Chapter Twenty-One – Negotiating
Chapter Twenty-one – Negotiating.Text © owned by NôvelDrama.Org.
Johnson strolled towards Stephanie and she felt like melting from his aura. Why didn’t she stay under that table?
Her memory went back to her first encounter with Nathan, the knee weakening effect. She remembered how everyone had sipped the wine then fainted few minutes later.
A wolf had groaned “wolfsbane” before fainting. Why did it work on Nathan if he’s not werewolf? He should be the one chasing after his bid.
“Hello, Stephanie Ernest. Eldest daughter of that brave military official who’s wasting away at the hospital”. Johnson sniffed swinging the bid.
Stephanie’s lips were pressed together, her eyes bulging, she breathed slowly. “Don’t dare speak of my father with that filthy mouth of yours!”.
Johnson chuckled at her audacity. He could squeeze her with a thought and she dared yell at him but he wanted something else so he brushed it aside.
“Fine. Let’s forget your dad. Let’s speak of your boss. He’s tricky. I had to fire my secretary when I found out she was deceived by him.” Johnson chuckled, “He seemed to have lots of secrets right?”.
Stephanie folded her arm. This was a rival between CEOs. Why was this CEO making her feel like an important pawn in this game?
“Secrets? Yes, like all CEOs. Don’t you have one? I was really mad at his trick but your secretary is just as cheap to fall for it.” Stephanie smirked.
Johnson squeezed the file in his hands. This human shouldn’t forget her place because he was trying to communicate with her.
“I have nothing to hide, Stephanie. My secretary was a fool.” He swiped out his card from his suit pocket, “I have an offer. I got news about your poor salary. I paid my secretary that while she was a cleaner. I never knew Nathan underpaid his workers”.
Stephanie’s eyes nearly popped from their sockets. He paid his secretary $25, 000 while she was still a cleaner?
How did he make such profit from the food? She knew she was one of the billions that’d waste $100 a day for the fried chicken though.
She cleared her throat and stood straight. This offer seemed too good to be true.
“So I should let you go with the bid in exchange for a job as your secretary as you’ve clearly lost yours?” she backed everything up.
Johnson nodded. “I’d pay you $40, 000. Might increase it before the next three months! And this is between us, of course”.
A lump stuck on Stephanie’s throat. Just three months ago, she was scared her little siblings would miss school as she couldn’t pay the fees. Now she was being sort by big companies… who just needed her to play their game.
“I reject the offer. Give me the bid or I’d tell the police your involvement with all these.” Stephanie out stretched her hands for him to hand over.
Johnson rubbed his temples. What kind of witch was she to reject such a sweet offer? Did she know he’d never keep to it even in his next life?
“Hand over the bid…”.
“And if I won’t? If I rather kill you here and go away… what’d you do?”.
Johnson advanced towards her, massaging his hand. He flipped through the pages of the bid with a stern look.
Stephanie made a step back for every step he took forward, “Well…, then, I… I assure you someone would know of what happened.”
“Won’t you already be dead by then!” he stopped his march, and handed his card to her, “But I won’t kill you. It’d be waste of smarts. Contact me when you decide a better move for your life. And here…” he handed her the bid, “…so we can be in good relationship.”
Stephanie cocked her eyebrow as she took the bid. Like a gust of wind, he ran off before she could look up. Was that wolf’s speed?
She flipped through the file and realized no page missing. Did the man really return it to keep good relations? She read the card in her hands, smiling to herself.
“Little Bitch!”
Stephanie heart had jumped hearing another voice besides her voice that was reading. Wasn’t this girl supposed to be unconscious?
She faced her, “Oh, happy birthday, Garcia!”. She looked her over, irritatingly. She didn’t look intoxicated and was marching straight to her in confident angry strides.
Stephanie stopped her hand just before they slapped her face but Garcia kicked her stomach with her legs and Stephanie fell with a grunt.
“The hell is wrong with you!” Stephanie grimaced.
Garcia pulled her hair. “I saw you now speaking with Johnson. What’s that about, huh? You think everyone was unconscious so you went to flirt around with another CEO. I thought Nathan is your only target, huh!”.
Carefully, pulling off a leg of her heel, Stephanie used the shoe to slap Garcia across the face. It was a good thing it was wedge, the sole imprints were etched to the model’s pretty face.
Stephanie breathed sharply and hurried to her feet, she took off the other heel waiting for Garcia’s reaction. What’s with the bitch! Didn’t she see she’d been ‘negotiating’ on getting the bid back?
“If you hadn’t fallen unconscious, why didn’t you run after him when he stole the bid? Where you so scared you hid back?” Stephanie head throbbed as she raised her voice.
She felt her nose running, and parts of her hair fell due to Garcia’s strong pull on it. She was going to have regular faints due to this.
“I hate you werewolves. You abuse people and use them for pawns!”.
Garcia smirked, “Pawns? My dear, you’re not ‘pawnable’. You’re lower than an omega to me. Don’t dare meet with Johnson again or else….”.
“I heard he was your ex-boyfriend. Or was it ex-mate? Are you feeling jealous now or what!”.
A slap across Stephanie’s face made her fall to the ground.
Garcia tugged at her neck, “Don’t forget I’m a werewolf. Don’t you dare spite me. Jealous? I hate that man! All I am saying is stay in one lane!” she let go of her and she fell backwards again.
Stephanie stayed on the ground there for the next twenty minutes. What did she do wrong? Chasing after the bid to support her company? Taking CEO Johnson’s card or was it accepting to work in this company full of wolves?
Her eyes were teary as she remembered how her father was bullied and oppressed by a werewolf but the law was scared of them so his case was abandoned.
Hadn’t Garcia just harassed hurt for no reason still if she took it to court, she’d lose!.
She mustered courage and got back on her feet. Seeing CEO Johnson’s card on the ground, she picked it up and shredded it to pieces.
She’d just finish this month and get her salary, after that, she’d move herself and her family downville where Werewolves rarely lived due to it’s high presence of wolfsbane
And she’d make sure before she left, that’d she gave the goddamn Garcia a good birthday gift.