Right of First Refusal

Chapter 3 - Elle

"Sunny, it happened" I tell Sunny as I enter Angelique finding her near the kitchen door. I had texted Celine, Camille and Edward and made a run for the cafe – I felt the need to let her know that all of those free lattes and croissants she had sneakily had refilled free of charge had at least generated a return. "Arj is giving me a sort of test drive project for a deal, and if this pans out, I can move to his team."

Sunny looks around and beams, "That's fantastic Elle!" I wasn't sure when I had become so reliant on her for support, but her presence and the cafe felt like a warm cup of tea – soothing and never intrusive; it what I envisioned all those well-meaning grandmothers or aunts from novels to be. It had been especially welcome given how much I'd been avoiding my family these days. Sunny's eyes twinkle with mischief as she continues, "Could that potentially motivate you to consume less coffee and pastries and go for something remotely nutritious this evening?"

"Oh, you know me, if there's no consumption warning from the surgeon general it doesn't interest me, but I suppose, since I'm in a celebratory mood, I could indulge you today. I'll need to take a look at that wine selection of yours at the very least," I say as I look around and frown. It seemed like it was quite busy for a Wednesday evening, there wasn't really an open spot in sight.

Sunny catches my frown and looks around. Suddenly, her eyes are twinkling again as she leads me towards the counter and she smiles and says, "Why don't you take a seat in the counter?" she motions towards a chair currently occupied by a perfectly pressed overcoat and briefcase. "I'm sure the gentleman won't mind."

I turn to see the handsome man who seems to be another of Sunny's regulars. He turns to look at me, and I use the opportunity to examine him closer. He has a perfectly alluring set of grey eyes that complement his strong cheek bones and nose, a striking face. His black hair, which seemed slightly unruly from a distance looks silky and soft up close. I assess clinically - perfectly devastating, about a 95% probability of being a resolute player. Probably an ass too.

"I'm so sorry to disturb you, would you mind if I took this seat?" I ask. He looks at Sunny and it seems to take him a moment to respond.

"Please do not apologize on my account, it is I who should be apologizing," he says as he takes the coat and places it on his own seat, and removes the briefcase to place it under his chair. I detect a slight British accent – posh, probably Oxford or Cambridge. Edward would definitely be able to tell. "Please do sit, I wasn't minding my surroundings, I should have offered sooner. My sincerest apologies."

"Thank you," I say as I take a seat, whatever he is, he is certainly polite, and a bit charming. Sunny hands me her wine list and it one of the regular waiters calls her for what seems to be a question in the kitchen. The handsome stranger takes another look at me and just as I think he's going to turn he says, "There's a 2015 Pinot Noir that's quite good, I've just had a glass and it really was a wonderful year in the region. The terroir comes across well. If you're having the soup a l'oignon it pairs up very well."

"Thank you for the recommendation," I answer politely. Oh, definitely charming. I'm not sure why, I suppose it's his courtesy, and the fact that I see him here so often, but I feel compelled to introduce myself, "I'm Elle, by the way."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Elle. I'm Jumin," he answers quite formally, his expression stoic. Just like Jumin Han, I muse to myself, thinking of the absolutely impossible man probably sitting half a world away in Korea. He was at my throat on today's call. We had managed to agree on the debt repayment, but I was unwilling to relent on the earnout – it was key to have a proper incentive plan in place. How could you possibly motivate the executive team to make good on their promises otherwise? How could he possibly not see that? Jack, my analyst had only snickered when after hanging up I had needed copious amounts of coffee and chocolate. Anyway, it must be becoming a popular name these days. I see an assortment of financial newspapers sprawled in front of him, as well as a copy of War and Peace, and I smile approvingly. He takes notice and adds more softly, "for when I'm done searching for meaning in the Financial Times, it's good company for dinner."