KASMINE.
"Kester? What are you doing here?" I asked. It was such a stupid question. I know.
"Isn't this the way to the restroom? You didn't tell me it was out of bounds, Mine," he replied with his hands casually in his pockets.
"Oh. I am sorry. I just... I was surprised to see you here," I swallowed the needles in my throat.
The way he stared at me felt like he was seeing right through whatever pretense I was trying to put up.
I listened, prayed, and wished that Jake remained in there. If Kester sees Jake and I coming out of the same space, he'd kill us both.
"So, let's go, then," I said as I made to move past him, but he didn't step aside.
"I never said I came to look for you. I was heading to the restroom, too," He said, and my heart gave a loud thud. I could swear he heard it.
I couldn't let him go in there. He'd see Jake, and he'd know we were in there together.
"It's a bit messy in there. I'll have the janitors clean up the place before you use it. They seem not to have cleaned the place all day," I said, crinkling my nose in irritation.
"I'm certain you used the ladies'. I'm going into the gents. It's certainly a lot cleaner than what you just described," He tilted his head, his eyes narrowing as he studied me.
He seemed to have known what was happening.
I bet he knew.
It was at that point I realized I hadn't even checked where Jake had taken me to - The ladies' or the gents.
Thankfully, a timely intervention came just as he was about to walk past me. Kester's phone rang. He didn't seem like one who wanted to answer the call at first, but when he pulled out his phone and saw the caller ID, the muscles on his face tensed up immediately.
"Yes?" He said into the phone, unable to hide the irritation in his tone. "What?" He almost yelled as he walked past me back into his office.
***
KESTER.
Fucking pervert!
I punched the table before me, and everything on it tumbled to the floor. The resounding crash barely scratched the surface of the rage coursing through me. My chest heaved as I stood there, hands braced on the desk, glaring at the chaos I'd just created.
Alpha Kex. That slimy bastard
He had made good on his threats, and now I felt like a sitting duck, vulnerable to every petty game he had up his sleeve. All because I refused his ridiculous request to marry my sister.
I know I may have been a little too harsh with his people and with my words to them when I dismissed his envoy, telling them they were lucky to leave without bloodshed. But Kex, that smug son of a bitch, wasn't the type to let an insult go unanswered.
He had promised to do everything within his power to frustrate my company, and he had begun.
In his words, he said, 'We'll lower our prices to levels you can't even begin to compete with.'
And now, he'd done it.
How in Dreagor's name could Valor Lante Technologies slash the price of the most wanted product in the industry—the Sentinel 12X Quantum Server—from $98,000 to a jaw-dropping $56,000?
They weren't even running at a loss! They were fucking running a charity!
A move like that was financial suicide for any ordinary company, but not for them. Not for a pack-funded empire with resources so deep they could bleed money just to bury me.
How foolish!
I loosened my tie from my neck as beads of sweat tickled down my forehead.
What could I do? If I matched their price, I'd risk dragging my company into the red. If I didn't, I'd lose the trust of my clients—those who relied on us to stay ahead of the curve, who believed in Zamfort Technologies as a symbol of strength and innovation.
More of his threats began to resurface in my memory:
'We'll set up a branch right across from your flagship location and wipe out your business.'
I grabbed my phone from the desk, my hand trembling with barely contained rage, and dialed Sylvia, my head of operations.
"Sir?" She answered.
"Listen to me, Sylvia," I barked, pacing the room. "I want detailed reports on every property near our flagship location. Every single one within a mile radius. I want to know who owns them, who's leasing, who's selling—everything!"
"Understood, sir. Should I—"
"Do it now, Sylvia!" I cut her off, my voice sharp enough to draw blood. "If Kex even breathes near that location, I want to know about it before he does."
I ended the call without waiting for her response, my breath ragged as I raked a hand through my hair.
'We'll secure exclusivity with your biggest suppliers, leaving you stranded.' My jaw clenched as the memory of his smug grin burned behind my eyelids.
I punched in the number for Grant, my procurement lead.
"Grant, I need you to lock down contracts with every single one of our suppliers."
"Sir, we already have ongoing—"
"Not good enough!" I snarled. "I want exclusivity agreements in place by the end of the week. Sweeten the deal if you have to—extended contracts, bonuses, whatever it takes! Just make sure Kex and his pack of vultures don't get a sliver of what we have."
Grant hesitated for a moment too long.
"Did you hear me, Grant?"
"Yes, sir. I'll get on it immediately."
The phone call ended with a click, but the pressure in my chest only grew heavier.
I flung my phone to the floor in anger.
I had to take these precautions before I decided on what to do to that subhuman!
'…We have a marketing plan to convert your top clients into ours…'
I snatched my phone from where it had landed after I'd thrown it. The screen was cracked, but it still worked. I punched in the number for Julia, my head of client relations.
"Mr. Kester?" Julia's voice was bright and professional, as always, but I wasn't in the mood for pleasantries.
"Julia, get on the phone with our top clients—all of them. Starting now."
"What should I—"
"Offer them incentives," I interrupted, "Five percent discounts on their next four purchases. No—make it ten. And add a free upgrade on their current systems. Whatever they're using, I want them to feel like gods when they use it."
"That's... generous," she said cautiously.
"It's necessary," I growled. "Kex is coming for them. He'll promise them the moon, but you'll make them feel like they already have it."
"Understood, sir. I'll have my team start contacting them immediately."
"And Julia?"
"Yes?"
"Make it personal. I don't care if you have to invite them to lunch, dinner, or a damn spa day. I want every single one of them to feel like they're family."
"Yes, sir."
I ended the call, tossing the phone onto the desk as I leaned forward, my breathing uneven. My heart hammered against my ribcage like it was trying to break free.
Kex wasn't just coming for my company. He was coming for my reputation, my legacy, and the people who believed in me.
He wanted a war?
Fine.
I'd burn his empire to the ground before I let him take what was mine.