The call

Chapter 10 The Call 'This is what I call classy"! Britney squeaked beside me as we entered the Restaurant. I had intentionally chosen the restaurant because I know how particular Britney was with classy things, one of the things that drew me to her. Yes, even though it's a lunch date between us and Myra, I still had to take Britney into consideration. I love her better than Bella, since we got her out of the picture, it had been Britney and I. Also, I wanted Myra to see for herself that we are well to do and do not need her crumbs. If anything, we are the one doing her a favour. She is the one who suddenly sprung up from nowhere. Britney tugged the side of my suit as we got to our table and sat down. 'You seemed occupied, anything the matter?" She asked as she took her seat besides me. 'Well, I still don't feel as if we really need to be in collaboration with mysterious Myra. I feel we can still get the executive to our sides rather than being at Myraz beck and call." I voiced out. 'It's not beck and call Royce, it's us taking the horse by its reins. You see how firmly she had everything sorted and got famous within 12 hours of her arrival. If we don't do the needful now, you'll be surprised that most people will take her hands and leave us to nothing. You don't want us to look like we don't know how to make use of opportunities" 'I'm not keen on this, but if you think we need her,it would do us no harm. I just hope you are right about this and I hope she comes because she's already fifteen minutes late,_ I said as I looked at my wrist watch impatiently. 'She will, as much as we need her, she also needs us. Just like how we are sniffing around her, you'll be surprised that she's also doing the same. And with the kind of name and legacy you've made for yourself, she'll trust us completely and ride with us." She explained but I wasn't feeling the excitement she was feeling. For some odd reasons, I just didn't want to be in the same room as her. If what she claimed to be Bella's friend is the truth, I don't know just how much she knew about us and that alone was killing. It took her about another fifteen minutes to get to the restaurant and when she did , she was more than sophisticated, I'd give her that. From her dressing to her make up and jewellery, even down to her walk screamed elegance. Almost all the men in the room seemed to be mesmerised by her entrance and they all took a look at the young woman. 'Apologies for coming in late, it's been such a busy day for me and traffic was mad," she said and sat. 'We all had a busy day too but we still managed to come here early. Isn't this some kind of sign that you're not as upright as we thought." I said, yet she remained calm. 'Believe me Mr. Royce when I say I'm not usually like this," she said again and smiled. Her gaze landed on Britney and she smiled. 'I hope you aren't as upset as Mr. Royce?" she asked 'Of course not, I totally understand how hard it is to run business at the top of the table and how traffic could be, " Britney said. 'And you look stunning," Britney added while she smiled politely. 'Shall we order some food, I'm famished," she said and I beckoned to the waiter. ********************************** Each course of meal that was served was meticulously done and it was palatable. We managed to talk about general topics like weather and politics but avoided the reason why we gathered. I expected her to say something along the line but she said nothing. Britney stole a quick glance at me and saw that I wasn't in any way interested in the small talk. 'You know Myra, I have been meaning to ask you. How…how did you manage to get all these done , especially with such a short period of time," Britney asked finally. 'Do you play chess?" She asked Britney but she nodded negatively. 'Such a shame, if you did, you'd have understood perfectly. You see what I did wasn't a chance per se. It's placing pieces where they are needed in order to get the desired results. That's exactly what I did, and I'm not gonna lie, it wasn't an easy job to do but I'm glad I was able to get it done." She said and I saw an hit of pride in her tone 'Hmm, a chess analogy. It's quite fascinating really, how you did all of this quickly._ 'What's more fascinating is how quickly the Robben's offered their hands in friendship to a mysterious CEO. Don't be surprised, I know I'm trending online," she said and all I could think of is the fact that she's pompous 'You don't need to make it sound so bad. All we did was see a prospective lady and we decided to trust you, now is there anything bad in that? Didn't we call this a lunch date to seal our friendship? There's no need to lay emphasis on something insignificant," I countered but she kept quiet still 'To us," she did suddenly after giving me an unsettling long gaze. Britney and I brought up our glasses and clinked it with hers before taking a sip. The waiter took our plate from the last course and set to replace it with dessert when my phone rang. My heart thump with excitement as I saw the caller ID. 'Excuse me ladies, I have to pick this," I said and walked away. 'Tell me you have something for me" I said into the phone as I picked up. It took a while for the voice on the other side to speak up. From his hesitation it became clear to me that he didn't have good news. 'The contract fell through. Crest Oils won't give us the franchise." He said. 'What do you mean it fell through, it was a fine deal. How did this happen on your watch!" I half shouted. 'I'm sorry,they decided to go with another company There are talks about how your previous wife died. Someone suggested that you might have a hand in it." 'Fix this or I swear you'll regret your existence" I said and I ended the call Fuck you Bella. After so many years,you still wouldn't stop haunting me. For someone I staged her death, who would have thought that I'd be judged by her naivety. I composed myself even though I was angry and frustrated and wanted nothing but to leave the restaurant. 'Everything ok?" Britney said as I sat back. 'You seem distressed." She said, 'Nothing much , just. Little glitch" I replied but I'm truth I was in distress.