His Rival

By the time the boardroom emptied and the meeting was officially over, I stayed in my seat, trying to stop my head from pounding. My father smiled at me as he walked out of the room with the last person.

This company was my responsibility now, and it was overwhelmingly strange at first, but then I thought about my mother and how proud she would be that I was here, finally standing on business.

I used to think my mother would have loved Roman, but now I wasn't so sure. Maybe she would have agreed with my father five years ago and been just as disappointed in me.

Well, now I was here, determined to set things right.

I glanced at the proposal Sophia had left on the table, sighed, and opened it.

Damien Cross.

The man my ex-husband had despised for so long. His biggest rival.

A smile formed on my face as I thought about how Roman would react if he knew where I was right now and what I had in my hands.

He really had absolutely no idea what he had lost, what he would spend the rest of his sorry life regretting.

“Sophia?” I called from the open doorway as she stood outside talking to someone.

She turned immediately and frowned at the way I was looking at the proposal.

“Is everything okay, Miss Vale?”

I pointed at the paperwork and looked up at her. “Who prepared this?”

Sophia came into the room and shut the door behind her. She took a seat beside me. “Why? Is there a problem?”

I raised an eyebrow. “These figures seem off, outdated, and I want revised valuations, forecasts and outstanding liabilities before I meet with Damien Cross. I want the truth, not numbers that are made to look attractive.”

Sophia’s mouth fell open as she looked through the paperwork. “You sound exactly like your mother.”

“Good.” I shrugged.

Sophia gathered the folder and then hesitated as someone knocked on the door.

“Come in,” I called out. I was gasping for a cup of tea and five minutes to myself.

A young girl around 20 walked in with a mug of coffee, as if she had read my mind, and smiled politely as she set it down in front of me. I smiled gratefully and nodded.

“Miss Vale, there is something you need to know.” She looked suddenly sheepish.

“And what is that?” I turned my head towards her.

Sophia stopped too, waiting for my reply.

“There is a man at reception asking to see you.”

My stomach dropped at her words.

No. It could not be Roman.

Had he already found out who I really was?

Sophia placed her hand over mine; she had noticed my panic.

I smiled faintly and nodded that I was okay.

How did anyone know that I was here? It had only been a few hours.

“Who is it?” Sophia asked the young girl whose name badge said Chloe.

“Damien Cross.”

I frowned. “Why is he here already?” I looked to Sophia for an answer, but she looked as clueless as I did.

Then my father entered the room alone.

“Should I ask Mr Cross to wait?” Chloe asked, unsure whether to leave or stay.

“I asked him to come.” My father said, ushering someone in.

Damien Cross entered the room wearing a perfectly tailored black suit, his blonde hair neatly styled and his expression unreadable.

“Miss Vale, it is a pleasure to meet you.” Mr Cross held out a hand to me.

“Likewise.” I shook his hand; his grip was firm, and his gaze lingered a second longer than necessary.

“I hope that I am not inconveniencing you by arriving.”

I looked at my father and then back at Mr Cross. “Well, that depends if you make a habit of interrupting a persons busy schedule?”

I saw the faint hint of a smile tug at his mouth. He placed a black folder on the table and sat down without being invited.

Chloe left the room and closed the door behind her.

Damien settled back into his chair and opened the folder. He gently slid a copy of the proposal across the table towards me. “Before we discuss anything else, I believe that you should understand that this partnership could be beneficial to the both of us.”

I looked at the papers in front of me and laughed. “Then you will not mind explaining to me about these figures.”

I turned the proposal towards him, tapping my finger against the projected profits.

“These forecasts are based on last year's figures, yet the market has changed considerably since then. Your estimated growth doesn't account for the increased operating costs, and there's no clear breakdown of the company's outstanding liabilities.”

Damien glanced at the document, then back at me.

“You've certainly done your homework.”

“I shouldn't have to do your homework for you.”

My father shifted beside me, but I ignored him.

“If you expect me to put my mother's company into a partnership with yours, I need accurate information. I want independent valuations, current financial statements, a full breakdown of liabilities and realistic forecasts. I'm not interested in numbers designed to make a deal look more attractive than it actually is.”

Damien Cross smirked, “Glad you noticed.”

That caught my attention. “You knew it was not accurate?” My anger boiled; this man was getting on my nerves.

“Of course, Miss Vale.”

“Then I'd ask why you brought me a proposal you knew was questionable.”

“Because I wanted to see whether you'd notice.” He kept smirking; I could almost smell the arrogance oozing off him.

I stared at him. “So let me get this straight, you deliberately gave me inaccurate figures to test me? Did you know about this?” I turned to my father.

“I did.” He told me.

“I wanted to know whether the woman taking over this company understood what she was inheriting. Most people would have looked at the projected profits and signed without asking a single question.” Damien Cross explained.

“And you thought that was an acceptable way to conduct business?”

“No,” he admitted. “I thought it was a risk worth taking.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “If you ever try something like that again, Mr Cross, you won't get the chance to explain yourself twice.”

A faint smile returned to his face.

“Understood.”

“There's something else you should know, Miss Vale.”

I raised an eyebrow. “What now?”

Damien exchanged a glance with my father, then reached for his phone.

“Blakewood has been making enquiries about your company.”