Heels clicked from the other door and I looked up to see Mom and Dad strutting towards me in expensive black suits and shoes. Their posture was impeccable. Head high and shoulders squared confidently. The Vega arrogance, as people call it. Mom's eyes landed on me and a bright smile grew on her face, followed by an identical one on Dad's.
She pulled me into a hug as soon she got close. Once she released me, Dad swooped me up into a bear hug if his own. "We're proud of you, Lexi." He said, voice bursting with fatherly pride.
"I won't let any of you down." I said with conviction, stepping out of the hug.
Mom nodded, "That's good. The Reyes have arrived and are currently heading up here now. This is a good opportunity to officially introduce them to our CEO, and for you to meet theirs."
"You might find their CEO a bit familiar, Lexi." Dad straightened his suit. "After all, you already know we're good friends with the Reyes family. You and Leandro spent a lot of time together as kids, and I am hoping you can still continue your friendship and business partnership as adults too.."
Friendship? Even as kids, I hated him with every last bone in my body. We just crossed paths all the time because our fathers were friends, our families were close, we lived in the same fucking wealthy estate and attended the same fucking prestigious schools up until high school. After they moved away, I was so relieved, only for the universe to fuck me over and bring us back together… again.
"They are here." Kim politely announced.
My gaze snapped to the doorway, and a beefy guard in a sharp, black suit stepped in, holding the glass door open for others to step through. I arched an eyebrow and tipped my chin higher, like a true Vega. That was the exact moment he strode through the open door, flanked on his sides by people in all black suits, excluding raw power and dangerous cool.
He was different. Physically, I had expected him to look different from ten years ago, of course. But the major difference was in his aura. His eyes. The waves that rolled off him. It was the type of energy that wrapped around everyone within reach, intimidated them into submission. If they resisted, it broke their backs and made them bow.
Thankfully, I'm a Vega. We never bow.
His dark, powerful and intimidating disposition was not the only thing about him that was striking. As much as I loathed having to acknowledge it, he was… gorgeous. So good looking that it took me by surprise and there me off my footing for a moment. I could not really remember what he looked like before, but this was an actual shock.
He was towering over the rest of the executives, except for a few giant guards at the back. He was broad. Big. Masculine. And had a sculpted body that showed that he was genetically blessed, and worked out on top of all of it. His skin was so tan, contrasting with the deep black of his hair, which had strands that were long enough to fist up -why did I just think about fisting his hair? And his features were downright handsome.
"Mr. Vega." He said in a cool voice that was deeper than what I was expecting, stopping in front of my Dad. "It's good to see you."
Did he just pretend like he didn't see me standing in front of Dad? Annoyance bubbled under my skin. Two can play this game then.
"Ah, Leandro! Save the formalities till when the meeting starts, it's so good to see you, son!" Dad laughed, patting his shoulder casually. "You have made your family so proud, and I'm overjoyed to be partners with you."
Mom inched closer, smiling fondly. I definitely remember her always giving him that smile when we were younger. It drove me crazy how they all loved him. It was like I was the only one that could see through his fucking act. "Leandro, dear. You have changed so much. You have grown so well into a man that the entire world talks about." She smiled. "We should have a big dinner to celebrate the merging."
Of course, they have to inflate his bloated ego too.
He looked at Mom with a soft smile. "I'll be happy to celebrate with you, ma'am." He was effortlessly charming, and with him being gorgeous, he easily had Mom wrapped around his finger.
Celebrate? More like spend a night in a bar, mourning and drinking out the sorrow of being co-CEOs with such a prick.
Mr. and Mrs. Reyes, multibillionaires and cutthroat business people, also that prick's parents joined Mom and Dad on their little reunion. Refusing to stay on the sidelines, I moved away from them with confident strides. As the rest of the Reyes executives saw me approaching, they inched closer, smiling and engaging me in formal congratulations on my new position.
Playing the role of the perfect CEO, I motioned at Kim to lead them into the executive board room and make sure they are comfortable. Only one of them did not attempt to move, hovering in the corner.
From one look at her, I could tell she was that prick's personal assistant. What an unlucky job. Can't imagine being at that insufferable prick's beck and call at all times.
Just as the rest of the executives disappeared into the board room, I turned around to hear Mom speaking proudly, "Of course, I'm sure you didn't recognize her. That's our beautiful Lexie, all grown up and now a formidable Vega CEO."
As she said those words, they all looked at me. Including him. And our eyes clashed. I had assumed his eyes were just a generic dark color, but now that I was staring him straight in the eye after all these years, I could see that they were actually metallic grey.
The color of a darkening sky right before a storm. And those eyes were… beautiful.