Dark Goddess

>>>Chapter 1<<<

Sadlyeen dashed to the elevator sliding in just before the doors closed. She pressed the button to the last floor willing the elevator to move faster, if only. She was an hour late for a million dollar meeting, literally. She shifted uncomfortably wondering how in the world she'd forgotten. When the doors finally opened to her floor, she hurried to Chrissie, her assistant who was waiting impatiently tapping her leg. It was a habit when she was anxious.

"Chris..."
"Ah, Sade, you're here. Leather really?" Chrissie gave her a disbelieving look one hand on her waist with the other clutching a black leather folder. Sadlyeen glanced at herself and shrugged. She was dressed in leather pants, thigh high boots and a leather jacket. It was not her fault when Chris called she'd been out of town having wild fun with her siblings. Motor racing to be particular, a hobby they all shared. Well, maybe it was. She had simply forgotten she was but human. After the call, she'd jumped into her car and driven like the devil was on her tail straight to her office with no time to shower or change.

"Was out of town..." Sadlyeen shrugged again as if that explained her dress code.
Chrissie shook her head in awe, gave her a long questioning look and replied,
"I don't even care to know."
"I'm the CEO of the damn company..."
"Yeah, it is your company. They're waiting for you."
Sadlyeen headed towards the large conference room.
"I wouldn't miss the shocked looks you're bound to get for anything." Chris grinned and quickly followed her boss.

As one of the wealthier young women in the city, money was not a problem at the age of twenty four; in fact it was a hundred times more than enough. Her siblings, Melanie, Dale and she, owned a series of companies and subsidiaries all over the continent and some outside. However Sade, as her loved ones called her, ran everything via the mother company Argent International.

Dale was twenty seven, he had studied law and become a lawyer opening a firm that was doing very well, while Melanie at twenty two with the family billion dollar business and a large trust fund had just graduated from university and supposedly taken a 'vacation' to figure things out as she put it.

Sadlyeen opened the door and walked into the conference room that had a long rectangle hardwood table and twelve swinging chairs on each lengthy side. Muttering a quick greeting she sat on the large leather chair at the end of the long table which was technically her seat as the president of the company. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her lips as Chris gave her a knowing look struggling to keep a straight face at the bewildered faces of the three gentlemen and lady.
Clearly she had a broken a code on appropriate outfits for the work place. She wasn't sure she really cared.

"Gentlemen, lady, please, it's not the clothes that get the work done but what's in here." She expressed as she tapped her head lightly boredom clear on her face.
"Of course," the lady cleared her throat and leaned forward. Her blue skirt suit and hair tied back in a tight bun gave her a no nonsense appearance.
"Here is the proposal miss Argent."
Sadlyeen picked the file, skimmed through it while the others patiently waited. After a quick scan she nodded and placed it on the table.
"Am certain we can handle this, my lawyer drafted the contract. Chris..." of course Dale was the legal advisor but they had decided to get a company lawyer who was not in the family, conflict of interest.

Chris gave the contract to her when Sade reached out but before she could pass it to her clients the lady put in
"There's a minor detail."
Sadlyeen looked squarely at the woman her face showing disapproval. She did not at all welcome last minute changes, in her experience they were mostly never pleasant and she had a feeling this wouldn't be an exception.
"Go on," she encouraged and took a deep breathe to stay calm.
"Nothing will change but we have decided to bring in another party." One of the men with a little too much gel in his hair took the cue and put in. That did not sound too bad.
"Why was I not notified?"
"It was a last minute detail ma'am we sincerely apologize."
"Okay," Sade sighed.

"We are bringing in Mars limited and Michael Greene readily accepted the opportunity to be involved. We realized that collaboration between you will bring forth a magnificent outcome." Like hell, she did not share the sentiment; she curled her fists trying to gain control of her feelings. Her heart beat faster while panic, hatred and anger rose within her all at once. Most dominating was the panic. She stood up and walked briskly out of the room marching determinedly to her office.
"Err, one minute," Chris excused and followed her boss.

She found Sadlyeen pacing rapidly in her office.
"Those killer boots are bound to wear out the carpet if you don't stop pacing."
Sade stopped mid-pace and shot her a glare that made many of her employees shake but not Chrissie.
"Sorry but you need to calm down.
"Of all the companies it had to be Michael Greene's." Sade said resigned
"He's got a good reputation and you know it. I know you happen to harbor some profound, not so good, feelings for this particular man the reason as to why I have no idea. Personally, I find him quite sexy and..."
"Chris!" Sadlyeen cut her off.
"Ooh, sorry, but......" Chris shrugged letting the sentence hang knowing fully well her boss understood.
Sadlyeen resumed pacing, Chrissie was wrong; she did not simply despise Michael Greene, she hated him with every inch of her tall being. After all the pain he'd caused her she'd made her decisions more carefully afterwards exploiting all the angles and looking at the bigger picture. Chris sighed, placed her folder on the couch in the office, stopped her boss mid-pace and held her by the shoulders.
"You need to relax."

Sadlyeen looked at her bluntly, nodded and sat at the edge of her desk, which was adjacent to the white couch that leaned in the left wall by the door. Removing her leather jacket; she draped it on her desk. Sade took a deep breathe swinging the leg that did not touch the floor back and forth.

It had been four years, six months and a few weeks since she'd begun to despise Michael Greene, 'the bastard' as she referred to him. The day her like for him had turned to loathe. A day she regretted her actions which for a carefree person like her was rare. The thing about Sadlyeen was she could really hold a grudge if she wanted to. Of course she had been younger and not conscious about consequences. Now, she was more experienced and capable of handling Michael Greene. It was a big contract and the picture was definitely bigger.

She spent another five minutes having the internal debate before she stood up and said,
"Let's go get this deal done."
"That's the spirit!" Chrissie clapped, collected her folder and started to leave but just before she went out the door, she paused then turned to Sadlyeen, "for crying out loud put on your jacket, that t-shirt showing your belly button is bound to make them faint. They've had enough of your arrogance for a day."

Sadlyeen rolled her eyes, shrugged her jacket on zipping it for good measure and followed her assistant out. Sometimes Chrissie assumed the role of the boss Sade thought shaking her head. She walked purposefully to take a job that would make her a partner with someone she dreaded, dreaded with everything she had.

*****
A/N: I like Sadlyeen already, and who is this Michael Greene. By Chrissie's brief description he's bound to be something else. Uuuuuh, tantalizing.