Was it just him or did her punishments just get worse, all of a sudden. She had not done anything to him, she had just left him on high alert all day and basically flat out ignored him unlike when they were in their lodgings in Lyon. Samuel was not sure if her inaction did more damage or less, but he did not like it.
Rita glanced at her wristwatch, wondering the same thing he was. Where the fuck were they?
They were waiting for the other party to show up and said other party was already half an hour late. He was losing his patience. Scratch that, he had already lost it. The only reason he was still here was because of the promise of the project the other party proposed. They had hounded him for weeks for this meeting and this deal but now he was here they were nowhere to be found.
“Let's go.” He had had enough.
“Yeah, this meeting isn't happening.” Rita added, gathering the files on the table.
They were almost out the door when someone walked in. It was a man, he had ocean blue eyes, black hair that was cut close to his head and he was wearing a cream coloured long-sleeved shirt with black pants. He was just under Samuel's chin. From the looks of him he was somewhere in his mid-thirties. The man also carried someone else's scent on him. He had been near the person they were supposed to meet. He seemed surprised that there was anyone in the room at all. “Mr Princeton, good morning. I thought you would have left already.”
“I was just about to. Who are you?” Samuel asked.
“Forgive my manners.” The newcomer apologized. “My name is Adrien. I work for Mademoiselle Preen's secretary as his assistant.” Ah, so that was the connection.
“May I ask why your party did not show up to this meeting this morning?”
Samuel could smell the fear leak off of him and the lie about to come out of Adrien's mouth. A mock expression of further confusion displayed on his face. “I'm sorry Mr Princeton, i was under the impression that you had already been informed.”
“Informed? Informed about what?”
“That Mademoiselle Preen has found a new investor and company for our project.” he answered. The fear disappeared replaced by amusement and the shit was trying to hide how smug he was about the situation.
“Excuse me? When did that happen?” she inquired in disbelief. She was not an idiot. She too could see that the man in front of them was not the least bit surprised. So they just spent thirty minutes waiting for absolutely nothing?
“Early this morning.” he lied again. “She did not inform you?”
Samuel was sure that question had already answered itself.
“So who is this investor that grabbed Mrs Preen's attention that she did not think to inform us about her change in direction?” Samuel asked, just about ready to swat this cocky fly.
“I am afraid i cannot divulge that information. This should have been done already by the Mademoiselle. On her behalf and that of our company i sincerely apologize.”
Translation, i would not tell you anything even if you paid me or tried to kill me you freak. You dog, she could not care less. On behalf of our company and our radical views on the rest of you freaks, go fuck yourself.
This kind of situation was not new to him. He had gotten more of this experience in the past eight years, some worse than others. What they all had in common was the inability to be creative. This tactic had already been used on him more times than there were teeth in his mouth. “Where is Miss Preen now?” Samuel asked.
“She and the new project investor just left. I'm just here to make sure nothing important was left behind.” Another lie. And to translate, he meant i was sent here to make sure you got the message and to rub it in your face too.
“Ok then. Rita have every one of Rutherford & co's contracts for this year and the next cancelled.”
“Yes Sir.”
Adrien's expression told them he found Samuel's instruction funny. The mask had fallen off. “Impossible, our company has never and will never sign a contract with yours.” he spat.
“Yes, i could see that,” Rita started. “but you did sign deals with other companies where Deleze Inc and Mr Princeton are its biggest investors and have extreme influence over.” Samuel liked Rita's response and he relished how the expression on Adrien's face changed from smug and triumphant to the look of pure disbelief and fear that morphed into helpless fury on the little shitheads's face. “Let's go Rita.”
“Right behind you Sir.”
They walked out of the conference hall
“This was all planned from the start.”
“Yes but I'd like to know is who the mastermind behind the whole thing is.”
Not everyone knew about where and who he would be have meetings with or what deals he would be signing and discussing aboutWhoever did this had eyes and ears inside the company and they had been watching both he and Rita for quite sometime. It could not just be anyone, it had to be someone with a grudge.
Catherine's stubby ass licker of an uncle could not be on that list, he had given that bloated idiot a severe warning the last time he had done something relating to this sort of thing Besides if it were him, he would not have done it so openly. And Preen was too much of a showboat not to have anything slip. Could it be someone on route to the annual meeting? The idea was plausible but not that feasible siting the values a company like Rutherford had. If it proved true, he would have to take more secure measures, especially since he had Rita with him. He was going to need jake's help for this.
She was furious about what they had been told only minutes ago. She just got off the phone with one of the company's CEOs. “That was the last one.”
“Nice work in there.”
“Thanks but i just got tired of that idiot's poor acting skills. Did they really think they would just send him in with all that and nothing would happen?”
“It seems so. Or they have some sort of backup plan.”
“Nice way to have my morning ruined. Found out who or what it is yet?”
“That's what I'm trying to find out.” He said. He took out his phone and started calling Jake's number.
Jake picked the call, “Yes, Sir?”
“Jake, i need you to look into Ms Ava Preen, find out which companies she has signed with starting from the last three weeks.”
“Got it. I take it they tried some weak ass shit?”
“They were not even creative about it. I want the results of the search in by tonight.”
“Understood. Anything else?”
“We are going to need more security. Send the ones you trust. Double the ones for Italy just to be on the safe side.” He looked at Rita and she stared back at him.
“Will do boss.”
Samuel ended the call.
Rita looked him dead in the eye. “You know something, what is it?”
“Just a hypothesis. Better safe than sorry.” he answered.
“Gee that sounds promising.”
********
/CHAR BRILLANT HÔTEL – 7:15 P. M./
“He could be your culprit.” Samuel's father offered. Samuel agreed.
“It all fits. Thought the fucker would never show his face again.”
Samuel had been facetiming with his father for the past three and a half hours. After one heck of a seven hour power nap. He had not had this much Jet lag in ages. They talked about the pack in general and this new threat. Silas Wren. An old Mage that had it out for the Princeton's for the past forty seven years. Samuel would have to back to the pack more frequently after this. The pack needed it and so did he. He needed to know if Evanston found anything more. How much of a risk he was to himself and those around him. Would Rita like to come with him?
“It seems that he's decided to bring himself out of exile.”
“So it would seem.”
“Well, have a goodnight son. I promised Victor that i would help him and the others clean out and renovate that old cabin. You know, that one close to the river.”
“Yeah, i know.” Of course he did, he screwed there on multiple occasions. “Well, good luck Dad.”
“Son,”
“Yeah Dad?”
“Be careful.”
“I will.”
The call ended and he turned the tablet off and got ready. Tonight, he was taking Rita out dining. Maybe try to smooth things over and get her to reduce the sentence she had given him and get rid of the memory of this morning. He came to her door with gifts, flowers and a basket of cupcakes, to appease her. Getting these in here without her knowledge had to be one of the most difficult things he had done.
He walked to her door and was about to knock when she came out herself. They stood there for a moment, surprised at the appearance of the other.
She was all dressed up, she wore a black and white mini dress and her braids down and had her jacket and purse in her arms. He wondered where she planned on going and it looked like she wanted to kill him and kick him at the same time. “What do you want?”
“Um, I came to give you these,” presenting the items to her. “and to invite you to dinner tonight, That is if you don't kill me first.”
Her expression lightened up at that. “Sorry, I just got off the phone with one of my mother's soon to be husbands. I was going to go out for dinner myself but since you're here I'll take you up on your invitation.” She dropped his gifts on her bed. “Are you sure you don't have anything more important to do?”
“No, I'm all yours for the evening.” Odd. Why would she ask that? She knew he did not have anything else to do. He brushed it off. “I made a special reservation.”
“Then what are we waiting here for? Let's go.” she beamed. And they were off.
*******
Yesterday was still fresh in her mind. All of it. Simply to say it was not just the towel mishap, specifically the little scene she had witnessed in london. The woman and her relationship with Samuel ate at her like a child on a chocolate bar. She shook her head to clear the thoughts away or throw them to the back of her head. She should not even be caring about it in the first place, she was going to enjoy herself right now, She will not let all that ruin her evening. Tonight was going to be a sensational journey for her taste buds and she was going to enjoy every minute of it.
.
.
.
.
A/N: Please I'd like to know what you think of this chapter and the book in general. Don't be shy to leave a review.(◍•ᴗ•◍)❤