Chapter 6

Gina’s POV

The minute I got to my room, I locked the door, took off my clothes, and soaked myself in a cold water bath to calm my nerves.

By the time I got out of the tub, I was more relaxed. I put on my bathrobe and went to get my phone from my purse.

But I guess it was just my lucky day, as I found something else. A business card with the name L-Automobiles boldly written on it.

It was the card Lexi had given me at the party. I took out my laptop and quickly looked up the name and found out that L-Automobiles was Christian’s number one competitor.

A sly smile crept up my face as an idea popped into my head.

I dialed the number on the card and hummed to myself while it rang.

“Hello,” a masculine voice said from the other end.

“Oh, hello, please, am I speaking with Mr.Lexi?” I asked with a charming and soft voice

“Yes, you are.”

“Okay. I don't know if you remember me, but it's Gina, the girl you rescued at the party the other night.”

“Oh, Gina, I do remember you. How've you been, sweetheart?”

“I've been great, thank you.”

“Is there anything I can do for you, Miss Gina?”

Just the question I was expecting 

“How about we talk about what I can do for you instead?”

“Go on,” he said, and from the sound of his voice, I could tell that his interest was piqued.

Immediately, he said that I had released the breath I wasn't even aware I was holding. For my plan to work, I needed him to be interested.

“I want to invest in L-automobiles, “ I said.

“Okay? What are your terms?” he asked, fully interested now.

 The excitement that bubbled through couldn't be described in words.

“A 50/50 profit share. In other words, I want to become your business partner.” My boldness had increased at this point.

Deep silence, what is he thinking about? What if he rejects my offer?

“Miss Gina, I’m afraid this isn’t something we can just conclude over the phone. If you’ll be free tomorrow, could you stop by the office, let’s talk, “ he replied

Pheww, for a second there, I thought I was getting rejected.

 “Tomorrow’s fine by me, Mr. Lexi,” I responded politely.

“Okay, see you then,” he said and hung up. 

Phase one is almost completed. Christian will never know what hit him

I was still smiling as I got my laptop to trade for the night.

 <Next Morning>

“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr” that wretched alarm clock just had to ruin my beautiful sleep, I thought as I twirled and groped around in the dark trying to reach for the alarm and silence it, and at the same time turn my bedside lamp on all with my eyes still closed.

When I couldn’t reach it, I was forced to open my eyes.

 A few seconds later, I was already in the bathroom brushing and washing my face. As I stepped out of the bathroom, I quickly threw on my spandex leggings and a matching camisole. Put on my gloves, grabbed my headset and bottle, and headed for the road.

It was part of my morning routine to always go for an early morning run, but unfortunately, after I got married to that bastard, I had to stop. 

I stepped back into the house at exactly 7 am, and the aroma that greeted me was a tantalizing one. I needed no one to tell me that Lilly was up to it again.

“What’s for breakfast?” I asked as I walked into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water, as mine had finished on the way

“Fish and soy sauce, spaghetti and meatballs, waffles and tea. Make your choice, darling, I'm here to serve you, mademoiselle,” she said and bowed in a dramatic posture.

“I’ll go with waffles and tea, just something light for the road,” I said, and walked out.

A few minutes later, I was seated at the dining table, all dressed up in white palazzo pants and a matching jacket, devouring the delicious waffles Lilly had prepared.  Everything she prepared was always top-notch

“I’ll be on my way now, thanks for breakfast, my love. The maids will be here by this evening, so you don’t need to be stressing yourself,” I said as I took the last bite. I signalled the guard at the door, and he came for my bag as I walked out.

“Have a nice day,” Lilly muffled her mouth, filled with food.

I scoffed and walked out to where my convoy was packed. Lilly had insisted I go with guards.

“Move,” I told the driver, and the ride started. 

It lasted for an hour and thirty minutes, all of which I used to mentally prep myself for my meeting with Lexi.

We got to L-Automobiles, and I was directed to Lexi’s office. I asked my guards to remain outside and went in alone.

“Hello, Miss Gina,” Lexi greeted as soon as I entered. 

“Hello, Mr. Lexi,” I greeted back politely and smiled sweetly as we shook hands.

“Do you care for anything, coffee?” he asked out of courtesy.

“I’m good, thank you, let’s just get down to business,” I declined as I was eager to get to business.

“Concerning my offer, have you thought about it?” I asked straight ahead

“Yes, about that, Miss Gina, I’ve thought of it. I had just finished a meeting with my board members before you walked in, and they all agreed it is a nice idea that depends on how much you’re willing to invest,” he responded.

That was fast, I thought.

“Well, to show I’m serious, I’ll be funding every new project fully,” I said and stood to stretch my legs a bit.

He brought out a fileand stretched it to me. “Those are my terms of partnership.” 

I scanned through it for a while, “I won’t be signing these now, my lawyers need to go through them first.”

He stared at me with his eyes wide open. I guess I’m not as gullible as he thought I was.

“That’s fine by me,” he finally responded.

“So, Miss Gina, what do you say to a lunch date, to celebrate our new partnership?” he added

I glanced at my wristwatch, and indeed, it was lunchtime.  A nice way to start out

“Sure, Mr. Lexi.”

“Let’s head out then,” and he grabbed his jacket. He interlocked his arms with mine, and we walked out.

I let him pick the restaurant, and we went in his car while my guards followed closely behind. We got to the restaurant shorter than I had expected.  He got out of the car and, being the gentleman he was, opened the car door for me. With arms still interlocked, we walked into the restaurant.

From the minute we walked inside, I immediately understood why he chose it. It was classy, had that wealthy aura, and was filled with elegant people. While still taking in the ambience of the place, we bumped into a couple, and my bag fell.

“Sorry,” I said as I bent to pick it, the familiar scent hit me. And all too soon, my heart began to race wildly, and I started sweating profusely, even in the well-air-conditioned room.

I knew it had to be him. Only that devil’s son had this kind of effect on me.

I looked up, and indeed he was the one. Our eyes met for a minute or so. His lips parted as though he was about to say something, but I looked away first and walked away while Lexi followed.

We were shown our table, and as fate would have it, Christian and his date sat behind us.

Lunch was fun, I made sure of that. I giggled so hard my ribs hurt. My acting was really good as Lexi was a fun person to be with. When it was time to go, Christian and his date also stood to go. 

This was a perfect opportunity to bruise his ego.

We got to where my car was parked, “Thank you for Lunch,” I said, pecking him on the cheeks. That was just to spite Christian, who was stealing glances at me from a distance.

“Oh, and one more thing, Mr. Lexi,” I called after him as he was leaving.

“Yes?” he replied with his ever-so-charming smile.

“My name has to be on the door.”