The Billionaire's Heartbreak

19

Czarielle's eyes roam around the meeting room. The room was covered with thick glasses around it, there were a couple of black, metal, venetian blinds with horizontal slats that you can tilt up and down. It accentuates the whole black and white theme of the fully air conditioned room.

She hasn't been in a meeting room with rich business men and it was her first time seeing this in person. She only sees this kind of set up in movies.

Laxton Hendrix pulled a black metal office chair near him and urged her to sit beside him in the middle. Cza eyed him to show her protest but he just threatened her by making his eyes look bigger. She didn't want to be humiliated so she silently slid down beside him.

"Good!" He whispered to her left ear and since she's easy to be tickled on that spot, she just smiled plainly.

"The meeting will now commence. The first agenda would be the--" Billy's voice echoed in the room but he was hushed by a mid-fifties man sitting in parallel with Laxton.

"Why don't you let the CEO present the project himself? He even brought his girlfriend with us today for the first time." The man sarcastically laughed and the other men followed his laughter.

Czarielle saw how Laxton Hendrix's jaw tightened so she hold his left hand, let their fingers intertwined to show her silent  support for him. She saw how his eyes get clouded in both confusion, amusement and relief at the same time. She just nodded to encourage him to go on.

Looks like he got her message so he confidently stood up, walked straight to Billy as he stepped aside and he put his left elbows on the brown podium table and put his chin on above his palm before he started his speech.

"Excuse me, gentlemen. This is a serious matter and business matters weren't a joke. If you want to joke around and mix your personal opinions and not by being business partners or as member of the board, the door is open for you to leave." He smirked when the crowd went into silence. "Don't ever insult my position as YOUR CEO because I'm doing my job for you guys to get a lot of stock dividends from the company's profit and I proved myself to you when I was promoted six months ago. I don't want to waste my time lecturing middle age men about good manners so---"

"For all I know, you just got the position because you were the only son of Mr. Chairman."

The man's comments garnered murmurs around.

Laxton's patience ends there. He grew up hearing those words as if it was his mistake to be born as the Chairman's son and it annoys the hell out of him every time he hears the exact same words over and over again. He even decided to just work for a different company before but because of his mom's begging, he let it slide. He worked hard, started at the bottom without anyone knowing his true identity, not even the one who managed him.

"As far as I know, I started as one of the janitors here, which is by far the lowest position ever and I climb my way up because of my abilities, not because of my connection to whoever it is! If you want to take over my position, suit yourself by checking all the decisions I've made for the current duration of my term and if you still find any of my decisions disturbing and inappropriate for the company's benefit, then go on. I'll gladly step down without arranging a disciplinary meeting. I don't need to hear their decision! Should we just reschedule the meeting two weeks from now? I don't care about rescheduling it and cancelling all my previous appointments." Laxton's eyes were getting wet and he's suppressing it because he didn't want them to see how vulnerable he is with that topic.

Czarielle glared at Billy who's only watching the board members reaction with the client he has sitting comfortably as he enjoyed the ongoing situation. When Billy's eyes met hers, she mouthed "Do something about it!"

Three minutes passed by silently and no one dared to talk back this time.

"Okay, I'll reschedule the meeting then. As for whoever said that I am on my position because of nepotism, you take care of the client and convince him to sign the contract for the ten billion franchising project!"

He marched down towards Cza, intertwined their fingers together and dragged her outside that toxic meeting room.

He brought her to his office, unexpectedly lifted her up on his glass table to sit down--not paying attention to the couple of folders that falls down to the carpeted floor--and he unexpectedly grabbed her face and kissed her.

His lips expertly kissed her as his tongue started to find its way inside her mouth. Both of his hands hold her small waist tightly as he struggles to stay in the same standing position.

Their rough kisses last for a couple of minutes. Laxton Hendrix only stopped when Cza pushed him away slightly to hide her embarrassment.

He hold her chin upwards for their eyes to meet. Although Cza's eyes can't focus on his gaze, he manages to make eye contact with her.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought you here. I don't know why I badly wanted to see you after my mom called earlier. It was a mistake bringing you here in the first place since I just dragged you here. Do you want me to drive you back to the PhotoStudio?" 

"Yes...No..I mean--" She was speechless. She didn't want to leave him in his vulnerable state nor stay with him. She's torn in between the two options.

"Alright, I don't want to say this but I want you to stay with me for the night. Just the two of us." His eyes are pleading and commanding at the same time.

Czarielle chuckled. She tapped his right shoulder. "Hey, relax! I'm not one of those guys out there. Aren't you supposedly asking me to stay with you? You look like a mad commanding boss."

Instead of getting angry, his lips automatically smiled. "Yeah, right. Sorry."

"Just kidding! Haha! Even if you wouldn't ask me, I would still stay. Even if you'll drive me away, you can't just push me aside. I'll still stay with you." She embarrassingly smiled.

Laxton Hendrix chuckled this time. "I won't let you slip away that fast, either. After how you respond to our hot kisses? No way! I'll make you mine tonight, I swear!"

He lifted her down until her feet touched the carpeted floor, hand-ironed her slightly crumpled dress and hugged her tightly.

"I think I've found my frenemyver--friend, enemy and lover at once." He thought to himself as he hugged her again before guiding her outside his office.