Chapter 44: CHAPTER 43

~1 WEEK LATER~

Shay's POV

Bad things happen. People try to forget and move on.

That's what I kept reminding myself when Monday finally came around.

Since it was my first day at work, I decided to make a change. My mother called her team of hairdressers and makeup artists early in the morning, and they gave me a complete makeover. My naturally straight, long hair was trimmed to my shoulders and curled. I told them to go for a darker makeup look—something bold. By the time they were done, I barely recognized myself.

And that was a good thing.

I slipped into a new outfit I had bought the other day—a black pencil skirt paired with a thin-strapped top and a long black blazer.

Driving to the company in my new dark blue Hyundai GV80, I suddenly remembered I was supposed to meet someone before work. Cursing under my breath, I made a U-turn and drove straight to the café where we had planned to meet.

I arrived first, ordered a cup of coffee, and waited.

Ten minutes later, he finally walked in. Dressed in a fitted grey suit, hair perfectly styled—Chase looked effortlessly cool, as always. As he approached my table, he stared at me in surprise.

"Wow," he said with a smirk.

"What?"

"Are you going through some kind of crisis? Why did you change your hair?" he teased.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"You knew, didn't you?"

His brow furrowed. "Knew what?"

"You knew about Jason's real motive when he asked me out. You called me that day—you were going to tell me, but you didn't. Why?"

Chase shifted awkwardly in his seat, clearing his throat while glancing to the side.

"Normally, the person closest to him would be the last to know. How could I tell you?"

I scoffed, sipping my coffee.

"You did the right thing by not telling me. If you had, I would've thought you were being kind."

He let out a sarcastic chuckle. "I'm not that kind. Even if I'm naïve sometimes."

He looked away, a distant expression crossing his face.

"Are you going to keep working with Jason?" I asked.

"Why?" His tone turned cautious.

"Since you found out before I did, I bet you confronted him. You probably fought too. We both got betrayed by the same person. People don't change that easily. He even told me the real reason he used me—it's all because of my father."

Chase laughed, leaning back in his chair.

"He really told you? Wow, he actually went honest with you, huh."

I glared at him. "You can laugh in this situation?"

"Then should I cry?" he shot back, his expression hardening.

I clenched my jaw to stop myself from snapping at him.

"I also had an ulterior motive in agreeing to an arranged marriage with you," he continued. "I was going to marry you for economic reasons. But we're still good, right?" He smirked.

"Our whole life revolve around economics."

"So?"

"Get rid of him. He may be your business partner, but you own the company. It wouldn't be hard to run it on your own. Unless... you're that dependent on him."

A muscle twitched in his jaw, and his eyes darkened.

"Who are you to tell me to get rid of him?"

I shrugged. "Didn't you tell me when we first met that you despise liars the most? What happened to that person? He betrayed you in his personal life, which I was involved in—don't you think he could do the same in business?"

Chase pursed his lips, thoughtful.

"If you put it that way... I've done things behind his back too. Both in my personal life and in business. I guess that makes us even."

I rolled my eyes, folding my arms.

"Of course. You're friends because you're both the same, huh?"

A long silence.

"We're not friends," he said at last.

I frowned. "What?"

He looked straight into my eyes. "We're blood brothers."

I stared at him, stunned.

He checked his watch. "I have to go."

Standing up, he turned slightly to the side.

"If I were to give you one last piece of advice—you need to be more meticulous if you're planning to go against Jason. If you let your guard down again, you're going to end up getting hurt all over again."

I smiled, shaking my head as I stared down at my coffee.

"Did you really think I came here just to tell you to get rid of Jason?"

Chase frowned. "Isn't that what you wanted me to do?"

I chuckled, shaking my head.

"No. You and Jason—whatever has come between you, if I can use that against him, I will. That guy approached me for revenge, and I'm going to give him a taste of his own medicine."

I stood, grabbed my purse, and flashed him a smile before walking out of the café.

I knew what I wanted now.

And Jason was going to pay for what he did to me.

OoO

I arrived at the company, and the first person to approach me was Shelby's secretary. He informed me that Shelby wanted to see me in her office immediately. I took the elevator up to the 15th floor with him, and as soon as we arrived, he opened the door to Shelby's office for me. I walked in.

She was sitting on a small white armchair, drinking tea, facing a small glass table in front of her. Another empty armchair sat across from her. I occupied the seat, and she shot me a look.

"How was it? Your first day in the company?" she asked immediately.

"I haven't started yet. I just got here now. I got my first assignment, though—to get a place at the SFO stores."

She nodded once. "Can you do it?"

I was taken aback by her question.

"It's something that has to be done. It's not important if I'm able to do it."

She chuckled loudly.

"I hope your actions will follow your position. You didn't forget that the three of us sisters are going to hang out tonight, right?"

I nodded. "I know."

Leaving Shelby's office, I went down to the 13th floor, where my own office space was located. I was now the new foreign affairs strategy team manager, responsible for handling all our business in foreign countries. The main branch we worked closely with was in China.

Dad gave me this position because he knew I could speak Mandarin well, having studied in China during my last few months in college.

I opened the door to my office, and annoyance filled me when I saw Shanelle sitting in my seat, typing on her phone. I slammed the door behind me and walked towards the desk.

"Why are you sitting in somebody else's seat?" I asked.

She looked up at me, smiling as she slowly stood up.

"You acted so high and mighty, and in the end, you got tricked by someone who didn't love you but only wanted revenge. Poor you."

I glared at her. She knew what had happened between Jason and me—but how? Then, something clicked in my mind, and I clenched my fists tightly.

"I met Aria Langford. She was saying all sorts of bad things about Jason because she wasn't over him. Don't give away my phone number to anyone again."

She glanced away, caught in her actions. I walked back to the door, opened it, then turned back to her.

"And don't just come into my office."

She scoffed and shot me one last glare before leaving the room. I slammed the door behind her.

Just when I thought I was going to have a normal first day, they had to ruin my mood again.

I sat down in my chair, grabbed my phone out of my bag, and dialed Chase's number. Since I was in charge of handling our products distributed to airport stores under our company, C&E Holdings, I knew that a few department stores were also under our name. I had worked there before, so I was familiar with the situation.

A few seconds later, Chase answered.

"What?"

"CC department stores... why won't they decide on a place for our company?"

He sighed. "It's probably not worth it, so they're not doing it."

I closed my eyes, feeling irritated. "Tell them to come to a decision."

"Are you asking me for a favor?" I could hear the smirk in his tone.

"Yes. Just a favor."

"Since you've asked so nicely, I'll do it then."

I ended the call and smiled to myself. Now he seemed like someone I would actually get along with.

Jason's POV

This is it—a clean start. I wanted to get closer to Shay, and this was my first solution. I threw away my grudge against Falcon Group, and now I want to start over.

I have an important appointment with Shelby Falcon, Shay's older sister and the executive director of their company. I already sent her a detailed business proposal via email yesterday, outlining my intent to cease competition with Falcon Group and instead form a business alliance.

Arriving on the 15th floor, her secretary opened the door to her office for me, and I stepped inside.

Shelby Falcon. Like Shay, she shares striking similarities in appearance, but one could easily tell she's the older sister. Her bold personality makes her all the more striking, whereas Shay is prettier and usually calm. Shelby radiates power, and I've heard that many people feel intimidated by her presence.

She rose from her seat, greeting me with a small smile before gesturing for me to sit. After taking her seat again, she pressed a button on the small intercom on the table.

"Bring us some tea."

Finally, she looked at me and smiled again.

"Nice to officially meet you, Mr. Cartwright."

I nodded. "Likewise, Miss Falcon. Shall I brief you on the contract details?"

She quickly shook her head.

"No need, I've already read everything. I must say, it's an interesting offer—especially coming from someone who has done nothing but work with competitor companies against us."

I let out an uneasy chuckle and met her gaze directly.

"Well, I wanted to change that, which is why I proposed this partnership."

"Are you sure? You're not also doing this for my sister?"

I stared at her, momentarily shocked. No one told me Shelby Falcon could read people like an open book. I'd have to keep my guard up next time.

"Maybe," I admitted. "But I've decided that we should put aside our differences and work together. That way, both of us benefit. It's a fair trade—your company shares would be protected under our great liability protection, and you'd also gain significantly when I purchase your company stocks."

She studied me in silence. I raised a brow.

"What do you say, Miss Falcon? Do we have a deal?"

She tilted her head, smiling to herself.

"Our company shares are already protected by several other holding companies, Mr. Cartwright. But I'm willing to work with anyone as long as my company benefits."

I nodded, unfazed.

"I heard you easily signed the contract with Speck Cement Co. They're just a small concrete company—hardly capable of matching the way I make money rain. If we settle this agreement and work together, you'll be surprised by my most effective methods."

She smirked and leaned forward.

"I've heard about those amazing qualities of yours, Mr. Cartwright. But I also want to know if you're capable of more than just managing a parent business entity."

I caught the glint of mischief in her eyes, cleared my throat, and looked away.

"I broke up with Shay."

Her eyes widened slightly. "Is that so?"

"So I won't be of any use to you if this has something to do with Shay—if that's what you mean by 'other capabilities.'"

She glanced down for a moment, her smile fading.

"Very well."

Standing up, she walked over to her desk, grabbed a red file and a pen, then returned to her seat. She opened the file, clicked the pen, and signed the contract before sliding it over to me. I signed my name as well. She closed the file and grinned at me.

"There's an important client flying in tomorrow. My secretary will give you his details, and I will refer him to you. He's a board member who determines the ranking of companies here in San Francisco. He hasn't decided on our company's ranking yet and is also looking for an operating company to manage his controlling stocks. If you can close a deal with him and secure a higher ranking for our company, we can later discuss profit shares."

I nodded, satisfied with her acceptance of my offer and her reasonable request.

"Understood. Just let me handle the negotiation authority as well."

She shrugged. "Suit yourself."

I stood up and left her office, where her secretary handed me the client's folder. I thanked him, stepped into the elevator, and immediately called Sylvia.

"About the stores in SFO under our company—locations 7 and 11—are the products on sale not going to Falcon Cosmetics?"

I heard her typing as she checked the system.

"Falcon Cosmetics costs more to import, whereas the other cosmetics are cheaper."

I clicked my tongue in disapproval.

"It'll be better for the stores to have a brand like Falcon."

"That's why we divided internally," she quickly added.

"Let's do it this way. We'll give them the fees they want, and they can handle the promotions."

"Only one promotion?"

I smiled in certainty.

"We'll receive one and get them to do a department store gift card event as well."

She went quiet for a moment before drawing out a long "Oh" in realization. I could hear the smile in her voice.

"That's actually a smart move. There's nothing bad in it for Falcon Group either, and the rankings will improve."

I smirked, stepping out of the elevator and walking through the lobby.

"It's a win-win situation."

"Alright, I'll pass it on to the marketing department. Thank you, Mr. Cartwright."

Ending the call, I exited the building with a triumphant smile.

And that's how business is done. If Falcon Group's sales rankings improve, presenting the results to their client will be a piece of cake.