A Masquerade Affair
By
Elin Magdalene
Dedicated to my children who inspire me to work hard:
Your acts of kindness mean a lot to me
Copyright © 2017 Elin Magdalene
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or recopied in any form electronically or mechanically or by means of photocopying or scanning without the written permission of the copyright owner.
Richard slid his arm over the backrest and turned slightly towards her, legs crossed. He was close enough that his breath fanned her cheek, warming and caressing it.
“I’m not sure if you made a wise choice to come out here alone.”
“Why not?”
“Well for one thing there could be sharks lurking somewhere on the beach,” he joked.
“Do you mean the sharks that inhabit the ocean or the ones that roam the land?”
“I wasn't aware there were sharks roaming the land.”
“Perhaps that's because it’s your school.”
He laughed. Sitting close to him, her stomach fluttered and she felt warmth surging like ripple effect from deep with her.
“And what do the sharks that roam the land prey on?” he asked huskily.
“You tell me. It's your school of fish.”
“Pursue steamy, hot ladies with impressively beautiful legs, perhaps?”
Chapter One
Vivi swiveled her chair around when she heard a knock on the door. She had been looking out the window, pondering on possible changes that could impact her workplace.
The company she worked for, Weisener Enterprise was undergoing a merger. The leadership team had an upcoming conference with the new CEO. She was part of that team so she thought being informed about his personality would be a plus at the conference.
Taking advantage of the benefits of technology, a quick search revealed the paparazzi could not resist covering his every activity. The gossip columns had a lot to say about him but she read only the information from sources she considered reliable. In her opinion, he didn’t appear to be a good match for the company but he was very photogenic or heart-crushingly handsome.
Howard Weisener, their soon to be former CEO, was hardly at the office lately although technically he had not retired yet. Before making the announcement regarding his retirement, he had proposed a merger with a rival company. The board had voted in favor of the proposal and now it was in progress.
She was skeptical of men, matching the description of the incoming CEO, who she considered the rich, powerful, and egoistic. She knew, from personal experience, what happens when one fell on the receiving end of the actions of such men. The experience had left her scarred and it was one she would not want anyone to suffer.
She was brought out of her musings when Willie, her workmate, poked his head through the door.
He asked, “Did you get the email?”
“Which one?”
“The one with the change of plans on the meeting.”
“Is it being postponed?”
“No, but the CEO is unable to attend the meeting so we will be meeting with the CFO.”
Willie left her, closing the door quietly behind him as she pulled the chair over to her desk and browsed her emails. It was a recent one, sent about fifteen minutes earlier.
The email was brief and offered no apologies. It noted that in lieu of previous plans the CFO of Mcgallan Corporation would be meeting with them because the CEO had a pressing issue which had suddenly come up.
The explanation for the change was too flimsy as far as it went. Didn’t a man of his wealth have qualified employees he could trust for one single day to contain a situation so that he could keep his meeting with them? Surely he considered his obligation to keeping his appointment with them a pressing issue as well? If he didn’t then as far as she was concerned, he definitely wasn’t a best-fit CEO for Weisener Enterprise.
The main reason she had gone into corporate law in the first place was to protect others from ruthless, wealthy, men like him. She saw herself as an undercover agent for the employees. She gave legal advice that was in the best interest of both the company and the employees. So how would this merger impact her job?
Vivi sighed as she remembered the most challenging year of her life which impacted her career choice. She cringed at the thoughts clouding her mind as she recalled the price she’d had to pay to get her life back on track.
She was the daughter of a pastor and was held up to high standards. She was in the top five percent in her class, helped to care for the little kids during church, and hadn’t so much as smile with a boy as a teenager.
When she was sixteen, she’d begun working at the church. She’d saved her money for the trip she planned to make when she turned eighteen. She did everything right, in her parents’ honor, until she became a legal adult.
At age eighteen, she'd embarked upon a journey of discovery with her parents’ consent. She’d thought she could uphold her family’s values wherever she went. Why did she not remain true to those values when it really mattered?
Instead, she'd decided to discover her wild side for a short while. Just a little bit of fun but it was much more than she’d bargained for. The consequences of that decision could not be securely tucked away.
Her eyes clouded with tears at the tough choices she’d had to make since she made that trip. Were those tears of guilt and remorse again? Wiping the tears, she reminded herself that she was not a vulnerable eighteen year-old anymore. She would not hesitate to stand up for her rights and that of her fellow workmates even if the price she had to pay was her job.
Richard made his way through the bustling crowd at Los Angeles International Airport. He was glad to be back to seal the merger which his company had begun before his departure.
He hurried by, hoping to elude journalists or fellow travelers excited to buy-in on celebrity gossips. It was obvious he was the focus of the conversations buzzing around him.
He heard cameras clicks but he ignored the endeavors to get close-up snaps of him and trusted his team of security to keep his private space cleared of intruders. He had gotten accustomed to such encounters because it came with his status.
Occasionally, he even smiled or waved to the paparazzi because he considered them allies in his line of business. He felt their publicity was an asset because they inadvertently advertised his business to the public.
As he made his way through a group of unwavering passersby, a voice called out, “Welcome back Mr. Mcgallan. Where are you from precisely?”
He could tell she was a journalist and he gave her credit for the audacity to get her question out.
Richard revealed one of his heart-melting smiles and responded, “Thank you. Just got back from Africa—Liberia to be precise.”
He heard the follow up question, “And the purpose of your visit to Liberia, sir?”
Richard wanted to ignore that question but he decided to throw a challenge to the reporter instead. He sometimes did that to incite their curiosity.
He had worked hard to build a multi-billion dollar company. He believed that with hard work and determination anyone could be as successful as him.
He paused a moment, turned to the reporter and said, “You would agree with me that there wouldn't be much fun in your reporting if I were to give you all of the answers now, wouldn't you? Find out what was the nature of my visit to Liberia. I'm sure you will feel more accomplished doing so than if I were to tell you.”
Having issued that challenge, he ignored other questions as he exited the terminal and inhaled deeply. The weather reminded him of the warm sunny days in Liberia but it was much welcomed because he was back in LA. He was glad he had mad
e the trip and felt justified in his accomplishment.
“Good afternoon, Martin,” he greeted his chauffeur who held the door open for him.
“Welcome back Mr. Mcgallan. I trust your trip went well?”
“Very well indeed, Martin. Thanks for asking.”
Martin, his very trusted and committed chauffeur, had worked for him for nearly eleven. When it came to his itineraries and activities, Martin had rights to full disclosure.
Ensuring that Richard was comfortably seated in the limousine, Martin shut the door then he returned to his seat and drove away.
Richard relaxed for the drive to his home, Palmridge Haven. His five tower mansion, perched on a hilltop, accented the skyline of the nearby beach. It was the zenith of a rolling landscape covering about twelve acres of land. Palmridge was his retreat, offering the comfort and serenity which steered his determination to be successful in business.
Richard felt re-energized hours later by the time he entered his home office. He sat at his desk going through the schedule and notes which Marilyn had arranged for him when his phone rang.
The ring tone and the caller ID indicated it was Nikki, his “on and off” girlfriend. He felt it was time to end the affair for good because she now had her mind set on the “M” word, which was deliberately excluded from his highly elaborate vocabulary at the moment. Marriage was a sacrifice he was not willing to make any time soon.
He would have to assign the task of ending the affair to Marilyn, his efficient secretary. He had no doubt she would inform Nikki in the most subtle way possible.
He assured himself that this would be the final break-up. He felt it would be heartless to continue seeing her since he could never give her what she wanted most from him. So this time, his end-of-affair gift would have to be very substantial. He needed to keep Nikki contend and shopping until she met another guy who met her high-class criteria. Richard thought of it as an unofficial alimony for years of being with him.
He sent her call to his voicemail and glanced at his watch in anticipation of Terry’s arrival. He needed to know about the status of the finances of Weisener Enterprise. It was more important than talking with Nikki.
Muffled voices and then a knock on the door announced his brother’s arrival.
“Welcome back, Rich,” Terry said, walking over to give his brother a hug.
“Thanks. It’s good to be back.”
Scrutinizing Richard with concerned brown eyes he said “I suppose there’s no need to inquire on your health because you look very well. I mean… considering you needed to get a greenlight from your doctor before you made another donation.”
“If I felt any better than this I’d be a meta-human.”
Terry chuckled and Richard smiled.
Richard was one of twenty people in the world who could donate the “golden blood” Rhnull. A little boy in Liberia needed blood transfusion and the protocol necessary for transporting blood across countries would not allow the child to get the transfusion soon enough. He'd taken the resources at his disposal and flown over in his private jet to donate his blood.
Richard had left the country before his doctor's clearance that it was safe to make another donation. He had donated blood less than four weeks prior to making the trip. His doctor had insisted on running tests before he could give Richard his consent for another donation. But Richard felt he would be okay so he had traveled to donate the “golden blood.”
He’d become immune to Terry’s routine scrutiny of him whenever he returned from such trips. In fact he’d expected his younger brother would have tried to play doctor when he arrived. Although they’d had their sibling rivalries as kids and had disagreements as adults, Terry never ceased to be his brother’s keeper.
“Well, let’s get to business,” Richard told Terry. “What are the details on Weisener Enterprise’s financial status and progress of the merger? Are we going to be losing in this merger?”
The proposed merger from the owner of Weisener Enterprise was unexpected. They had longed to purchase the company for such a long time that the offer seemed almost too good to be true.
“Actually, the books look really good. Which makes his offer of a merger even more mind boggling,” Terry replied.
Terry was the CFO of the company. When it came to financial analysis, Richard had yet to meet another person as skilled as his brother.
“I’m glad to know, it’s not going to be a money pit. How did the meeting with the team go?”
“That’s one tough group but I'd have to say the meeting went well.”
“Tough group—meaning?”
“Some interesting questions and comments brought forth.”
“Well that's expected since they’re probably feeling unsure about imminent changes, isn’t it?”
“It is but a member of the team taking a jab at you was totally unexpected.”
That resulted in a raised brow, “I’m listening…”
Terry looked at his brother and said, “She said she had her reservations about you as CEO of the company but hearing that you go around the world helping people, she stands corrected.”
She had made the comment when Terry had explained that Richard could not be at the meeting because he had gone to be of assistance in another country.
Richard understood it for what it was—sarcasm. His gaze narrowed and a frown creased his forehead. It was one thing to experience resistance from new employees but he did not tolerate impertinence from his employees.
“Who is she and what’s her position at the company?”
“Her name is Elvira Whitman and she is a corporate counselor, Rich. She rose to the top by defeating a team of elite corporate lawyers right out of college. She is held in high esteem among her colleagues from what I understand.”
Richard sipped his wine, “Well then one of our newly acquired legal departments could certainly use her expertise and there is nothing illegal about that.”
Richard paused before asking, “Now, what else do I need to know?”
“What makes you think there's more to say?”
“As I always say, you have to work on that poker face of yours. It’s not convincing.”
Terry smiled and turned to look out the floor to ceiling glass door. Richard did not need to know about Emeline, the woman he could not get off his mind. That was his problem, not Richard’s. But he knew Richard would not stop asking unless he came up with a suitable response.
He sipped his drink, “The meeting started about ten minutes after the scheduled time. You might want to reiterate the need for timeliness at the company.”
That was a non-negotiable policy at his company, “They arrived that late?”
“One of them, Weisener’s granddaughter, Emeline.”
Okay, so this was the piece of information he had been withholding, Richard thought.
He stared at his brother, “I’d like to assume she’s beautiful?”
Terry rubbed his eyes as if to erase any traces of her image from his eyes, “Very beautiful.”
“And…?”
“And she is very brilliant but her only flaw is that she is also bratty.”
“Something tells me she is next on your list of conquests, am I right?”
“No…you’re not,” Terry replied fiercely.
“Right...you know denying the fact isn't going to change your infatuation with her?”
Terry refilled his glass, “I think you're reading something out of nothing.”
He would not argue with Terry when it was obvious he had the hots for Emeline. But Richard wanted nothing to influence Terry’s decisions on the merger in progress. He knew his brother could go to extreme lengths once he set his mind on pursuing a woman. Fortunately, the business had never been involved but this time it was. He needed Terry to be level-headed during the negotiations and not fantasizing about the woman sitting across from him.
“Could you do us all a favor?” Richard asked.
“What?” Terry wanted t
o know.
“If you were intending to make a move, please don’t. I’d hate to complicate this process.”
“Believe me, she’s off my radar, Rich. Besides, as far as my taste for women goes, spoiled brats are none other than bitter pills.”
“Uh...huh,” was all Richard got in then the door opened and their mother walked in.
Chapter Two
Vivi walked into the grand entry way of the Falcon Nest and presented her invitation to the receptionist. Her friend Emeline Weisener had received the invitation to the ball in the mail but had said she would not be attending. It was a masquerade ball hosted by Mcgallan Foundations.
“I’ll go if you won’t go,” Vivi had informed her.
“You would?”
“Of course.”
“Then you’re most welcome to have it. Terrance Mcgallan will be at that ball which means I need to stay away from it.”
She’d accepted the invitation, thinking this was a first for Emmy―refusing to go to a ball. Emmy was a social butterfly and enjoyed partying. So she never seemed to lack invitations to different events. This time the invitation was sent by a friend of hers who was catering at the ball.
Emmy opted out of attending the ball to avoid Terry. Their initial encounter had not gone well.
Vivi had to make the trip from San Francisco to LA but she felt justified in doing so. She remembered the last time she was at a masquerade ball. She had been so naïve but not anymore. If only she could turn back the clock. Taking in a deep breath, she made her way into the ballroom.
Blending in with the rest of the guests in the crowded room, she saw clustered groups of ladies. A closer look suggested the Mcgallan brothers were probably the center of attraction for these groups. She couldn’t be sure but as she stepped closer, she heard another male guest call out “hey Richard” and he returned his friend’s greetings.
Richard Mcgalland looked suave and sharp in a blue cocktail suit. She noticed women overtly contending for his attention.
One of them leaned closer and whispered to him then walked away. Vivi rolled her eyes in exasperation when he chuckled in response. He turned his head in her direction at that exact moment and his eyes pierced hers beneath the mask, probing her innermost thoughts.
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