AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Richard hits me with a wide smile. His teeth are yellow from years of smoking. There’s a small piece of something caught between his front teeth, but I don’t bother telling him.
“Peter, my old friend!” he says, boisterous as ever. He sounds like a choking crow when he talks, much too dry and abrasive.
“Pyotr,” I correct. “And I’m not your friend.”
“Come now, Peter. Don’t be like that! I know we’re business rivals, but that doesn’t mean we have to be hostile.”
“You have ten seconds to tell me what you’re doing here.”
Richard sits up, my chair creaking under his generous weight. He better pray he didn’t mess with the lumbar settings.
“I’m here to talk business,” he says.
“Then make an appointment. Merrybell will help you find time in my schedule.”
“I’m a busy man, Peter. And so are you. Besides, I’ve been trying to make an appointment, but that sweet old lady outside keeps telling me you won’t be free for another four months.”
This isn’t entirely untrue. As CEO, I’ve got a lot of people depending on me. I have endless meetings with investors, my own staff, potential business partners, and so on. People have to schedule with me well in advance if they want even a minute of my time, Richard included. Though I may or may not have told Merrybell to come up with whatever excuse she saw fit to keep this bastard away from me at all costs. He has a nasty habit of stinking up the air just by breathing.
“Get out of my chair,” I tell him, my patience wearing thin. Between dealing with him and Alina this morning, I’m fresh out of fucks.
Richard rises, his knees cracking as he does so. His expression darkens, the over-the-top smile he wears slipping. “I’ll make it quick,” he says. “I want to buy out CyberFort.”
“No.”
“I’ll give you an excellent price for it.”
“I saidno.”
Richard clicks his tongue, chuckling as he shoves his meaty hands into his suit pockets. He moseys on over to the window and takes in the view of downtown New York. “I’ve seen your quarterly reports. CyberFort has barely been making a profit year-over-year.”
“Growth is still growth,” I reply.
“Yes, but in my hands, it could be exponential.”
I fight the urge to snort.Yeah, right.
“CyberFort isn’t for sale, and it never will be.” I make my way over to my seat and settle in, logging into my desktop computer. I’ve got too much shit to do and wasting my time on Richard isn’t on today’s docket.
“Peter, let’s talk numbers, hm? I’ll pay you thirty billion to hand over the reins.”
“Are you trying to insult me? My company is worth five hundred billion.” I press the little red button on my phone’s intercom. When it beeps, I say, “Merrybell?”
“Yes, Mr. Antonov?” her little voice squeaks over the speakers.
“Have security see Mr. Jones out.”
“Right away, sir.”
Richard laughs like I’ve just landed a killer punchline at the comedy club. “Alright, alright. I’ll get going. No need to cause a ruckus.”
I don’t bother looking at him as he saunters out the door. My nose curls in disgust. Richard left the awful scent of cigarette smoke lingering in his wake. Here’s hoping it doesn’t take too long for the odor to clear out.
Merrybell knocks on the door, stepping in with a nervous smile. She’s dressed in a modest black dress that falls to her shins, her graying hair pulled up into a tight bun. “I’m sorry about that, Mr. Antonov. I tried to get him to leave, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
“It’s not your fault. I know how he can be. Next time he tries a stunt like that, don’t hesitate to have the security guards throw him out.”
“Of course, sir.”
