It was a beautiful hotel with extravagant and luxurious interiors. We were given our rooms, and I decided to stay in my room to settle in and relax after the long hours of travel. I ordered in-room dining for dinner, and after unpacking a bit, I hit the bed.
The next morning, we all convened at the conference hall for the opening ceremony. The entire top management from both Windsons and Richmond’s were present.
Mr. David Windson was the CEO of Windson Inc. He looked like a powerful and sharp man roughly in his mid-thirties. Whereas, Jake looked way younger, but still intimidating nevertheless.
The moment I saw Jake, my world stuck again, his presence alone emanated prominence. He looked confident and well composed, but there was something about his personality that made his opponents feel alarmed, he wasn't the one to be taken lightly. I never thought Jake could appear this dangerous just by the looks of it. As the meeting progressed, I caught him staring at me a couple of times, which made me highly uncomfortable. I chose not to look at him and just focus on the proceedings.
The entire day went by, and it was time for the dinner party.
I went back to my room, freshened up and got ready. I was wearing a navy-blue short business dress paired with black heels. I tied my hair in a sleek pony and applied some light make up to finish my look.
After glancing in the mirror for one last time, I went down to the dining hall.
As soon as I entered, I saw Mark smiling and talking to his colleagues.
"You are looking beautiful Emma." Mark complimented me with most genuine expressions.
"Thank you, Mark," a small blush that crept my face.
While others excused us, I was mainly left in his company, and we talked about the deal and other business-related things.
Suddenly, Mark became attentive and greeted someone from behind me. I turned around and saw it was none other than Mr. CEO himself. And he wasn't alone; an extremely good-looking girl had her arm entangled in his, as they walked towards us.
This girl looked straight out of the runway like some famous model. With her closeness with Jake, they looked like they were more than business associates.
I felt uneasy. I did not like her holding his arm. Fury and rage seemed like the only known emotions at the moment, and if given a chance, I could rip her perfectly toned arm from his strong muscular ones, without any mercy.
Was she his girlfriend?
"Good Evening, Mark. Ms. Carter." Jake greeted us as he stood a few steps away from me.
"Good Evening, Boss. Ms. Muriel." Mark was the first one to return his greetings.
Ms. Muriel? That does ring a bell.
"Call me Erica. Nice to meet you, Mark". She reciprocated with a hint of smile.
"Good Evening, Mr. Richmond," I said softly, avoiding eye contact with him and nodding at Erica.
"I hope you guys are enjoying the party," His eyes were cold and attitude so stiff. My already enraged mind could barely register the sudden haughtiness in his manners. It was anything but friendly.
He was shamelessly staring at me even when he had the company of another girl standing right next to him.
"Yes, boss. Since this isn't my first time here, I was letting Emma know about Norwegian attractions and how amazing their local museums and art galleries are."
"That's nice. Ms. Carter here looks well taken care of in your company, Mark" His eyes were still lingering on my face, piercing into my flesh like an unwelcomed guest.
Why was he behaving so rudely, and what was with his sarcasm? And here I thought of apologizing to this jerk!
Now, Erica too was staring at me, up and down, from head to toe, giving me a distasteful look. She seemed to be annoyed with Jake's constant attention on me.
"Come on, Jake. Make me a drink, honey." She pretentiously dragged him away with a fake giggle plastered on her lips.
"What was that?" Irritation evident in my tone.
"Well, That's Erica Muriel for you. She is Ben Muriel's only daughter. They are the owners of BLK, whose acquisition proposal you prepared."
"Close friend or Girlfriend?" It came as a spontaneous question. The moment I asked, I regretted my words. Why was I so bothered about his personal life anyway? And what will Mark feel about me, poking my nose in somebody else's life?
I nervously opened my mouth again to explain, but before I could say anything, Mark replied, "Rumor has it that they are a thing since a couple of months now, but you never really know these days." He stated indifferently, stopping a waiter for another drink.
I nodded silently without pestering any further. I did not want to sound curious about office rumors and gossips.
I felt uncomfortable at dinner after that. My mood and appetite were no more the same. Mark was sweet to keep me company throughout.
Jake could do whatever he wanted. He sure had a reputation with girls. I am sure he might have had many flings before her and must be sleeping with her too. She did look amazing, though. Looking at her gorgeous slender figure, curves at all the right places, even I could drool. If I were a guy, I might flirt with her too. My mind went in circles thinking about their closeness, and it was getting hard to convince my pathetic self that this situation had no effect on my tiny, fragile heart. Suddenly a screech from the other end of the hall got me out of my reverie. I looked around and found it to be Erica.
"You fool you spoilt my dress!" She retorted at the waiter who by mistake dropped a drink on
