Page 14 of Gamble with Me
"Interesting," I mumbled, more to myself than for the others to hear, and I looked at the CEO, Donald Stern, sitting at the other end of the long table. My old friend recommended his company to me, and we had already worked together many times. Yet, this time, I didn't like their approach. I expected people to take the blueprints and build a fucking place, but they tried to change it, improve it, and modernize it. I wouldn't say the idea was terrible, but it was my project, and it would be built how I wanted it.
"Look, Zyon," Donald said, and I narrowed my eyes at him. The decision was already made. He just didn't have a clue it couldn't be changed. "My company is the best in the field. My employees are great. Engineers, designers, architects, and construction workers are at your disposal. You know the drill. Just sign the paper and let us do our job."
"That’s the thing, Donald," I said, slowly shaking my head. "I really hate when someone tries to screw me."
I stood up; everyone in the room watched me as I leisurely walked toward him with my hands hidden in my black pants pocket.
"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied quickly, nervously adjusting his brown tie. His blue eyes were glued to me, and I noticed a drop of sweat on his temple. Usually, his longer grey hair was everywhere around his face, covering it, but today, it was combed back, and this image change gave me a slight advantage. He was blinking rapidly, and his jaw was working rhythmically. He knew I knew, and he walked right into my trap. Idiot.
"Leave us!" I commanded in a firm voice that left no room for objections, and all men immediately obeyed. It wasn't any different if they worked for me or someone else. No one dared to oppose me.
I waited until the last person left the room, watching the shaking guy before me. He was just a pile of old flesh that had no value for me. He had fucked up, and he had to bear the consequences. Or maybe…
"Zyon, I don't know what is going on," Donald stated resolutely, trying to mask his edginess, but I saw right through his act. Mainly because Dorian checked everything about the company Donald worked for and our contracts and discovered that we were invoiced for forty percent more than the market price. It would've been okay if we agreed to it. Still, we shook hands at different deals, and then he cheated on me. I let it be only to give him a chance to correct his mistake, but instead, Dorian uncovered another attempt at a scam. It was intolerable.
"There are some accounting irregularities," I replied, walking around Donald. He abruptly turned in my direction as if he expected me to pull out a gun and shoot him.
"What irregularities?" he asked, acting stupid, and I rolled my eyes in annoyance. It would be much easier if he just admitted it.
"Don't push my buttons, Donald," I growled, feeling anger bubbling in the pit of my stomach. "You know I'm not a patient man."
He gulped, and his gaze drifted to the door where two of my bodyguards stood. He couldn't run away. He was trapped.
"I'm just a puppet, Zyon," he whispered, sweating profusely. He knew firsthand what I was capable of when someone tried to make a fool of me. "Shareholders agreed to this. I didn't have a choice."
"Are you saying another twelve people voted for this?" I inquired, wrinkling my forehead. It was more severe than I expected. I had to stop it before it got out of hand. Dorian told me I let it go too far, and maybe he was right. I’d have to take drastic measures to restore my reputation.
"Hepersuaded them." Donald shrugged, squeezing the armrest hard. He was shrinking under my scrutinizing gaze.
I wasn't angry, which was odd. I was curious why his bosses would play such a dangerous game. Even together, they held no power over me or my business. They just stole about two and a half million dollars from me. If I counted this with money that Adam Rivers transferred, those ridiculous, useless connections already cost me too much. It had to stop. Immediately.
"Who persuaded them?" I questioned, trying not to lose my cool and slam his head against the table's glass surface. I was surprised, too, that I was acting like a polite, well-behaved man who cared about an explanation. Usually, I would just get what I wanted by force, but here, I had to be gentler. Donald's fear was an advantage that had great potential in solving this matter.
"Chester Kellerman," he replied quickly, and the entire world around me stopped existing. "He took half a million for creating the false documentation and invoices."
"What?" I hissed, my head spinning. "He has about fifty grand in his bank account."
I knew this from my PI. I needed to know if Valeria was okay after losing her job, and while one day the account was empty, the next day, money appeared. But I never told anyone to trace them.
Fuck!
"He's a sick gambler," Donald stated matter-of-factly, giving me a pointed look like I should've already known that. Well, I’d heard some stuff, but half a million was too much—even for me. What the hell did that dumbass do?
"He has a wife and daughter," I declared, shocked by this revelation.
"And?" Donald shrugged, watching me curiously. "Poor woman is fifteen years younger than him and totally blind to everything he's doing. She works, pays the mortgage, and takes care of the girl. He does nothing to support his family."
My stomach twisted with disgust, and I almost threw up right there. My mind couldn't understand why would someone like Valeria stay with such an asshole.
"Women stay with men for less than a child," Malin conveyed two weeks ago, and he was obviously right. However, only the mere thought of my redhead goddess loving that prick almost knocked me off my feet. I had to get to the bottom of this.
"That's sad," I choked out. Donald frowned, but I ignored him, returning to the matter in hand. "Leave and tell no one about this conversation. I'll take care of it."
"Please, Zyon," he begged, grabbing my right arm. He fell to his knees in front of me. This turnaround took me aback, but it was understandable, knowing how much shit he was drowning in. "Don't hurt my family, please. Punish me, but leave them alone."
"Do as I say, Donald," I said in a deadly serious voice, staring into his eyes. "And when someone from my people calls, follow the orders. That way, you and your family will have a chance to escape my wrath."
He nodded, and when I motioned for him to get out, he disappeared like a fart in the wind. I fisted my palm, thinking about Valeria, but I couldn't let her consume my thoughts. I needed to issue orders. So, with a heavy sigh, I called Malin to my office and texted Dorian to start the negotiations with another company. The project had to start on time. This little discrepancy couldn't get in the way of my new casino.
