I made it to the meeting on time, thank God. The meeting was related to the budget, but my mind was on the acquisition of Sheik and Co., which needed to be closed at any cost. I wouldn't be this worried if, like always, major things related to the company were dealt by my dad, but my parents are on vacation, so apparently everything should be handled by me, and I am only worried about the fucking deal.
Before going on the trip, my dad cautioned me about the deal and to grab it at any cost. I don't want to disappoint him, but getting this deal is fucking hard. I have spoken with managers and employees of finance too, but still, there was this nagging in my head giving negative thoughts, and I hated it.
There was no competition in the acquisition, and it was almost finalized, but Mr. Sheik asked for some time to consider the deal. Later, we came to know the reason Janik and Co. had also shown interest in the acquisition, and it is our number one rival company. It's common that without cutthroat competition we can't succeed, but Mr. Janik is always finding chances to degrade our company, and he has not succeeded because of my dad. Now my dad is on vacation, and I feel like I am lost.
I am a bloody CEO, and I definitely don't know how to act like one.
This will be the result of working under my dad's shadow. I should stop my dad from involving himself in major matters related to the company and start indulging in everything. I wasted too much time, and it was time for me to wake up. God, I need this deal to close at any cost.
There was a knock, and it was Mr. George, vice president, with a broad smile. I told him to take a seat, to which he obliged. "Congratulations! Finally, we got the deal."
I was in shock and was staring at Gorge without blinking my eyes. Damn, this is a fucking surprise. How the hell did we end up getting this deal? Sheik was not responding properly to us, and he had 3 to 4 meetings with Janik but still, we ended up getting the deal. I was not getting how to respond; I tried to know how the hell we ended up getting the deal. "How? I mean, Sheik was not responding to us, right?" "Thanks to the manager and his employee of the merger and acquisition department." Ok, cool, but still, I was not able to digest the bloody news. "Who? I mean, who was handling this deal?" "It's Reece Damon; he recently joined; it's been a few months or a year, I guess."
I was dumbfounded; it was inevitable. I was clearly in a bloody shock, and it was exposed by the way how my mouth was agape, and my eyes were wide enough to pop out. Damn.
From Day 1, he is full of surprises, and I am talking about the new Reece, not the old one; that's his words, and I started to believe in his words. I mean, look at him the way he was in college days and now. Yeah, we grew up and matured, but still, this is a drastic change; his whole domineer has been changed; I mean, he is more dominant.
While we were in college, my friends gave him various names, like stalker, creepy guy, psycho, and so on. He was a good stalker; I never felt like he was a creepy guy, and I don't know why my friends thought about him that way. The way he was ogling from afar was hilarious, and he never approached me because of my relationship, nor did he give up on his stalking. I don't know, but I think I waited for him to approach me. At least I wanted to be his friend. No harm in that, but that idiot never approached me until that horrible day.
My life always revolved around Asher, and I didn't want anything or anyone apart from him. He was my life; in fact, he was everything that I needed, but things turned upside down on that day.
Till today, only two questions haunted me: why Asher didn't feel the same way about me and where I was lacking. I did everything I could to keep our relationship on track. I changed so much just to please him. I sacrificed so much in our relationship, but not even once did I expect anything from him apart from loyalty.
Not too much to expect, right?
Again and again, he betrayed me, and I don't know who failed in our relationship, whether it was me or him.
Asher became famous at a young age, and I was happy, no denying that, but at the same time I was threatened by the perk I would get from dating a celebrity. He was getting so much attention wherever he went, but nothing affected our relationship, or at least I thought so until that day. I will get attached too soon, and that's my weakness. Was Asher my weakness, or is he? Definitely, I don't want to seek an answer.
I never thought people wore masks—pretentious ones—and I don't know how to identify them. It took me 6 years to meet the actual face of Asher, of which I didn't have a clue. How can they hide successfully for so many years? He was talented, and his fame speaks for itself, but I still didn't have a clue. He must be a good actor, or I was a naïve idiot who was blind in the name of love. He was playing his written character in my life very well, and me giving chances again and again was a perfect example.
Till now, I have met two people who wore masks on the surface, Asher and Reece, and they claimed that they loved me, yeah, right by hiding their true identities. Give me a fucking break.
When I witnessed Asher's betrayal, it was the biggest trauma in my life. I ran to hide myself forever; I don't know where exactly. I did find a place, and I never expected Reece to find me. When he silently sat beside me, I was surprised. I wanted to be alone to cry my heart out, and I don't know whether he had a clue about that or not. The only thing he suggested was to vent out everything, and I did exactly that.
No words were spoken, and it was all needed at that point for me.
The next day, everything turned out to be surreal. He started waiting for me, and he never budged from the place until I gestured his presence, and he was making sure I was okay in his own way. He was taking baby steps, one thing at a time. I don't know when I started drawing toward him. His timing in my life was perfect. I gave a pause on what I was going through. I took a temporary break from the agony of betrayal but didn't overcome it, as it had hit me very hard.
Reece was a perfect distraction, and I never thought I would fall for the same distraction, but few things would be out of our hands, and Reece was one of those.
His soft nature, pleasing behavior, the way he was suppressing his emotions, and bearing my friend's attitude for my sake. When I said he was my own version, I meant it because the same way I was behaving around Asher when I was just 11 years old.
Reece reminded me of myself with every bit of it, and I hated it.
I and Asher were childhood friends; it didn't take a long time to fall for him. I was 11 when I secretly started to like him, and by 13 I was in a relationship with him. Everything was easy between us; our families knew each other for a long time, and everyone was okay with our relationship. No obstacles.
My first breakup was agony; even my friends and family were not as helpful as Reece was. He did everything at his best when he was around me, and it made me feel so many things. When he was targeted by Asher, I nearly had a panic attack. Somewhere, I felt Reece would distance himself from me, but it didn't happen, and I was surprised.
Granted, he was into me for a few months or so, but still, his behavior would raise so many questions within me. Dealing with his muteness was very hard, but I did my best to show how much he meant to me. Actually, he did mean a lot to me. If we avoided getting into a relationship, maybe we would end up at least as friends. It was too late to regret it, and things can't be undone. I hated being the reason for his heartbreak, and I was sorry every day.
At present, I don't know how to feel about my betrayal, especially after meeting new Reece.
When I came back to reality, I started searching for George, but he had left, and I wasn't aware. I dialed Reece's number, and on answering, I informed him to come to my cabin, to which he replied, "Okay, and disconnected.
He was intelligent, of which I was aware, but his muteness made me question his survival rate in this world. Here he was, acing in his profession, pushing me into shock again.
From the time I met him in my company, everything about him was bloody shocking, and I am waiting for more shocking things to witness. I bet he will nail that too. There was a knock, and Reece entered wearing a proud smile, and I chuckled.
"Good morning, or is it noon? Whatever, congratulations, and I am shocked." It was his turn to chuckle, and the same proud smile was not leaving him. This side I never met in my life never before. I thought he was too shy to display anything, and again, I was wrong. "Well, thank you." "How? I mean, he was ignoring our calls, even my calls too." Again, a proud chuckle escaped from him. "Well, I did my homework before approaching him, and it worked; rather, I would say I made it work." I was confused a lot. What was he talking about, homework? "What homework?" He smiled and started shaking his head. "I am not revealing my secrets, as I am not going to stick over here forever." He and his rudeness—wow, I never met this before. It's not the result of my betrayal but of his true nature, which he hid when he was with me.
I smiled in return. Maybe I was thinking too much; professional secrets should not be disclosed to anyone. "You are surprising me a lot." "Don't be. Please recommend my name for promotion and increment, as I am eligible after cracking a big deal." "You don't need my recommendation, as your work speaks for itself, so rest assured." "That's all I need to hear. Is there anything else?" "No, no, carry on with your work." "You too, and I will see you in the evening, right?" "Yes. Wait for me; we will go together." "Ok.
He exited the cabin. I sighed. Oh boy, there is a lot about this guy.