Chapter 4 FOUR

That man is Millian Group of Companies?

"There was no way just anybody would give out a bottle of that wine and from everything you told me, I knew the man must be wealthy." Kathryn continued. From her tone one could tell she was deeply satisfied with whatever information she dug up.

Lily shook her head, not in dismissal but to clear her head. She felt the headache was coming back or maybe her mind was getting foggy.

Dragging her eyes away from the screen, she looked down into the sink and then at Kathryn.

"That man is really all that you mentioned?" Lily murmured uncertainly.

Kathryn's lips compressed and her hand dropped to her side. She shot Lily an exasperated look that hinted that they both knew the answer to that question.

"Since Kevin works as a PA to someone like this man, you should've guessed that he is most definitely a big shot. Kevin is not humble or anything like that."

Lily tried not to wince. "That's not entirely true-,"

"What part?" Kathryn cut her off. "The part where I said Kevin is not humble or the part where I was going to say you should move on to his boss?" she queried with frank incredulity.

Lily was mystified. Her eyes went round. "What? Why would I do that?"

Kathryn folded her arms against her chest. "Why won't you?" she asked while giving Lily a pointed look.

Trying to get her hands busy, she took the neglected glasses and put them in a top shelf.

"Don't tell me you're thinking of getting back with Kevin, Lily?" There was that hint of disbelief and disapproval in Kathryn's voice. Feeling her throat getting dry, she walked the short distance to the chest freezer to fetch herself a chilled cup of water. She deserved that, at least.

As she chugged down the cup of water, Kathryn moved to stand beside her. "I'm sure you're going to pretend you didn't hear me. We'll talk about this later."

Flashing her gummy smile, Lily rolled her eyes and fetched another cup of water and handed it to her friend. "We should get something cooking here before she -," she jabbed a thumb to the direction of the sitting room, "gets in here and have both our heads."

In that moment, Kathryn silently conceded defeat, so she drank her cup of water.

Maximillian rounded his desk and sat on the soft leather swivel chair. Kevin didn't follow him into his office. He had stopped by the secretary's desk to get the updates and plans for the day. The secretary, Leah and Kevin worked together and at the same time play specific different roles.

Maximillian's expanse office was one of a kind. It screamed luxury and class. Everything in his office was detailed and had the coffee brown theme. At the center of the office, had a three or four seater sofas which were placed on opposite sides and a narrow long glossy finish table stayed in the middle. The walls were lined with the different industries and subsidiaries under the Millian Company.

Settling down behind his desk, he noticed the files that were piled up on one side of the desk that were waiting for him to sign off on some of the new and pending projects.

So much to do! So much to do!

The door opened and he raised his head to see it was Kevin and Leah that had walked in. Leah held a tab while Kevin had a tab on one hand and box files on the other. He was still carrying Maximillian's briefcase on the same hand as the tab.

"Leah cancel any meeting that would take me out of this office today and tomorrow. There's so much to be done here." He informed and picked up one of the files to go over.

She nodded as they both stood on the other side of the desk. "Alright sir."

Kevin piled the files on the others and dropped the briefcase on his right, towards the edge of the desk. "Sir, you have a meeting with the board members and the tech team by 10:30-,"

"Are they done with the app?" he asked, flipping the pages.

"Well sir, the team leader said they have new designs and features -," Leah started.

Maximillian rocked back in his chair and gazed out the window at the Poly Bridge. "They better have something tangible to present before the board this time. The last time was a total waste of our time and a shit show." He hated having to sit through a poor presentation or inarticulate meeting, especially from his staff.

Kevin knew how his boss could be a real hard-ass sometimes, especially when you're wasting his time. He could see his jaw tightening.

Maximillian turned back to them and picked up another file, obviously unimpressed with the last one.

Leah simply nodded and Kevin bit his lower lip.

"Are we done here?" he asked.

No one was moving so he raised his eyes to them. They both looked hesitant and he didn't miss the reaction that passed between them. "What's the problem? Leah?" he asked her pointedly because he noticed how she shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

Taking a deep breath, Leah succumbed. "It is Mr. Frederick..." she swallowed. "He sent an email through his lawyer that he wants his contract with us revisited. He wants an increase or -," she sighed deeply. "Or he's ending his contract with us."

They both fixed their eyes on him. His expression didn't change at all.

He turned on the computer, tapped some keys and moved around the mouse.

Maximillian needed to take a look at the email himself. He had never liked the man but the man and his team had proven to know their onions, so it wasn't a problem signing him. Over time, the man would make ridiculous demands which were against the signed contract. Now, he wants an increase. A whooping thirty percent increase.

Breaking the growing tension in the room, he leaned back in the chair and focused on them. "Leah, get Mr. James on the line for me. We might have to sue!"

Silence filled the room. Kevin and Leah gazed sharply at him, hadn't been expecting that approach. Maximillian was never the type to sue. In fact, he never liked to resort to that measure. But in this case, he needed to teach someone a lesson. And fast!

"Right away sir." Leah excused herself to make that call.

Kevin watched Maximillian school his face into not letting his anger show. In just two years of working for him, he noticed that his boss knew just how to keep it all in and also knew when to bare his teeth and show that side of him.

He silently watched the older man, who had gotten out of his chair and stood by the window. Maximillian buried his palms into his pants pockets and rocked back on his heels, deep in thought. He knew just when people are trying to force his hand and mess with him. He doesn't tolerate that. At all.

And he shouldn't even be dealing with this himself.

"Get me Rachel!" He ordered. "Seems someone has not been doing her job." He muttered.

As Kevin made his exit, the telephone and he moved immediately to snatch it from the cradle.

"This is Maximillian..." he listened for a moment. It was Mr. James. "The Mr. Frederick contract has been breached a couple times, but this time we'll have to sue." He slid into his chair, still holding the phone to his ear.

"This time he's threating to withdraw his services if we don't increase by thirty percent. Regardless of the added incentives he had benefitted from the company, he had the nerve to demand more." He was beginning to seethe. He listened again.

"I need you and your team to go over the contract and review it again. He had breached the contract a number of times. You'll need to come down here and meet with the auditors and the company's accountants to go over the transaction that they've received in the past twelve months. This time, I'm not letting him off that easy. He's in no place to threaten or demand for a thirty percent increase." Maximillian scowled.

There was a rap on the door and Kevin pushed the door open. A robust, cream colored young woman probably in her late thirties on black pump heels walked in alongside Kevin. Maximillian watched absently as Kevin pointed her to a seat on the opposite side of the desk.

He listened to the lawyer for a while, before replacing the phone back on its cradle. This time Kevin had left the room, leaving just him and Ms. Rachel.

"Good morning sir -,"

He shook his head, not in the mood for all that. "Ms. Rachel let's cut to the chase, shall we?" he watched as the woman tensed and sat up straighter in the chair. "Mr. Frederick..." he started. "What's up with him and his team? Is there something I should know that haven't been brought to my notice?" he fired at her.

Rachel sighed and bit her lip. "Sir, we thought we had it under control..."

"You had it under control?" he cut in fiercely. "If you had it under control then why is he making demands and asking for increase by thirty percent?!" he drawled out that last part.

Rachel looked down at her clenched palms and slowly lifted her head to look at Maximillian. When she did, her face had lost color. "Sir, Mr. Frederick was becoming impossible and starting to delay in his services." Her lower lip trembled. "I personally tried to get him to deliver the last batch before I would tell you that we might have to source for the service from somewhere else..." her voice was beginning to crack.

Maximillian reclined in his seat and fixed his eyes on her. He believed her alright. Rachel was someone he believed in her ability to carry out a task successfully. When she had taken up that role of a team leader, he knew that he could trust her.

"The moment you noticed he was beginning to decline you should have brought it to my notice. You should have made that complaint and saved us all this stress. Ms. Rachel, how do you suggest we handle this?" his voice softened. He planted his right arm on the armrest and pinched the bridge of his nose.

He had anticipated a smooth day at work and not one that turned out to be as chaotic as that morning.

Rachel looked to the white ceiling and bounced her eyes back to his. "Well, we could cancel the contract with him and get another supplier." She responded flatly.

He gave her a pierced stare. "If we just cancel..." he bit out, "how do we recover the money to pay the next supplier."

Running his fingers through his hair, he pinned her with an exasperated look when she didn't answer. "I plan to sue him, Rachel. While we do that, you can find another supplier. You can leave." He dismissed her. As she scurried out of the office, Kevin returned.

"Is it time already?"

"Yes sir. The board members are all in the conference room."

Shooting out of the chair, he picked up his phone from the desk and straightened out his suit jacket. With long and swift strides, and Kevin trailing behind, they headed for the board room.

"You should come with me to the salon." Kathryn suggested as Lily tapped away on her laptop. The work she had neglected while she went to that birthday party, piled up and now she struggled to get them done.

"Kathryn no one goes to the salon on Mondays. Besides, I have so much to do here." She declined, keeping her face on the screen. She had her anti-ray glasses on and plopped her feet together on the chair. She had spent the better part of the morning working.

She even had breakfast in her room.

She heard Kathryn groan and flashed her a smile. "I'm sorry. I just want to finish these before the end of the day. There's more, but these ones are way overdue since weekend. I'm afraid, the delay might affect my payment so, I can't afford to go have a hair day." she pointed out.

"Yes I understand. I'm so bored in here... I need a job." Kathryn said and turned on her side.

Lily stopped and turned on her chair to look at her. "I know right? You don't want my kind of work. I think you should consider it -,"

Kathryn shook her head. "No way I'm going to sit at home all day and do that..." she huffed. "Working in an office means you get to meet people and make some real life connections."

Lily knew there was no way Kathryn would survive doing a virtual job. She loved going out, meeting people and socializing. She loved the attention and working in a physical space provided that.

"Well, keep sending those resumes. Something would turn up one day." Lily concluded, turning back to her work.

"Or you can ask him for me?"

"Ask who?" Lily asked absently, not sure what Kathryn was on about.

"You know who..." she drawled and waited.

That was when it occurred to her. She snapped her bespectacled eyes to look at Kathryn. The funny expression on her face, confirmed it. "You can't be serious. I don't even know this man!" her voice rang.

Kathryn rolled her eyes. Sitting up, she leveled eyes with Lily. "Then get to know him. I'm sure he's interested -,"

"No! Kathryn no! he was just being nice..." she shrugged. "I'm sure he doesn't even remember me anymore!"

Kathryn wasn't having it. "Then make him..."

"Maybe you're forgetting something here. This man is Kevin's boss. It can't work because..."

"Because you still want to get back with Kevin?"

She just stared at Kathryn. She knew she wanted Kevin back, but in that moment it confused her.

Did she really want Kevin back because still loved him? or because she just wanted to prove something?

"See? You can't even answer that and that's a pointer that you need Maximillian Johnson in your life!" she looked at Kathryn's face and erupted into laughter.

"You're a gold digger, my friend!"

Kathryn nodded and stood up, walking towards the door. "Get dressed to go the salon with me. When we get back, I'll help you with your work?"

"No problem. I'm on it." She smiled and removed her glasses.

She needed a break too.