Within My Stratosphere • SOTUS

Chapter 4. Speckled Yellow Orchids

[Kongpob]

[Location: Singapore.]

There were many benefits to having a friend who owned a chain of prestigious hotels.

Currently, the only benefit Kongpob hoped to reap, was the state-of the-art customized mattress in his Presidential Suite.

They had just closed a deal with Leon and Co., a company that specialized in fashion design and manufacturing. The opposing representatives had suggested a celebratory dinner which Kongpob habitually declined. Tonight however, he had reluctantly agreed; mainly due to his secretary's persistence. After all, the location was at his residing hotel and he could escape whenever he so desired.

He only sometimes took the advice of his secretary, Pern. And he sincerely wondered why he even bothered to consider her suggestions. This needed to be jotted down somewhere permanently: 'Never take, Pern's advice.'

A business dinner at Rosewood; a sub-brand of Azure Hotel, was usually a treat. The Michelin 3-star restaurant, was only the icing on the cake at this luxurious location. This was one of his regular spots that he frequented, whenever he was in Singapore.

While keeping an 'as-neutral-as-possible' expression, he silently sliced into his filet mignon. The meeting itself wasn't the issue. The issue, was in the number of participants attending this business dinner. He remembered that there were at least three representatives from Leon and Co. So, why the business meeting suddenly turned into a dinner for two, was beyond him.

The lady who was clandestinely smiling in front of him was, Peach Hatthapradit. She was the youngest daughter of Leon and Co.'s, Founder and CEO. Although he had never met her before, he knew of her. She was a fashion designer who recently completed her studies in Milan, Italy. Her proud father had periodically boasted of his daughter's accomplishments. He should have known.

Without making eye contact, he leisurely took a bite. He'd made it this far, he could suffer through it.

Peach was half Thai and a quarter Malaysian and German. She was slim but with a well-developed figure. Light-skinned, doe-eyed, and wearing a fitted dress; she would have attracted a lot of attention if they weren't in a private dining room.

She casually leaned forward while propping her arms onto the table. This action accented her ample cleavage.

It wasn't that he was uninterested. He simply did not mix business with pleasure.

To Kongpob, the idea behind mixing business with pleasure ultimately equaled to marrying for the company. As the President of Industry Enterprise & Co., he believed that he was above it, not beneath it. The irony of being owned and governed by something he himself had cultivated, was unappealing to him.

He momentarily wondered if his parents were also in on this. If so, this wouldn't be the first time. Considering the size of her family's company, there was a definite chance that his parents were involved somehow.

As for the instigator behind this predicament, apart from the occasionally horrible suggestions, he had faith in Pern; his long-time secretary.

"I've always admired you," Peach spoke, breaking the silence. "Even before taking over your father's company, you were always so accomplished. I've never met a more brilliant man who's both so intelligent and handsome." Without taking her eyes off of him, she tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear.