Chapter 3 Episode 3

Derek's POV

Gazing at the vista of the huge towers behind my desk, I paced my office.

I would begin work on the tallest skyscraper in New York in just a few more months. I was going to transform the hotel sector with this idea.

It takes toughness to succeed in this profession. That required putting those who believe they can betray you in check.

I asked my assistant to summon Hendrik to my office.

"Yes, sir," Luke said.

A gentle tap on my door prompted Luke to open it.

He has helped me out ever since I opened the company, and we have also had a few friendship moments.

Luke said, "Mr. Hendrik is here to see you, sir."

"Please send him in," I said.

Luke said, "The poor guy thinks he's getting a promotion."

I laughed.

I discovered that he was offering our main rival, Peterson Inc., access to some of our trade secrets, including all of our agreements and projects. Ever since, I've been surreptitiously exploiting him to provide our rivals with false information. They were clueless about what was ahead of them. I had already gotten what I wanted, so this game was getting too monotonous, and Hendrik was no longer useful.

Luke gave me a nod and left my office.

When individuals believed they could betray me and get away with it, that was my favorite aspect of the job.

Henrik entered my office with his usual smile. Among the project managers was him.

"I just want to inform you sir that the project is a go sir, we are just waiting for the press release," Henrik said.

"I think that can wait," was my response.

I motioned for him to sit down.

"So, how much were they paying you to betray me?" I inquired.

His demeanor altered.

"I apologize, sir," he said with a smile.

"I know that you are the mole that has been leaking all our private information and selling it to our competitors," I said.

"I don't know what you are talking about sir, there has to be some kind of mistake." He said.

"The only mistake here is you thinking you can betray me," I said.

As he considered what to say next, he cast a glance down at his hands.

"I'm so sorry sir, I had no choice but to do it. They were threatening my family." He begged.

I didn't care about Marc Peterson's justifications since I knew he could use blackmail to achieve his goals.

"You could have come to me first. You know that I never forgive any betrayal or lies." I said. "I hope you realize that I'm going to make sure that you pay for this, I'll destroy everything you own." I've said.

"Please, sir," the man begged.

"I'll see you in court with my lawyers. I need you to get out of my office," I told him.

He was rendered mute, but fortunately, he understood when to give up. I observed him leaving my office.

He was very mistaken if he believed he could convince Marc to let him out of this. Marc would have betrayed anyone to achieve his goals.

I massaged my neck, letting go of some of the stress I was keeping inside.

Luke entered my workspace.

"What's my schedule for today?" I questioned, attempting to control my rage.

He said, "Your mother has been calling, sir," as he glanced at my calendar.

One more issue. When I turned my phone over, I saw that she had missed at least fifty calls. She insisted on throwing me a surprise party despite my repeated warnings to the contrary. I simply didn't come there since I didn't feel like pretending to be startled. She has a lot to say about it, I'm sure.

I said, "Ignore her," as I looked up from my phone.

He went on, "She says that she was in a serious accident."

I exhaled. "You know that she is only going through her five stages of looking for attention, she'll stop eventually," I said.

With a nod.

I inquired, "What else is there?"

"Forbes magazine would like an interview with you, sir." He went on.

"Tell them I'm not interested; I don't have the time to speak to some reporter when I could actually be doing something meaningful with my time," I said.

Once more, he gave a nod and crossed something on the iPad.

"You also have a meeting with the architecture for your new restaurant in Rome, they need your approval. I managed to secure a meeting with Leonardo Pierce, he should be here in less than half an hour." He went on.

I reclined in my chair.

Leonardo needed to sell me the land if I was going to succeed with my new project for my new building. There were rumors that numerous individuals, including our rivals, had already placed their proposals, indicating that it was the ideal development location.

"There is one more thing," he said.

He showed me an image of a magazine cover on the iPad that he had given me.

"A blossoming romance between heiress Maddison Riley and Derek Montenegro"

I inquired, "When was this released?" examining tabloid articles.

"This morning," was his response.

Didn't individuals become weary of concocting tales about the lives of others?

I had a feeling that my grandfather's name was all over this. I was aware of his methods.

"This is ridiculous, don't people have something better to do with their lives?" I said. Returning the iPad to him, I questioned, "Who is she anyway?"

"The obsessed girl who won't stop calling the office," he said.

"Great, another pathetic girl that probably needs to be sent to a psychiatric hospital," I said.

My phone rang once more; it was my mom sending me another text.

I believed that leaving your parent's house was the main goal in order for them to stop being around you.

He said, "Mr. Pierce is here early, sir."

"You can tell the receptionist to send him in," I said.

"I must warn you, sir, he isn't one of your problems you can just throw money at. That ground means a lot to him, you would actually have to convince him." He issued a warning.

He was in his late fifties, based on what I have heard. There were many untruths about him, including the idea that he lost half of his family's wealth in a divorce after getting married young. He has no relatives remaining, and no children. This meant that, given the pitiful state of his life, he wouldn't be all that difficult to persuade.

"There is no person I haven't managed to talk into anything," I laughed.

Perhaps all I needed to do to get out of this predicament was to offer a glimpse of what I saw.

Just as Leonardo Pierce entered, Luke moved out.

As I got up from my seat, I said, "It's nice to see you."

"The pleasure is all mine; I've heard a lot about you." He said.

I had the upper hand on him already.

I motioned to a seat at the cough and said, "Please take a seat." I could convince him much more easily in a more laid-back setting.

I made him a drink offer while he was talking about the weather.

I presented the building's blueprints.

I showed him the planned 1640-foot building's architectural layout and said, "I call her Agatha." I went on to describe the concept to him. "It's going to be the tallest building here, with smart tech all at your fingertips."

I was careful not to provide too many specifics, and he leaned back and listened to my notion.

"Money is not the problem, I'm willing to accept any of your offers." I went on.

"I have to admit, Derek, that your concept sounds incredibly appealing, but I'd need some time to consider it. It's unfortunate that I was childless since I would have liked for my children to inherit this as it represents my family's heritage and is more than simply a piece of real estate. He said, "I'll get in touch with you before I depart-I'll be in New York for a few weeks."

"Sure thing," I grinned. "While you are in New York how about you stay at my hotel, you can get to know a little bit more about me," I said. "I'll personally be there to ensure you are comfortable."

I had to make this transaction work, no matter what.

"I think I'll take you up on that offer," he said. "It was great meeting you, but unfortunately I have another meeting I need to get to," he said.

"It was entirely my pleasure," I said.

My hand shook his.

Leonardo left my office with a smile on his face.

"Dorn it," I kicked the chair and whispered.

That's just how deals got turned down, so will he get back to me before he leaves? I guess I'll just have to find another way to win him over.

Luke entered my workspace.

"Well, did you persuade him to do it?"He said.

He undoubtedly intended to damage my ego.

"I warned you this was not about money; you should have at least shown you care about anything other than boasting your ego." He went on.

When did he have the guts to talk to me like this?

I replied, "By the end of the week, I'll have him sign."

When things didn't work out the way I had hoped, it only made me more determined to try again.

"Just a warning, the receptionist downstairs said your grandfather is on his way," Luke said, glancing back at his iPad.

I exhaled.

My grandfather was cruel, and he wanted me to compete against him even as he grew older.

His only rule in life was to get what you wanted, no matter who was harmed.

Just minutes after Luke had left, my grandfather stepped into my office with his signature smirk, he leaned into his cane to support his weight.

"Grandpa," I said, attempting to sound as enthusiastic as possible.

"I heard about what happened with Henrick," He spoke taking a seat.

How quickly did his informants inform him? It's like he had no life at all.

"It's been taken care of," I answered.

He let out a laugh.

"Derek, I must say that just makes you weaker than I thought." He spoke bitterly.

My expression changed, and I clenched my hand into a fist, holding back my anger.

"If your employees don't respect and fear you, that makes you weak." He continued.

He quickly changed the subject.

"How is your new project going?" He asked.

"Why do you care so much anyway?" I asked.

"I don't. I'm just making sure you don't become a stain on my legacy. Frankly, I think you are talented enough to achieve more substantial things than some silly hotels." He said.

There he had, the reason I had to become so cold and calculative in business or I would never reach his expectations.

"I know you are going to need my help and my money if this idea is going to work. Just simply having this structure approved might take years." He remarked.

"I'm all good," I said.

With him breathing on my neck all the time, I'm glad every day that I haven't become an alcoholic. It's a wonder that I'm able to stand him while being sober.

"You know, you and I are alike. We are both ambitious." He spoke.

By the tone of his voice, I knew where this conversation was headed. He was ready to start talking about his life history.

"I started this business from nothing, your grandmother abandoned me for a rich guy with three babies, I had no idea how I was going to feed them or what I was going to do with them." He stopped.

My dad along with his brother and sister were born as triplets. My grandma left because she wasn't living the life she wanted, she wanted someone who could offer her power and money.

"Years later, I am the success you see today. I had constructed an empire. I have billions to my name, and I raised my family effectively. If your grandma could see me today, all she achieved was ending up in a nursing home." he stated triumphantly.

He was merely here to flaunt about his money.

He spoke cruelly about my grandma even years after her death.

"Grandpa, you neglected your children and most of them can't stand you," I said.

That's what happens when you leave millions to your kids. They must be angry with their parents since they are unable to lament their lack of wealth as other children may," he said.

Will you also explain to me how and why a fabricated account of me was published in the tabloids?"I shifted the conversation.

"Please, I was only trying to help you. People care about steadiness, especially at your age, since it shows them they can rely on you to accomplish the job well. Your life will be simpler the sooner you marry that girl. Her family has connections, you know that. You can then get a divorce from her. He said, "Women like her understand that's just for business."

"I didn't work this hard so that I can whore myself out," I said.

"I believe it's time for you to mature and join the big boys' table. You have to understand that hard effort alone does not guarantee the sort of money you make. Sometimes you just have to get your lovely little manicured hands dirty," he said.

He served as an inspiration to all narcissists, I'm sure.

He went on, "I think that was it for our chat today."

Grasping his cane, he rose from the chair.

I relaxed into my chair, finally able to let go of all the stress, and watched him walk out of my office.

My grandfather was right about a lot of things, but he was also right about me being way too confident but behind schedule on my project, which needed to be approved. If I went through the regular route, it would take years and I would eventually be turned down. If I went to my grandfather for assistance, I would be acknowledging to him that I was powerless without his support.

I'd have to suck up to my mother for this to work, so my only choice was to approach my father for aid, which had its problems but was still preferable to talking to my grandfather.

Thanks to his extensive network of friends, my father was able to set up a meeting for me with the mayor, who readily approved my concept.

I sat back in my chair, knowing that seeing my parents would not be simple after we had canceled all of our family get-togethers the previous year.

Luke was summoned to my office.

"You should cancel the rest of my appointments for the day and prepare the chopper, I have to pay my parents a visit," I said. "Tell the pilot to make the chopper prepared."