" he said as he exited his vehicle. I looked at him, stunned. Yet, regrettably, I need his assistance.

"My vehicle abruptly stopped, and I believe there is a problem with the rear tire, which I attempted to repair but failed," I uttered and it seemed that Gavin understood.

‘Why he out of all the individuals that could stop by?’ I thought.

"Your automobile, do you mean this?" he said, tapping my car. "Or are you saying you stole it?"

"What?" I inquired, and what he replied astounded me.

"That's where you shine, right? Stealing anything valuable from someone you don't even know?" With keen eyes, he stated straight to me.

"What are you on about?" I inquired, perplexed.

I was taken aback since I had no idea he would say anything like that. 

While I remained mute, he laughed loudly and told me he was joking, but I knew it wasn't a joke.

He began to repair it, and from time to time, he mocked me and uttered jokes similar to those spoken previously. 

I knew he was having fun with our position, and I didn't want to respond to anything in case I claimed everything he said was real.

As he finished restoring my vehicle, he urged me to stay at one of his neighboring hotels, but I rejected. It was perfect moment to inquire about the proposal and explain why I did what I did to him, but I couldn't.

I'm not ready yet, and I couldn't take any more scathing insults from him. Which I most likely deserve. His rage against me was palpable.

I couldn't tolerate being around him any longer. I thanked him and was the first to go. 

I believed I'd forgotten about him because of the excitement I'd had before, but I had no idea this would happen.

‘Oh God, what else could happen next?’

GAVIN

We parted ways as soon as I finished fixing her car. Last time, I told myself that I let fate decide our fate, and it appeared that we were fated to ruin each other's lives. 

Shantelle had finished her portion, but I was just getting started.

"You stated over the phone that you were on your way here, but it took you an hour," my other buddy replied, his expression irritated.

"I assumed you'd abandon us again," Theo said.

"No dude, I won’t do that. I just helped a woman who was stuck in the middle of the road," I stated.

"Sure, anything. Let's have some drinks. We've already gone through one bottle."

I drank the drink they provided. I was here with my pals, but my thoughts were elsewhere. 

The image of the lady who had wrecked me kept running through my head. I couldn't comprehend why a horrible lady like her would fill my thoughts.

'What should I do now if we ever meet again?' I pondered.

There was no way I was going to let everything happen if she continued appearing in front of my eyes. 

‘Might I play with her for a little longer?’