Negotiating a deal

Following his intense argument with Aria, David found himself overwhelmed with numerous tasks to complete. Over the last twenty-four hours, he had made many mistakes and was clueless about how to correct them. Given that he had tricked both Zoey Brown and Aria Wilson into engaging in sexual relations with him through false promises, he knew it would be a challenging task, particularly with regard to these two women. However, he held a special place for these two women; they were close to his sister, and if she were present now, he would face severe consequences. Usually, he would not feel any remorse after deceiving a woman, but these two women stood out. Unfortunately, Olivia had a "soft spot" for them, which resulted in her banning him from the head office in London. He made it a point to avoid them whenever he found himself in the building.

Since Aria was the first person he saw when he entered Miller Corporation, it had become increasingly difficult to ignore her. Nevertheless, it was much less complicated for Zoey since he would call Olivia and let her know he was about to come. Olivia would then expel her from the building and the city because they shared an office. Everything was wrong because Zoey, Aria, and every other woman thought they could tame David's lion and make him love them. However, David was already in love with someone else.

One thing that was common knowledge was that David had feelings for his sister's closest friend, who had been his lover for almost ten years. However, they were also aware of his reputation as a playboy. At the age of 35, David Miller changed women in the same way that he changed gears, but none of those ladies ever learned; they always went back to him, and some are still on their way; they all have the same mindset and aim, which is to sleep with him and win his heart. Dealing with ladies was challenging; he avoided the two women at all costs and did not go to the office that day. As a result, David found himself in one of the hotels in London that is close to the airport at two o'clock in the afternoon. "Good day, sir; how may I help you?" The hotel's receptionist, a woman, muttered something alluring while batting her eyelashes. David was not in the mood to add her to his list of one-night stands, even though she was a stunning blonde. On a typical day, David would have liked to add her to his list of one-night stands.

"Hi." She gasped at the slight smile he offered her. When he realized his impact on her, his lips twitched into the smirk that became his trademark. David explained, "I'm looking for someone; I was told that he was a guest here," while holding his breath. "I'm looking for someone."

"Oh, what? Does this visitor have a name to go by?" The receptionist asked me.

David breathed a sigh of relief. "Owen Jones." In response to his statement, the receptionist, whose name David discovered to be Kathy based on the nametag, began scrolling through her computer monitor.

After a few minutes, she finally looked up from the computer screen. "I'm sorry, sir, but we don't have any guests by that name." She said this while adjusting her glasses on her nose.

"OK, please try Aria Wilson," David remarked hesitantly. He firmly believed that Owen had a reservation at this hotel, and he sincerely hoped that he would not be absent.

"No, Aria Wilson," David sighed as she made the statement. "But we have a Rose Wilson; she checked into the hotel last night, and her boyfriend, Jeremy Reed, signed in to the suite in her place." She said.

David frowned.

Although unfamiliar with Rose Wilson's name, he found Jeremy Reed recognizable.

"That's Jeremy Reed," he said. Sometimes, he uses his mother's last name and his second name. He stated this with a hesitant laugh.

However, Kathy did not utter a single word, despite giving him a dubious glance. "Third floor, Room 201." As she spoke, she presented him with a visitor's card.

David accepted the card and expressed his gratitude to her. "Are you sure that Rose Wilson, not Aria Wilson, has the reservation?" We posed the question to her, to which she responded that she had reserved it for Rose Wilson. "Okay, thank you." After giving her a wink, he proceeded to stroll to the elevator. Once he reached the second floor, he located Room 201, knocked on the door, and waited for a few seconds until someone opened it. David remarked in a mocking tone, "Mr. Jeremy Reed, it's a pleasure actually to run into you here."

"What are you doing here, David?" In a tone that suggested he was bored, Owen asked David, but David rolled his eyes and moved past him into the suite room.

David announced, "You and I need to talk," as he adjusted his black suit jacket. As Owen watched David, standing with his back to him, he closed the door and crossed his arms. David faced himself.

Owen clenched his teeth and replied, "You and I have nothing to talk about, David," as seen by his expression. After placing his hands in the pockets of his slacks, David turned around.

*****

As Olivia arrived at Jones's Enterprises, it was three o'clock in the afternoon. It was more difficult than she had anticipated to travel by taxi. Because it took her a significantly longer amount of time to obtain one from the old town, she ultimately decided to take a bus, which initially drove around the city, dropping off other customers and picking up others along the way until the driver finally dropped her off a street away from the building. She was the focus of a tremendous deal of attention as soon as she entered the building.

Elowen stated that she was April Williams's attorney as she walked past the reception counter to the private elevator. Chloe yelled for her to return and get an access card, but Zara stared at him simultaneously.

"That's where you are mistaken, friend." As he glanced at him, he struck a stance. "We have a lot to discuss, starting with James Asher, Andrew Dexter, and Jeremy Reed." Owen immediately lowered his sight to the ground after hearing what he had to say.

*********

Olivia reached the top level and knocked on Noah's door. However, before she did so, she took a moment to look at the bold letters on the door. "Come in." The response came from Noah's piercing voice. Clearly, a third party had brought her to his attention. She was surprised to find Noah's office in disarray when she unlocked the door and entered. Before her gaze rested on the person responsible, the first thing that attracted her notice was the fact that papers and files were scattered everywhere.

Noah stopped what he was doing and turned his attention to this woman. Olivia managed to capture his gaze, leaving the two with no choice but to gaze at each other. As he cleared his throat, he broke eye contact with the others. "You are late," he stated in a chilly tone.

Olivia said, "But I'm here," as she sat at her desk. "I am here now."

"It is 3 p.m." He gazed at her with a glare of rage in his eyes.

"Even a blind man could see that." Olivia laughed, and Noah's jaw tightened up in response. It was not going to be an apology from her. However, he was aware that it worked in his favor, as she had shown him tremendous disdain ever since he first met her.

"Listen, Livvy." He uttered the words calmly and slapped his fists heavily on the desk. Olivia's gaze briefly shifted to him. "I don't know how Olivia Miller treated you, but this is my company. We follow my rules." He concluded his statement.

Olivia wore a frown. Why was he making such a statement? Her name was Olivia Miller, and she was indeed the Olivia Miller.

Before she had a chance to stop herself, she asked, "Olivia Miller?"

"Yes, your sister emailed me your file this morning," Noah said, pushing a file towards her. Olivia frowned as she read the name on the file cover and took it out of her bag. Her body stiffened. LIVVY WILLIAMS's RESUME. Olivia clenched her teeth and opened the file. Despite the limited amount of information contained within, it was enough to set her blood on fire. This was a cautionary message from April Williams, and she did an excellent job delivering the information she wanted to communicate. She then closed the file and pushed it back to Noah. Noah pushed another file in her direction before she could think of anything else. She was already thinking about something else.

"What is this?" Despite Olivia's question, Noah sat back in his chair, anticipating her response. The fact that he would not react to her prompted her to pick it up and open it immediately. Olivia's sardonic chuckle stunned Noah after a brief silence. "A query?" She asked. "So eager to get rid of April Williams, aren't we?" Olivia's sly question caught Noah off guard.

It turned out that Livvy Williams was not the person he had expected to be simple to work with; she was unchangeable. "Sign it," he said, giving the order.

"Not so fast, Jones." She returned the file to him before she left. "There is no agreement between you and me." Even though she crossed her legs, she said Noah did not miss the movement. "We have no contract whatsoever that classifies me as one of your employees or states that I can't show up at 3 p.m. April is your employee; you should probably email that to her so that she can sign it," Olivia stated and got up from her chair. "As for this," she mumbled before picking up the file, and before Noah could understand what she was doing, she tore the page apart. The anger on Noah's face prompted him to stand up and push his chair against the wall. His nose then flared up. Olivia threw the pieces onto the table, then turned her gaze intently to Noah. Olivia responded, "Let's start over tomorrow," as she picked up her bags and continued to speak. "Let's pretend that this never happened; let's pretend that tomorrow is my first day at work; I'll be here first thing in the morning, and after tomorrow, you can give me as many queries as you want." Noah grimaced in response to her proposition.

"Are you prepared to discredit your sister?" Noah realized he was doing the same thing to Owen and cringed at his own words.

Olivia raised her eyebrows in response. "What kind of boss are you?" She scoffed at the idea and crossed her arms. "She has been under you and even rode on top." Her tone was icy, causing Noah to stiffen in response, but she dismissed it with a smile. "Don't worry; my sister is capable of doing anything with two legs. Besides, sometimes our family can push us into difficult situations, and it's our responsibility to assist them in realizing their mistakes." Noah could not resist the overwhelming feeling of remorse he was experiencing as she spoke singly. "However, my sister and I are not like other families; in our family, we believe that a tooth for a tooth and an eye for an eye are the appropriate responses. Therefore, have faith in me, Jones; you need my assistance. As she spoke, she extended her hand to the side. "You want April Williams; I'll give you April Williams."

Noah glanced at her hand momentarily, filled with doubt. Could it be that he was engaging in a devilish bargain? As soon as he looked into her demanding eyes, he instantly realized he had no other option. He gazed between her eyes and her hand before firmly grasping it. "Deal," he said, to which she responded with a sneer before exiting the office. She then left the building.

Zara swiftly arrived at her workplace. On her first day of work, Zara didn't appear to have received a query. It was while she was standing in front of his desk with her arms crossed that she made her statement. However, Noah ignored her and continued reading Livvy Williams's paperwork.

"Interesting," Noah said under his breath as he wandered his fingertips over the words printed in the file.