by Lacey London
‘No! No! No!’ I wail, covering my eyes with my spare hand. ‘Marc can’t have chickenpox, because Oliver has chickenpox!’
The line goes silent and I feel a bead of sweat slip down my forehead.
‘Gina!’ I hiss, stamping my feet to get her attention. ‘What are we going to do?’
There’s a lot of muffled shouting and banging before Gina’s voice comes down the line once more. ‘Just get up here…’
* * *
Half an hour and a near panic attack later, I manage to convince Marc that we can cope without him and Oliver. Well, sort of…
‘And you know where the proposal is?’ Marc asks for the tenth time, wincing as Gina dabs calamine lotion on his cheek.
‘Yes.’ I confirm, trying to sound confident when I’m secretly crumbling inside. ‘I’ve already emailed Lianna to print duplicates. She’s at the office as we speak.’
‘What about the others?’ He replies curtly. ‘Have they all been briefed on the manifesto?’ Wiping a smear of pink lotion from his glasses, Marc flips through the folders he’s been studying for the past thirty minutes.
‘Everyone has been suitably informed and they’re ready and raring to go.’ Not believing this myself, I’m aware that I don’t exactly appear convincing. ‘Marc, I know this is a hugely unfortunate turn of events, but you have to trust that we can do this.’
Gina discreetly flashes me the thumbs-up sign and disappears into the kitchen, leaving the two of us alone.
‘Just give him what he wants. Whatever it takes to get him to sign, make it happen.’ Marc says sternly, scratching his arm and flinching. ‘As long as you walk away with a signature, you have been successful. Got it?’
‘Got it.’ I smile back at him, but the butterflies in my stomach are getting stronger by the second.
Knowing that the clock is ticking, I tell myself it’s time to leave, but my bum stays glued to the seat. As much as I’m trying to take control of this situation, I’m very aware that Marc has left some pretty big boots to fill.
‘Please don’t let me down, Andrews.’ Marc mumbles, only adding to my unease. ‘I’m counting on you.’
Before I can curl up into a ball and admit that I’m on the verge of a breakdown, Melrose fires into the living room and jumps into Marc’s arms, swiftly followed by MJ and Madison.
‘You look like a ladybird!’ Madison teases, giggling as Marc feigns shock.
‘No, he looks like a strawberry!’ Pointing to his cheeks, MJ doubles over with laughter. ‘Melrose, Daddy’s a strawberry!’
Leaving the four of them to play, I force myself to stand up and gather the folders from the coffee table. ‘You just focus on getting better. Like I said before, we’ve got this.’
Suddenly snapping into his usual business-orientated self, Marc sits up straight and clears his throat. ‘Kids, give Clara a high-five. She’s on a super important mission today. Let’s show her some support.’
Holding their little hands in the air, Madison, MJ and Melrose let out a cheer as I bang my palm against theirs.
‘Like James Bond?’ MJ squeals excitedly. ‘Do you have gadgets and weapons?’
‘I do, but they’re top secret.’ I whisper, pointing to the folders in my bag and making a gun sign with my fingers.
‘Wow…’ He whispers, staring up at me in awe.
‘You’ve got this!’ Marc says, giving me a quick hug and suddenly sounding incredibly positive. ‘Go and get that contract!’
A frisson of hope runs through me as I grin back at him and nod.
‘Clara! Clara! Clara!’ Madison chants, banging her hands on the coffee table.
‘Yay!’ Clapping his hands together happily, MJ jumps up and down on the spot. ‘Clara! Clara!’
Before long, the others join in and my ears start to ring with adrenaline. Giving them a final wave, I promise Marc I will call him and slip out of the apartment. My body aches with emotion as I lean against the door and take a deep breath. Without Marc and Oliver in our corner the odds are stacked against us, but when children believe in you amazing things can happen…
Chapter 14
Frantically checking the office, for what feels like the millionth time, I wipe my sweaty palms on my blazer and look over at Lianna. ‘Is everything crossed off the list?’
Marching over to the whiteboard, Li scans the long list of instructions and nods before taking an eraser to the squiggles. ‘Everything’s done. We’re ready.’
My skin prickles as I take a moment to compose myself. Marc left this deal in my hands and I’m incredibly honoured, but I can’t help wishing that he would’ve passed the baton to Li instead. Whereas I’ve been a quivering wreck, Lianna has expertly thrown orders around all morning. Without her nerves of steel to fall back on, I would have been rocking in the stationary cupboard an hour ago.
Dusting down my suit, I walk over to the boardroom and run my eyes across the buffet. When Marc insisted that we order Greek food from Margaret’s Mezze, I felt he was going a little overboard. After all, no other potential clients have been treated to a Mediterranean spread fit for a king before. However, looking at the impressive banquet in front of me, I have to admit that it’s pretty remarkable. Who could possibly walk away from a feast of humous, halloumi and tzatziki?
Smiling in approval, I head back into the office and clap my hands together.
‘Did Stelios give you a time, by any chance?’ I ask Hugh, who is straightening his tie in the window reflection.
Hugh shakes his head and taps his phone against the palm of his hand. ‘Asking what time Stelios is going to show is like asking how long a piece of string is.’
Grasping that we could be in for a long wait, I quickly text Marc to let him know everything is under control and take a seat at my desk.
‘What happens now?’ Lianna asks, perching on the windowsill and looking at the busy street down below.
Not realising that she’s aiming this question at me, I carry on fidgeting with my keyboard.
‘Clara…’ She whispers again, poking me in the back. ‘What happens now?’
Trying to slip into Marc’s mindset, I push myself to my feet and join the others by the window.
‘Now we play the waiting game…’
* * *
It’s been five hours. Five long, exhausting and tedious hours, yet Stelios hasn’t shown. With each hour that passes, we become more and more dejected. Marc has text every five minutes, but I don’t dare to reply. I can’t stand the thought of telling him that despite Hugh’s momentous efforts, Ianthe has turned out to be another dead end.
The buffet is now cold, the positivity has faded and the atmosphere is verging on unbearable. Twirling around in my seat, I throw back my head and yawn loudly. That’s it. It’s really over.
Just as I’m about to suggest that we leave, Lianna inhales sharply.
‘I think he’s here!’ She exclaims suddenly, pressing her nose against the glass. ‘Quick! Look!’
Jolting to attention, I run over to the window and fight the others for space.
‘That’s him.’ Hugh confirms, visibly sweating. ‘Always one to make an entrance…’
Wrestling Lianna, I manage to squeeze my way to the front and stare down at the street below. A long black limo pulls up outside the building, causing the traffic to come to a halt as people stop and stare at the eye-catching vehicle. Keeping my gaze fixed on the limousine, I watch in awe as two bodyguards, wearing slick suits and sunglasses, step out onto the pavement. Pausing for a moment, they speak into headsets before one of the men walks to the end of the limo and pulls open the door.
A few seconds later, a tiny figure hops out and waits for the door to be closed before giving the suited men a subtle nod. Not hesitating, they lead the way into the building, causing the Suave office to erupt into momentary chaos.
‘Oh my God!’ Lianna shrieks, clasping her hands to her face. ‘Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!’
‘I can’t believe he’s here!’ Hugh st
ammers. ‘I know he said he would, but he’s not exactly known for his integrity.’
Rifling through the documents on my desk, Vernon hurriedly scans the pages. ‘My mind has gone blank! I don’t think…’
‘Everyone just calm down!’ I shout, trying to regain some order. ‘We’re going to blow it if we’re all running around the place like headless chickens!’
The office falls into silence and I quickly gather the group into a tight circle. ‘We can’t crumble now. Everything rests on the outcome of this one meeting. Whatever he requests, we accept it. If he’s demanding, just go with it. Absolutely nothing is out of bounds. He asks, he gets. As long as he signs the contract, nothing else matters. Agreed?’
They nod back at me and I cup my hand to my ear. ‘I can’t hear you.’
‘Agreed!’ They all shout in unison.
‘Alright!’ I whisper, forcing myself to smile. ‘Let’s do this!’
Breaking away, we have a few seconds to steady our nerves before we hear the familiar sound of the lift doors pinging open. Exchanging nervous glances with the rest of the group, I fix my face into the most confident expression I can muster, as the two burly men from the limo step into the office. Without breathing a word, they walk around the perimeters of the room and mumble a few words I can’t understand into their headpieces.
The bright spotlights shine down on their matching bald heads as I subtly nudge Li in the ribs. What the hell is this? I feel like I’ve been dropped into a low-budget spy movie. With a final nod, the muscle men disappear into the lobby before returning with Stelios.
Wearing a shockingly-white suit with a pair of awful red shoes, he grins widely as he comes to a stop in front of us. A dozen gold medallions hang around his neck, causing him to stoop slightly under their weight. The vast collection of chains disappears into his mountain of visible chest hair, making him look more like a cartoon character than a billionaire businessman.
Stepping forward, Hugh holds out his arms and embraces Stelios warmly.
‘Stelios!’ He sings, kissing both of his cheeks twice. ‘It’s so great to see you! Please, come and meet the rest of the team.’
Ushering him towards me, Hugh rests a hand on my shoulder. ‘This is Clara Morgan.’
Trying my hardest not to choke on his overpowering aftershave, I smile through the stifling cloud of Old Spice. ‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, Stelios. We’re very excited about the prospect of working with you here at Suave.’
Flashing me a grin that is littered with gold teeth, Stelios takes my hand and plants a wet kiss just below my wrist. Resisting the urge to scream in disgust, I subtly wipe my hand on my trousers and nod politely as he continues to work his way around the room.
Once he has kissed, hugged and shook the hands of everyone in the group, Stelios takes a seat in Owen’s chair and props his feet up on the desk.
‘So, now we are all acquainted, let’s get down to business…’
Chapter 15
Almost unbelievably, the medallion-loving, tzatziki-devouring womanizer has a fantastic business brain on him. It turns out the comedy appearance is incredibly deceiving to the driven entrepreneur that lies beneath. The second Stelios sat in Owen’s seat, it was like he morphed into a completely different person altogether. All signs of his extravagant personality slipped away, until all that was left was a highly-skilled tycoon.
Watching him spout figures and hustle with Hugh for the best deal was almost as fascinating as his tales of Giulia Romano. It seems that after a very brief fling, Stelios labelled Giulia a gold-digger when he caught her rifling through his jewellery vault. A few days later, the infamous tape surfaced and the pair have been at loggerheads ever since. With each party blaming the other for the release of the pornographic home movie, it seems unlikely that their relationship will become amicable anytime soon.
‘This is a figure I am happy with.’ Stelios says assuredly, taking a pen and circling a number on the page in front of him. ‘This, I say yes and we have a deal.’
Lianna and Hugh keep their smiles firmly in place, but their eyes tell a different story altogether. From our many hours of preparation for this meeting, I know the figure Stelios is so keen to agree on is not possible in the slightest. Deciding they could do with a little support, I pull the paperwork towards me.
‘As much as we would love to be able to do that for you, it just wouldn’t be possible at our end.’ I sigh dramatically and flash him my best smile. ‘We need to get closer to this figure right here. If you can come up to somewhere in this region, we can pop the bubbles and get down to work as soon as tomorrow.’
Frowning at the number I am underlining, Stelios runs a hand through his jet-black hair and screws up his nose. ‘No. No, I cannot.’
The word no hits me like a bullet and I look over at Vernon for help.
‘We’ve already clarified that we want to work together.’ Vernon says calmly, pushing the plate of vine leaves towards Stelios, who immediately dives in. ‘This collaboration will be incredible for both of us. We just need to find a point that benefits the two companies to the max.’
Nodding in agreement, Stelios swallows his food and reaches for his glass of water. ‘I agree, but my priority is Ianthe. Ianthe has to come out on top.’
‘Come on, Stelios!’ Lianna purrs, obviously deciding to try a different technique. ‘We’ve already shown you that Suave can do amazing things for Ianthe.’ Sliding closer to him, she twirls a strand of blonde hair around her finger. ‘You know that we’re worth every… single… penny.’
Chuckling quietly, Stelios wags his finger at Lianna. ‘You have not shown me that. It will take a lot more than a mezze and a few graphs to convince me that you’re worth that money.’ Holding up the figure I pointed at, Stelios folds his arms defiantly.
‘So, what will it take?’ I ask, trying to channel Marc’s usual negotiating charm. ‘What do you need from us in order to be happy with this number right here?’
Seemingly deep in thought, Stelios purses his lips and makes several undecipherable scribbles on the paper as the rest of us hold our breath.
‘Seven days.’ He says eventually. ‘I need a little time to assess all eventualities. I cannot commit to that amount of money without looking further into the business first.’ Moving his gaze around the group, Stelios pulls his brow into a tight frown. ‘You give me seven days with just one member of your team and if I am happy with everything after that, then I sign for this number next Monday.’
‘We can do that.’ I reply positively, relieved that he isn’t demanding anything too outrageous. ‘That’s absolutely no problem at all.’ The rest of the group nod along in agreement and I beam back at them. ‘So, who do you want to deal with?’
Looking around the room, Stelios taps his fingers against his chin and studies each one of us closely. Already having a pretty strong inclination that he is going to choose Lianna, I’m surprised when he sits up straight and points behind us.
Following his gaze, I spin around to see Janie strutting into the room like a prowling fox. Wearing her transparent stilettos and a shockingly short dress, she flaunts her shopping bags in the air as she sashays into the office. Whipping off her sunglasses, she marches straight into the boardroom and rests her hands on her hip.
‘You!’ Stelios announces, standing up and smiling broadly. ‘I choose you!’
Panic flutters in my stomach as Janie reaches out and twirls one of his chains around her finger seductively.
‘Choose me for what, exactly?’ She purrs, clearly enjoying the attention a little too much.
‘I’m sorry…’ I stutter, jumping up and running around the desk. ‘I’m afraid Janie doesn’t work here.’ Positioning myself between them, I smile at Stelios and shoot Janie glare.
‘I do not care!’ Clambering over the table, Stelios stammers as he fights to get his words out. ‘I want to deal with her and her alone.’
Despite not having a clue what she has walked in on, Janie pouts her lips
at him.
‘Janie isn’t one of our employees.’ Lianna says firmly, coming to the rescue by leading Janie to the door by her arm. ‘Just give me five seconds and we will pick up where we left off.’
Taking Janie’s other arm, I smile apologetically at Stelios’s security guards and whisper into Janie’s ear. ‘What the hell are you doing here? You’re supposed to be watching Noah!’
‘Don’t you shout at me! Oliver sent me away!’ She replies angrily, taking care not to drop her many shopping bags. ‘There’s no point in us both being stuck in the damn apartment.’
Annoyed with myself that I didn’t pre-empt this happening, I curse under my breath. ‘Regardless of that, you know you’re not supposed to come here! This is the last straw. You’re barred!’
‘Wait!’ Stelios yells, running over to us and batting our hands away from Janie. ‘If you want me to work with you, I deal with this lady.’
My blood runs cold as Janie gives me a confused look.
‘That’s the deal.’ He persists, dusting down Janie’s ruffled dress and motioning to his guards to help her with her bags. ‘Take it or leave it.’
Completely lost for words, I lock eyes with Lianna and rack my brains for something to say. Anything to get him away from this ludicrous idea. The room falls into a strained silence as I desperately try to think of a way out of this. Suddenly remembering my conversation with Marc this morning, I feel my heart start to race.
Give him whatever he wants.
Whatever it takes to get that signature, make it happen.
‘Well?’ Tapping his foot impatiently, Stelios adjusts his medallions and looks at me expectantly. ‘I am waiting. What is your answer? Yes or no?’
Spotting Hugh and Vernon visibly holding their breath out of the corner of my eye, I move my gaze back to Li as she gives me the tiniest of nods.