Chapter 179: The Deal
Lisa arrived at her vacant building. She wanted to prepare the space that was soon meant to be her office. In order to save money, she asked Charlotte to help her with arrangements and with the woman's quick wit, love for movies and talent for interior design, she soon found herself on the path to a fully functional film studio, in record time. Two of the floors were to be specifically designed for CGI, one blue screen and the other green screen. Lisa did not know the difference but apparently, she could charge more per hour for use of the blue screen studio.
There was going to be a floor set up for a live audience, a floor set up to resemble the inside of a home, complete with bedrooms, and a floor set up to look like a neighborhood. Lisa's brother's wife had even planned to put the roof to use. It was to be transformed into a garden that resembled a park.
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Lisa had opted to decorate her own office, preferring to give it her own personal style as opposed to her sister-in-law's. Not because she didn't trust the woman, but because she knew exactly what she wanted. She planned to make the space a female version of Ian's. That way when he came to visit, he could see how perfect they were for each other.
Carefully unrolling the floor plans, Lisa read the briefs that Charlotte had recorded for each office. She wanted to pick the best of the three. However, when she took a closer look, she noted that Charlotte had very tactfully split the floor space into four equal parts. Obviously one of the offices was meant for her husband, Kace, instead of being used as an entertainment center for the three executives.
Lisa wanted to be angry with Charlotte, but she could not be mad at the woman who was not only saving her time, but also money. Lisa also could not deny that she would have done the same thing had she been in the woman's shoes.
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It was still very early, and Lisa was the only person, other than security, in the building. Cylus had promised to have the equipment delivered before the end of the business day and he said he would have his crew install pulleys and levers in accordance with the floor plans the day after. His interactions with Lisa were limited, but he was earnestly working with the pregnant Charlotte on camera arrangements. Since her sister-in-law was doing all the communication between the pair, Lisa saw no reason to reach out to Cylus, but for some reason he decided to call her, in what Lisa felt like was out of the blue.
Lisa was reluctant to answer, Cylus had been secretly chasing after her for years after they parted ways, and she knew that he probably agreed to help her because of their past. No matter what Lisa said or did, Cylus seemed to think that he held a special place in her heart, and anytime they were alone he would try to woo her again, so she forcibly put an end to their meetings.
It had been nearly two years since the last time Lisa and Cylus were together and, in that time, she had not seen him once. That was up until that evening when he was ogling Mina as if she were the rarest of diamonds. Lisa recognized that look immediately. Cylus had once gazed upon her in the same way.
Thinking about it now made Lisa angry. She could not see what was so special about Mina that made men throw themselves at her. Sure, the girl was pretty, but she lacked confidence, poise, and family standing. She was unfit to even orbit the circle in which Lisa belonged, but somehow, the circle seemed to want to invite her inside. With those thoughts on her mind, Lisa answered her phone coldly.
"Yes?" Lisa answered. Cylus was put off, he did not know why he expected a friendlier greeting, but then again, Lisa had stopped being friendly with him from long ago.
"Is that how you should answer your partner's call?" Cylus asked. He wondered if Lisa believed that because he agreed to help her, she could continue to treat him like an unwanted memory.
"I'm a little busy right now. If this is a casual call, it will have to wait," Lisa replied.
"Let me be clear about something. I helped you because of our past relationship, but now this is business and I want to make sure you remember to keep your end of the deal."
"I remember, and I do not plan to bother with her, so long as you ensure that she keeps her hands off of President Lee," Lisa reminded him.
"Good. The equipment should arrive in a few hours. I'll contact you again if necessary." Cylus ended the call without ceremony.
Lisa looked at her phone in surprise. She had genuinely believed that Cylus was joking when he told her that he wanted her to steer clear of Mina, but now she found herself a little jealous. Cylus had given away millions' worth of film equipment and, aside from being a part owner, all he wanted in exchange was for Lisa to stop antagonizing Mina; whom he met just twice.
Lisa, of course agreed that she would not harass Mina, but she could not be blamed for the actions of others. The agreement she made with Cylus did not extend to those within the Lee household, and in the end, Mina being pushed out, may become a blessing to the man.
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Lisa walked into the office she had chosen for herself and was annoyed by the stray desk in the middle of the room. It was clearly left behind by the previous tenant, and the cleaning crew must have overlooked it or left it in place to be used as a makeshift table. She tried her best to ignore it as she scanned the area.
There was a full wall of windows that let in plenty of natural lighting, and the view overlooked the pedestrians down below. She quite enjoyed the feeling of being able to watch people in her boredom. Lisa trailed her fingers along the window, secretly praying that the film studio would succeed. It was the only one of its kind in the area and with all the necessary equipment on site, it had the potential to grow exponentially.