Chapter 18

*AURORA* A week rolled by. I didn’t see or hear from Damon after that phone…sex. He didn’t call me and I tried to convince myself that it was for the best. Getting involved with him wouldn’t be healthy for me, anyway. I didn’t also hear from Lucien either. He didn’t come home since that night. I wasn’t bothered but his family was, especially his mother who kept trying to reach him but he wouldn’t pick her calls. He finally came home one night and Alma was furious at him. We were having dinner when he walked in. “You really want to be disowned, don’t you?!”She thundered. “Shouldn’t you ask me why I haven’t been home first before threatening me?!”He shot at her. “I should ask you why? Everyone knows why! You were with that…” “I was at the company. I’ve been working overtime, do you think it’s easy adapting? I have no prior experience and if I let this family down, you all would still be the ones to berate my ass. I have to get familiar with the company’s business.” Jorge then spoke.”Oh, secretary Nico mentioned to me that you sometimes slept at the lounge in your office.” “Thank you, Dad.”He breathed, sarcastically and pulled out a chair to sit. Alma then calmed down.”So how’s work? Is everything going well?” I frowned when Lucien turned to glare at me. “Thanks to someone, it isn’t going well.” “What do you mean?” Jorge asked. “Three days ago, the Mont Group openly invited bids. Hundreds of construction companies received invitations. Even companies of lower grade, companies that do not stand a chance. They were all invited to the Mont Group in this city. But only our company didn’t get the invitation. Your righteous daughter-in-law is to blame for this.” My fist clenched. Didn’t Damon say he would give the Sullivans a chance after those glasses of wine? Alma quickly defended me.”The Mont Group didn’t send us an invitation. It was their decision. It has nothing to do with Aurora.” “Oh, it does, mom. Aurora spilled hot coffee on Manuel Dumont some time ago and flung a thousand dollars on his face as an apology.” The rest of the family gasped. Did Lucien really have to spice up the story like that? Flung a thousand dollars on his face? He really wanted to turn the Sullivans against me. The atmosphere at the dinner table was awfully quiet. “I didn’t fling the money on his face, I was in a hurry, I apologized and handed him the cash to have the shirt washed or something. I didn’t know who he was and it was an honest mistake.” Lucien rolled his eyes.”The fact remains that we didn’t get an invite because of you. And if you don’t resolve this issue, we would not get that project. This is all your fault, Aurora!” “Lucien, enough.”Grandpa Sullivan ordered. “Aurora would not intentionally hurt anyone. She made a mistake and if the Mont Group doesn’t want us handling this project, then we should forget about it.” Lucien sounded agitated now. “Grandpa, you said our construction company would suffer a major setback if we don’t secure this project! How can we give up now? Aurora should clean up this mess. I suggest she should go apologize to Mr Dumont.” “I already did at the party. You were there!” I snapped. “I guess that wasn’t enough. Maybe he didn’t see how sincere you were since there were so many people around.” Ugh! I know Lucien was a douche but he was being so overly annoying right now. He was literally pushing me into the Lion’s den. I stared at Alma, Jorge and Grandpa Sullivan. They still had a kind look on their faces, letting me know they wouldn’t force me in going over to apologize to Mr Dumont. But I knew how much this project meant to them. I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing. Ugh! Why didn’t he send us an invite?! “Aurora, you don’t have to go, we’ll find another away…” “Grandpa.”I interrupted,calmly.”I’ll go. I’ll buy some gifts and go to the Mont Group tomorrow. I’ll try to make amends with Mr Dumont and I’ll make sure to fight for the Sullivan’s qualification in this project.” This project was literally a dream to many companies. And since a lot of companies were very much interested in it, there was already a tough competition. But the Sullivans wouldn’t enter into the competition at all without getting a bidding qualification. Since Damon obviously still has it in for me, I have to face him and make sure he gives the Sullivan a chance. Lucien then smiled.”Good. I’ll wait to receive the bidding documents tomorrow. Do not disappoint me!” I met his eyes and I had a feeling that he thought I would not succeed. He had a mocking smile on his lips as if he greatly hoped that I’d disappoint his family. I smirked. If anyone was a disappointment in this family, it was him. *************** Early the next morning, I drove to the Mont Group. When I had been applying slight make up on my face this morning, Lucien had said to me. “You honestly think you can convince Manuel Dumont to send the bidding invitation, your confidence is laughable. For the past two days, I had been to the Mont Group, trying to see him and tell him more about our company and our proposal. I wasn’t allowed to see him, apparently, you need an appointment to see him and trying to make an appointment was impossible.The security guards had kicked me out of the company. That’s how ruthless that man is, you’re going to get kicked out today and I’m going to watch how you’ll explain to Grandpa that his dream project would never be his.” My fingers clenched around the steering wheel. I didn’t know what to expect today but I knew I had to try. I pulled up at the parking lot. I got down from the car and headed for the main building. I stopped taking in the gold-plated skyscraper. To think this wasn’t even the Group’s headquarters. I took a deep breath, summoning every ounce of courage I had. I walked into the lobby a the first floor and headed for the front desk. “Good morning, I’m here to see Damon, I mean Mr Manuel Dumont.” The four pretty receptionists looked at me, strangely. “Do you have an appointment with him?” “No. I’m here to discuss work matters on behalf of the Sullivans.” “Without an appointment, you can’t see the boss.”One of them informed me, flatly. “Can I make an appointment then?” “We can fit you in…maybe in three months’ time.” My jaw dropped.”I really need to see him. It’s important.” “You said you’re here on behalf of the Sullivans? Mr Sullivan had come here for two days straight, he couldn’t see the boss, so what makes you think you can?” Before I could blink, about four security guards walked closer to me. I had looked up Manuel Dumont sometime, during the past week and I found out, he rarely granted interviews, only attended parties and social gatherings that were very important, so I could understand why his employees were being so strict now. “Please leave, ma’am. We wouldn’t want the guards to manhandle you out.” I didn’t know what else to do. Suddenly, the front desk’s phone rang. One of the ladies answered. Suddenly, she looked pale. “Yes, sir.” “No…no, we didn’t give her a hard time.” “I’m so sorry, sir, I didn’t know you were expecting her.” She shakily hung up. “Was that the president?” The girl beside her asked, equally looking scared. “The president’s office is on the 32nd floor. I’m sorry for keeping you waiting.” I blinked and murmured a thank you. Then I went straight to the elevator. I had heard the receptionist say that she didn’t know he was expecting me. He had been waiting for me? So he purposely didn’t send that invite so I’ll come to him. That man! The elevator opened on the thirty-second floor. As I walked down the hallway, a man walked up to me and greeted. “Good morning, ma’am. I’m the president’s secretary, Sergio Montes.” “Good morning.” “This way, please.”He led me to a huge office and gestured at the sofa. “Please, feel at home, the president will be with you, shortly.” I slowly sat on the sofa. “Do you need anything? Coffee? Juice? Water?” This special treatment was unnerving. “Water is fine.” He nodded and then poured me a glass of water, after doing that, he walked away. I sighed and looked around. Feeling bored, I stood up, walking around and surveying the office. I stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. I loved the view from here. You could see the entire cityscape. After looking at the scenery for a while, I turned around and my gaze fell on the large desk. It had so many documents neatly arranged and a classy computer. It felt too expensive to even touch it. And then I saw a frame of a little girl on the desk, I slowly picked it up. She looked about five or six, she had a happy smile on her face. The photo was not very pixelated, it was like an old photo from years ago. The door suddenly opened and I dropped the frame on the table, quickly. His tall figure stood in the doorway. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to touch anything.” “You can touch anything you want.”He replied in a seductively husky voice. He shut the door, looking at me. “If you knew how hard I’ve been trying to get you off my mind, you’d not be here right now.” I swallowed.”You wanted me to come. I literally heard you say you were expecting me.” “What was I supposed to do? Let my security throw you out? You already came, I couldn’t kick you out.” I moved closer to him.”Why didn’t you give the Sullivans an invite?” He chuckled, darkly.”Sweetheart, do you seriously think I didn’t give them an invitation because of you?” I nodded. He walked up to the sofa and sat down, I stood there watching him stare at me like a king surveying his concubine. “I do not want to work with the Sullivans.” “Why? I already apologized to you. Why are you taking it out on the Sullivans?” “I am not taking anything out on them. I do not mix business with pleasure so stop thinking this is because of you.” “Give me a reason then. Give me a good reason because prior to this, the Dumonts do not have anything against the Sullivans so why won’t you give them a fair chance to compete?!” He rubbed his temple. I moved closer to him. “Give me a good reason!” I gasped when he reached out, grabbing my hand and pulling me onto his laps. “Fine, I’ll be honest with you, it really is because of you! You think it’s unfair that I don’t want to give them a chance. No. It is unfair that even after trying to get you off my mind for the past one week, I still can’t! I don’t want to work for them to avoid seeing you. I do not chase women, Aurora. You cannot come into my life and turn it upside down.” He cupped my chin.”Now that you came to see me, you’ve broken my resolve and I want you even more.”