All Chapters of Entangled To The CEO: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

Rainer's [POV] Tasha skewered me with a look. "GroGreen is meant to be much more than a game." Frankie flipped back through his packet. "The virtual gardening tool went over huge with the beta testers. The top words used were realistic, beautiful, and authentic." The meeting erupted into a flurry of disagreements and side conversations. The CFO stepped back and let the team hash out new ideas. He knew something we did not. "Have you been in a garden lately?" Tasha asked me. "It's not supposed to be about control." "What about farmers, and those crazy people who create amazing hybrid roses? It seems like gardening is, at its root, about controlling Mother Nature," I said. "Oh, shit, that's good," Frankie said. He sent out another flurry of messages. Tasha raked her dark-brown eyes over me again. "I shouldn't be surprised that you missed the point of GroGreen entirely. I mean, this is the first time you've worked on it." I caught her arm before Tasha could turn away in a huff.

Tasha’s [POV] I scowled up at him. "No, thanks, I don't think I need advice from you. Your 'networking,' as you call it, isn't the approach I want to take." He stood up, frowning again. "A lot of that is just for show. You know that, right?" "I don't know anything about you," I said. "You just showed up today, attached to my project, and now we're supposed to be a team. Well, I'm not buying it." Rainer's lips were stiff, but he tried to smile. "Speaking of buying, I'm still offering to take you out to lunch. Then, maybe, you can get to know me a little better before you condemn me." It was all too much. The entire morning had been a whirlwind, and I couldn't help feeling like Rainer was the cause of it. Ever since I saw him in my penthouse haven, he'd set the day on a crazy course. I jumped up, agitated, and paced around my desk to put some distance between us. "No, thank you." I reached the door and held it open for him. "I don't need you to buy me lunch, especially not with

Rainer's [POV] I let the young man have that one. It was true; I was staring after Tasha as she made her way through the lobby of Hyperion Industries. My eyes found her as I pushed through the revolving doors and made my way through the sun-drenched atrium. She'd always been a knock-out, but there was something different about her today. In my defense, I counted at least a dozen other people giving her appreciative looks. Of course, everyone knew of Tasha's success, so they were curious about Hyperion's newest star. The attention had seemed to worry Tasha; she had had a funny frown on her sweet lips the whole day before, but now she seemed to have accepted her billionaire status. I looked at her bare shoulders in the sheer blouse, held back proudly, her perfect posture a hallmark of her grace. It was a new outfit. I would have noticed that skirt with its flirty little hem before. I knew how the right clothes could boost a woman's confidence, but that still didn't explain the c

Tasha's [POV] Stan smiled. "You'll get there. It's the board's decision. I'm just the chaperone." I didn't like the way Rainer chuckled. I shot out of my chair, shook Stan's hand first, and marched out of his impressive office first. Still, I had to glance back. Stan was the one person at Hyperion who I trusted to tell me the truth, and here he was shaking Rainer's hand and telling him something in confidence. The only comfort I had was the speed with which Rainer's smile fled his face. He even looked a little pale as he joined me at the elevator. "More bad news?" I asked. Rainer fiddled with his tie. "He's a sharp old man, isn't he?" I caught Rainer's guarded glance and had to laugh. "He can read people better than anyone I know. Why?" Rainer's eyes roved over my face, and I felt his gaze like hot sunlight. It felt as if he was searching for something in me and when he found it, he smiled. "It wasn't bad news. Might be really good. But first, we have to save this project." W

Rainer's [POV] While he had his eyes on Tasha's practical layout and plan, I jumped on the opportunity."We would like to give your department staff GroGreen apps free of charge. I'm certain you are all very busy, but we could take a few minutes to go over the planning and scheduling aspects. I think you'll find it is very easy to use." "Some people already have it," Mr. Reynolds said. "By all means, show them more than the game." Tasha stood up and joined the end of the conference table who had their phones out and ready. Within minutes, she had the community planning screen projected. All participants could put in their ideas and watch as the program and then their peers rated the ideas. It took ten minutes for a vegetable garden to be complete with task lists and activity suggestions. Mr. Reynolds finally looked up from the five-year plan and noticed the hum of excitement in the room. Tasha stepped aside and let his department show him what they had managed to accomplish in a