Keith Jordan's laughter filled the air as he threw Harriet a condescending stare. He was laughing at her boldness, laughing at Harriet's ridiculous offer. But Harriet knew better than to let herself waver under his gaze. She had spent years plotting this moment, years looking into Keith Jordan, his family, his weaknesses. Because she knew he would one day be a weapon she might use against Damien.
Harriet was sure she had the upper hand in this game. Keith might be acting like a self-absorbed narcissist right now, but she knew where to clip him. One thing she knew about Keith Jordan was the fact that he would never turn down an alliance that would benefit him.
This, was Harriet's greatest weapon.
"I must admit, Mrs Prescott, you're more fun than I thought." Keith finally said, leaning back in his seat.
Harriet cocked her head. Keith knew who she was. Figure, there was no way he wouldn't because Harriet used to be associated with Damien and, since IMU was a rival company to KJ tech, Keith would know everything about Damien, including his estranged ex-wife.
"You know, when my secretary told me about a meeting with one Harriet Prescott, I thought it was impossible. You're dead, officially at least. But then I had my secretary confirm it and when it turned out to be true, I knew immediately that there was a reason you stayed dead for five whole years." Keith said as a smirk spread across his face. He registered the unwavering smile that was still plastered on Harriet's face before he continued. "I knew it couldn't be anything good. That's why I made my secretary cancel the meeting with you."
Harriet's palms grew sweaty as she said, "I believe we can both be beneficial to each other, Mr Jordan."
"Oh, please!" Keith snapped, clearly amused by Harriet. "Why would I choose you, Harriet Prescott? Given the chance, don't you think I would pick the better woman? Maybe the one that can get me what I want?"
"And what could that be? Perhaps to reveal the real truth about Edge-N being your invention and bring Damien Shaw and Aiden Betler to justice? Isn't that why you want to marry Dahlia Stone?" Harriet countered.
The smug smile on Keith's face slowly started to fade. His face grew pale and Harriet was sure he hadn't expected her to know this. But she did. She knew the whole story about how Keith confided in Aiden, Damien's cousin, about the project Edge-N and how, five years ago, Aiden stole that idea from Keith and gave it to IMU.
The launch of Edge-N made IMU the leading company in tech.
Even though Keith's family had the power to sue IMU, Keith ventured out to not drag his family into the mess. He left his family's business empire and started KJ tech. It quickly expanded because of his family's connections and now that Keith had more power, he was ready to bring IMU down and claim Edge-N as his own. He was only marrying Dahlia to get closer to IMU.
"How do you know so much…?" Keith trailed off, his forehead seizing a bit. He grabbed his suite's keycard and forced a smile. "How about we talk better upstairs in my suite, Mrs Prescott?"
Harriet nodded as she rose to her feet. "That won't be a problem, Mr Jordan."
Even though Harriet's heart was pounding in her chest, she followed Keith across the lobby toward the elevator bank. Her heels slapped against the endless marble floor of the hotel lobby.
A uniformed clerk held the door to one of the elevators. They slipped right in. Keith punched the close button endlessly. The second the door closed, he turned to Harriet.
"How long have you been looking into me, Mrs Prescott? How much do you know?"
"Well, I do know that you approached Dahlia because of what you wanted from her." Harriet said. "And I do know you plan to drag IMU down. We both have the same goals, Mr Jordan."
Keith furrowed his brows. "And why, if I may ask, would you want to bring your ex-husband down?"
Harriet exhaled sharply as she finally raised her head to meet Keith's gaze. His gaze was intimidating, but Harriet made sure she remained calm.
"Don't you think that's too personal, Mr Jordan?"
"I don't know," Keith scoffed. "If we're going to become partners, we should know everything about each other. I don't want to have you backstabbing me."
Harriet's eyebrows shot up. Partners? Was Keith Jordan agreeing to her deal just like that?
"Mr Jordan, I think…" she was cut short by Keith.
"Mrs Prescott." Keith's voice dropped to a low whisper as he took a step closer to Harriet. His eyes, sharp and calculating, bore into hers. "The moment this elevator opens, a lot of guests will be standing outside."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Harriet asked him, her knuckles popping beside her.
Keith's lips curved into a knowing smile. "Rethink if you really want to partner with me. If you're sure, then this will be the beginning of our pact."
The elevator hummed softly as it ascended, each floor passing signaled by a gentle ding. Harriet's mind raced, this was too easy. Could Keith Jordan be hiding something from her?
"I'm sure," Harriet finally said, her voice firm despite the flutter of nerves in her stomach.
The elevator dinged again, signaling their arrival. As the door slid open, Keith curled an arm around Harriet's waist and pulled her closer to him. Their bodies flushed and Harriet barely had time to register what was happening before he pressed his lips to hers.
Harriet froze. She couldn't move a muscle as she felt Keith's lips move against hers. They were warm. He tasted like strawberry. She felt the world tilt, her senses flooded with the scent of his cologne—woodsy and intoxicating—and the warmth of his body pressed against hers.
Gasps erupted around them, and the flash of cameras followed. Harriet's heart raced, but she didn't pull away. Instead, she leaned more into the kiss, her fingers curling into the fabric of Keith's suit jacket.
Keith finally pulled back, but his face stayed near Harriet's. His hand at her waist was firm, possessive, his breath mingling with hers.
"There," he murmured, his voice just loud enough for her to hear over the buzz of the people around them. "Now the world knows."