The Billionaires(#1)

33 ||

"Now that everyone is here, we can start. Can we all please turn to page 3 of the file?" Aaron McEnroe Junior said as he opened the blue file in front of him. Everyone else had the same file, but none of them opened it. Aaron looked up and noticed that no one was doing anything; everyone was just sitting and looking at him. "Can we-" He started but was cut off by an arctic cold voice.

"We are not here to discuss strategies on how we can make your company money; we are here to discuss how to get your company back on its feet again. I invested a lot of money into this project, and I lost ten times more, so spare me the bullshit." All heads turned to look at Javier Mendoza in shock, but he just shot them a glare that sent most of them back home. Well, except for Jorge and Anita; Anita was looking at him with wide eyes, and Jorge merely returned the glare with much force.

"I'm afraid, I have to agree with Javier over here." Jorge spoke in a firm voice, his eyes not leaving Javier Mendoza. Anita turned to him in surprise and gave him a questioning look. "There isn't much to discuss here, Aaron-"

"Mr McEnroe." Aaron gritted, but Jorge did not even spare him a glance.

"Mr McEnroe is your father, Junior." Jorge retorted, and Javier smirked. "As I was saying..." Jorge said and turned to face everyone else. "Aaron here led the company to bankruptcy. He invested millions on a building that killed hundreds of people." He sent a pointed look at Aaron who did not look the least remorseful. "He may have paid the affected families to compensate for the loss of their loved ones, but at the end of the day, business comes first. I have represented Mr McEnroe as his lawyer most of my life and I know who he deals with, and how much profits he makes." Jorge explained and the people in the room remained quiet and listened to him. "Seventy-five percent of his clients have left the company, and he has lost a lot of money."

"The money on which we are going to look at strategies of how to get it back, if only you could open the files I gave you, you would understand." Aaron McEnroe said, exasperated; a reminder of how much he cost the company was like a blow of cold ice to his bare chest.

"That's where you are mistaken." Javier Mendoza spoke, and attention floated to him once again. "You invested millions into a building and bought cheap material, the building collapsed and killed hundreds of people, and then you paid billions to the affected families to cover your own ass-"

"What Javier is saying it that there is no McEnroe's Construction," Jorge jumped in before Javier could spew any more curses that Jorge thought to be of higher level for a lady among not-so-gentle men. "You are McEnroe Construction, meaning that every action you take will come back to bite you on the-"

"For every step you take forward, people will take a step back. The media is talking, and you know how they can get. They are saying that you are buying the silence of the dead men's families to protect your father's company. Paying them was not a great move, but it's understandable at your age to think that money can fix anything, but that's not enough. Your sponsors don't want to work with you anymore because you are dragging every other company out there down with you. Shops out there don't want to sell your building materials anymore; they simply don't want to work with you." Javier said, and Jorge glared at him for cutting him off. "You can come up with eleven hundred strategies to compensate for this. Hell! You can even come up with one thousand ways to die, but at the end of the day, there's only one solution to this." Javier said, and turned to Jorge for the final blow.

"You have to step down as the CEO of McEnroe Constructions." Jorge said, and silence followed as all heads turned to look at Aaron, waiting to see his reaction.

"WHAT?" Aaron asked, emphasising every single letter in the word.

"It is the only way." Anita said, casting Aaron an apologetic look. He might be a douche, but it did not make him any less of a human. Being stripped off your position in less than six months was a hard blow in the history of humankind.

"This is not why I called you guys here; I called you to negotiate-"

"What? One thousand ways on how you can help us drag our companies through the mud?" Jorge asked, and Aaron McEnroe threw him a cold hard look he could to convey all the hatred he had for him. This was the same man who his father kept comparing him to every single day of his life and now that he was sitting here, acting all better than him, made Aaron hate him more.

"What are you doing here anyway? I asked to meet with Miss Billings, not you." Aaron snarled, and Anita gasped in shock

"My sister is away on business, and even if she was here; she would have said the same thing." Jorge said gravely, and Aaron scoffed.

"Like hell she would have!" Aaron barked, and Jorge sighed in annoyance. "You are just a lawyer and she is a businesswoman; she would have come up with a better solution than you." He said, his face turning red with anger.

Jorge got up and picked his bag. "Fine, if you want to meet with MJ, go ahead-"

"Jorge!" Anita stood up abruptly and pulled his hand. "But, Jorge; that is going to be in a month and there isn't time." She said, but Jorge laughed bitterly and shook off his hand from her grip.

"Then let him run out of business and watch his company shut down. My job is done here; you will tell your father that I tried." Jorge said in a deadly voice, whispering the last part, and then he walked out of the boardroom.

"What are you all waiting for? Leave!" Aaron barked and stormed out of the room.

Anita looked at the faces in the room until her eyes landed on her brother whom was glaring at the door. As if sensing her eyes on him, he turned around and their eyes met. There was so much Anita wanted to say to him, but just looking at him reminded her of what he did to her a few days ago. She gave him a sad smile and left the boardroom.

"Rafaela!" She heard him call after her, but she picked up her steps and took the elevator, and before she knew it, she was outside the building, where Jorge was waiting for her. Before she could say anything to him, her brother appeared and grabbed her hand, "Rafaela, wait!" He said breathlessly, he had obviously been running after her. "Can we talk?" He asked, and Anita turned to look at Jorge. She could not just leave him when he needed her the most.

As if reading her mind, Jorge looked up and gave her a small smile. "Don't worry about me, go and talk to your brother."

"But-"

"No buts; that was an order." He said sternly, and Anita clamped her mouth shut. "And you..." Jorge said, turning his eyes to Javier Mendoza. "Just dare and hurt her..." He said, the threat in his voice unmistakeable.

Javier gave him a curt nod, and Jorge got into the car and told his driver to take him back to the hotel. The car came to life and before she knew it, Anita was left alone with her estranged brother.

Seconds after Jorge left, another car pulled up in front of them and the driver stepped out and opened the door for them.

"Shall we?" Javier gestured at the car with one hand while holding her small back with the other, not giving her any space to escape. Without saying a single word, Anita stepped into the car, and he entered after her. The driver closed the door and stepped into the driver's seat, and within seconds, they were driving in the opposite direction as Jorge's car - uncomfortable silence eating at them.