by Harper West
“I never had that rush when it came to women,” I replied while chuckling.
“No, son,” my father said. “You’ve always been more like your mother when it comes to relationships. You crave stability, and that same attitude has worked well for our company. I’m proud of your business decisions.”
He was referring to the recent construction contracts we had wrapped up. I was quick not to rush into things, and by being cautious, everything had panned out perfectly.
“Speaking of the devil,” I said when Nico entered the room. Both of us were wearing black Tom Ford suits and similar leather loafers. He was three years younger than me and had somewhat of a baby face, which was enhanced by the short curls of hair that dangled in front of his face.
“Were you two talking about me again?” My father and I laughed at him while shaking our heads.
“Nothing bad, son. Now that you’re here, I have a gift for you.” Our father pulled out two more stacks of cash from his desk, then set them down in front of my brother. Nico’s eyes bugged out as he looked at the money, and then at me. I pulled my two wads out from my briefcase on the floor.
“Thank you! What is this for, though, Father?”
“For doing such a good job of taking care of me, son. It’s a bonus for you to enjoy.”
Nico quickly put it in his briefcase.
“Now, I have some good news to share with both of you. Have you boys heard of Affinity Finance in the United States?”
Everyone in the world was familiar with that company. The guy who ran it was as hardheaded as they came, and ruthless when it came to business deals. He always got what he wanted, regardless of the sacrifice.
“Of course,” I said, then looked over at Nico.
“That guy’s a go-getter,” Nico replied while nodding.
Our father opened up some more documents on his computer, printed them off, and then laid them out for us on his desk.
“I’ve landed a huge business deal, boys, one that will secure some important ties in the states.”
Nico and I smiled at each other. A deal like this could propel our already billion-dollar company forward, especially since it would give us leverage overseas.
“That’s amazing, Father,” I said while looking at the contracts. It was more money than we had ever been in charge of before.
“My only question is,” he replied, “are you boys ready to do this yourselves?” He focused his attention more on Nico than myself, which was understandable.
“Of course,” Nico said and looked at me.
“Very well then,” he continued. “You’re going to meet one of their representatives at the airport, and I cannot stress the importance of these contracts, boys. Not because of how much money we’ll be investing, but because screwing this up could ruin our company’s reputation.”
Even though I didn’t think that Chase Harrington had ever hired a hit on someone, like my father had, it was best not to get on his wrong side. He had ties to all of the major news outlets in the United States. He could get people to stop doing business with us with a single phone call, or spread vicious lies that would collapse the stock market.
One wrong move and Erect-it Corporation could go bankrupt.
“We’ll do a good job,” Nico said.
“You haven’t let me down yet, and I trust that you won’t with this one either.”
Both of us nodded, fully understanding the importance of what he was saying.
As our father gave us some more specifics about the deal, I started to wonder if Nico would pull through. He had made a few mistakes with previous agreements, and that made me nervous. Thankfully none of them were too big for me to correct, but it was time for him to grow up. Even as he sat there and discussed business with our father, I could tell that he was hungover.
I didn’t know all of the details, but I saw some pictures on his personal Facebook page of him at a party last night. Beautiful women surrounded him, and I did not doubt that he took one of them home. The last thing our company needed was photos of him passed out drunk next to some naked woman.
“Then it sounds like we’re good to move forward, boys.”
Both of us stood up to leave his office, but my father held me back for a second as Nico waited in the hallway.
“I want you to give him more responsibility with this one, Hugo. It’s time for him to mature a little bit. Let him be the one who meets the representative at the airport. I want him to get used to schmoozing with clients.”
I nodded and winked at my father.
Nico and I walked out to our cars, which were parked next to each other in reserved spots. He leaned up against his 2020 red Aston Martin DBS, while I rested on my 1969 blue Mercedes-Benz.
“Are you ready to do this, brother?”
Nico nodded and smiled at me. Even as he stood across from me in his designer suit, while resting against his luxury car, he still looked like my kid brother.
“Following your lead, man.”
“What do you mean, Hugo? Father said we’re in this together.”
“Yes, Nico, we’ll be doing this together, but you’ll be the point of contact this time. You’ve made a lot of progress in the company, and I know that you have it in you. I’ll always be a phone call or text message away, but I want you to take the lead.”
Nico ran his hands through his curly hair, surprised that I gave him so much responsibility. In the past, he had always followed in my footsteps and learned from me. I agreed with my father, though. It was time for him to step up.
“Are you sure? I mean, this is a big deal. What if I screw it up, Hugo? You know me. Last week alone, I missed an important business meeting.”
I walked over and put my hands on his shoulders. “Why did that happen, Nico?”
He looked into my eyes and then hung his head down, ashamed of himself. “I was out partying the night before.”
“You’re getting older now, Nico. Eventually, your body will catch up to you, and you won’t even want to stay out that late. You can still have fun, but the business must come first. You’re a Stepanov, Nico.”
His eyes teared up as soon as I reminded him of his last name. Our family had a lot of pride, and it was time that he step up and fill those shoes.
“I am a Stepanov,” he repeated after me.
“That’s my brother,” I said while giving him a firm hug. We pulled away from each other and went to our cars.
I would never let him see my concern because I knew that would make him doubt himself.
“By the way,” he said before getting into his car. “Thank you for turning down the solo position of head of the family.”
Our father had asked me to take the position since he was getting older, but I refused to do it without Nico. The two of us had always been close, ever since he was born, and I didn’t want to run the family without him by my side. When the day came for my father to retire, it would be Nico and me in his office. All of the employees would report to us, and we would be the ones running our mafia ties.
“I’ll never leave you behind, Nico.”
Chapter 3
Michelle
I adored my swanky condominium in New York City, which was right in the heart of Chelsea. After purchasing it, I hired the best interior designer I could find and had them go with renaissance decor. It was my little oasis at the end of each workday.
The condominium had a contemporary, open-floor layout, with five bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, a modern kitchen, and even a fireplace in the living room. It had a modern design with clean-cut lines and stainless steel appliances.
Affinity Finance had funded the construction of the building, and my father made sure they saved the best condo for me.
I insisted on softer furnishings, though, since modern seemed cold and reminded me too much of him. At work, I was a stern businesswoman, but I was much softer and feminine at home. There were always fresh-cut flowers in each room, with shades of pink and cream. Even the main seati
ng area had a touch of Victorian flair, with two pink settees and a large, rose, and white Persian rug.
One of my favorite pieces was the giant crystal chandelier in my living room, which hung directly above my cream, tufted vintage couch. The adjacent French doors opened up to a terrace that wrapped around my condo, and it was full of green fern plants with budding pink flowers. Directly across the street was a pizzeria, which I often smelled on warm nights when my doors were open.
I poured myself another glass of champagne and walked outside. It was one of my favorite ways to decompress at the end of the day. As I watched people on the street below, while embracing the subtle breeze against my sheer blouse, I thought about everything that had happened at work that day. The fact that my father had given me the Russian project spoke volumes. I knew that everyone in the company viewed me as ‘daddy’s little girl,’ but he still treated me like one of the guys.
I often felt that he was the hardest on me.
As I listened to Claude Debussy’s ‘Clair de Lune,’ I walked over to one of my glass end tables and picked up a picture of my mother. In it, she was wearing a long white dress while standing in front of the Eiffel Tower, looking glamorous and smiling from ear to ear. My father had taken it while they were on their honeymoon in Paris.
“I love you, Mom,” I whispered while running my fingers over her face. I would have done anything to have her at my side at that moment, watching me pack for my big trip to Russia. Working for my father was fulfilling but hard at times, and now that I was an adult, I thought about all of the fun things we could have done together. There was little doubt in my mind that we would have become best friends.
I put the picture frame back on the end table, then resumed packing for my trip.
I had been packing ever since I got home from the office that day after my father told me about the Russia trip and project. He said that he’d have someone else do the meeting with the two men I met with that day since I wouldn’t even be in the country. I just hoped they’d close the deal.
My father hadn’t told me how long I’d be staying in Russia, so I decided to pack heavy. Seven large suitcases lined my Persian rug, with their tops flung open as I neatly piled business outfits and casual wear inside. My mother would have told me to dedicate one suitcase just for shoes, and that’s just what I did. It was full of high heels, sneakers, and thigh-high boots.
The doorbell rang as soon as I finished my glass of champagne, and I knew it’d be Elaina. She was both my best friend and personal assistant. She and I had been friends since we were little girls, playing together as our parents hosted adult dinner parties. We both attended Columbia University, and as soon as I joined my father’s company, I begged her to come on board.
She was terrified of him, though, so I made her my assistant and acted as a barrier. On a few occasions, she made a mistake, such as that morning when I didn’t get the contract in time, I took the blame.
I buzzed her upstairs, and she waltzed into my place, her long, dark blonde hair getting in my face as we hugged each other.
“Sorry I didn’t get here sooner,” she said while putting her luggage by the front door. She had packed heavy just like me. “Traffic is awful, but that’s New York City for you. I just don’t understand all of the unnecessary honking.”
“That’s alright,” I said. “As you can see, I’m still packing. This trip should be a lot of fun since neither of us has ever been to Russia.”
Elaina sat down on the couch and poured herself a glass of champagne. “My goal is to visit every country in the world,” she said, “so this is one more thing to take off of my bucket list. What time are we leaving?”
“We’re on the first flight tomorrow morning, which leaves at four, so we should head to the airport by two.” Elaina accidentally spit some of her champagne out onto my Victorian couch.
“I’m so sorry,” she said while wiping it up, “but that’s before the sun comes up!”
I shrugged my shoulders and continued to pack. “That’s what my father booked for us. It’s a long flight, though, so you can sleep on the plane.”
She downed the rest of her champagne. “Speaking of the devil, did he bring anything else up in the meeting?”
I let out a huge sigh, then turned to face her. “He wants me to get married,” I said, “but only for business purposes. I even saw him on a dating website strictly for rich people.”
Elaina shook her head and slammed her champagne flute down. “What a typical male idea,” she said. “First of all, you don’t even want to get married. Second of all, you are way too good for any of the men he knows.”
I plopped down onto the couch and nodded. My father was great at making money, but the men he did business with were nothing short of snakes in the grass. More than a few had affairs with professional escorts, not to mention impregnated a few. It was water under the bridge for my father, though.
If a woman like myself had done anything like that, however, I’d be fired from the company.
“Maybe he won’t tap into his inner circle,” I said. “He seemed pretty interested in the guys on Capitalist Courting.”
Elaina burst out laughing so hard that she snorted. “Please tell me that’s the actual name of the website.”
I pulled it up on my tablet and showed it to her, laughing as her eyes bugged out at some of the men.
“Listen to this asshole,” she said. “Graduated from Harvard Law School, enjoys horseback riding and playing golf, and looking to meet his own Kate Middleton. The guy looks like an epic douchebag, Michelle! Your father can’t possibly be serious.”
I took the tablet back and tossed it into one of my suitcases. “Oh, my father is serious, all right. It’s either a guy from that website or someone he knows that’s around my age.”
“Patrick Davidson is your age,” Elaina reminded me. “Nothing says ‘true love’ like marrying a capitalist who just got out of jail for tax evasion.”
I let out another sigh and closed my eyes. “What about Gabriel Stevenson? We can’t forget about the asshole who stole his best friend’s business plan and became an overnight millionaire. There’s also Bradley Burns, who owns a hedge fund that’s involved in money laundering.”
“Just hearing those names dries me right up.”
I shot her a shocked look, even though Elaina was known for her sarcasm.
“Tell me it doesn’t do the same to you?” She asked.
She wasn’t wrong, and those were just a few of the guys whose names we could remember. My father had a slew of them, all of whom wanted a piece of his business.
“Of course it does,” I replied. “That’s why I don’t want to get married. If I were to date someone outside of my income bracket, the guys would only be after my money. Dating a guy within my income bracket means ending up with an arrogant asshole.”
“Your father isn’t one to back down, though, Michelle. Try as you might, I’m worried that he’ll succeed in finding you a husband just to help run the company. You know how he is.”
“Of course I do. Remember what happened with Nathan?”
Nathan and I had dated right after I graduated from college. Several media outlets claimed that he’d kept tabs on me for several years, and the second I joined my father’s company, that’s when he asked me out. I didn’t believe the media, though. Nathan had been such a great boyfriend, continually showering me with gifts and taking me on mini vacations.
“Your father paid him to break-up with you.”
Nathan had nothing to do with the family business, nor did he make a significant amount of money. After we broke up, I found out that he had dug himself into a large amount of debt with everything he’d bought me.
“He took the money, too. According to my father, Nathan didn’t even bat an eye.”
“You were too good for him anyway, Michelle.” Just knowing that men could be so heartless turned me off from them in general.
“I’m better off alone and with my vibrator.”<
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Both of us laughed.
“Did you pack it?”
“Of course. Didn’t you pack yours?”
“Never leave home without it. Who knows, though, Michelle. Maybe you’ll find a rich, Russian husband, and your father will get off of your case. I’d hate to think that every man will cash in so quickly.”
“Maybe,” I said while continuing to pack my bags. I was just happy to have Elaina with me on this trip, even though I was technically her boss. You wouldn’t know it by the way we acted together, though. You’d think that it was the other way around.
Ever since we first met, Elaina had always looked out for me. Maybe it was because she saw how controlling my father was, or that I was constantly switching from ‘businesswoman’ to being more like my mother, but she often got me out of tense situations. There were times when I didn’t need her at work, but she still showed up and watched over me.
She was like my living guardian angel.
I also knew that she hated to be away from me for long periods. Having grown up an only child, like me, she longed to have a sister.
“Or maybe both of us could find a wealthy Russian husband and never have to come back to the United States!”
“Aside from having to work under my father,” I said, “would you seriously be all right with never living in this country again?” She shrugged her shoulders.
“I think it’s a bit overrated. Once you’ve had New York pizza, cheese from the midwest, and Mexican food down in Texas, it’s time for a change.”
She was referencing our vacation immediately following college graduation, where we traveled the country in a van. My father didn’t approve of it at all, but he caved in a little bit when I reminded him that it’d be a long time before I’d get to go on another one.