Oliver's POV
Another weekday morning begins, and my usual routine is to rise at 5 a.m., hit the gym, and prepare myself for the day ahead. However, today is one of those mornings where I wake up with a pounding headache, the aftermath of a night filled with poor decisions fuelled by excessive drinking. Argh! I reluctantly opened my eyes and sat up in bed, only to find a woman lying next to me. Her dishevelled dark hair cascades over her face, and her arm lazily drapes across my body. It's clear that we had quite a wild night together. But honestly, who really cares?!
I'm not the type to indulge in post-hook-up sweetness and cater to the needs of women I sleep with. So, I casually move her arm away from me, and I hear her groan in response.
"Good morning, honey," she murmurs, her voice tinged with sleep.
Damn it, I can't even remember her name. Was it Alexis? Alexa? Aileen? Honestly, it doesn't really matter to me. I swing my legs over the side of the bed and start putting on my clothes, realizing that I'm already running late for work.
"I'm sorry, but I'm already late for my commitments today. Thanks for last night. You can show yourself out," I inform her matter-of-factly.
The woman sits up in bed, pouting. "Come on, Oli, I'll make you breakfast if you come back to bed..."
I went straight to the ensuite and had a quick shower to try and get rid all the memories from the night before.
I'm almost fully dressed and ready to go when she reaches out for my hand. Off balance, I nearly stumbled back onto the bed. I snatched my hand away from her, narrowly avoiding hitting her with it. "Bloody hell! What the hell are you trying to do, woman!? Whatever your name is, I don't have time for sweet chitchat. It's not my forte. Go home and move on with your life."
Before finally leaving the room, I double-checked to ensure that my wallet and phone are with me. I'll have to call my secretary to bring me a fresh set of clothes so I can head straight to the office without having to go home.
As I stepped into the elevator, I dialed John's number.
John: "Good morning, sir!"
Oliver: "Good morning, John. Could you pick up a set of clothes from my house? I'm running late."
John: "Right on it, sir. Anything else you'd like me to do?"
Oliver: "Just a strong nice cuppa. And nothing else, John. I'll see you at the office."
I arrived at the office and made my way to the 30th floor, where my spacious office is located. It's the largest office in the building, fitting for the CEO and heir of Crowne Inc.
As you step out of the elevator on the 30th floor, a prominent metallic sign on the wall proudly displays the name "CROWNE INC."
I am Oliver Sebastian Crowne, a 30-year-old driven by success and ambition. I am the CEO of Crowne Inc., a renowned company with two business branches: petroleum and shipping/logistics. While our petroleum division thrives, our shipping and logistics branch faces a formidable competitor.
Snider Shipping has been our long-standing rival. My father, who was also the previous CEO, fought to bring them down but failed. However, I'm not my father. I have grand plans and will stop at nothing to ensure our triumph.
For the past five years, I've dedicated myself to researching and gathering information about the notorious Reagan Sans and his family business. We've attempted negotiations for a merger in the past to avoid competition, but Reagan Sans insisted that only family members be involved in his company. Little does he know, I have a master plan in motion, and its fruition is fast approaching.
As I finished my last meeting of the day, I called John to cancel all my meetings for Friday and the upcoming weekend. I've arranged an emergency welcome meeting with the General manager of our trusted sister company from Japan, who has recently arrived in Las Vegas.
It's my business ethic to make sure that our subsidiaries and other companies under our umbrella are shown how important they are as part of our company.
Like my father used to say, if you look after your people, they will look after you. So, I made sure that the people from our sister company in Japan are booked in the finest hotel in Vegas.
Though, I may play around when I am not at work but I am dead serious with my job and looking after my dad's legacy. It is my top priority that I will be able to look after it, make it flourish for the next Snider generation to come. But that would be in the farthest future.
I was in the middle of looking at the financials in the last quarter when my phone rang. It was John my secretary.
Me: "John?"
John: "Sir, I have been informed that your guests have arrived in Vegas."
Me: "That's great! Tell them to make sure that they are treated well."
John: "Of course sir. By the way, may I remind you that you have a late meeting tonight with Mr Cavanagh."
Me: "What time was it again?"
John: "Around 6PM sir."
Me: "Can we reschedule it earlier? I may have agreed to eat dinner at my parents tonight before I am flying to Vegas."
John: "No problem sir. Consider it done."
Me: "Thanks John. As always."
Then I hung up the phone.
The day seemed to fly by. By the time I checked my watch, it was almost time for my last meeting. I called John to let him know, and we met up so we could head down to the basement parking together.
We arrived at the meeting just in time. Mr. Cavanagh was already there, and I wasted no time getting to the point. I prefer to keep things brief and directâthereâs no room for long pleasantries when the clockâs ticking. Fortunately, Mr. Cavanagh understands my approach and knows Iâm all about efficiency. We got down to business quickly, and the meeting went smoothly as a result.