I sipped the hot liquid and savored the slightly bitter taste of the black coffee. If I was a smarter man, I would have selected something more potent. Hell, perhaps not even the strongest of liquors could drown Alexander's and Matias incessant bickering.
Being the most senior corporate officer to my own company is an honor— truly fortunate to have garnered such success. I would never forget where I started, a small office in the worst part of the city with one employee, Alexander. But, reminiscing on my journey couldn't repress that at this moment I felt like a glorified babysitter.
These men loved to indulge in pissing contests without reason, both determined to have the last word. We could not have a simple discussion without it ending in them alternating insults. The early hours of the morning wasted on petty arguments, instead of focusing on the dilemma we faced with the informant.
Swiveling my office chair, I looked at the view of the city trying to ignore them as best as I could. My weekend, unfortunately, was no more joyous than today—consisting of overlooking years of data and Intel trying to find any connection between Scarlett and Cain.
Thomas's motives were easy to discern, completely superficial, a wounded animal led by blind ambitions. All clear to me due to his immature attempts at Edison's company to get under my skin. He must have noticed the marks I left on Scarlett's neck and like the insecure man he is, pulled her closer. Expecting me to react as he would and pouting like a child when I didn't.
Men like him, hide behind their huge egos masking the insecurities and weaknesses they felt within. Overpowering people by coercion and violence to feel in control. Except, any control they acquired was artificial, coercion invaliding any authority.
If force is exigent to their ploy in power and dominance, they were never in control in the first place. To attain unfeigned control is to dominate the mind, the subject bending to your will and submitting to you willingly. Thomas thrived on the need for artificial control and because of that, it made him reactive and explosive to any trivial adversity.
My father had a history with Cain and warned me when I entered this industry about the type of man he was. Cain was a different animal mechanized by greed and power. Boundary not even existing in laws of this country could halt this man from procuring what he wanted.
That's why finding a connection was crucial to determine if Thomas was acting alone or If it was a collaborative effort between father and son. If Cain was involved, his motives would vastly differ from those of his son's. Doubtful that He would waste his time If Scarlett didn't hold something of value to him. Indisputably if she did he would make it his mission to silence her. Although different motives between the two, it didn't matter. Each man would meet their match with me.
"Are you listening to me?" Matias growled as he slammed a handful of files on my desk. I pivoted my chair and met his squinted hazel eyes. "I knew anyone having connections with that Hijo de puta was bad news. Didn't I tell you, brother? The same damn day you text me that there's an informant. Chingada Madre, I have better shit to do like fück my fiancée, take care of our headquarters back in Europe. Anything but this shit."
I let out a breath, the last of my patience leaving with it. "Calmete o te calmo, eh? I don't tolerate that impetuous behavior with any of my employees, don't think for a second the same doesn't apply to you because you are my brother. Speak with that vulgarity again and see if I don't have you on the next flight back to Madrid. I will not hesitate to terminate you and give your position to Luca. Do you understand?"
Alexander fidgeted on his phone, laughing under his breath while my brother held a disingenuous smile. "I apologize, Mr. Castellano, didn't know I had to speak as if I was a diplomat. Especially considering who is your second in command." His voice laced with sarcasm that I didn't care for as long as he received my message loud and clear.
"Juemadre! What I ever do to you parcero?" Alexander slipped the phone back into his pocket and sat beside Matias, the smirk on his face unwavering. "Jealous that little brother likes me better? And to think I was about to congratulate you on your engagement. Never thought a man whore like yourself would settle down. But to be fair never imagined Elias would either but it seems it won't be long till he goes down the rabbit hole of love. Two odd occurrences in a lifetime must be because Mercury is in retrograde or some crap like that." He paused, smirking still, as he ran his hand over his beard. "Can't blame him really Scarlett is smart, attractive, con un cuerpo— "
I glared at him daring him to continue, tempted to drag him out of my office by the noose of his tie. He raised his hands up in defeat, "I'm kidding, pissing you off is my favorite pastime. What I meant to say is Ms. Delacruz is a wonderful, nice, respectable woman."
Ignoring his response, I typed into the computer, printing off today's financial reports. The room erupted in much-needed silence, allowing me to hear the last page print. I walked to the printer and grabbed the huge stack of papers handing it directly to Alexander. "Have some decorum, I would hate to task you with an endless amount of menial tasks." He grimaced, slumping his shoulders—he hated doing analytical charts.
My brother snorted squaring an ankle over his knee. "He doesn't know the definition of decorum what makes you think he will act with it? Also, I'd rather not be congratulated by a divorced man whose wife left him with no explanation or warning. That might bring bad omen to my marriage." Alexander's features hardened as he sunk his head and stared at files. I shook my head in disapproval, his ex-wife was a sensitive topic.
"I'm sorry I was out of line for that. "Alexander nodded, accepting Matias apology. " Sea lo que sea, I'm glad that part of my life is past me. I am a man of many faults but the way I treated her wasn't one of them. If you're with me best believe I will handle you with delicacy, treat you like a Reina, thanks to her it only pertains to my bedroom now."
"What she did is unforgivable, I should have never brought it up. Look, I know I come off as a callous jerk but my intentions come from a good place. What I said earlier about Scarlett too, is nothing personal. I am hard-wired not to trust anyone."
He signaled beside him, "I wouldn't trust this fool if It wasn't for the lengths you went through to find his little girl. For that, I know Alexander will always be loyal." He sighed, relaxing back into the chair. "Scarlett's given history and the fact you saw her afterward with him, it's hard not to prime her as the perfect suspect."
Reading my brother's body language, I could tell he was being sincere. I sat back down, folding my arms over my desk. "I speculate that Thomas used Scarlett as an instrument to distract and divert us from the real informant. She's the perfect target as you said with her given history. I have no evidence to support my claims. If the board or anyone else were to find out that she was seen with him after the Edison & CO meeting details leaked, it would be a disaster. Which is why I've decided to keep it classified amongst us."
They exchanged glances and nodded in agreement. "It also makes no sense on why Scarlett would collude with her ex-boyfriend who is set to marry the daughter of Fisher International. What would be her motive if she was the informant?"
Alexander sat the stack of papers on my desk and adjusted his posture. "Her salary was horrible at Anderson; her position was barely mid-level entrance. The position she occupies here is far more lucrative. Not to mention she's googly-eyed on my man Elias. Unless she's an Academy Award winning best actress, I'm not buying she has anything to do with this."
My brother drummed his fingers on the desk before standing and pacing the room. "What's Thomas's motive? I understand why he would want an insider for information but If he's marrying the daughter of Fisher International why care to drag Scarlett into this? You would think the financial gain of the latter would make him lose sight of his ex. What's his obsession with her? All this drama and nonsense for a woman?"
Resting my chin on my palm, I grinned. "Thomas doesn't know what it's like being hungry for something, everything has been spoon-fed and handed to him on a silver platter. A spoiled man-child, oblivious, to what it is to fight to achieve a goal. Scarlett has that hunger in her eyes and is as resilient as they come. Her first corporate meeting at Edison & Co she stunned me with her brilliance. The way she spoke had spark and fluidity that fired you up. She's a force and everyone in that conference room acknowledged that. She exudes confidence and is passionate, charismatic—investors and clients really take a liking to that attitude. She's also well-informed, proficient, everyone fails in comparison to her." My words flowed without hesitation, filled with certainty and conviction because they were true.
I chuckled, I ranted, me— a man who once prided himself on being concise and to the point.... ahh this woman. Quite telling, my first rant had to be about her.
Shaking my head in amusement, I dive back into the matter at hand. "It would be no surprise that any success he has attained was because of her. Women like Scarlett build up men like him, without her he's nothing. To add validity to my statement since Scarlett's employment here we've had a 20% increase in high-profile clientele. That number alone increased this morning. Which begs me to believe she had more pull at Anderson than it showed on her resume. Perchance, Thomas is not only losing investors because of his temerarious behavior but also because Scarlett helped him with his executive decisions. Calls for desperate measure don't you think?"
Still pacing the room, Matias rubbed his chin in a contemplative manner. "Why not hire another qualified person to fill her place? Unless his motives are business related with some personal vendetta on the side." He abruptly stopped his marching and turned to face me. "He is aware of you and Scarlett, isn't he? If he were to leak that to the media in addition to the informant at Castellano. Media would have a field day. Both of you would get hit, she'll be accused of sleeping for information and you'll be reduced to the irresponsible man who fell for his sexual urges. Rest assured we would lose a substantial number of investors if this information hit the light of day."
"Do you think I haven't thought of everything? I don't need to be reminded what's at stake as if I'm some feeble-minded man. Rest assured I have it under control. Let this be the last time you speak of this topic."
"Tommy boy wouldn't have anything to leak because I took care of every trace of Elias's and Scarlett's public inappropriate lust filled moments." Alexander's laugh thundered the room."Don't worry Elias, I saved a copy of you guy's almost debut elevator sex-tape. But in all seriousness, don't let corporate politics keep from making her your woman. It always going to be something and life's too short, almost losing my daughter made me realize that."
I flattened the lapels of my suit and flicked my pen between my fingers. "If it were up to me she'd be mine. "
Alexander furrowed his brows at his phone. "Hm, I received a text from our secretary, Scarlett has not made it in yet. Do you know if she is coming in today?"
I checked my watch it was half-past nine. Reaching into my pocket, I called her. The line immediately went to her voicemail. I hadn't spoken to her all weekend but assumed she was preoccupied with her sister. "She's most likely stuck in traffic. "Matias reassured.
Slipping the phone back into my slacks, my office door opened. Mia walked in, fiddling with her hands avoiding eye contact. "Sorry to interrupt Mr. Castellano but the board would like to meet in the conference room. They said it was urgent."
Her statement made all of us uneasy, causing us to rise from our seats. An unscheduled board meeting meant bad news. "We will be right there." Mia reluctantly smiled as she closed the door making me wonder what had broken her usual bubbly spirit.
Alexander slammed his hands onto the desk. "This can't be good."
I straightened my tie and closed my suit jacket. "Whatever it is, it will be dealt with. Stay behind and try to get ahold of Scarlett."
My brother and I walked down the hallway, being stopped occasionally by employees. I answered their questions briefly most of them dealing with new policies recently in place. I ran through the several possibilities in my head about Scarlett's whereabouts and the premises of this impromptu meeting. Opening the frost-stained door, my executive board members stood. I signaled for them to sit, as I made it to the center of the room.
"Good morning Mr. Castellano, thank you for meeting with us on such short notice but with delicate matters, time is of the essence. I'm taking the lead today, any objections?" Elijah's gray eyes scanned the room. Elijah Reed was not only my most trusted board member but a friend, I had met while in my last months of the doctorate program at Berkeley.
"Buenos Dias, Good morning to you all. What are the delicate matters you speak of?"
"Well, we have concerns regarding Ms. Delacruz. We want to make clear that this has nothing to do with her skill. We are thoroughly impressed with her work and find it admirable considering her age and experience. Matter of fact, in utmost confidence, we can voice that Ms. Delacruz is by far the best we've had for this position. With that said her qualifications do not surpass the complicated history with the chief executive at Anderson Corporation, Mr. Thomas Anderson. It is hard to look past this, especially in recent news of possible informant. We have qualms to believe Ms. Delacruz is colluding with Thomas Anderson. We believe it is in the best interest that Castellano Enterprises amicably part ways with Ms. Delacruz."
My brother crossed his arms, tilting his head as he met the eyes of every board member stopping with Elijah's. "As the Chief security officer, I am perplexed to hear those claims. I'm in the beginning stages of my investigation. I've yet to scratch the surface on the archived calls, e-mails, messages in and out of Castellano. I'm nowhere near naming any possible suspects. Unless you have evidence to support your suspicions on Ms. Delacruz, they are purely speculative."
Alexander entered the room, raising his eyebrows as he bent his head at my direction. I expelled a breath of relief at the indication she was okay. I surveyed the room straightening my posture before peering back to Elijah. "Let me reiterate what you said. You're telling me that Ms. Delacruz is the best at what she does yet her past relationship which you affirm does not affect the quality of work is reason enough to fire her? I am not seeing how that is just. I don't hold any employees of mine to their past the same applies to Ms. Delacruz. That does not go without saying I don't understand your apprehension. I can assure you and the members of this board, Ms. Delacruz has no recent affiliation with Mr. Anderson."
Elijah looked to the side of him at the other board members and slid a yellow envelope. "With all due respect, Are you sure of that?"
I felt the glaring eyes locked on me as I opened the envelope. My jaw clenched at the sight, a photo of Scarlett in black lace lingerie laying on only a mattress with Thomas's head resting on her stomach. Not just one, several, each one getting me more aggravated and pissed off. Photos were of low resolution and appeared to be taken from a home security camera assuming from the angle of the photo.
The next photo also from a security camera angled to where I could only see Thomas's body pressed against Scarlett's as he kissed her check in a stairwell. Wow, how fucking romantic. Evident this photo was recent due to the hospital logo on the wall. Thomas's financial situation was more destitute than I imagined since he couldn't hire a photographer. I threw the photos on the table uninterested to look at the rest.
My voice shattered the silence, eyes widened with my harsh tone. "How did you attain these photos?
"They were delivered to every member of this board this morning." Elijah's eyebrows pulled together, while the rest of the board members sat still as if they were frozen.
I stood and put the photos back into the envelope. "I want every single photo received on my desk. This is a huge violation of privacy and downright degrading. Matias, retrieve the hospital footage now. "
"Sir, we tried that, the footage has been erased. The hospital security team is now investigating."
Of course, footage was deleted, amateur move if it wasn't. Slightly impressed, that he did his research on me. I shook Elijah's hand firmly. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, it will be dealt with. If that's all I have some business to attend to." I exchanged handshakes and goodbyes concealing my irritation and wrath with refinement.
The conference door shut with the board members gathering their belongings. I heard Matias and Alexander close behind. "Elias, she fooled me too." My brother hit Alexander's arm, "Aren't you supposed to be the positive one? Elias, the photos could not be what they seem." Annoyed with their discourse, I turned around. "Alexander, I want Scarlett in my office now. Matias, whoever deleted the footage most likely left an electronic trace, find it." Not giving them a chance to respond I slammed my office door shut.
I ran my hands through my face as sunk my head on my desk. Attempting my best to channel my anger into something productive. I trusted her. I was so sure of her. Our connection felt real and unlike anything else.
Was I in some sort of denial? Had I been disillusioned this whole time? I didn't know what to believe. The photos burned into my head painted a different reality. Perhaps, my feelings for her inhibited me from seeing the full picture and she was playing me like a fool.
The sound of the door dragged me from my thoughts. Scarlett strutted in wearing a fitted turtleneck shirt and high-waisted slacks. I studied her, she was as beautiful as ever but something seemed off.
"I am sorry for being late. My Jeep still isn't working and my phone is destroyed, so I couldn't call an Uber. I was forced to take public transportation, which I haven't done since high school because of that I boarded the wrong bus. It was a complete mess, but I'm here at last yay!" She raised her hands in celebration, I would have laughed if I wasn't infuriated at her.
"Did you have a good weekend?"
She looked down at her shoes while her pursing her lips. "Mmm, yeah uhh I've had better but maybe we'll talk about it later." She minced her way around my desk until she sat sideways on my lap. Instinctively my hand gripped her ass, she smirked shifting against the growing masculinity behind my zipper. It took every ounce of me to stop myself from ripping her slacks off and spreading her legs wide on my desk. Even pissed off at her, it didn't stop me from wanting to ravish her.
She smiled, biting her lip as she adjusted my tie, "Ahh, that's better. You look undoubtedly handsome today, I mean every day you do but I swear you wearing glasses is my weakness." She held my face, giving me a gentle kiss. "I missed you." We held each other's gaze, our lips inches apart. "I've missed you too."
She kissed me again softly but more deliberate than before, biting my lip as she detached. "What's wrong you seem upset?" I swallowed harshly, clearing my throat while I extended my arm out to grab the yellow envelope. "My board received this morning. "
I awaited her reaction, hoping It would reveal the truth in its wake. Her fingers twiddled with the seal, dropping it in my lap several times before she opened it. She turned her face to the side, avoiding my scrutiny either as a sign of guilt or embarrassment. Too caught up in my own feelings to decipher hers.
"These photos aren't what they seem. "I tilted her face back toward me. "Did they happen?" She stood from my lap, her eyes narrowed with her lips set in a grim line." Yes, but not in the way they are depicted. Thomas— "
I interrupted her, my voice adamant and resolute. "I have a company to maintain. I'd be negligent if I let this slide. My team will have to investigate your recent connection with Mr. Anderson."
She rested one arm on her hip and the other on the chair as she leaned in closer to my face. "Let me explain, please Elias." My answer evident, in my stern expression.
She laughed with a hint of bitterness as she crossed her arms. "This is my fault, isn't it? because of what happened at Edison's company I gave you a reason to mistrust me. I ruined my opportunity to explain myself with my first encounter—My credibility tarnished."
I inhaled deeply, my eyes unyielding from hers. "I'm suspending you until further notice, effective immediately."
••••
Author's note
Well damn, how did this chapter make you feel?
Translations:
Hijo de Puta- Son of a bitch
Chingada madre- fuck (versatile curse word)
Calmete o te calmo- Calm yourself or I will calm you.
Juemadre (Colombian slang)- son of a mother
Pacero (Colombian slang)-friend
Vampiresa- Vampire (woman)
Con un cuerpo- with a body
Sea lo que sea- whatever it is/ it is what it is