The Perfect Gentleman ✔

18: Magic tricks

Donald watched the man sitting behind the huge mahogany desk surreptitiously. This was the third time a smile would flicker on his face and he'd daze off for a while only to shake his head as if dispelling the image and then take a sip of his coffee to continue working. Donald had an inkling why but he would not pursue it. At least not now. He'd bid his time until the right moment.

He and James were sat in Lucas's office, undergoing thoroughly the proposal by Mr. Luchtein, their Russian partner. He had liked the product despite the mishap at the office last week Monday, and now they were checking how much product they could possibly bring into the Nigerian market as well as to their investors. James thought they might have bitten more than they could chew but the persistent man behind the desk was willing to break limbs to meet the demands. Donald, on the other hand, did not see how last Saturday's visit would favor his plans.

He had called Sara yesterday afternoon to ask about her visit to her son. She was reluctant at first, trying to keep him out of her affairs and he did not like it very much. Now that she had connected with her son, she was kicking him out the door like he meant nothing. Eventually though, she had come around with a narration of how things went down. To his annoyance, she was very vocal about Lucas's absence and that worried Donald. The purpose of convincing her to get back into his life was to bring them together. It would be hard but it was possible. But if Lucas was being very professional about this, how would they form a bond between them? And more importantly, how would this help his cause?

This thought kept Donald on his toes all day and all night. He reviewed his plans over and over again, going through those magazines as though they would somehow magically have the solution. Perhaps he was going at this all wrong, he thought wildly. What if they didn't need a bond? What if all they needed was a custody battle? Would it help or more specifically how would it help Sara? He hated himself that his thoughts were driving speedily in that direction but a plan B was always essential.

He skimmed the magazine again, his eyes narrowing on the scandal issue. Perhaps he wouldn't need to do all the work by himself if he could get a little help. Women tend to react more when they have a competition. What are the odds this won't happen again? Talk about history repeating itself, he mused. Perhaps that was all he needed really.

Before he fell asleep, he had reached two ultimate conclusions. The first was to play it by ear and hope somehow those two idiots would start liking each other again. If jealousy was suddenly thrown into the mix, things could get heated. He had learnt a long time ago that life and love were that mysterious. The second was to be the precursor for things to happen. Dig into the possibility of Sara coming into a lot of money through her son. Lucas was devoted to that little boy, that much was clear. A devoted man would do anything to protect that which he loves.

By Wednesday, Donald had already put plan A in motion. It sounded like a total fail to his ears but he wasn't willing to scratch it off just yet. Houdini did not become a great magician by dwelling on the failure of his first show or the ridicules of the public. He was no magician but he was about to pull a rabbit out of his hat.

He walked into Lucas's office to find his boss reviewing some files. Now was the perfect opportunity to present his idea.

"Good Morning, Sir." He greeted with a cheerful smile.

Lucas cast him a glance and nodded, his eyes locked on the files in front of him. "Good Morning, Donald. What is it?"

He hated this man's professionalism sometimes, he fumed but kept mum. Getting the pink slip from a well-paid job like this was not a palatable idea. "I have some proposals for the refurbishment of the three new offices in the second and third floors, Sir."