Chapter 4 Mr Gonzales

~Gianna's POV~

"Hello, Mr. Gonzales"

I stood in the doorway of a private room in the police station. The man that was seated turned his head towards me and got to his feet.

"Good day, Miss Smith. Come in"

I did as he asked and took a seat directly opposite him. I dropped my bag on the table between us and crossed my hands as I waited for him to speak. Silence reigned between us as we both waited for the other to speak.

"You wanted to see me?"

He finally broke the silence between us and I nodded.

"Do you remember the last time that we were here?"

He didn't say anything as he kept his gaze on me. It was no surprise that he was a good businessman with billions of dollars to his name because he had an excellent poker face.

"I stood at that spot while you spoke to me from the same seat that you're in right now"

The only sign that he was listening to me was his eyes leaving my face and glancing at the spot that I was pointing to. The last time we met was a time that both of us could not have forgotten in a hurry despite the 2 months that had passed since then.

"That day, you called me to the police station and offered me the change of a lifetime"I smirked as I looked back at him.

"But yet, you rejected it"

He chipped in as he took a sip from his cup of coffee. I noticed that his cuff links twinkled in the light. They were probably encrusted with diamonds or the blood of another innocent, who knew?

"You know, I used to have high regard for you and other business men before our meeting, Mr Gonzales"

"And now?"I reclined in my seat as I adjusted my blazer jacket. I narrowed my eyes that were lined with black kohl and highlighted with gold eyeshadow.

"Now, I don't care if any of you lives or dies because all you do is care for yourselves and only yourselves"

He hummed low and deep in his throat.

"I'm a very busy man, Miss Smith. Why did you want to see me?"As I stared at him, the flames of hatred burnt fiercely in my chest for him and every other spawn of his that bore his name.

"A little regret never hurt anyone, you know?"I thought I was over everything and could handle our meeting with nonchalance and indifference but it was obvious that it was a struggle for me. I didn't think it was much of my fault. I didn't know many people that could sit in front of the father of their mothers murderer and keep their cool.

"You never once apologized for the actions of your son. You never once commiserated with me over the loss of my mother which was due to your son's irresponsible attitude. All you did was throw money at the problem and try to buy my silence"

"Emotions are a business man's worst enemy. Have you called me here to rehash the past, Miss Smith?"

Oh, how I hated him. I hated him, I hated his son, I hated his company, I hated every single thing that had to do with him.

"No, I'm here to strike a deal with you"

I only hoped that my mother wherever she was, that she was proud of me. It turned out that she didn't live after that accident. As a matter of fact, she was dead long before we got to the hospital but as the paramedics weren't allowed to pronounce a casualty dead, they had to do all they could to revive her. It was even possible that she died in my arms and I didn't know it.

"Hm, I love a good deal"

The last time I was seated with Mr Gonzales flashed in my mind. It was barely two days after my mothers death and I was summoned to the hospital. With my mind on the hope that they had caught the man who killed my mother and probably wanted me to confirm that he was the one, I abandoned everything I was doing and rushed down to the station. However when o got to the station, a surprise that i would not have in a million years, seen coming was waiting for me.

"I want to take you up on your previous offer"

He blinked at me shocked that I was revisiting something I told him I was never going to be a party to. He hid his shock well and cleared his throat.

"What made you change your mind?"

The last time he came to me with the deal in the very same office that we were seated in, I was raw and hurt over my mothers death and couldn't think clearly but after having so much free time to myself, I was able to come to a more rational decision which was why I informed the police two days before that I wanted to see Mr Gonzales and the meeting was arranged.

"That, Mr Gonzales is none of your concern"

There was no way I was going to tell him the very thing that made me change my mind to take him up on his offer. That was going to mean that I showed my hands too much and that was bad for business. Even I who was not a business woman, knew that much.

"Fine. I'll bite. What are your terms?"

The part I loved the most and had been looking forward to for so long.

"One, you get your dogs off me. I want to be able to walk around without feeling eyes on me. I'm not a criminal and we both know who the real criminal is if he needs to be found"I placed that little jab on his son as I spoke. He grunted and allowed it roll off his back without making any comments about it.

"The dogs were necessary to make sure that your lips were sealed"It was the day after our first meeting that I realized that I was being watched. Eyes followed me when I was at home, in the grocery store or even out running . That was one of the main things that made me change my mind. I wanted, no, scratch that. I needed my privacy back.

"What else do you want?"

"Your private jet" He frowned at me.

"What do you need my private jet for?"

"Third term: No questions whatsoever"

He narrowed his eyes at me and was quiet for so long that I thought he was going to stand up and walk out on me but surprisingly, he didn't. Instead, he dipped his hand into his breast pocket and pulled out a paper which he slid over to me. I took my eyes off him and looked at the paper on the table.

"Already signed?"

"A good business man is ready for any eventuality. I had a feeling you were going to ask for it"

A corner of my lips quirked up. Though I hated him, I couldn't help but admire his foresight. He rapped his knuckles on the table and the door opened. A man with a file jacket came in and handed the jacket to him before leaving.

"For you"

He slid the jacket over to me and I picked it ip skeptically. I brought out what was inside.

"A confidentiality agreement?"

"Can't have you tattling after the dent in my account, now or can I?"Picking up the pen that was there in the jacket, i scrawled my signature and full name in their designated places before sliding the file over to him and picking up the check on the table.

"Have a good life, Miss Smith"

I watched him go before setting my eyes on the check that was a ticket to a new life for me.

"A billion dollars, mum. That's what you're worth to them"

I squeezed the check in my hand as I got to my feet.