"Do I need another drink?"
"I don't know. If I were you, I would. Maybe."
"I don't then. Hit me." I smiled at my friend. I had subtly exalted myself by hinting that I possessed the better shock absorber. A jab Andy chose to ignore.
"About our…yourbusiness with the Chinese. I told you I would tell you once I had word on what their play is."
"And you have news?"
Andy nodded again, his face growing solemn.
"This morning, I had a chat with an affiliate of mine – interpret as ‘chick I used to have a romp with.’ She's with the Chinese embassy. Her father is very well connected. I don't know why I didn’t think of her earlier. He could have helped us turn things around," Andy said apologetically.
"There's no use to crying over spilled milk, is there," I replied, though deep down, I seethed silently. This had been his fucking job, and he was only putting thought into it now? What the fuck? I pushed these thoughts down. "What did she say?"
"It's more what her dad said. The Chinese awarded the contract to SysCorp…three days before we were notified. They’d been in talks with the Sysenovs all along. It was kept secret, and is still being kept secret, because we could have sued them for violating the terms of their contract."
"SysCorp?! Can we still sue? Has the case grown too cold?" My mind railed at the thought of the Russian family behind the firm that had undermined us for years.
"Matters like this are complicated. I suppose we could, but then we'd be putting my friend and her father's lives in danger. We would be asked how we learned of their secret business dealings. The risk all round is too great."
I clenched my teeth and smacked the table. I could feel my blood boiling.
"Sysyenov sabotaged us! Dear God, if my father hears about this—"
"He won't. I promise. This is just between us. I had to tell you; you need to know your enemies."
The intercom on my desk buzzed again. Jane's voice pushed through and she sounded panicked.
"Mr. Walker, I think you should turn on your TV. There's something you need to see on the entertainment news channel."
Fuck, what now?
Chapter 9
Prince Walker
Ishot to my feet and began searching for the remote. I knew what to expect. My father had finally released the story of my demotion and the media was going crazy with it.
“Fuck this!” I roared and a startled Andy scooted back in fear. I pressed the intercom.
"Jane, get in here. I can't find the remote."
Andy scanned the expanse of the table and grabbed the device off the edge where it was teetering. He switched on the TV and looked over to see my expression when he read the headline. The voice of the reporter rang out loudly in the office; aside from that, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. I was frozen to the spot. I couldn't move and refused to believe the words I was hearing.
"...last spotted at the JFK Airport, Angelique Delavigne, B-list celebrity model girlfriend to one of New York's most successful business tycoons, Prince Walker. Just minutes ago, Angelique took to Instagram to announce her engagement and upcoming wedding to the Russian elite, Dmitri Sysyenov, the CEO of SysCorp Technologies. Reports have it that she was booked for a flight to Moscow to meet her new fiancé. Prince Walker, who we must now describe as her ex-lover, has yet to release any statements concerning this development. This is a sad day for all the New Yorkers who envied what must have seemed like a beautiful relationship. We will now proceed to read some tweets from incensed fans.
- I knew it was only a matter of time before they split, but this is cold, even for Angelique. I met her on a shoot once. She was mean to her co-models. #womenaintshit -@jeffkye
- We just want to know if Prince is okay. Shame on you, Angelique. He deserves better. #IstandwithPrince -@daisyluv
- Let's not forget Prince's history. He was a player before he met her. Maybe he cheated, maybe they fell out of love. If she's happy with the new guy, good for her. #lovewins #burntheship -@cerebralisticlovebug
More news is now coming in that only this morning, Prince purchased a 10-carat diamond ring to propose to his girlfriend. There is speculation about a fight, as it seems that yesterday Angelique had arranged to have her things moved from the four-bedroom house Prince bought for her late last year. Sadly the gesture of reconciliation died before he even got a chance. We'll be back with updates as the story unfolds. I'm Jack Pryce, reporting for the Big Apple Insider's Scoop."
"Shit." Andy's loud cursing sounded like was coming from afar to Prince’s ears. The word was quickly followed by a shallow pause. "You know I wanted the opportunity to say 'I told you so' but damn! I didn't expect it to be so soon."
A muscle ticked in my temple. My vision was overrun with black and white. I flattened my palms against the desk and stared at it, seeing nothing. Angelique had left me.No, she had betrayed me. She was engaged to my hated competition. I fought the urge to lift the desk off the ground and hurl it at the wall. Maybe I would crush Andy and his smart mouth while I was at it. The rage was pushing me to destroy something, and drawing sharp breaths in rapid succession didn't seem to help.
