The Boulderfist company was one of the most influential ones in the city of Mexico started six years ago by Nathan and three other equally wealthy individuals.
The company produced wine. Wine that made people drunk and drained them of their expenses but adding to Nathan and his shareholders' pockets.
The elegant building was a 20 story building adorned with glass-like mirrors and a very busy one at that.
A red Ferrari pulled up at the enormous parking lot with Mr Nathan Tocci getting out from it.
A young woman in her early twenties and dressed in a red suit. immediately rushed to aid him with his briefcase which he could be handled individually.
"Sir! Mr Rodriguez is waiting."
Nathan bit his lips hating he wasted a fellow elites time.
"Thank you Claire."
The woman gave him a weak grin and brushed her long black hair which was being tossed around by the wind behind her hair.
Nathan rushed into the seminar room, ignoring hundreds of workers greeting him a good morning. This uneventful morning was about to turn sour if he didn't bag that deal.
The seminar room was the only quiet place in the building that was absent from noisy workers. The room was painted Plain white with the lights tonight up its simple elegance.
It had the capacity to contain twenty individuals and although was rarely used was speck clean.
The rectangular table placed in the center of the room close to office chairs was made from ebony wood and marble giving it it's shine. At the end of the room was a digital projection device and a whiteboard.
Mr Rodriguez was busy scribbling on the board and unaware of Nathan's arrival.
"I'm so sorry Mr Rodriguez." Nathan apologizes, indirectly informing the absent-minded man he was around.
The man turned and Nathan got a full view of his status.
His second-hand grey suit and plain white tie told a lot about his fashion sense. He had deep lines on his forehead and Nathan could picture him awake all night and a lot since he had bags under his eyes which made his appearance seem a little bit more haggard. His wide-toothed smile revealed a lot more. His teeth were slightly brown from an early morning coffee drink and His hair was a bit tangled and rough. Nathan could tell he was equally desperate to secure the deal with him.
"It's no biggie. You must have had a tight schedule."
He said.
He was not wrong. Nathan had to babysit his grown ass mother and the thought of bringing in a random girl home to present to his mother as his girlfriend came to mind again. Nathan quickly brushed the thought off and took a seat next to his client to be.
"So...What is the deal about?" Nathan asked, opening his briefcase and taking out a pen and a notebook.
"Yes. I have an idea that will boost your company revenue."
Nathan nodded, penning what tye man just uttered while the man continued his presentation.
The man took out a marker and began to make a scribble on the whiteboard.
"Your company is into winemaking, warehousing and food preservation but there is a forgotten market no one has taken interest in."
"And what is that?" Nathan quizzed.
The man sketched a horribly drawn top and said,
" Clothes."
Nathan jotted it down.
"Nice. Why would you suggest a throw a million-dollar at...clothes."
The man wiped beads of sweats that had slightly formed on his forehead and continued with his presentation wildly gesticulating.
"We wear clothes every day but we forget one Simple detail. Change! Throughout history, fashion changes. It's still changing and Boulderfist could be part of this revolution."
Nathan stopped jotting and placed his hands on his chin for support trying to figure what the man had just suggested.
"So you want Boulderfist to start a clothing line with you."
"Yes!" The man replied.
"So how much would you need?"
The man was silent for a brief moment and the only sound that echoed in the room was Nathan slightly tapping his foot on the tiled floor.
"A five hundred to begin with." He finally said.
Nathan could almost laugh if he wasn't on professional grounds.
"Do you have a sample of what you plan to make when you are giving the resources?" Nathan queried further, getting bored of the conversation.
"Ye-e-s!" The man rushed into his portfolio and brought out a set of drawings.
He arranged them neatly to Nathan who glanced through them briefly.
"So are you going to be the designer?"
Nathan watched the man adjust in tie like he was under huge pressure.
"Me and my wife." Mr Rodriguez chipped in, his face turning red.
Nathan looked at his left fingers and noticed the golden band shining slightly thanks to the influence of the lights. He hadn't noticed that before. His mother's words came to mind. How she wanted to trap him while he was still so young.
"Well, I've heard enough." Nathan said standing up." Congratulations Mr. Rodriguez. I'll be signing a contract with you soon and then we can talk about the pay."
Nathan watched the man's tensed face turn to a slight smile.
"Oh my—Thank you, Mr Nathan."
It was no biggie even if he knew he might lose a bit of money. He hardly trusted the man would be successful due to his demeanor but imagining him and a nagging wife was a reason to give charity.
He had the same problem albeit a mother.
Done with the seminar, Nathan walked out and headed to his office to give himself a mental break.
Nathan straightened the stuff on his desk, making sure everything was square and properly spaced. There wasn’t much just a phone, a legal-sized lined black pad, his favorite color, a translucent Bic pen with a black top, and a big plastic cube with a picture of his family which his mother forced him to place there.
The Lovely mahogany desk was from his late sister who battled with cancer before losing the battle last year's December. It was the only reason he refused to get rid of it.
Nathan sat down to think of where he was going to get a lady to pose as his girlfriend for the night at least to get his mother off his back.
His door opened and a small face peeked in. Nathan's eyes opened to see Claire, his assistant. He wished he could use her but his mother had seen Claire and her boyfriend a thousand times and there was no way she was going to believe they would be a thing. They had been inseparable since college but in the workplace, she made sure she took him with the high accord.
"Mr Nathan, someone wants to see you."
Nathan knew he was still free for an hour or two so he wondered who wanted to meet him in his only free time.
"Who?" He queried.
"A lady." Claire replied."should I let her in?"
"Sure." Nathan buzzed like an exhausted child.
Claire walked out and soon later, a young woman came in.
She was dressed in a sweeping gown that made her look to casual to be here for business. Observing her from leg upwards, Nathan noted her features.
She was slim, like skinny. She had black hair cropped short that balanced her rather long face. She wasn't beautiful in the conventional sense but she was pretty. Her black eyes and plush olive skin were a sight to behold almost making Nathan lust if she wore something more revealing.
The woman walked up to him and bowed respectfully.
"Hello Mr Nathan."
Nathan broke free from her spell and immediately spoke,
"Yes, ehm-you wanted to see me?"
"Yes! I need your help."
This he knew. She needed a little bit of money.
"How much do you need?" He asked, bringing out a checkbook from his drawer.
The woman put up her palm as if to shut him up,
"I don't need your charity. I just want to work."
Nathan was astounded by her boldness yet pleased that she wasn't lazy.
"Mrs..." Nathan said trying to get her to say her name.
"Bianca." She chipped in.
"Thanks. Mrs..."
"Miss!" She corrected.
"Sorry, Miss Bianca, we don't have a job right now for you but not to worry, I can arrange something."
The woman immediately fell on her knees when he said this.
"I'm begging you. I have no place to stay. I'll do anything." The wan pleaded, face down.
Nathan was embarrassed. She didn't want money and there was no menial love available presently.
"Please stand up Miss Bianca. I wish I could help but..."
Nathan's mind went reeling just when his phone chimed. It was his mother. He stared at the phone and the woman wan who needed a job simultaneously.
What a connection and yet he had almost blindly missed it.
"Sir?"
"Maybe I have something for you but it's personal. Can you act?"
The woman didn't even waste a second in giving him her reply.
"Yes! I acted in middle school."
Nathan smirked. He didn't believe in miracles, not since his sister's death but maybe manna did fall from heaven. Maybe it did.
"Manna doesn't fall ifyou don't ask.""So what do I have to do?" Bianca asked, angsty to finally start working."You...pretend to be my girlfriend," Nathan said firmly but gently."Why?"Bianca seemed confused as to why he would want her to make her pretend she was in a relationship with him."Because I have a demanding mom and I want her out as soon as possible. "Bianca nodded solemnly to his reply."So now that I'm idle. Let get to know each other. My mother will kill you with her question so best be prepared."Bianca nodded in response and began talking."Well, I'm Mexican. Twenty-one. I guess that's all."Nathan raised an eyebrow."No family?"He watched Bianca slowly grasp to the Hem of her garment and he immediately knew he had made the wrong move."I'm so sorry. I didn't know they were dead." He apologized, out of necessity than from his heart.Tears escaped Bi
"Everyone has problems so don't you envy."The maid had the look on pure surprise when she saw Nathan with a visitor. It was more than a rare occasion to see one visit and it was a girl.She knew Nathan had his fair share of women but he was not a player.This woman, however, looked kind of different. His league of ex usually had three distinct features which was long hair, an exaggerated accent and a bad attitude to the lower class. The beautiful woman her eyes beheld was humble. The way she had a face to the ground suggested so and could hardly hide her dislike for the heels she wore. Her short hair told a lot about how much she was willing to spend on her looks."Can we come in?"
Three months later"Time tells all things"The wedding preparation was far too hectic for even Nathan. His mother indeed had her way and now he was getting married to a girl he barely knew.Who is was he to complain?Bianca as taking this really well. She was a good little girl or maybe she was just doing it for the huge paycheck he was going to offer her.Nathan had no male friends so his room was filled with his co-workers who hardly cared if he was dressed or not. They were all too busy either chatting or on their phones.Nathan spoke to the only person who would listen to him, himself."Just do it Nathan. In a year you'll file for a divorce and everyone goes home happy."He put on a black tie adorning his spotless and ironed white shirt. His favorite color."Are you ready?" Rodriguez asked.Apparently, he was quite good at fashion designing and his brand, Rori ha
"After God, fear women"Claire was dumbstruck. It could not be. Nathan had just married his competitor and she had nothing to say about it.The dinner was about to commence so she had plenty of time to prove Bianca was a fraud.Wrong!She had very little time and she remaining glued to her seat was not going to change anything.Claire stood up and joined the new wife, her suspicion making her unable to keep a smile."Bianca..." There was nothing to say. Claire did not want to throw the bombshell just like that, people could still make out what she was about to spit put and moreover, Bianca might just be a lookalike. A thousand thought was scrambling her mind and she was about to utter a word that ruin Nathan's marriage."Bianca! You look beautiful."Luckily, Nathan's mother came to her rescue along with her bubbly nature."Thanks!" Bianca coyly replied."Now let's go get dressed for the party
" Evil lurks in the walls you conceal."Damn! Fear grippedAdriana. Had her cover been blown?Her father would be so disappointed with her. She needed to act quickly but first she needed to get dressed.She had made up her mind not to go out of the room until she had gotten her answer.Adriana went to Nathan's room hoping to find what she needed to hold on to if indeed she was revealed or even if she had to flee.She was really regretting he decision now.She slipped into a pair of new undies that Nathan had made sure he bought for her.That man just disgusted her!She reached for her luggage which was stuffed inside Nathan's wardrobe and brought out a phone she had concealed inside the bag.She dialed a number and placed the phone to her ear."Hello, My princess."Her father's voice calmed a bit."There's a problem
"The tree never forgets what the ax did"The heavy breathing on Nathan's neck awakened him. His eyes opened to see a very exposed Bianca.He himself was naked. Her black lingerie was trapped in his hands and his boxer In a far corner."No!" He silently whispered.She didn't seem a bit dazed nor where her eye glazed as proof that he has forced himself on her.He felt drained, another sign that something stupid had happened last night.His alarm rang as if on cue and Nathan rushed to put the damn thing off.How would she look at him now?Nathan had no time to dwell on such. He was late for work, since it was almost seven in the morning and he was an early riser.He picked up his undies and strapped them on.His head was pulsing heavily. He had to leave before Bianca woke up and began to question what happened yesterday. He was without the answers himself a
"Fear a woman with a purpose or just an intent."Claire roughly snatched the paper from the man's hand."Yes! Yes! He has to see this."Claire mumbled to herself. She needed to give this to Nathan as soon as possible.The paper-man stopped her right where she was.His eyes were somewhat bloodshot and his eyeballs preyed on her."What!?" Claire asked, puzzled."The papers Miss Adriana wanted you to get signed?"Claire was speechless. This was also part of that Bi*ch's plan.How could she be so dumb?"You know of this too?" It was more of a surprise than a shock.The man nodded, not interested in the conversation one bit as his eyes searched the table for the papers."Where are they?!" The man demanded, now in an angry tone.Claire was just dumb. Every piece of puzzle was slowly coming together, or least how she could see it.The old paper
Tower,that name sounded too familiar to be forgotten. In fact, it had been his secret shame, something he had done in the past and regretted.***Six years agoNathan sat all by himself, recluse and with hate. He stroked his bruised hand just to feel something. His mother had bandaged the hurt fists before he was sent to the academy for healing, a subtle term for the mental hospital. He was believed to be suicidal and not in the average way.He had taken it upon himself to get into fights and visit dark alleys to get hurt or maybe die.It was not working well."Howdy."It was the other patient. The small box could only contain that or less. His roommate was a man in his forties, the golden age. He had a full beard, fairly unkempt and had grown his hair to achieve the rockstar look. He looked a bit skinny too. Other than those, he was alright.Nathan ignored the man's