Marcus's POV
"Boss. The manager of the airport called me this morning," Her voice was a bit low. Her hands kept intertwining themselves. Something was not right.
"And?" I raised an eyebrow, listening to the next information she was going to say.
"They declined our offer. Someone already took a handsome percentage of the shares. And in case they make another offer, it may be just 5% or less,"
"What? Who took it?" No one dared to be on top of me. I was always the first person to have such prestigious information especially when it came to business. So exactly who gave the other party this information?
Who the hell did it?
"How did that happen? I need to know everything about the deal they made with this party. Everything!" My voice itself spoke anger and emphasis.
She looked down as if feeling guilty. Did she know something?
"It would be better to say what you know instead of standing there like someone threw water on you."
"Well, Sir,"
"Speak," I demanded.
She hesitated before she finally spoke, "Well, I heard sir Hector speaking to someone on the phone. He made some recommendations for something like Montellia investments. I'm not sure if it's true though. I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to give you the wrong information, sir,"
"I'll find out by myself if it's true or not. Now get out of my office, "
"Yes sir, "
My thoughts turned to the one and only Hector Fernandez. This little guy. Did he think straight? Beating me required more than that.
I smirked as I took my phone from the table and dialed his number. The moment he picked up his phone, I didn't wait for him to start speaking. I just said one sentence, "In my office, Now."
In a few minutes, the door swung open. The betrayer stumbled in and the first thing I noticed was his hands slightly shaking, something he always did when he did something wrong.
"Sir," He called.
"Tell me one good reason why you made that phone call, my dear worker,"
"What call, sir?"
"Shall we do this the easy way and I spare your job or should we do this the hard way? The moment I use my money to trace your phone calls, you are doomed,"
"But sir, I didn't mean for this to happen. I called them because I wanted the deal to come in your favor. Montellia Investments company is rising rapidly, everyone has good comments about it. I only told them to start with them because I knew they'd find us more profitable in the end. I didn't know this would happen. I swear,"
His voice quivered, pleas for mercy tumbled from his lips, but I silenced him with a single, raised finger.
"Spare me your pitiful apologies. I present you with a choice." I leaned in, voice a venomous whisper.
"Ten minutes. Convince the airport's owners to make me a shareholder, or your dear wife will meet a gruesome end."
"Sir. Please! I don't have any money for my wife's hospital expenses. If you stop, she might die,"
Desperation swam in his eyes, the specter of death haunting his every move. He reached for his phone, but it slipped from his trembling grasp, a sign of upcoming failure.
"One minute is already lost," His wife was in a serious condition and I offered him to pay for all her expenses. Not that I liked it. It was a way to show my generosity in front of people. The society. And today, he dared to betray me and then gave me such a silly excuse?
He dialed, voice trembling as he spoke into the phone, "Hello? Yes, this is Hector speaking. I need a favor. My employer, Mr. Marcus Del Monte, is seeking a share in your airport project. Can you reconsider? He's a powerful man, and..."
He listened intently, hope and desperation mingling in his eyes. But as the conversation unfolded, his face gradually fell, and his shoulders slumped.
With that tactic, did he think he'd make them accept my offer? Exactly how did my people choose candidates to be employed?
Hector paused, then took a deep breath, determination in his voice.
"You see, Mr. Marcus Del Monte is not a man to be underestimated. His investments can bring substantial wealth and prestige to your project. Imagine the vast resources and the international connections. You stand to gain so much by accommodating him. Please reconsider. You'll lose out on a tremendous opportunity."
Hector continued to plead, his voice growing more desperate as he tried to make the owners see reason. He outlined the potential benefits of having me as a shareholder. Even I who was just an outsider got bored.
Not so soon and they hung up the call. Good for them, now back to Hector. I crossed my fingers on the table like a boss ready to listen to his employees. My face was enough to send shivers down his spine as his face was already sweating.
"Waiting for the feedback," I covered my face with a genuine smirk. Unlike my heart, "First of all, congratulations on making me look like a beggar. Now what did they say?"
"Si..Sir,"
"I know, I know. You didn't mean it. But," I got up from my seat and stepped closer to him, whispering the next words to my ears, "Is not meaning it good enough? Now tell me. What did they say?"
His voice wavering as he relayed the disappointing message, "Mr. Del Monte, they won't budge. They believe Montellia is more competitive and competent."
"Oh, the investments you recommended to them with your very own lips," Slowly said the last three words.
"Sir, I swear. I did not mean for this to happen. I did not betray you!" His denying of the sin was what angered me even more. His stubbornness persisted, a futile defiance against the inevitable. He would not admit his guilt, not yet.
I took my phone and dialed the hospital number. In a second, someone picked up, "Hello, Mr. Del Monte, what can we do for you today?" A female voice answered.
"I would like to inform you that the patient is known as... What's she called again?" I looked at Hector whose eyes looked wide open, silently asking me to not do it. His hands were pressed as if he were in front of the Budha statue. Right at that moment, I was his God.
"Sir, please," He cried. If that's not enough, he knelt. A man in his shining dark suit knelt, crying like a baby, "Sir please forgive me,"
"Oh, I remember. It's Sarah Fernandez. Starting this hour, her hospital expenses are not on me," I shook my head as if the one I was talking to was Hector.
"But sir, she is in a very critical condition. If she does not receive her treatment even once, she might die,"
"Like I said, not my problem anymore. What word do you not understand?"
"Yes, Si... Sir,"
"Good," With that, I hung up the phone.
Hector, his knees on the flow continued to form an ocean of tears in my office. Another mistake. How much did I pay the cleaners to make my office look like this is something he'd never know. So how dare he let his tears touch my floor? Let alone the liquid coming from his nostrils.
Disgusting! I could not stand him anymore.
As the minutes ticked away, my smile grew colder, my cruelty more pronounced. "Your wife has danced her final waltz in the realm of the living."
Not that I knew what was happening there at the hospital, but imagine how one would feel if someone dear to him was in danger of leaving this sweet earth for good. That's what I felt at that moment. Business deals were my loved ones, he took my chance away from me and I was determined to do the same.
"Sir, please. I beg of you," He crawled his way to where I was, holding my leg like I was his mother. Now every liquid he just produced touched my suit, making the level of anger surpass my height.
"And from this day forward, you are fired," I woke up from my seat. It was already six and I wanted to go home early today.
I mean, I had a new wife!
Reaching home, my eyes met with one of the workers in one of the gardens. I must say his features a little bit resembled mine.
Whatever! I'm much more good-looking than him. Plus, I was damn rich. I could wipe my tears with money and still have plenty left to enjoy the finer things in life.
I went inside my room, where my wife was. To my surprise, she was looking at me the same way the worker was. She was looking at the garden.
"What are you staring at, woman?"