FLASH MARRIAGE; CHARMED BY THE RUTHLESS BILLIONAIRE CEO - Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Tina Stevens

For the next one to two hours, Blaze worked on his laptop, taking online conference meetings and going through several project designs. He attended to all the outstanding on his desk before leaving for his business lunch meeting at the Kold Lounge.

When Blaze arrived at the private VIP lounge area, he was received at the door by Marcus who had arrived thirty minutes earlier.

“Welcome sir,” Marcus bowed curtly as he took Blaze’s slim black leather laptop bag.

“Hmm…” Blaze nodded as he strode over to his intending business associates who were all standing and waiting to receive him.

There were untouched snacks, assorted food and wine on the table. But none of the guests were brave enough to dine with the devil.

“You’re welcome, Mr Anderson and thank you for agreeing to meet with us.” The leader of the group, Thompson Cabolt extended his hand towards the stone-faced CEO and current chairman of Andex group.

Blaze ignored the outstretched hand as he casually unbuttoned his suit jacket and leisurely took his seat.

“You have only five minutes to make a pitch and impress me. If I like what you’re selling, our lawyers can’t finalize the rest of the deal. But if I find out that you’ve succeeded in wasting my time, you will have to pay me handsomely.” Blaze said in a deadpan tone intensifying the nervousness of his proposing clientele.

Mr Thompson nodded, his hands trembling.

“Your time starts now.” Blaze leaned back in his seat, his chilly gaze on the mature man.

Mr Thompson stuttered at the beginning of his opening pitch. But down the line during his presentation, he made an impressive presentation, gaining Blaze genuine compliments.

“It’s a deal.”

Blaze extended his hand and shook Mr Thompson’s trembling hands. “Bring the proposal tomorrow to the office alongside the contract. My lawyer Barry Herman will be waiting to receive you.”

“Thank you very much, sir.” Mr Thompson beamed.

“Since you didn’t get to eat anything, you can enjoy yourselves downstairs. Inform the manager to put the bill on my cheque.”

“Thank you, sir.” Mr Thompson’s smile broadened. He and his partners stood up and bowed respectfully before they left the VIP lounge.

Blaze loosened his tie and helped himself to a glass of red wine as he waited for Marcus to rejoin him.

“How was my feisty fiancee’s day?” He asked casually taking sips of his wine.

“Eventful, sir.” Marcus brought out his iPad and handed it to his boss.

Thanks to the spy camera infused in Amelia’s diamond necklace, Marcus was able to view everything that went down inside the mansion.

A smile slowly formed on Blaze’s lips as he watched Amelia challenge her greedy family until the point where the old woman slapped her.

Instantly, the smile vanished from Blaze’s eyes and was replaced by something sinister.

“Sir, that’s her grandmother,” Marcus said in a hushed tone afraid that his boss could send people to snap the old woman’s neck.

“And you think I don’t know?” Blaze said between clenched jaws.

Marcus lowered his head, averting his boss’s deadly gaze.

Blaze continued to watch the video until the point where Amelia was accused of Gwen’s intentional fall.

“Those sick bastards!” He almost smashed the iPad on the floor if Marcus hadn’t quickly retrieved it from him.

“Where is Amelia now?”

“She’s currently at her aunt’s place with her aunt’s family and her friend Stacy,” Marcus replied.

The crease on Blaze’s forehead deepened. “Wasn’t she supposed to retire to the Villa for her safety?”

“She’s taking precautions, Sir. She is aware that she’s been followed and monitored, especially after recovering some items from her father’s mansions which were bugged. Taking these items to the villa could expose her to real danger. So, I retrieved those devices from her and gave them to Echo to debug and re-bug. Amongst the items recovered is her stepsister’s laptop. We are helping her to hack into the computer and recover necessary data that would help us track all of Gwen’s past transactions. Once Echo is done, Miss Shawls will be picked up from her aunt’s house and taken back to the villa”

“Hmm… That is more like it.” A wicked smirk flashed across Blaze’s eyes. “But make sure her bodyguards are with her at every point in time. Inform them to always be on the alert. She must never be exposed to any form of danger. If I find as much as a tiny scratch on her skin, I’ll have all their heads including yours.”

Marcus swallowed the lump in his throat. “Yes sir.” He hesitated before saying. “Sir, I just wanted to remind you that Mr Henry is coming into town tomorrow with the morning flight.”

“That overbearing and nosy clown.” Blaze raked his fingers through his hair, ruffling it a bit. “I haven’t forgotten. How I wish I could make him change his mind and spend his holiday somewhere else.”

Blaze released a sigh. “Not a word about Amelia in his presence. I can’t have him snooping around my affairs.”

Marcus chuckled inwardly knowing how tenacious Blaze’s best friend was.

“Sure thing, sir. Will you be picking him up at the airport or do you want me to do that, sir?”

“Tomorrow is a busy day for us. Don’t worry about him. I’ll ask Fred to pick him up and take him straight home. I’m sure mum will keep him busy and entertained till I’m done”

Blaze was about to dig into the food in front of him when his phone that vibrating on the table.

He picked up the phone upon realizing that it was his younger cousin’s brother, Eugene Anderson.

“Marcus help yourself to anything on the table,” Blaze said before receiving the call. “Hey little bro, what up.” He said jovially.

“I’m great, Coz. You won’t believe who I just ran into at De Choice restaurant.”

“Who?” Blaze was curious.

“The beautiful Tina Stevens.”

“Tina Stevens?” Blaze frowned. “How come? I thought she was out of the country.”

“Same here. But she is here with me in the flesh. She told me she relocated back to Salvine city two weeks ago.”

“Oh… good for her,” Blaze said, sounding indifferent.

“Coz, you need to see the new Tina now. She is a total upgrade from the sweet girl you knew back then. And she is very single and available.”

“Eugene, is there anything else you want right now? I’m a very busy man,” Blaze said coldly, irritated by his cousin’s insinuations.

“Forgive me coz, I know you will bury me after this but it’s worth a shot. Tina is beside me and she wants to say hello to you. Talk to her.”

“Wait..what! Eugene!” Blaze’s grip tightened on the phone.

“Hello, Blaze.” The soft and sexy voice of a lady echoed in his ear.

‘Shit!’ Blaze’s features hardened at his cousin’s stupidity. He was tempted to end the call but it would be so cowardly of him. So he took in a deep breath to stifle his rage.

“Hi Tina, long time.” Blaze stood up and walked away from Marcus leaving the latter confused on what was happening.

‘Why was his boss’s ex in town all of a sudden after three years of living abroad?’ Marcus pondered.