AllFreeNovel
Share Us
20
AXEL
I drove through the gates and entered his estate.
Being on his property always gave me a sense of displeasure, but it was overshadowed by the memory of the first time I saw Scarlett. The second I laid eyes on her, I felt all the things a man should feel for his future wife. She hadn’t even said a word to me, and I was fucking smitten.
Now she was my wife, waiting at home for me this very instant.
I entered the parlor and took a seat. His butler brought me a drink, which I declined.
Never drink the food or wine of your enemies.
Ten minutes later, he finally entered the parlor, wearing a jacket over his collared shirt and dark jeans. It was nine in the evening, so he should be in sweatpants and a t-shirt, but he chose to dress up, like his clothes would impress me.
I was in sweatpants and a long-sleeved shirt because I didn’t give a fuck.
He sat across from me and glanced at the table, seeing that I hadn’t accepted a drink. “I’m not going to poison you, Axel.”
“I’m sure, Dante.”
A heavy moment of silence passed between us. Hostile stares ensued.
Dante was the first to speak. “Will Theo be joining us?”
“He’s got other shit to do.”
He gave a slight nod.
“What did the Colombians say?”
He crossed his leg, resting one ankle on the opposite knee, a pompous prick. “Once I asked for more product, they asked more questions, and now they’re asking for a ten-percent increase.”
I laughed at the absurdity.
“The only way I’d ask for more product is if I’m selling more product. So they know business is good.”
“Doesn’t matter if our business is good. They get paid for their contribution. End of story.”
“They say they’re more than a supplier, but a valuable member of the team.”
I released another laugh. “They’ve got some gall.”
“I told them we would consider it.”
“The answer is no.”
“We can’t say no,” Dante said. “That won’t go over well. I say we counter at five percent.”
“They make the product, and they get paid. They aren’t getting a cut of our business.”
“Then let’s offer to pay more for their product?—”
“Why are you being a little bitch?”
Dante’s jaw noticeably hardened.
“You’ve run this business on your own for twenty years?” I asked incredulously. “By being a little bitch? What about your facility? Increase production at your warehouse.”
“I can’t do that in this short amount of time,” he snapped. “I don’t have the manpower or the resources.”
I gave an angry sigh. “They get two and a half percent in addition to their base pay. That’s it.”
“That’s a lot less than what they’re asking for?—”
“If they’re going to be that difficult, we’ll go to another producer.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the Colombians destroy them to get the business back. You don’t know these guys like I do. They can be a huge pain in the ass when they want to be. We’re making so much money that we won’t even notice?—”
“What happens when they ask for more?” I demanded. “And then more?”
“We would deny them. But for now, I think we have no other choice.”
“Listen to me, asshole,” I snapped. “I don’t bend for people. Why? Because they’ll bend you all the way over and fuck you in the ass. Give them a little rope, and they’ll yank the whole thing.”
“I agree,” he said. “But since it’s their product we’re selling, we’re at their mercy. I think it’s fair to view them as a partner, considering this entire business is based on something they created. I don’t like it. But that is a fact.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re fucking weak.”
“I’m reasonable, and you’re a fucking hothead.”
“No, I just have a damn spine,” I retorted. “Two and a half percent. That’s it.”
Dante reached for the cigar beside him and lit up, like he needed the smoke to clear his rage. He didn’t offer me one, and after tasting the smoke on his tongue, he released it toward the ceiling.
“You failed.”
His eyes drifted back to me, the cigar in his mouth.
“You tried to take her away from me, tried to turn her against me, but you can’t. Because she fucking sees me. She sees past the bullshit and the lies. She sees who I really am inside. With every passing day, I’m fixing what you broke, and I know one day we’ll have what was denied to us. You can’t stop it.”
He stared at me, smoke rising to the ceiling.
“You can’t fucking stop it.”
When I got home, Scarlett was already in bed.
She was on her side, the sheets pulled up to her shoulder, all the lights off.
I dropped my clothes in the middle of the floor and tugged off my boots before I got into bed. My phone was put on do not disturb so it wouldn’t vibrate all night and cast an annoying light that brightened the ceiling.
