Chapter 12

I approached Victor cautiously. He was so engrossed in his work that he didn't seem to notice me standing nearby.

My gaze briefly fell to his wristwatch.

Oops. A Patek Philippe.

For a man like him, perhaps that was pocket change.

I stepped closer to his desk and waited quietly, hoping he'd eventually notice me.

He finally looked up.

"Come here. Stand beside me."

His tone was flat, almost as if he were giving an ordinary instruction.

I followed his directions and moved to the side of his desk. He turned his laptop toward me, then handed me a stack of documents that looked as though someone had thrown them together in a hurry.

"I want you to review this contract. Check for typos, incorrect information, and any discrepancies between the contract and these supporting documents."

"All right."

I accepted the papers and skimmed through them before carrying everything to a small desk in the corner of the room.

When I glanced back, Victor had already returned to his work.

His phone seemed to ring constantly. During the time I spent in his office, he was either attending online meetings or handling phone calls.

Does this man ever get a moment to breathe?

I settled into my seat and began reviewing the contract, comparing every clause against the supporting documents.

At first, everything seemed straightforward. But the deeper I looked, the more I noticed several clauses that could potentially put the company at a serious disadvantage.

Some of them were subtle enough to escape a casual review, but the consequences could be costly if left unaddressed.

I marked the problematic sections and noted my concerns.

Now, all I had to do was find the right moment to bring them to Victor's attention.

Unfortunately, interrupting the CEO in the middle of his endless meetings didn't seem like the wisest career move.

So I waited.

And waited.

For quite some time, I remained quietly in my corner, reviewing the documents while Victor continued with his busy schedule.

A few times, I caught him glancing in my direction, but he never said anything.

Eventually, his online meeting came to an end.

Victor rose from his desk and walked over to me.

"How's the contract? Did you find any problems?"

I looked up at him.

"Actually, Victor, there are several clauses that I think we need to revise. They could become potential traps for the company down the road."

His expression changed.

I showed him the sections I'd marked and began explaining my concerns, pointing out the discrepancies between the contract and the supporting documents.

As I walked him through each issue, Victor listened without interrupting.

Then he stared at me for a moment.

"Wow. Amazing."

The words seemed to escape him before he could stop them.

I blinked in surprise.

Did the mighty Victor Haulette just praise me?

"Come sit with me on the sofa," he said. "Let's go through this together."

I gathered the documents and followed him to the sofa in his office. Victor sat beside me, close enough that I caught the subtle fragrance of his cologne.

Together, we examined the contract clause by clause.

The more I explained, the more impressed he seemed.

"This is excellent, Sevra. You're remarkable. Even our management team failed to notice these issues."

His praise made my cheeks warm.

Good grief. I was acting like a schoolgirl receiving her first compliment.

"Thank you, Victor. I'm just doing my job."

The moment I said that, he turned toward me and held my gaze.

His eyes lingered on my face, making me suddenly aware of how close we were sitting.

I shifted slightly, trying to ignore the nervous flutter in my chest.

Then, out of nowhere, he asked, "Sevra, are you seeing anyone?"

I stared at him.

What?

Of all the questions I'd expected, that certainly wasn't one of them.

Was he seriously asking about my love life?

Me? A woman whose romantic life was practically a deserted wasteland?

"No," I answered honestly.

Victor studied my face as though searching for something.

"Why not? Have you never thought about finding someone?"

Wait. How did we go from contract negotiations to my dating life?

I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps he was simply curious because we'd be working closely together.

Still, the question caught me off guard.

"I'm looking right now," I answered spontaneously.

Victor fell silent.

Then he burst out laughing.

It took me a second to realize what I'd just said.

Oh, no.

That had sounded far more suggestive than I'd intended.

"Hahaha! Sorry, I was just kidding!" I quickly added, attempting to cover up my embarrassment.

Victor merely shook his head, still looking amused.

Meanwhile, I tried to compose myself.

His cologne drifted toward me, warm and sophisticated, perfectly suited to his personality.

Of course, even his perfume has to be ridiculously attractive.

Thankfully, Victor eventually returned to the matter at hand.

He picked up the contract again and explained that the company would be holding a meeting with the board of directors that afternoon to discuss the agreement.

It was a major contract involving the procurement of weapons for the air force of a Southeast Asian country, worth more than a hundred million US dollars.

And now, thanks to my findings, the agreement needed another careful review before the company proceeded.

"Sevra, we'll be discussing this contract in a meeting this afternoon," Victor told me. "I want you to attend and present your findings."

I nodded.

"Understood."

"Be prepared. You may have to stay late today."

"It's fine. I don't mind."

After all, it was only my first day. I couldn't exactly complain about overtime when I'd just discovered potential problems in a multimillion-dollar agreement.

Besides, I was curious to see how the board would react.