Adrian Winters
Pulling out of my garage in one of many multi million dollar vehicles I owned, in this case my Bugatti Chiron Noire. I was going to close a deal that was one of the most important of my career and I knew it.
Yes even after nearly two and a half decades I felt nervous.
Slowing at the top of the curve I stopped and Olivia got into the car before I drove off along the streets of Southampton towards New York City. The clouds above me all but matching my eyes in shade. I also knew that it had gone all the way to NYC since Hunter and Mia woke thinking it was night still.
Unfortunately means I will be seeing only a storm from my tower.
A piece of me actually couldn't believe this was my life that I had achieved so much in such a short period of time. For over two hundred years my family fought to maintain power, and then all of a sudden I was of age to inherit the family business my father had spent at the time the same amount of time as I had currently to build this company. I bankrupted it and built it all over again to a level none of my family had ever imagined possible. It was my material pride incarnated and I knew it. Winters Group International was a name not one person on the planet hadn't heard and knew the logo of. People feared it just like they feared me and I reveled in it.
An hour later I pulled into the Financial District of New York and headed towards the kilometer tall tower that bared the logo of the company I had built with the help from the woman beside me.
Parking I stepped out of the glossy black vehicle along with Olivia who following one step behind and to the right of me as we walked up to the front door into the marble floored lobby with the company logo plastered on the floor, a crystal sheet chandelier hung above us from the room twenty stories above us all the while we silently glided through the lobby receiving greetings from a handful of the staff while the rest were hard at work.
"Mr. Winters, Kennith Louviere is waiting upstairs already" Laura the receptionist for my company says as Olivia and I passed her at the main desk.
"Thank you, inform Kaylee that I am on my way up" I say while Olivia gave her own instructions for her PA to await her arrival.
Stepping into the elevator and pressing the top floor I went to correcting minor things about the Antonio Liverano suit I wore. As expected I only wore suits made by the best tailors and created with the finest silks as I refused to own anything but the best of anything.
All in the name of appearing vain.
I liked the perception of appearing like I was extremely pompous it made people feel like my reputation was overstressed, that is until they stand in a room with me. Just a few days ago I had to get Scarlett to sign an NDA, while I was making a deal with her father to pull the forty percent stake that Winters Group held in Louviere Financial.
"Adrian stop fussing" Olivia says and I turn my head to look at her while she corrected how the lapel of my jacket sat.
"Not sure about it?" I ask and she glances at me.
"I like the suede like aspect to it. He said it was just fabric though" she says.
"I like the whole suit" I remark and she gives me a coy yet teasing smile only my wife could manage.
"That's because it's all black" she quips.
"It is, by the way your lipstick is crooked" I muse and she whips out her phone to check seeing that it was fine and kicking me in the back of the ankle.
"It's a good thing you're handsome you fucker, giving me a heart attack" she remarks stuffing her phone back into her purse while a small smile remained on her lips.
"I love you too bellissima" I coo before the doors opened and I strode out across the carpet that resided just outside the elevator for people to wipe their shoes off on.
"Mr. Winters" Kennith greets standing from his chair and walking over to me his hand out towards me, and I plainly ignore him for a second as my personal assistant comes over.
"I have emailed your schedule to you, with your list of meetings, and things that need to be signed off on, along with a series of other minor issues and disputes that need to be settled".
"Fantastic, thank you Kaylee" I say giving her a curt nod before turning back to Kennith who was slightly shorter then me his salt and pepper hair combed back smoothly, and his well fitted navy suit holding his body though I caught onto the padding in certain areas that were accentuated more then they should have been for a man of his age.
"Mr. Louviere to my office please, we have things to discuss" I remark and gesture with my free hand while Olivia gives me a look that said 'be nice'.
"He has good qualities just made a mistake" she whispers.
"You know that's a lie" I scoff and I glance in the direction of Kennith who was slowly walking towards my office doors.
"Adrian, don't let your emotions get the better of you, they don't normally but I know what you're like when family is involved" she says smoothing the front of my jacket.
"I will make no promises but I will try" I say and she smiles up at me which I return before turning and walking off towards the tall double doors of my office where Kennith waited.
It was one of a common business tactics I used snubbing people, and making them wait were both a power dynamic thing and I'd be using it for decades.
I didn't build a multi-trillion dollar empire by being nice to those I was making deals with. Some I was but most knew better then to cross me. I liked that reputation that if challenged, or know of a wrong doing I will take everything that my opponent thinks makes them better then everyone else.
Opening the door I let Kennith in first before following and shutting the door before putting both hands in my pockets and slowly making my way across the room.
"Please sit" I say with a sly smirk which he obliges by before I make my way over to the mini bar area.
"Would you like a glass of scotch, I find it's always good to have a drink while doing a deal relieves the stress of parting with so much money. After all you are about to give me just shy of half a trillion dollars to own the entirety of your company" I muse selecting one of my thick bottomed spiral glasses to fill with ice and put a pinky's worth of Ardbeg before filling it to the halfway with Coke Cola.
"You snubbed me in the lobby while your wife, PA, and a handful of your executives watched" Kennith says stiffly.
"All millionaire's what do their opinions matter, except my wife. Besides we both know that the hand shaking happens in agreement of deals not with greeting, we're old friends after all" I comment regarding his expression while remaining standing and silently placing the glass on my desk before pulling open a drawer and taking out a folder that had been meticulously made read, and edited to be given.
It had taken me almost a year to get him to agree to this. Having Louviere Financial no longer associated with Winters Group would be a blow to him not me, which shouldn't really be the case. After all Kennith owned a one point two trillion dollar company.
"You purposely embarrassed me, why I don't know" he says looking up at me while I stared down at me.
"Let me spell it out for you, I know what happened in Paris ten years ago, I was more then aware then a plot had formed so I took out the others involved. I just didn't expect it to turn into what it did. I protected you, and you protected me when I was the target of Carrick De'Vincent. We did one another a favour this is me returning that favour to be done with this whole ordeal" I say sliding forward the agreement.
Kennith then began reading it and I watched from the window while sipping my scotch.
"Half a trillion dollars!" he gasps.
Ah yes. So he reads the fine print wonderful.
"Yes that is what you will pay me, and I will get that amount. As I seem to recount either receiving what I want, or taking it" I smirk while the rainclouds outside swell into a black torrent of pouring rain and lightning.
"You're the devil Adrian" Kennith seethes.
"I am indeed called that often" I quip and he rushes to his feet a scowl across his face.
"Don't be irrational now, remember I have ownership stake in your company" I say calmly before taking a sip from my glass.
"This is betrayal" he proclaims, and I raise a finger as to shush him while a glacial look falls over my features.
"Do not speak of betrayal to me Louviere, I am aware of your piece. You are a pawn in a larger game, and you didn't play with the right strategy on my chess board" I warn, "now you will sign handing over forty-two percent of your company's value, or I will take it".
He frowned bitterly, before taking out his pen and signing on the dotted line on the agreement, along with the business cheque that would be verified and submitted to both my accounting department and a copy sent to the Louviere Financial one so that they could give me my money. I also knew that since he'd picked up the total amount based on interest payment, he would have also known that in twenty-four hours if it isn't submitted I have full right to use legal means to achieve my payout.
"I hope I never have to step foot in this office again, be aware you will never see me again".
"For your sake I pray that is true Kennith" I muse sitting down and watching him get just about to the door before I add my point.
"And for future reference, never threaten my family again, or nothing on this planet will save you from me" I exhale before he steps out of the door and practically slams it shut before I press a separate button on my desk.
"Security make sure Mr. Kennith Louviere leaves the building peacefully, I would hate for anyone to get hurt" I say and let go of the button before turning to look outside at the lightning storm that had set in over New York.
How it reminds me of myself.
Dismisses my amusing thought I take another sip from my glass before I started working through the list of things that I needed to get done.
That was probably the fastest update I've ever written specifically an hour I flew through that one. Comment thoughts, also vote, and share. Anyways
Peace✌