One month later.
My driver got down from the Limo and opened the back door for me. I stepped out with my head high and my sun glasses in place.
My black designer bag was with my security guard who was walking right behind me.
I was putting on a red sleeveless gown that stopped just above my knee, a 6 inches heel and white coat to match.
My left hand was adorned with watches and bangles, but my right was empty of them with just a ring on my thumb.
My hair was packed up in a ponytail and I did not wear much make up for want of time. It was almost winter so my complexion was as pale as ever but it didn't matter as I looked beautiful anyway.
I stepped into the building that was My company's main headquarters, a 20 storey building made more of glass than stone. The sound of my heels on the tiles fed me with the adrenaline I needed to go through the day.
Ignoring the greetings of workers and others I walked straight to my personal elevator which I only became entitled to when I was made deputy CEO.
My security guard knew his job, remained silent and kept his distance from me.
I didn't smile, a frown was steady on my face. There was no reason to be happy, I was dead inside.
It had been exactly one month since I started working in Pristine shipping corporation and today we were going to make the biggest decision of the company.
I had gathered as much respect as I could dream of and as much power as I wanted, still I felt like I had nothing at all.
Immediately I stepped out of the elevator I found my PA waiting by the side obviously for me. I walked passed her, but she strutted behind me.
"Ma, Mr Mike called he said the meeting has been moved..." While she talked I stepped into my office and sat down.
She stood by the side of the big glass table in front of me, waiting for my guard to drop my bag. When he dropped it he looked at me with waiting eyes.
"I will send for you when I need you Jacob." I said, dismissing him. He nodded turning around to leave. I took of my coat, handing it to my PA.
"Ella How many times have I warned you to stop doing this!" I almost screamed at her. She was a bit shaken, I gaped at her annoyed. Before she could reply my phone rang.
I sighed, picking it up. Mike.
"Hello Mira, are you in the office now?"
"Good morning to you too Mike, how was your night?" My voice dripped, of sarcasm as intended.
He sighed. "I am not in the mood for this Mira. Didn't your PA already inform you, the meeting has been moved."
"Well she was saying something like that..." I had to defend my PA because I employed her even against his wishes because she wasn't really up to per with what we wanted from a PA, but I liked her and chose her amongst others. Hence any incompetence from her was always seen as a failure on my part.
"Did she tell you at what time it was shifted to?"
"She didn't get to that point."
"Lord Jesus! I don't know where you employ these people from." There he goes again, I thought as I exhaled.
"Mike calm down! I am on it"
He cuts me off. " You had better be, The meeting is in five minutes so do not disappoint me."
"What the bloody hell! Why in five minutes!" I shouted as I flew up from my sit. "They can't do that. That's unprofessional and I will not condone it. A meeting by twelve moved to 8 is unforgivable. Tell them I won't be coming!"
Mike laughed, but I knew he was definitely angry. "Mira!" He screamed, my name startling me. I didn't reply but he had succeeded in calming me down and scaring me at the same time.
"We need them not the other way around. Be there by 8 and do not make me regret choosing you to handle this. Am I understood?!"
"Perfectly." I replied, through clenched teeth.
"Good. I am counting on you to make me proud." I nodded and hung up.
I threw my phone on my table and exhaled. This whole thing would be much harder than I thought.
One thing I learnt about Mike was that when it came to business he could be so annoying, much more annoying than I sometimes could take.
It was like getting back all his father gave to Noah was much more important to him than anything else in the world, even though he swore that I hold more importance.
And what's with the back and forth meeting schedules, common for a big company like Rush Co I had expected professionalism, funny enough I still did.
Hopefully they get it right soon because I won't continue to tolerate this.
As I thought of all this in anger my PA stood there fidgeting while staring at her feet probably waiting for the ground to open up and swallow her.
The poor thing was so scared. I had the urge to send her away and put her out of her misery, but that was not going to be possible as she had to come with me. A meeting without a PA wasn't what I signed up for when I woke up this morning.
"I guess I won't be taking my coffee early then." I exhaled deeply, while trying my best to remain optimistic about today, even though there was this strange feeling in my heart that today was going to be filled with many surprises.
"Ella take my bag." I ordered, finally finding the will to stand up from my sit.
She nodded, but doesn't move until I was away from the table. She rushes to the bag and picks it up almost falling something's in the process.
"I am not going to bite you so don't be stupid!" I uttered, irritated. I glared at her, sighed and walked out.
At the door my guard stood diligently with a blank expression on his face.
I called his name and he followed behind me and Ella.
When we got to the conference room the representatives of Rush Co weren't yet present.
I used the opportunity to scan the room and afterwards I took my place on the edge of the conference table.
Ella dropped my bag on the table, and stands at my right hand side while Jacob stands on the left.
The conference room was completely empty now.
Before I could breathe in deeply to calm myself we started to hear click of shoes on the wooden floor.
We all glared at the door, me especially.
"Jacob I hope you are connected to security?" I asked, tensing up a bit.
"Very well connected Ma." He replied, sounding as alert as always.
"Good." The last thing I wanted was to be assassinated in my own territory.
The door was pushed open and I immediately sat upright watching as twelve people walked in with suits as expensive as houses and shoes as shiny as diamonds.
Amongst them every race was represented fairly. There were three black men, two Asians, five whites and two women probably in their mid forties.
I would have gotten on my feet, but I didn't trust my legs not to give way. As a woman preceding over a meeting dominated by men I had to show that I was not afraid of anything. That I was well prepared.
They all took a sit, but purposely leave the head of the table which I observed to mean that the CEO of Rush Co was not here yet.
I found it strange because the man who had been shown to me as the CEO was currently seated. According to Mike and the tabloids, Noah had stepped down a few days before this crucial merger.
I could not have been more grateful for the news, because nothing on hell would have made me preside over a meeting where Noah was present. I wasn't strong enough to look him in the eye yet.
Something was amiss then.
Either the new CEO was one humble fellow which I doubted because well every man I had seen in this line of business all had one thing in common, 'Bloated Egos'.
Or he had been changed before the meeting.
Whatever was happening in their company was not my business, but I needed to be ready for anything.
I hated surprises very much and this just made me very uneasy because now I did not know who their head was, and my plans for this meeting seemed to be crashing down.
In fact I started thinking of canceling the meeting, but I pulled myself together
Pushing my worry aside I tried to focus on other things, as we all exchange pleasantries with fake smiles of course. Business wasn't pleasure.
When everyone was settled, I instructed my PA to pass around the proposals and to put on the projector. I wanted the meeting to end as soon as possible and for that to be it had to start now.
"So gentlemen shall we begin?" I asked, speaking loud enough for everyone to hear me, while ignoring the fact that their leader was still absent.
If I could make it early to the meeting he could, and it shouldn't be a business of mine if he didn't.
"Oh we are not complete yet." The supposed CEO said.
"And who is missing?"
"The Boss.."
I cut him off with a hand gesture. "Isn't he supposed to be the first one to walk in here? I mean I also have things to do and I am here present and early?"
"He is currently being held up in traffic and we apologize for the delay."
"Apologies." I scoffed, like that could solve anything or change the situation of things. "Held up or he wants to make a grand entrance." I muttered, more to myself than to them but they caught up to it, anyway "Alright we shall wait for Five minutes." I inhaled, deciding that it was best to handle things calmly.
Men who made it a duty to come late to meetings made me so angry.
I sighed.
Men and their ego's and the need to show of their new found power.
I turned to Jacob and gestured for him to bend so I could whisper in his ears. "Make sure their are guards outside the door."
He nodded, standing upright. He walked to the corner of the room and made the call to the guards.
The room was tensing up more and more, I wanted to scream out.
"This is just a major.." The supposed CEO was about to say when the door was pushed open. All twelve of them looked to the door with respect on their faces as the man walked in.
But I, I stared in shock, my mouth agape, my heart beating faster than normal, my palms sweaty as the person I never expected to see walked in.
Noah.
Why is he here?
What is he doing here?
All these were the questions running in my mind. I was shaken by his presence and the many unanswered questions it came with.
I wanted to run. To hide. To disappear, but Instead I breathed in and out in other to calm myself. I had to take control of the situation. I could not let him win again. Something became obvious to me though, Noah would keep playing games with me, with my life, with everything around me until I was his.
How could he fake his resignation just so he could be in the same space with me? He knew that if he was the one to chair in the meeting that I wasn't going to come hence he faked his own resignation.
I would really have loved to voice out my questions to him, to scream at him on the top of my lungs. To beg him to leave me alone and stop his deceit and
Stratagems aimed at getting me to be his. But my throat was clogged and scratchy and I doubted if any word could come out of it now.
Noah stared at me for a second, I stared back, then he looked away.
Beads of sweat formed on my face even with how cold the conference room was.
He clapped once and smiled at his workers, then he faced me again.
"Good day, ladies and gentlemen. I am deeply sorry for coming this late. It was not planned but there were circumstances that delayed me. Circumstances beyond my control. " There was this smirk on his face that told me that he was lying through his teeth. He definitely came in late on purpose, to rattle my already aggravated form.
I suddenly found my voice.
"An apology cannot solve everything, else we wont have prisons." I purposefully raised my voice when it got to 'prisons' so it will stick to his head. If he wanted to play games then I would indulge him. I was no longer the young and naive Mira who believed in Angels and knights.
His smirk disappeared, but he quickly got a hold of himself again and smiled. "An apology can definitely solve this."
I did not reply.
I was seething but I knew that Mike needed this partnership more than anything else in the world, so I could not fail him especially not after he had put all his trust in me. Me whom he just met.
If he could chose me over those who he had worked with all his life then I could definitely chose him over my anger.
And I did.
It vexed me that Noah, Scar or whatever...knew of this fact and he was using it to strong arm me. Well he won't always have it this easy. I promise that he would not. And me and Mike will have a long talk about all of this soon.
"So shall we begin, Mirabel?" Noah uttered, now sited. His eyes were buried in mine but it did not throw me off balance this time around. I met his gaze with my own confidence and resolve.
"That is Miss Mirabel to you. We are not friends." I corrected.
He chuckled, but I could tell that that got to him.
"Miss Mirabel." He uttered, sarcastically, "Let us begin."
The tension in the room could be felt even across the building. Every other person present I noticed Kept on shifting on their seats. Even Jacob was pretending to make a call but I knew he wasn't, he just wanted to get out of the heat.
I bit my lips, shut my eyes tight, exhaled, inhaled, clenched my jaw and stood up.
With as much will as I could muster in me I began my proposal. Noah had made me lose myself once before, I was determined to make sure that it did not repeat itself again.
I shut down my emotions and carefully and painstakingly drew out the proposal before all that was present in the meeting.
Noah tried time and time again to put me off with side comments and questions which meant nothing to the business at hand but I was ready for him. I was so ready. I matched his energy back to back.
At the end of everything I had succeeded in pleasing everyone in the room. They all looked satisfied and ready for the long awaited and life changing partnership. Funny enough I wanted nothing to do with it. Nothing. But Noah, Noah would always find his way back to me. I was now so sure of it as I was sure of my name.
After documents had been signed, promises made, hugs and pecks given, Every other person left the office except Noah.
Jacob had gone with Ella to drop off some things so I was left alone with him.
I was about leaving, when he stepped in front of me. I stepped back at once. The last thing I wanted was to be close to him as I knew how It would affect me.
Everything might have changed but I really doubted if his hold on my soul would ever change.
"What do you want?" I asked, through clenched teeth. I balled my hands into fist. My fingers dug into my flesh.
I stared straight into his eyes with anger. What do you want?" I asked again.
"I want you to accept that you love Mira. I want you to accept that you are my Queen. That you are my Reina."
I scoffed, rolling my eyes. His words pierced my heart, but my face remained blank.
"You are out of your mind Noah because that would never happen! You are a thief, a criminal, a liar, a cheat, a killer! You are all things bad. You. Are. The. Devil. White lion! The Devil and I want NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU!!" I shouted.
My words seemed to have hit him hard, because he sobered up immediately. But he did not look away from me. It felt as though he wanted me to read the truth in his eyes.
I did not Look in them. I won't fall for his tricks again.
"White Lion is dead. I killed him for you! I have done it all for you. This is your Scar. This person in my mind, This person here now is your Scar, it is Noah, Mira, your guardian angel, your love. Only this body is similar to that of white lion. Just this body alone. He is dead and gone. I have changed for you, for me, for us, cant you see that, Mira?"
I shook my head in the negative as tears threatened to spill out from my eyes, but I had promised myself before never to cry again and that promise still stood. I may have broken it for him at one point in my life but I wont again, not again.
"There is nothing different about you. You just proved that by staging this whole meeting just so you could bother me. You have not changed. You are a criminal and I will not stop till you are locked up behind bars where people like you deserve to be as I have seen that that is the only way I can finally be free of your obsession with me. I am not your love and I hate you with every fibre of my being. I never want to ever see you again! Stay away from me!" I screamed, trying to walk passed him. He held my arm stopping me from leaving.
The iron, grey door of the conference room had never looked as attractive as it did now, not even when I was appointed Deputy.
I just needed to get out of the door and away from him or I could push him on that table and...
"Mira. You know that I cannot let go of you. I belong to you. I can not stay away from you, not even death will keep me away from you."
"Do not call my name!" I seethed. "Don't! You Don't deserve to call my name."
He pushed me to the wall and screamed, hitting the wall with full force. I cowered under him.
My heart stopped and started again with full force almost drowning me in every feeling possible. I felt anger, fear, sadness, lust, desire. I was feeling them all.
Luckily the conference room was soundproof so no one else could hear our screams.
How convenient was it. It seemed that even the universe wanted us to be together.
"Noah. This is war." I managed to say through my racing heartbeat and teary eyes. "This is war!" I repeated, my voice coming out louder.
He smiled and looked into my eyes with that passionate look I could never forget.
"Yes, I have lied, and cheated, and killed, but I am no longer that person! I have changed and it was all for you Mira." He paused. "Since you have chosen to declare war against me I have no choice but to fight it. Remember that I wont play fair. Everything is fair in love and war and I am in love and at war with you now, Mira. In the end I will win your heart again and I wont play fair."
He came closer and closer to me so that we were almost one body, then he bent his head and pecked my cheeks. "You are mine, remember that."