(completed)
When Evelyn Cruz, the youngest of the Cruz siblings, comes full circle back to an old family friend, she instantly is flooded with old memories. The Valor's have come back with business. That's all they truly cared for. The eldest son of...
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A loud moan wakes me up. "Jesus fuck." I groan and throw a pillow over my head, attempting to block the noise. "Please!" A female voice moans. I groan again and sit up straight. "Nasty motherfuckers..." I pull my cover off and my feet hit the cold floor.
I swear Jason can never keep it in his pants enough to walk three more feet into his room. When I reach my door, I twist the knob and stare unamusingly as the girl gasps at the sight of me and shoves Jason away. I take in the girl and squint my eyes at her. "Aren't you my new hire?" I cross my arms and then she's gone. She's running away.
"Really dude?" Jason complains as he watches the girl run away. "Shut the fuck up and let me sleep asshole." Before he can respond I step back into my room and slam the door shut. Sometimes he drives me insane with all the girls, hookups, and prostitutes he brings into the house. My dad on the other hand doesn't give a fuck.
I sigh as my body relaxes back onto my bed. My alarm clock displays 5:34 am. I flip onto my side and enjoy what's left of my time before my six am alarm goes off.
•••••••••••••••
(Later that day)
"Thank you, Mary." I hang up the office phone and push back the chair, rolling away from my desk and standing up. My bag lies on my desk and I grab it. I'm about to text my friend if she wants to go eat lunch but my assistant walks into my office.
"Ms. Cruz." Jayla walks in with her hands behind her back. "Yes?" She looks almost nervous and scared to tell me something but she says it anyways. "A sudden meeting came up for...." She looks at her watch and then back at me. "In two minutes." I roll my eyes and sigh. "It can wait for tomorrow." I try to walk away but Jayla says something else. "Your father said it was mandatory."
"You can't seriously think I have time for your stupid meetings right?-" I shove the meeting room doors open expecting to only find my father, but the room was almost half full. Half full with the faces I most despised. I wanted to projectile vomit.
I stand frozen at the doors as I lock eyes with the Valors in my meeting room. Oh, fuck no. "And what in God's name are y'all doing in my building?" My face goes cold and I start to reach behind me for my knife but a firm grip on my wrist stops me.
"No need for that Evelyn." I look behind me to see Grayson staring down at me. "Let go of me before I rip your arm off myself." He sighs at the threat, lets go, and walks over to his family, sitting down with them. I felt my blood boiling, rising in temperature, the more time I stood in the same room as them.
But given my father's wording of mandatory, I bring myself to go sit next to him, across from the Valors. I pull the chair out and pull my jacket off. Without my leather jacket, my shoulders were exposed, my body in an hourglass figure from the corset top I wore. I lower myself to sit, and Grayson and I seem to stare at each other.
It takes everything in me to look away from him and at Kyle. "Why the sudden appearance?" I lean back in my chair, crossing my arms. Kyle chuckles and replies. "Business," He takes his eyes off me and looks at my dad. "Though I think your father might want to take over for you on the subject." Those few words send me over the edge.
He's about to start talking to my dad, but I interrupt. "Listen Mr. Valor, it's a stretch that I'm sitting here wasting my time with a pathetic human such as you," He looks at me as I rise from my seat and lean over the table towering over him. "But it's certainly a stretch coming into my meeting room in my company building, and implying that I am clueless." Everyone is silent as I go off on him.
"And I will not let that happen. So please, learn to respect the COO of the company you have come to try and get a deal with before I grab you by your tie and won't graciously escort you, but send you through the goddamn window." He looks at me with an almost shocked expression. "I apologize Ev-" I hold my hand out to him to stop speaking. "It's Ms. Cruz asshole."
Everyone just stares at me as I settle back in my seat. "You've certainly changed..." Grayson says breaking the tension. I sigh and look over at him. "I would say it was out of nowhere but," he realizes what I'm about to say, and his jaw clenches. "I think we both know how I got this way."
"We want to make a deal with you," Grayson says changing the subject. "Which is?" I ask focusing on the conversation. "I've seen growth in both our companies, The energy plants we each own almost spread out through the United States." I lean forward and continue to listen.
"If we were to merge a percentage of the company, we would grow in power, buy more energy, and spread massively across the United States." I let the idea run through my mind before I respond. "What percentage, and how?" I asked leaning back in my chair.
Grayson opens a folder and slides it in front of me. "If we both contribute 25% we have a shared power of 50% and that's certainly something that could drive others through the mud." I look up at him staring at me. "Imagine that much power, handled by the two most powerful companies in the U.S."
I bite the inside of my cheek and look down at the folder. "How do I know you won't cheat me out on this and take more power?" Grayson points at the contract and I look. "I have put the agreement to be equal to the end. No one gets more than the other," He sets the pen down on the paper. "It's all fair in the end." My eyes go from the paper to Grayson multiple times before I breathe in and sit upright.
"I will give it more thought Mr. Valor. I will have my assistant contact you when I have a decision." Grayson looks as I grab the folder and my jacket, and I walk out of the meeting room. I needed some fresh air. I was being choked in that room. Being in the same room with the person that made me what I am today. The person who left my heart shattered and walked away.
I'm so focused on my thoughts that I have walked to the office wing. I look around at all my employees taking calls, reading reports, and researching. "Evelyn?" I turn around to see Grayson standing behind me. His hands were tucked into his dress pants, and his face looked sorry.
"Can I help you Mr. Valor?" My refusal to say his name seems to hurt him and he sighs. "I just wanted to say-" Before he can say anything I walk away. My heels echo as I speed walk away. I had dug such a deep hole, shoved my feelings for Grayson and the Valors in it, and thrown dirt over it. I wasn't ready for the hole to cave in under me.
When I get home, I walk into my bathroom and undress. Stripping my clothes off, turning the water on in my shower, and stepping in. The warm water hits my skin and my tensed body relaxes. Water falls over my face and I cover my face. A memory flashing when I allow the darkness to be filled.
"C'mon Ev." Grayson pulls me by the wrist and I'm dragged toward the pool. "Jessica pushed me in so," He looks at me and then smirks. "I have to pass it down." Before I can react he wraps his arms around me and pulls me into the water with him as he lets himself fall in.
When I come back up to the surface, I splash water at a laughing Grayson. "What the heck Grayson!?" He throws the water back at me laughing. We both stop and look at each other.
How could I even get mad at him for pulling me away from endless hours of studying? "I liked this shirt." We both laugh and I feel as if my life was finally full of some form of fun, and happiness.
I gasp and pull back from the water. I turn the water off and grab a towel, wrapping it around my body. My body Shivers as I step out into the cool breeze. The mirror had fogged up so I wiped a section off to see my face.
