Save Me - Chapter 6: Chapter 7
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Damien
The week following the ball was torture.
The angel had dominated my waking thoughts and haunted my dreams, making me less focused than I usually was. It was driving me to madness.
After I had left the event, I went straight to my office. Using my computer, I infiltrated La Rose Royale's database to access the guest list from that night. Vincent's name was there, but his date was only listed as his plus-one. With no name, every attempt I made to track her on all corners of the internet proved futile.
Desperate to find her, I'd hired the best private investigator in the city. This morning, he walked into my office and slapped a folder on my desk, looking pleased with himself.
"I don't know why you look so smug when it took you an entire week to find one girl," I said, trying to keep my composure even as relief washed over me. I always anticipated the worst to avoid disappointment, but this time, I allowed myself a little hope. Mostly because never finding her was simply out of the question.
Dmitry lowered himself into the chair across from me, still looking self-satisfied.
"A girl who barely exists. Seriously, for a while there, I thought you had me chasing a ghost."
I had known Dmitry Petrov for over a decade because our businesses occasionally crossed paths, but I rarely used his services-only as a last resort. I did not trust the Russian, but I believed in keeping enemies within sight. Still, I had to admit, begrudgingly, that he was good at what he did. Not that I would say it aloud of course.
Suppressing a smile, I opened the folder. The son-of-a-bitch had really found her.
"Her name is Dahlia Saunders. She has no digital footprint, so she basically does not exist. I couldn't find much about her, but I did discover she's connected to the Hall family. Though the exact relation is unclear," he explained.
Dahlia. The name suited her perfectly.
"But," Dmitry continued, wearing a look I was familiar with-the one that meant I was not going to like what came next. "She's betrothed to Vincent Hathaway. It's not official yet, and there is no evidence they dated or even knew each other before the grand opening of La Rose Royale. My guess? It's an arranged match."
Dmitry watched me expectantly, waiting for a response, but I couldn't speak. My body froze at the word 'betrothed.' I was livid.
Vincent Hathaway marrying my angel? Over my dead body-or better yet, his.
I slammed the button on my desk, summoning my assistant, Gwen, into my office.
"Schedule a dinner meeting with the CEO of Oilmex for tonight."
Despite the short notice, Gwen managed to secure the meeting with Robert Hall, the current CEO of Oilmex. I wasn't surprised. Nobody said no to me. That was also why she was able to book a last-minute reservation at the city's finest Italian restaurant.
When I arrived, I found Robert already seated by the window. I took a moment to study him.
My company had never done business with Oilmex, but after Dmitry left, I did my research on the Hall family. I learned a few interesting things, like how Gilbert's first-born daughter, Juliette, disappeared when she was twenty-two. I also learned that since inheriting the company from his father, who retired five years ago, Robert had driven Oilmex into the ground. He had tried to cover it up, but I easily breached their accounting software and discovered the company was on the brink of bankruptcy. The merger with Hathaway and Co. was his only lifeline.
Robert glanced at his watch for the third time, and I decided I had kept him waiting long enough.
He quickly stood when he saw me approaching. "Mr. Black, a pleasure to meet you."
Ignoring his outstretched hand, I sat down. It took him all of five seconds to follow suit, masking his stunned expression with a look of indifference. His ego had taken a hit. Good.
"I must say, I was surprised when your assistant called to schedule this meeting. Fortunately, the important meeting I had this evening was rescheduled." His attempt to assert dominance was pathetic.
"Oilmex and Black Enterprises have never done business. So, to what do I owe the pleasure?" He carried himself like the entitled wealthy men I despised.
I was not born rich, and I still remember how they looked at me back when I had nothing, like I was dirt beneath their designer shoes. If they were not looking down on me, they were using me to enhance their power. Out of spite, I vowed to become powerful by any means necessary.
It was that determination that carried me through the trenches of hell. After clawing my way out of that misery, I took control of my life for the first time. I went to university, and with nothing but ideas and determination... along with "morally ambiguous" methods, I built my cybersecurity company from the ground up. Once it became a success, I expanded, developing AI-powered 'Edge Appliances' that revolutionized household tech.
At 32, I was one of the world's youngest billionaires. But more importantly, thanks to my less legal ventures including selling sensitive information for the right price-unless you were a client, in which case you were protected by confidentiality-I had become one of the most powerful men in the world.
Which is why my time was too valuable to be wasted on Robert fucking Hall. But for my angel, I'd spare him a few minutes.
"I know Oilmex is on the brink of bankruptcy," I said.
His face paled as he glanced around the restaurant, checking for eavesdroppers. When he was sure no one had overheard, he tried to slip his mask back on, but the panic in his dark eyes betrayed him.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Robert had a decent poker face, but I could see the panic lurking beneath it.
"How does it feel to single-handedly destroy your family's legacy?" I smirked as red crept into his face, a mix of outrage and humiliation.
"I will not sit here and be insulted by these insane alleg-"
"I can save your ass." That shut him up, his chin was tilted up in defiance, but his eyes flashed with desperation. "I'm guessing Steven Hathaway does not know about your... predicament, but he's a smart man. He will figure it out soon enough." I would make sure he did.
He wanted to argue, but he kept quiet.
"Black Enterprises is prepared to buy half of Oilmex and act as a silent partner. The payout will keep your company afloat."
"What's the catch?" he asked, reluctantly.
"I want Dahlia."
He blinked, caught off guard. Clearly, it was not what he had expected me to say.
"What?" he asked, dumbfounded.
"The condition for the merger with Hathaway and Co. was that Vincent marry Dahlia Saunders, correct?" He nodded. "Well, I have the same demand. I want Dahlia to marry me."
"Let me get this straight-you're willing to pour hundreds of millions into a sinking ship, and all you want in return is my plain-Jane niece?"
So, Dahlia was his niece. Could she be the daughter of the missing Juliette?
"My lawyers will send a draft of the contract to your office tomorrow morning. Feel free to review it with them. I expect to wed Dahlia the day after." I left a couple hundred dollars on the table for his bill and left the table.
Soon, the angel would be mine. I could not quite place the emotion I was feeling, but it made me smile like a fucking idiot as I walked out the restaurant.
The week following the ball was torture.
The angel had dominated my waking thoughts and haunted my dreams, making me less focused than I usually was. It was driving me to madness.
After I had left the event, I went straight to my office. Using my computer, I infiltrated La Rose Royale's database to access the guest list from that night. Vincent's name was there, but his date was only listed as his plus-one. With no name, every attempt I made to track her on all corners of the internet proved futile.
Desperate to find her, I'd hired the best private investigator in the city. This morning, he walked into my office and slapped a folder on my desk, looking pleased with himself.
"I don't know why you look so smug when it took you an entire week to find one girl," I said, trying to keep my composure even as relief washed over me. I always anticipated the worst to avoid disappointment, but this time, I allowed myself a little hope. Mostly because never finding her was simply out of the question.
Dmitry lowered himself into the chair across from me, still looking self-satisfied.
"A girl who barely exists. Seriously, for a while there, I thought you had me chasing a ghost."
I had known Dmitry Petrov for over a decade because our businesses occasionally crossed paths, but I rarely used his services-only as a last resort. I did not trust the Russian, but I believed in keeping enemies within sight. Still, I had to admit, begrudgingly, that he was good at what he did. Not that I would say it aloud of course.
Suppressing a smile, I opened the folder. The son-of-a-bitch had really found her.
"Her name is Dahlia Saunders. She has no digital footprint, so she basically does not exist. I couldn't find much about her, but I did discover she's connected to the Hall family. Though the exact relation is unclear," he explained.
Dahlia. The name suited her perfectly.
"But," Dmitry continued, wearing a look I was familiar with-the one that meant I was not going to like what came next. "She's betrothed to Vincent Hathaway. It's not official yet, and there is no evidence they dated or even knew each other before the grand opening of La Rose Royale. My guess? It's an arranged match."
Dmitry watched me expectantly, waiting for a response, but I couldn't speak. My body froze at the word 'betrothed.' I was livid.
Vincent Hathaway marrying my angel? Over my dead body-or better yet, his.
I slammed the button on my desk, summoning my assistant, Gwen, into my office.
"Schedule a dinner meeting with the CEO of Oilmex for tonight."
Despite the short notice, Gwen managed to secure the meeting with Robert Hall, the current CEO of Oilmex. I wasn't surprised. Nobody said no to me. That was also why she was able to book a last-minute reservation at the city's finest Italian restaurant.
When I arrived, I found Robert already seated by the window. I took a moment to study him.
My company had never done business with Oilmex, but after Dmitry left, I did my research on the Hall family. I learned a few interesting things, like how Gilbert's first-born daughter, Juliette, disappeared when she was twenty-two. I also learned that since inheriting the company from his father, who retired five years ago, Robert had driven Oilmex into the ground. He had tried to cover it up, but I easily breached their accounting software and discovered the company was on the brink of bankruptcy. The merger with Hathaway and Co. was his only lifeline.
Robert glanced at his watch for the third time, and I decided I had kept him waiting long enough.
He quickly stood when he saw me approaching. "Mr. Black, a pleasure to meet you."
Ignoring his outstretched hand, I sat down. It took him all of five seconds to follow suit, masking his stunned expression with a look of indifference. His ego had taken a hit. Good.
"I must say, I was surprised when your assistant called to schedule this meeting. Fortunately, the important meeting I had this evening was rescheduled." His attempt to assert dominance was pathetic.
"Oilmex and Black Enterprises have never done business. So, to what do I owe the pleasure?" He carried himself like the entitled wealthy men I despised.
I was not born rich, and I still remember how they looked at me back when I had nothing, like I was dirt beneath their designer shoes. If they were not looking down on me, they were using me to enhance their power. Out of spite, I vowed to become powerful by any means necessary.
It was that determination that carried me through the trenches of hell. After clawing my way out of that misery, I took control of my life for the first time. I went to university, and with nothing but ideas and determination... along with "morally ambiguous" methods, I built my cybersecurity company from the ground up. Once it became a success, I expanded, developing AI-powered 'Edge Appliances' that revolutionized household tech.
At 32, I was one of the world's youngest billionaires. But more importantly, thanks to my less legal ventures including selling sensitive information for the right price-unless you were a client, in which case you were protected by confidentiality-I had become one of the most powerful men in the world.
Which is why my time was too valuable to be wasted on Robert fucking Hall. But for my angel, I'd spare him a few minutes.
"I know Oilmex is on the brink of bankruptcy," I said.
His face paled as he glanced around the restaurant, checking for eavesdroppers. When he was sure no one had overheard, he tried to slip his mask back on, but the panic in his dark eyes betrayed him.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Robert had a decent poker face, but I could see the panic lurking beneath it.
"How does it feel to single-handedly destroy your family's legacy?" I smirked as red crept into his face, a mix of outrage and humiliation.
"I will not sit here and be insulted by these insane alleg-"
"I can save your ass." That shut him up, his chin was tilted up in defiance, but his eyes flashed with desperation. "I'm guessing Steven Hathaway does not know about your... predicament, but he's a smart man. He will figure it out soon enough." I would make sure he did.
He wanted to argue, but he kept quiet.
"Black Enterprises is prepared to buy half of Oilmex and act as a silent partner. The payout will keep your company afloat."
"What's the catch?" he asked, reluctantly.
"I want Dahlia."
He blinked, caught off guard. Clearly, it was not what he had expected me to say.
"What?" he asked, dumbfounded.
"The condition for the merger with Hathaway and Co. was that Vincent marry Dahlia Saunders, correct?" He nodded. "Well, I have the same demand. I want Dahlia to marry me."
"Let me get this straight-you're willing to pour hundreds of millions into a sinking ship, and all you want in return is my plain-Jane niece?"
So, Dahlia was his niece. Could she be the daughter of the missing Juliette?
"My lawyers will send a draft of the contract to your office tomorrow morning. Feel free to review it with them. I expect to wed Dahlia the day after." I left a couple hundred dollars on the table for his bill and left the table.
Soon, the angel would be mine. I could not quite place the emotion I was feeling, but it made me smile like a fucking idiot as I walked out the restaurant.
End of Save Me Chapter 6. Continue reading Chapter 7 or return to Save Me book page.