QUEEN OF DIAMONDS

CHAPTER 46

The heat here is inconceivable. It's not even 8am yet and I'm already sweating. Oh to be in Italy again! We came back from our vacation two weeks ago and I've been balls deep in work. Andile is back in Cape Town for a parliamentary debate and has been there for the past week or so. I walk to the revolving doors when someone bumps in to me. I glare at the man but he doesn't even notice as he glides past, eyes glued to his phone. Yerrrr, I'm annoyed as it is and a simple apology would have been appreciated. Security is about to go to him but I stop him with one hand. "So you're not going to apologize?" I call after him and he turns. "Excuse me?" he asks looking up. "You're not going to apologize?" I repeat. I can't shake the feeling that I know him somehow, but I can't figure out from where. "For what?" he asks. Is he being serious? "For almost knocking me down on to the floor," I say with my hands on my hips. He looks at me slowly, from top to bottom before smirking. "Somehow I doubt that," he says. Erggghhh! It's like dealing with another Andile. And did he just imply that I was overweight? "Ure eng?" I demanded and he laughed. "You take things too seriously. I'm sorry for almost knocking you on to the floor. God forbid your custom designed suit gets dirty," he said and I gritted my teeth. "Are you always this annoying or is it the heat?" I ask and his smirk widens. "Are you always this catty or are you not getting any?" he asks. Is it too late to let security deal with him? "Is this how your mom taught you to talk to a lady?" I asked. "Where's the lady?" he asked. I click my tongue before turning on my heels to leave. "Find out who he is," I said to security who immediately said something in to his wrist comms. I stormed across the lobby in to the elevator. How can one person get under my skin like that in less than 5 minutes? I try my level best to keep my cool as I go over today's schedule with Kim. When she's done, I go into my office and make some final changes to a presentation I had to make in about an hour. There's a knock at my desk and the security guard from earlier walks in. "I got the information you needed ma'am. Apologies for any interruptions," he says and I nod. "He's not an employee here. He's Prince Lubanzi Malanga, he's here for a meeting. One you apparently have in an hour" he explains. Oh fuck me!

This would be a great time for the earth to open up and swallow me. He's walking towards me as everyone who was part of the meeting files out. "Can I help you Mr Malanga?" I ask and he smirks again. The urge to slap it off him, but he is a prospective client, I have to be civil. "Nice to know you've put the claws down," he says and I narrow my eyes. "Excuse me?" I ask. "Earlier on you were right about ready to lunge at my throat and now well," he says with a shrug. "Unless you have any work related questions, this conversation is over Mr Malanga," I say grabbing my iPad off the desk. "Actually I do. Seeing as you have shall I say, lacking, people relation skills, how do you plan on convincing me and the board that your company is worth working with?" he asks. "I don't know what makes you assume I have a lack of people relation skills," I say arching an eyebrow. "Oh you don't?" he asked with an amused tone. Lord, if I get by a month without slapping this man, I need guaranteed admittance into heaven. "Any other questions, Mr Malanga?" I asked with a tight smile, walking towards the door. "No. I'll see you tomorrow night when we have dinner with my father," he said and I whipped around. "Are you inviting me to dinner, if so I can get my assistant to let you know when I'm available. I might not, however be available tomorrow night but I can definitely try and fit you in sometime soon," I said. "No. I wasn't asking you to fit me in. I was telling you -" he started but I'd had enough. "No Mr Malanga, you do not get to tell me what to do. You have been rude, obnoxious and just downright insufferable. I don't care if where you're from everyone bends over backwards to please but here this is my kingdom and I do not respond kindly to being pushed around. If you feel my company and I are incapable of handling your investment portfolio then I highly suggest you leave," I said fuming. "Are you done?" he asked lowly, a tone I recognized from when Andile was about to blow his top off. "I'm sorry, that was very unprofessional of me. It's just that-". "I don't care. I don't care whether your husband is the king of the fucking world. You will never raise your voice at me. Who do you think you are? You are right, that was very unprofessional of you. If this is how you treat your clients then I think I might just take my business elsewhere. But I've heard good things abut you and your company so I'm willing to risk it. If this happens again, I will be taking my company elsewhere. Nxx," he says and leaves the room, slamming the door behind him. I'm in deep shit.

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"It's not funny, Andile," I say in exasperation. "It is!" he defends and I roll my eyes "I'm going to hang up on you," I warn. "Really now?" he asks and I roll my eyes again. I was telling him about my incident with the Prince, in hopes of getting advice on how to apologize without bowing. But my husband is an idiot and he just laughed at me as I relegated the story. "This is the part where you advise me on how to apologize without bending over backwards," I say and he sighs. "That's the problem. You can't apologize without humbling yourself first, that's the point of an apology. I understand he rubs you the wrong way and he was pretty rude but still he is a client. And I hate to break this to you but from time to time you're going to have to kiss a client's ass and do a little hand holding because that's business. You yourself are royalty, I'm sure you understand the reason for his arrogance and the way he carries himself," Andile replies. I hate it when he's right. "Can you repeat the first two lines, I didn't write them down," I say and he sighs again. "I'm serious Kea," he says. "I am too!" I reply. Another sigh. "So I suggest you invite him to breakfast or lunch or whatever and apologize. A proper apology," he says.
"Alright alright, I will. Thank you for listening to me rant and for giving me some pretty solid advice. I know you're really busy,"
"I'd drop everything for you. Ngiyakuthanda MaMoloi,"
"I love you too Khabazela. I have to go formulate a heartwarming apology,"
"Have fun. Kiss the kids for me"
"Bye. And no, you need to come home and do it yourself.
"I will, soon. We are almost done here, just ironing out a few kinks and I'm all yours"
"I'm going to hold you to that"
"I have a feeling you really will"
"Bye babe"
"Uberight s'thandwa sami"

I love being loved.