Cammy
I look up at the Somersett Incorporated building and let out a low whistle. Mirrored glass finishings with silver balustrades made for a gorgeous exterior. The interior matched the beauty of the outside, showing just how much Elijah Somersett has put into his building.
The receptionist is a pretty young thing and greets me with a black mask emblazoned with the Somersett Inc name in the lower corner. “Cameron Westwood, I am here for a 7 am appointment with Mr Somersett,” I relay to her, and she nods when she sees my ID before gesturing to the lift. “You’re to go to the boardroom, which is on the 31st floor. The receptionist there will lead you to the correct room,” she says with a smile which I return.
I have everything expertly rehearsed and all the questions revised. Somersett Inc. can make or break me today, and they are quite aware of the hold they have. After the lockdown, Elijah has the rights to all the most significant city projects, and everyone is dying to be let in. If I can score at least one of the municipal projects, it would help me immensely, so I hope for a peaceful, silent partnership.
When the lift's doors open, I walk towards the receptionist’s desk, and she leads me to the boardroom, which is unsurprisingly empty. “Mr Somersett will see you shortly, Ms Westwood. You’re more than welcome to remove your mask as we have taken the proper safety protocols inside the building.” The petite brunette says with a smile to her eyes before walking out.
Suddenly, I feel quite hot underneath this damned face mask and rip it off. This meeting can make or break me, and right now, I have no idea what to think. I wish Cassy were here to help me through this because, for the first time since my startup, I am terrified.
I hope I don’t mess this up.
The door to the boardroom opens, and I straighten my back, waiting to meet the man who can save my life. “Cameron Westwood, apologies if I have kept you waiting,” he says, and my heart drops immediately when I hear his voice. He is still wearing his mask as he approaches me while looking at the folders in his hands, but I know that I will never get this deal as soon as he looks up at me.
My company is as good as dead.
Elijah Somersett looks into my eyes and removes his face mask to reveal an amused smirk. “Well now, little minx, I guess we do meet again,” he says, calling me that god-awful nickname with a chuckle, reaching out his hand to take mine and giving it a squeeze. I could do nothing but stare at the man I had emptied a glass of wine onto the night before. No wonder his face looked somewhat familiar; the only thing missing was his long blonde hair.
“It is a pleasure to formally meet you, Mr Somersett,” I say, trying to be as polite as possible as he takes a seat at the head of the conference table. I sit next to him with my hands folded in front of me. I am so nervous, and this cocky little shit had a Cheshire Cat grin on his face, revelling in the fact that he now holds my future in his hands. “The pleasure is all mine, Miss Westwood. Let's start then, shall we?” He says, ignoring the Miss in his greeting.
I don’t know what I am going to do; he’s sitting here pretending to read over the proposals sent when I know he is only doing it to punish me. “Well, from what I can see, Westwood Architecture used to be in the top three architecture firms in the UK before the pandemic hit. What caused it to fall?” He asks, looking at me with a serious expression. I take a breath, willing the words to come to the surface, the exact words I have memorised.
“Our company had five foreign projects running simultaneously with developments in the works. In November of 2019, we ordered a few billion pounds worth of stock to start a high rise development in Tokyo and Taiwan. This unfortunately needed to be cancelled for obvious reasons, but our suppliers refused to take back the stock, so now we are sitting with billions of Pounds worth of unused product. Those accounts had to be paid, so did my employees, and since no one had a plan in place for a pandemic like this, the loss was far more than the gain. Tokyo cancelled, so did Taiwan and Australia.” I repeat off the top of my head to a very unimpressed Elijah.
He sits back in his chair. “Miss Westcott, do you remember the SARS pandemic in 2003 and the MERS outbreak in 2012?” He asks, placing a closed fist over his mouth as he looks at me. I nod. “I do remember them vaguely, yes.”
“SARS scared everyone in the business world, and with fear of losing money as well as clients and employees, big companies all invested in contingency plans to prevent what they all feared. My company is one of those who acted, with my father putting plans in place for me to continue in 2013. So my question to you is, why didn’t you plan for something like this, knowing disaster could strike at any given minute?” He asks, gesturing with his hand as he speaks, and I am rendered mute at his question.
I clear my throat, feeling the blood rise into my face. “I was still a high school student in 2003, and in 2012 my company was still starting out. To be completely honest, it has slipped my mind-”
“It slipped your mind, and now you have been reduced to begging other companies to bail you out of a financial mess you created.” He says, sitting forward, but I have had enough and get out of my seat. “If that is all, Mr Somersett, thank you for your time,” I say with a rage sitting in my chest but knowing that it is beneath me to act out on it. I expected a rejection. Hell, I have faced plenty of others before, but this one felt personal.
I walk towards the door but then feel a tug on my wrist and breathe out a frustrated sigh. “Kindly let go of my hand, Mr Somersett,” I say through gritted teeth, not even bothering to look back at him. He steps in front of me and tilts my chin up to look at him. “I apologise; that last line came out harsher than I expected. Please, have a seat so we can discuss things further.” He says, but I shake my head and give him a sweet smile.
“No, thank you, Mr Somersett, you have proven that a bruised ego is worth more than helping out my company. I know full well that my company’s failings are my own; what I don’t need is you telling me that.” I say, stepping away from him and moving towards the door. “Have a lovely day further, Mr Somersett,” were my last words to the only man who could have helped me, and for the first time in my life, I left a boardroom feeling defeated.
Elijah Somersett not only knocked me down but completely crushed me to the ground.
“Hey, you’re out early. How did it go?” Cassy asks me with apprehension in her voice, and I shoot her a glare. “The guy from last night… He was Elijah Somersett, so that should already tell you how it went.” I say, heading straight towards my whiskey tumbler in the corner of my office. I hear her letting out a sigh as she walks towards me. “Hey, I tried to tell you last night, but you wouldn’t hear anything. I even texted you afterwards.” She says, wrapping me in a hug, and I feel tears run down my cheeks as I myself break down.
My life is over.
Elijah Shaking my head as the minx walks out of the door, and I sit back down with an amused smile on my face. So Cameron Westwood is a female CEO with her own company, not a male who squandered his own business to the ground. I must admit that I was being a tad bit harsh with her, but I treated her as I would any business owner. Last night’s wine in my face didn’t bruise my ego, and I am sure she would assume this is the reason for my comments. But as I went over her resume and proposal, I saw something terribly amiss with her company. She should have had enough money to survive the pandemic, even with the billions worth of products bought. Her Asian contracts were willing to put things on hold until after 2021 then continue at a slow pace, but they cancelled for some reason. I need to find out the cause.The ugly truth is that someone is skimming from her reserve, and she is none the wiser. I let out a sigh and lean back in my chair; if
Cammy“Wait, WHAT?!”The same line has been repeating in my head since Elijah left my office four hours ago. Why is he interested in my company, and why did he need to invite me out to dinner to discuss it? I suppose that I should have asked him this when he was here, but at that moment, I was too dumbfounded to think clearly. Cassy looks at me as if I have lost my mind, and clearly, I have. “I know, I don’t understand it, either,” I say, picking at my fingernail. “Bloody hell, I suppose this is good, then? If Elijah thinks our company is worth saving, then he must have a plan in place already, don’t you think?” She asks, leaning forward and lacing her fingers together. I shake my head. “I still don’t understand why he would be interested, seeing how we ended things last night.”“Maybe he doesn’t care about last night and truly only cares about investing with us?
ElijahElena and Sebastian showing up here at the exact moment as me must be a coincidence. There is no way they could have known that I would be here with Cameron. Then again, knowing Elena’s penchant for putting her nose where it didn’t belong made me wonder if she asked Leo what I would be doing this evening. Whatever the case may be, I hope they don’t think of this as anything other than a business meeting. God knows that’s all it is to me right now.Sighing, I resolve to put it out of my mind and focus on the gorgeous woman sitting opposite me. Cameron truly dominates every shade of the colour red from her lips to her dress, which accentuates her every dip and curve.I ordered us wine and tried to gather my thoughts and the reason I brought her here. My proposal will raise her eyebrows, but it is the most effective way to get her business associates talking. My name holds a lot more influence than hers, and I have be
CammyWhat is he thinking, drawing up an agreement like this?!The cocksure grin on his face has my blood boiling even more. “Is this all a game to you? Is my life some sort of sick joke you can get off on?” I ask, shaking my head as I throw the papers down. He shakes his head. “No, not at all. I am deadly serious about this arrangement.”“Call it what it is, Elijah, a bloody contract marriage!” I exclaim, knowing the other guests in the restaurant can hear me but not giving a damn right now. Who did this bloke take me for?“Cameron, when I drew up that contract, I took everything into consideration, including your pride. This will purely be a business arrangement between the two of us and nothing more. Yes, I can buy your company from you, and solve all your problems, but how will that make you feel in the end? That this company isn’t yours anymore. Am I correct?”I wouldn't sa
ElijahIn the next few minutes, Ms Westwood will be walking through my office door with an answer for me. Truth be told, this idea seemed preposterous to me in the first place, but I couldn’t resist putting it out on the table. Cameron might hate me, but her love for her company overpowers that hate.And I am hoping she plays into my hands.When I told Leo about my idea, he thought that I had gone mad. Why would I want to be married again and this time to a woman who despised me? Well, as I have said before, I love the chase. I will get my little minx to bend to my will, be it through wooing her or helping save her company. She is in no way a perfect fit for my lifestyle anyway - she’s too harsh, not ladylike at all, and to be frank, she reminds me of myself too much.Not to mention that I do not see her as a mother figure to be around my son. Yes, this will be a temporary arrangement between companies, but I am more intereste
CammyDressed to kill in a black pantsuit and mile-high heels, I am ready to conquer.It’s my first day at Somersett Inc as Elijah’s so-called wife, and when I walk into the building, everyone greets me with respect. Were they informed of the agreement between Elijah and me? No, it can’t be since the actual deal would only be known between the two of us. Elijah must have informed them I would arrive; this is the only thing that makes sense.I am told to head up to the 50th floor where Elijah’s offices are and to ask for a Mr Leo Smythe, as he would lead me to my new office. When I arrive on said floor, a youngish guy walks over to me with a kind smile on his face.“Shall I call you Ms Westwood or Mrs Somersett?” He asks with a grin, and I feel the smile slip from my face. “Uhm.. I…” I stammer, watching the amused smile grow wider. “I jest, Ms Westwood, you don’t need to go
ElijahIt has been almost two weeks of watching Cameron in her work element, and I must say that her mind far precedes her beauty. I have met a few businesswomen in my life who knew how to work around men, but my contract wife dominates every meeting.My conference with the man she deems her idol was entirely coincidental, but it was a fine one at that. Her eyes come alive when she speaks of her passion, and she genuinely looks happy. I wonder if she shows this face to those close to her.Ah, I need not think of such frivolities. Cameron is a means to an end, not something to ponder about. With that in mind, I turn back to my paperwork on my desk and get ready to focus.“Oh, good! You’re still here!” Leo says as he barges into my office without so much as a knock. I look at him with a raised eyebrow and tap my pen on the desk. “Yes, obviously I am. You should know the mountain of paperwork I am currently buried und
CammyWait, does Elijah have a son?I am so confused as I watch the scene unfold in front of me. The woman he ran into on our dinner date is here as well, and I am even more confused when a man walks out to kiss her.Blimey, that’s flipping Sebastian Dumont! Oh, lord, was the blondie his wife??? Gosh, I need to read a magazine sometime; I keep on being the last one to know these things. So when Elijah kissed her cheek and embraced her the other evening, was it only in greeting? Have I truly misjudged him after all?Our drive felt a bit strained after that encounter, and I felt anxious being so close to him right now. But what exactly do I talk to him about?“You can calm down, Cameron; I won’t bite,” he eventually says when the silence becomes unbearable. I look over at him and give him a strained smile. “I apologise,” I say, unsure what I am apologising for exactly. Why did being around hi