Ms. Billionaire

Chapter-10

Lionel fixed his tie in front of the mirror as he looked at his watch again. The last thing he wanted was to be late to the event. He sighed in relief when he realised that he still had an hour. "You look like a high school kid."  Drake voiced his disapproval. Lionel's face fell at his remark. "Then how about you help me instead of sitting on your ass." He bit back, annoyed at his lazy friend. Drake was still in his shorts munching on popcorn much to Lionel's displeasure. Despite asking him to not bring food into his closet, Drake never seemed to listen. He put his popcorn aside in response to Lionel's words and sauntered over to his friend. He pursed his lips out of habit as he carefully analysed the ties that was neatly organised in Lionel's closet, which looked completely different than his own. It was way too clean. He quickly pulled out a tie and held it to his friends neck. "Wear this one."  Drake said looking pleased at his choice. Lionel smiled, nodding in approval.

He wanted the event to go as smoothly as possible. Their main goal at the event was to impress Mr. Alex Kozlov, a Russian billionaire and get a contract signed from him. Katherine's plan was to make sure that Xavier Corp established a strong foothold in Russia, which would be easy with the help of Mr. Kozlov. The deal was extremely important to her and Lionel knew how hard she had worked for the past couple of months. Just as he had fixed his tie, his phone buzzed in his pocket. His face brightened as soon as he saw her name and picture flash through the screen. Her voice filled his ears as soon as he accepted the call. "Why are you not at the venue yet?" 

He rushed out of the house, saying a quick bye to his friend when he heard her serious voice. "Don't worry baby, I'll be there on time." He said getting into his car. "I'll decide whether you're late or not."  She snapped. Lionel chuckled at her impatience. "Please hurry up."  She said, disconnecting the call before he could reply. Lionel shook his head. He could not get used to how cranky she became before an important event. His mind again wandered towards Mr. Kozlov's project. The flashlights of paparazzi shined throughout the place. Though it seemed impossible, he made it inside the ballroom with photographer's taking several pictures of the guests.

The room was filled with many billionaires and their dates. Women were dressed in classy gowns which could probably feed an entire household for a month. His eyes searched for Katherine in between the sea of people, but he couldn't find her. Hence, he decided to check whether the arrangements were in place. After making sure everything was in order, he grabbed a glass of champagne and sat on the barstool away from the crowd. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see a blonde woman dressed in a black dress, that left very little to imagination. He immediately straightened his back. He could recognise a brat when he saw one. It wasnt rare in extravagant events like this and he was fully prepared.

"What is a handsome man like you doing, sitting here alone?" She tried to talk seductively. Key word 'tried'. Lionel beamed a fake smile at her. "Minding my own business."  He replied sarcastically not dropping the smile. He realised that she didn't get his sarcasm, when she giggled at him, hitting his shoulder. He almost flinched at her touch but maintained his composure. The last thing he wanted was a rich brat throwing a tantrum.

"I never said I was alone. He said firmly and turned his attention to his phone, hoping she would get the hint and leave. "Oh! Don't try so hard to get handsome. You'll be begging for me by the end of the night, anyways." She said crossing her hands against her breasts, which looked like it would pop out of that dress anytime. He rolled his eyes at her remark and started searching for Kate. Where are you when I need you the most? He thought. He was almost about to throw up anytime due to the overwhelming smell of the woman's perfume. He knew that only Kate could save him from that walking disaster.

"What's your name baby?" She asked, running a hand on his chest. It felt like a thousand roaches crawled on his body. He shivered with disgust, which she thought was from pleasure. I love the effect I have on you. She purred, trying to crawl her hand back to his neck but he quickly held her wrist in a firm grip and removed it from him. "Jason Momoa."  He replied sarcastically but much to his surprise she giggled, not getting his sarcasm. "That's a nice name Jasey. I'm Sasha."  She chuckled, extending her hand for him to shake. Lionel quickly tried to dismiss himself but she held his arm, almost digging her claw like nails into him. "How dare you walk away when I'm still not done talking to you?" She snapped, glaring at him. Lionel let out a sigh. Some people really didn't deserve his politeness. "Ms. Sasha, I realise that you're incapable of taking a hint. Since I'm not interested in your pathetic presence around me, please butt out of my personal space." He said and left before she could come up with a response.

He ignored her curses directed at him and walked a few steps ahead finally finding the woman he was searching for. His heart fluttered when he laid his eyes on her. She was dressed in a red gown that hugged her curves perfectly. He took in her regal appearance for a few seconds before he decided to approach her. Katherine was speaking to a man who was in his mid-sixties and looked handsome for his age. He cleared his throat when he approached her, alerting her of his presence. Katherine smiled at him in appreciation as her eyes slowly raked over his body. "Mr. Kozlov, please meet Mr. Lawson, a very talented employee and my personal secretary." Kate introduced him to Mr. Kozlov and the men shook their hands. They talked for few minutes and the old man was impressed with their company's previous projects. Katherine and Lionel smiled when they realised that Mr. Kozlov was interested in handing the project to them. However, they were interrupted by a female voice. "Daddy!"  Sasha hugged Mr. Kozlov. Lionel almost paled when he realised who he had offended but he quickly regained his composure.

"Hello princess."  The old man hugged her back. He introduced his daughter them and when he was about to introduce Kate and Lionel to her, she interrupted him. "He's the one who was rude to me today daddy. He tried to flirt with me and when I refused, he called me Bitch." She said as she faked being hurt hiding a smirk directed at Lionel. Katherine quickly realised that the situation would escalate but she didn't show any emotion on her face. Mr.Kozlov's face turned red with anger. He was visibly upset when he heard that someone had offended his precious daughter.

"What the hell! Is this how your talented employees behave? Ms. Xavier. Fire him immediately or you can kiss goodbye to the project." He said to Katherine. Lionel tried to explain the situation but Katherine quickly interrupted him. She understood that the old man was not interested in Lionel's explanation. His pride was hurt and he wanted to show everyone that he could easily influence anybody's life with just a word. Because power is what the elites care about.

"Will you sign the deal today if I fire him?" She asked him without any emotions in her face. Lionel was shocked at her question. He did not expect her to betray him like that. He was hurt that she didn't even bother to ask his side of the story.

"I'm a man of my words Ms. Xavier. Fire him immediately and I'll sign the deal now in this very room." He said firmly. Katherine smirked and turned towards Lionel. The next words she said shattered his heart. "You heard the man Mr. Lawson. You may leave this instant." She said curtly, leaving no room for argument. She knew that she had hurt him but she did not feel guilty. The world she lives is not easy and the sooner he learns its cruel ways, the easier it gets for him to date her. "But Ms. Xavier, I haven't done any mistakes so far. You can't fire me like that." He told her in utter shock. All the guests of the event turned their attention to them. The scene in front of them was quite amusing to them and they rejoiced at the thought of having something new to gossip. Lionel felt more betrayed than embarrassed.

"Will you leave or do you want me to call security?" She sighed, not showing any emotions on her face. "Your termination letter will be sent to your mail. Please check your email without fail" She replied in an ice-cold tone and walked away with Mr. Kozlov and his daughter without giving him a chance to respond. Lionel quietly walked out of the venue. His eyes felt moist but he didn't dare to cry in front of other people. He didn't want to give them that satisfaction. He finally let the tears flow from his eyes as he drove back to his home. He felt like an idiot to think that she cared about him.

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