Page 45 of The Betrayer
She made a face, and I laughed.
Young but not college-age, probably the youngest I could date without Paul throwing another fit. I didn’t know if I should be thinking along these lines at this point. But I couldn’t help myself.
Rita and I chatted as the line continued to inch forward. It wasn’t anything deep or thought-provoking, but Rita was fascinating on another level from the women I had dated before. When we parted, coffees in hand, I realized I didn’t want to. But I did so knowing I would come again the next day, and we would see each other again.
I returned to the office, smiling. I liked Rita. She was sassy, intelligent, and strong—she hadn’t backed down from a single thing I’d said. Unlike most of the vapid model girls I usually dated, her answers had been whip-smart and agile.
Rita was intriguing, and I couldn’t wait to see her again.
Chapter 19
Paul
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THE DAY WAS COLD BUTclear as my translator, my fixer, and I exited the crowded lobby. As people rushed past, entering and exiting, moving around us on the sidewalk, I craned my head back to look at the towering office building. It seemed to go up forever until it touched the cloudless sky. In terms of sheer height and volume, New York had nothing on Shanghai.
“That went well, Mr. Finlay.”
I looked at my fixer smiling up at me, her cheeks pink with happiness. Somehow, the slight woman had taken up my cause and made it her own in the most endearing way. She had worked with me those late nights, working half a world away with Tara, so I had everything I needed. She went above and beyond to ensure everything was in place and that I had spoken to and shaken hands with the correct people.
When I had the chance, I would have to ask the translator how I could show my thanks to her. And to him, of course.
“I’m glad to hear it.” I offered a smile back, feeling as exultant as she looked at me.
I had gotten the call yesterday evening that my request had finally been granted approval from the investor and the government to receive the money that would make the purchase of ITN final. To say I had been pleased would have been an understatement. But it had also given me last-second jitters. I didn’t want anything to go wrong, and I didn’t want that thing to be me and a misunderstanding because I didn’t understand what was happening.
My fixer had stayed late to go through the process with me until I had felt like I understood it enough for today to go well.
According to her, it had. More importantly, the deal had gone through. We had been up in the office for several hours, signing relevant papers. I wasn’t sure I had seen so much paperwork in my life.
But the deal had gone through. We had the money. As soon as I got home, we would purchase our largest competitor.
It was a big win for me.
Check that—it was an enormous win for me. I had proven to myself and to everyone else I could pull off something this big, this colossal, this important, despite everyone’s doubts, including my own.
