Page 2 of Seventeen Years Ago

He sounded damn sure of himself in that statement. I had no idea why because the only thing I knew about him was his business dealings and nothing on a personal level. Why would he think he knows anything personal about me?

My intercom buzzed and I knew it was Kimberly letting me know that the new client had just arrived. Whatever game Cayden was playing, I needed to get the answers later. For now, I would commit to meeting with him, but that didn't mean I was actually going to show up and board the Henderson jet.

“Send me the information, and I'll talk to you later more about this. Right now, I have a meeting with someone who isn't here to fucking play games. And I sure in hell hope you're not calling me just to waste my time,” I warned.

Cayden replied, “I'm not the same man you knew years ago. I hope you do decide to join us. This is a great opportunity for us both. And I think you have a lot to bring to this endeavor.”

“I guess you will find out next week when I see you.” I ended the call and then buzzed Kimberly. I needed to brush away any thoughts and questions I had regarding Cayden's call. It was time to focus on the business at hand. And that was deciding if I wanted to move forward with the acquisition of the hotel chain in Florida or not. It was a deal my father had been working on for years. And that was the one thing that had me questioning if I wanted to move forward with it now. I wished I could distance myself from everything that my father had been involved in, but he had built this business, and I inherited it all when he died. All I could do now is try to make it my own.

My father's words still echoed in my head before each meeting. I was a disappointment to him. In his eyes I was weak. And in my eyes, he was a vile, vicious, and cruel human being, if he even could be called one. Monster seemed more appropriate. Though he said he had many friends, I knew they were just people who feared him, not respected, or liked him. The only person who liked him was himself. He made it known that he always got what he wanted. If anything or anyone stood in his way, he crushed it. Even his own flesh and blood.

He’d beaten my older brother down mentally to the point that life itself became unbearable and he eventually took it at the young age of twenty-three. I was just about to turn eighteen that year, and it felt as though I’d lost everything. What I hadn’t realized was that the pain and misery was just the beginning for me. With my brother gone, I was left to endure my father's wrath with no one to stand in his way.

It might be wrong, but I never shed a tear after my father passed. If anything, I felt like a weight had been lifted and I was finally free. But that didn’t mean I had forgotten what he’d put me through. There’s no going back. What had been done was done and it was time to focus on the future. My future.

I don't want to be anything like my father. But no way in hell am I going to let anyone take what is mine.

I opened my laptop to get ready to start the meeting. If this acquisition was going to happen the negotiations were going to be on my terms, not my father's, and definitely not theirs.

CHAPTER2

Aiza Cross

I took one last look at the schedule for next week. President Reesa O'Connor was booked solid. Not unusual. What caught my eye was something on the schedule that I hadn't put in there for her. She was meeting with Cayden and Allyson. They both frequented the island and stayed at New Hope resort, but I had no idea what the meeting was about. Reesa left off all comments regarding the meeting as well. To others, it could look like an oversight, but I knew her well enough to know it was intentional. Was she trying to hide it from me or from others?

There was one thing about being the secretary to the president of a country; you needed to learn what was and wasn't your business. Confidentiality was a top priority. And my loyalty was to the president and to my country, Tabiq.

Of course, that didn't mean I was not curious. I'd met Cayden and Allyson at a couple of events at New Hope. Allyson was a sweetheart. I could tell just after one meeting that she was genuine and kind. It wasn't the same feeling when it came to Cayden. I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was something about him that made me keep my distance. He might be nice, but his eyes told me there was another side to him that could be dangerous. It was exactly how I felt whenever I was around the Henderson family.

I had to continuously remind myself that it was the ghost from my past that was causing all this mistrust. The Hendersons that were here now, were not evil, and Cayden probably wasn’t either. But either way, I wished that Reesa wasn’t going to be meeting with either of them alone.

Picking up a file from my desk, I walked into her office and pretended to need her help with something.

“I hope I'm not disturbing you, but I wasn’t sure if you wanted to check the documents one last time before I faxed them.”

She looked up from her laptop and said, “I’m sure they are fine.” When I didn’t leave her office she asked, “Is there something on your mind?”

Reesa had told me many times to feel free to speak my mind with her. So I decided to. “You have an appointment next week without any notes. Is there anything you need me to prepare for you?”

“Are you talking about the one with Alex and Ziva?” she asked. I shook my head. “The one with the Chief of Police?”

“I was actually inquiring about Cayden and Allyson.”

She smiled. “I knew which one you were questioning. I just don’t know why you didn’t just ask outright.”

“I...I wasn't sure if I should ask or not. But I was just concerned about you going and meeting with them...alone.” It was the truth, and that was something I prided myself in always saying. At least now. There was one secret that I had held onto for the past 17 years. One that I swore I would take to my grave. I didn't have to, but I wanted to. I owed that person more than they probably realized.

I wouldn't be the woman I am today if he hadn't been the man he was then.

“Aiza, you are only looking out for me. I couldn't ask more from someone. Your loyalty has never been a question. But this meeting with Cayden is something I want to keep private for now. But it is a business meeting,” she explained.

That puzzled me. From what I had witnessed, she was very close with the Hendersons and relied on them for their advice and opinions. What could she be looking at doing that she did not want the Henderson family to know about?

Obviously, something that she doesn't want me to know about either.

There was no point in pursuing this subject. She did not need my approval and she sure as heck did not need an approval from the Henderson family. They had made themselves very comfortable here in Tabiq, but this still was not their country. It was ours. And as our president, I must trust Reesa to do what was best for us.

I nodded and headed back to my desk, closing the door as I left her office. Even though I understood, it didn't mean I wasn't worried about her. Over the last few years, there had been several attempts on her life. She represented what some men hated: a woman in charge. It would only take one phone call to Bennett Stone to let him know about this meeting. But once I broke this trust between Reesa and me, I didn't think I'd ever get it back.

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