DAISY POV
I sit down in front of him.
"So what's up?" I asked him.
"I have an opportunity to make your company a billion dollar company in one year."
This piqued my curiosity.
"What do you mean? How is this possible?"
"Merge with Helios" he proposes.
I shake my head vehemently to protest.
"No, no way. I am not merging with Helios."
"Why not?" he looks surprised by my answer.
"Because I want to do this on my own" I reply.
"Daisy, merging with Helios would bring more investments for you, people would trust you more and it's not like we are taking over your company, you are still in charge." he tries to convince me.
"I am still not interested."
"Are you going to wait for Declan to swallow up your company before you seek a more profitable partnership?" he asks me.
I am surprised by his words, Declan swallowing up my company? What was Axel talking about?
He passes a paper to me.
"That is the name of the company backing Declan. It's an overseas company also trying to get a foot stand in AI. You partnering with Declan means they are free to use your software for their use without asking permission from you, this is a huge risk for you." Axel explains to me.
I quickly read through the document and realize he is saying the truth.
I am instantly furious, how could Declan do something like this.
"I can't believe Declan would do something like this!" I exclaim as I read through the document again.
"How are you surprised? He has always been vile like this, this is a man that threw you a pregnant woman out of his house in the middle of the night." He reminds me.
"I can't believe this." I mutter to myself.
"He is like this because you give him free rein, you are an Helios. let us deal with him." Axel encourages me.
I think about it. I have been so forgiving towards Declan all this time.
When my family wanted to deal with him, l always pleaded on his behalf. I had even made my brother invest in his baby company back then when no investor would touch it with a foot long pole. I had helped him build the company.
And how had he repaid me? with humiliation and pain.
I remembered how he had pushed me out of his house in the middle of the night, his relationship with Stella, his wrong accusations and how he had just treated me at the diner.
I decided i was done being forgiving, I look at my brother resolutely.
"Deal with him, let him know how it feels to offend a Helios."
Axel smiled like i had given him the world greatest treasure.
"You have no idea how long i have waited for you to say this. I will make him regret the day he offended you."
I feel a twinge of guilt that i had basically just sentenced Declan to the wrath of my family but i pushed it far away to the recesses of my mind.
"By the way what did you think about the proposal? are you accepting it?" Axel asks me.
"I will think about it."
He nods, l excuse myself and go to my room.
DECLAN
I wake up the next morning to different messages and calls on my phone.
My phone was literally buzzing every second.
What was going on? I wondered.
And then a call came through from my assistant.
I picked up the call.
"Yes, what's happening? Why all the messages?" I asked her.
"Mr Declan, everything is going bad in the company. Our stocks have plummeted down, our investors are pulling out every minute. Potential clients have canceled their meetings."
I sit up immediately.
"Why?"
"It's the Helios group, they have declared war against us. Nobody wants to be involved with us for fear of being affected."
Fear makes my heart beat. The Helios?
"I am coming to the office immediately." I tell her and end the call.
I brush my teeth, I don't even bother with a shower and put on my clothes quickly.
I rush down the stairs to my car, I can hear my mother calling for me but I ignore her. I don't have the time for that this morning.
I drive at full speed to the office. Everywhere looks chaotic, my employees are running around in panic.
I call a meeting so I can completely understand what is happening.
"Declan, who did you offend?" one of the stakeholders in the company ask.
"No one, I didn't do anything."
"Are you sure you did nothing to the Helios?" someone else asks.
"I didn't do anything to them." I reply, I didn't do anything to them.
"Then why did they suddenly name the company persona non grata in the industry? No company wants to be involved with us."
I ransack my brain thinking of what I could have done to merit this but I couldn't think of any.
Or was this because of Daisy? Did Stefan really take her seriously that he would go against me because of her, because of Daisy?
"I would get to the bottom of this, I assure you." I plead with them.
"You better." was the reply I got.
I couldn't even blame them for their attitude. Their money and investment was at stake.
I ended the meeting and went back to my office. I called Stefan. He didn't pick but I kept calling.
"Yes?" he answered when he finally picked the call.
"What did I do to you to deserve this?" I asked.
"What do you mean?"
"My company has been put on the blacklist by you guys." I point out to him.
"Oh! That!" he says in a nonchalant voice.
"What did I do? Is it because of Daisy? That you would go this far to ruin me?"
He chuckles, an annoying sound that only makes me more angry.
"She has been the one begging me not to deal with you. It's because of her that I have been lenient with you."
"So what stopped the leniency?"
"She is done with you and doesn't care what you do or what happens to you. So nothing is holding us back anymore."
"Have you forgotten she is partnered with me, whatever happens to me happens to her." I remind him.
"That's true, that's why I have a deal for you." he proposes.
"What kind of deal?"
"End the partnership with Daisy and we will leave you alone."
"What!"
"End the partnership, the two of you would be free from each other."
I laugh bitterly. "Do you take me for a fool? If I am free from Daisy, wouldn't you even be more lethal in your attacks since I am no longer partnered with her?"
"Unlike you Declan, I keep to my words. End the partnership and we would leave you alone."
"You promise to keep your word?"
"Yes, I promise."
"I will contact Daisy to set up a meeting."
"There is no need for that, draft a document and come over to the Helios house, I will send you the directions."
"The Helios house?" What would Daisy be doing in the Helios house?
"Yes, she stays here. I will send you the directions." he ends the call.
The next minute, he sends the address to my phone.
I am furious about this, so she is even staying with them now?
I shake my head as I draft the document on my computer. I didn't care about Daisy or whatever she did.
The only thing I cared about was my company and if ending the partnership with Daisy would do that, to hell with her.
I print out the document and following the address, I head over to the Helios house.
The security must have been told about my coming because they allowed me inside.
I was showed to a meeting room to wait for Daisy.
Once again, I felt a wave of hate and hurt. Daisy had been deceiving me and having a relationship with Stefan while she was married to me.
And she had the nerve to act like she was hurt by me when she had been the one who hurt me.
I buried my head in my hands and closed my eyes.
"Who are you?" I heard a little voice ask.
I open my eyes to see a little girl in front of me. She looked exactly like Daisy.
This had to be Daisy's child.
"I am Declan, who are you?" I ask her.
"I am Rhea."
"What are you doing here?"
"I have a meeting with someone here."
"who?"
"Her name is Daisy."
Her face lits up in a smile.
"That's my mommy."
"Really?" I act surprised.
"Yes, my mommy is a big CEO." she brags.
"How old are you?" I am amazed by how articulate she is.
"I am five years old."
So this was definitely the pregnancy she had tried to pin on me.
"I see, what are you doing here anyway?"
She puts a finger on her lips.
"Shhh! I am hiding from my nanny."