Operation: One percent

Chapter 11

Ace

"I am sure that you will see it beneficial for both of us to be wed Mr. Mountangue." Miss Benezia spoke, lightly brushing my arm with her finger.

"I am certain it would, but I find it interesting how you have decided to bring that topic now, Miss Benezia when I am clearly against such an arrangement." I proclaimed, removing her hand away from me. I disliked being touched by acquaintances. I only accepted it and returned it for the sake of the public eye and a good reputation brought by important connections.  

Her jaw-clenching at my dismissive attitude, betraying her disappointment, but then she continued on.

"Can you imagine if a cybersecurity conglomerate such as our K3, merged with your company? We would be unstoppable. Just think about it!" As if presenting me with a vision that bore its own weight, Benezia spoke seductively. 

Cornelius finally started singing, drowning her voice, and making her put much more effort into speaking. He didn't have much of a  talent, but maybe him being here had something to do with his brother being the leading engineer of genetics in Glenrit, and SierraTech was set on getting him to work for us on our next project.

 I moved near her ear, making sure she hears me. Thinking that she successfully seduced me into the idea, Benezia smiled eagerly.

"I know that your father has charges of tax fraud piling up against him Benezia, but marrying you off to me is not something you want, with all due respect. "

I stopped for a moment, then continued.

"And if I catch one more of your spies loitering around my house, I will destroy you all."

Needlessly to say her smile was quickly wiped off. I wasn't in the best mood, and perhaps I was too harsh with her. I knew it was her father making her do all this but still, I didn't find it in me to be sympathetic. It did do exactly what I wanted. It made her stop talking. Regardless of my inner resistance to be here, I knew this had to be done so my father wouldn't suspect me and what I was about to do. Good company-to-company relationships were important to him, and keeping the citizens' morale up was even more necessary.

I was grateful for the somewhat secluded area that was VIP section, as too many people in a closed space made my skin crawl. Especially, when they try to touch me, which inevitably they do. 

But even worse was the fact that all eyes were on me, wherever I went. Observing and judging me. So, I always made sure that at least my appearance was an impenetrable fortress, masking the disgust inside.

I looked at the device and checked if there was a response from Margaret but there was none yet. I won't lie to myself that she wasn't attractive, but what impressed me was her wit. There was something different about her. Whenever she smiled, none of the smiles pointed at me were genuine. But the way she uncovered everything about me, made me respect her even more than her perfect resume did. I never figured out where I know her from though. 

And what took her so long to accept?

Maybe I put her off with my attitude and offensive remarks, but I couldn't help myself. She was the 500th person I talked to in a week, and in need of control, I prefer having at least an introductory interview face-to-face with a candidate, especially when they work close to me. It's ironic how I seek control over most things, but fail to exercise it over myself at times. But with too many of my subordinates showing up dead and the information that the government started to be affected too, I wrote it off as simply being diligent.

"Your drink sir."

I thanked the waiter, and as I reached for the glass, an alarm blared through the café, shortly followed by the sprinklers, trenching us all. My companion squealed as if the water was burning her, complaining about how it messed up her hair. I must admit, the sight lifted my sour mood, simply because I imagined her as a banshee being sprayed with holy water.

"Please stay calm, and start moving to the exit. This is not a drill."

I stood up, took the glass making my way to the exit. As I moved it to my lips, the glass got knocked out of my hands when someone pushed me.

Long black hair, a black dress, and she didn't even say sorry.