Two Bad Girls

Chapter 23: Bargaining

"Where the hell have you been these past days?! I haven't seen you since you left to have dinner with Tori's family. I thought they've killed you and dumped your body somewhere!" Rey yelled his lungs out, as soon as I entered our office. 

"Calm down, sis" my only reply, trying to hush him because our customers could hear him. "I stayed with Tori after the dinner and spent the day at her apartment after that" I continued.

"And you didn't bother to at least call or send me a message?" Rey said with one of his eyebrows arched up. 

"I'm sorry" I answered and clasped my hands together asking for his forgiveness. 

"Just don't scare me like that again" he sighed. "Also, Grace Thomson was here yesterday looking for you" 

"What does she want?" I asked. 

I have mixed emotions, I'm worried but pissed at the same time. So she knows now that I am the one with Tori and she wants to talk to me, I said to myself.

"I don't know, she won't tell me" Rey answered. "But I have a gut feeling it's about you and Tori" he continued. Well that's my hunch too. 

I sat dowm, turned on my computer and I stared at it blankly. If she went here to tell me to stay away from Tori, that won't happen - I decided.

-----

While Rey is busy doing something on his computer and I have been drilling a hole into mine for the last 40 minutes, then someone knocked on our office door. 

"Brie? Grace Thomson is here again, she wants to speak with you" Mike said after opening the door. I looked at Rey and he understood what I meant. 

"Let her in" Rey said and stood up from his chair. He walked with Mike to let me talk with Grace alone. 

Again, I cannot explain what I am feeling. Grace walked in with a purse on her hand, a black dress that matches her long ebony hair. 

"Hi, have a seat" I offered with a cheerful voice and she just looked at me with murderous eyes. 

She sat down in front of me and cleared her throat. "I'll go straight to the point" she said boldly, "Stay away from Dorothy, I'll give you anything you need for this place"

"Pardon me?" I asked, wondering where is she going with this stupid conversation. 

"I did some research about you and came up with a business proposal. Stay away from my fianceé, so we can continue with our plans and I'll deal with your loan to the City. I know that you loaned your capital for this business. If you do as I say, I'll clear the loans so whatever earnings you get from now on will be solely yours" she explained. 

How dare she try to buy my feelings for Tori?! Ugh! Are all rich people like this? First, Tori's dad and now her! I hate them all!

"Sorry, my feelings are not for sale" I replied with my head held up. 

"I'm sorry, you don't seem to understand" she giggled, her voice just irritates the heck out of me right now. "It's not optional" she continued. "I'll still clear the loan no matter what you say. The only difference is that if you agree to stay away from Dorothy, I'll let you have the business on your own. If not, I'll be your business partner. From what my researchers found out, you are still not half way through paying your loans. Simple math, if I pay your debt to the City I'll own more than half of your business" 

I clenched my jaw from what I heard. If it won't make things worse, I already slapped that stupid grin off of her face.

"I don't think that's how it works. My loan is with the City, selling this lot is not allowed unless I am not able to pay my business taxes and loan. From what I remember, I haven't missed anything since I put it up" I replied with confidence.