My Cursed Mate

Spring signified a new start. Thus, Xefton City was teeming with life and positive energy and in the headquarters of Empire Group of Companies, people couldn't stop talking about their rare visitor. She was in her black suit and red high heels as she walked to the elevators followed by a staff.

Nobody exactly knew who she was but to be personally escorted by a company staff only meant that she was someone important. They couldn't help but whisper in admiration at the aura she was exuding, the way she walked screamed elegance and confidence.

Kazandra was aware of the eyes that were looking at her but she ignored them all. She was already used to it and it would be better if the person she wanted to impress would have the same reaction as theirs. A smile appeared on her face at that thought.

'I really hope that he will notice me.'

The elevator reached the 25th floor and Kazandra was escorted to one of the conference rooms where a group of people were already waiting. She was welcomed with warm greetings and was helped to her seat. Kazandra looked around and found that someone was missing.

She leaned back and tilted her head as the smile on her lips was replaced with a frown. The people in the room immediately felt the change in the atmosphere and already knew what made the woman displeased. A man who was wearing glasses looked at the woman beside him and slightly leaned towards her.

"Where is he?" He whispered and the woman gently shook her head.

"They said he'll be here just ten minutes ago. I'll call secretary Evos again." The woman answered back before she slowly stood up and left the room.

"I apologize Miss Hernandez, I'm sure that our CEO is already on his way." The man in glasses, Director Clint, smiled at the woman.

They had been inviting the woman for partnership and were rejected several times to the point that they already decided to give up. There was nothing like Vignier in the country and they wanted that influence to push the Empire's Chain of Hotels and Restaurants further to the top as they also plan to expand in Zaithan City. To do that, Vignier would be the biggest factor.

Now that the owner of Vignier finally decided to accept their invitation and talk about the partnership, they agreed to all of her demands and one of them was to make sure that the CEO and owner of Empire would show up during the meeting. Clint turned around to look at his assistant who was on the phone but the woman shook her head.

"Should I leave now?" From the look on the director's face and the other staff who were there, the CEO wasn't coming. "Since the person in-charge is not here, I won't waste anymore time sitting here and waiting for someone who will not come." She stood up and gave them all a smile.

Clint immediately stood up and tried to pacify the woman. "Miss Hernandez, please give us fifteen more minutes, no, ten more minutes and I'll make sure that our CEO will be here."

Kazandra raised a brow. She removed her sunglasses, revealing her hazel eyes and looked Clint in the eye. "I came here on time expecting that everyone is present and we can immediately proceed with the discussion but it seems that your own CEO lacks sincerity and integrity. If that's the case, then forget about partnering with Vignier."

Clint swallowed a lump of saliva at how domineering the woman was. With just a look, he could already feel his feet shivering. "Miss Hernandez, our Mr. Ishmael will never be late, especially in important matters that concern his own company. If he will be late, then there must be a reason for it. We are already contacting his secretary to ask for his whereabouts."

"Is that so? Anyway, I'm still leaving. Good luck on your next partnership, that is if you can find anyplace better than Vignier." She walked past him as she was not really interested in whatever excuse they had prepared.

Before she could reach the door, it opened and the assistant who had been talking with the CEO's secretary came with a worried look on her face. "Mr. Ishmael was held up in the lobby. It seems that Miss Sophia came unannounced and is currently blocking the entrance."

Kazandra shrugged her shoulders and still left despite what the assistant said and Clint's apologies and explanation. Since the person she was looking for was being held up in the lobby, it was better to go to him personally and deal with Miss Sophia or whoever she was.

"Very brave of her but I'm sure that he will not be interested in that kind of woman. I should go and let my presence be known." She mumbled to herself as a smirk appeared on her face. The sweet smile she had turned out to be something deadly.

They were right, there was indeed a commotion in front of the gate pass. From her vantage view, she could see a woman dressed in pink holding on to a frowning man. She shook her head and couldn't help but laugh at the situation. He was good at keeping his cool.

"Why weren't you answering my phone calls?" An irritatingly high-pitched voice asked the man she was holding to.

"Miss Sophia, please don't do that here. Mr. Ishmael has an important meeting he needs to attend now and if you don't let go, I'll have to call the security to escort you out." Evos, Vega's secretary, touched the woman's hand and tried to remove it from its grip on his boss but Sophia did not let go.

Evos looked at Vega, helplessly, and just saw him nod. The secretary reached out for his phone and was about to call for security when they heard another woman's voice.

"Shall I help you drag her out?" The crowd parted for the woman who spoke and she walked towards the center without hesitation. "Because, I can do that since I'm already on my way out."

"Miss Hernandez – " Evos immediately recognized the woman. She was the owner of Vignier and she was the important client that they should be meeting right now if not for Sophia's interruption.

"You've already missed the time so, I decided to leave," she then gave Sophia a once over before letting her gaze rest on Vega, "even with this kind of excuse, it would be difficult for me to change my mind."

Sophia stared at the woman and did no forget to return the favor by looking at her from head to toe. She crossed her hands and glared at the intruding woman.

"Hey, who are you? And why are you butting in?" Sophia couldn't hold it any longer and faced the woman. She was glaring at her but it had no effect on the woman.

"I'm the client that they were supposed to meet at exactly eight in the morning but it's already eight fifteen but the CEO didn't appear. Now, I won't be signing the contract with them or even proceed with the partnership, because you made him late." She waved at Vega who had been silently watching.

Sophia looked back and even tugged at Vega's arm. "Don't worry, I'll let my father give you whatever partnership you want. You don't need this woman."

Kazandra chuckled and shook her head. "Ah, truly, ignorance is bliss."

Vega pulled his arm and glared at Sophia. "Can you or your father compensate me for my loss today?" He was holding back his anger but the woman seemed oblivious to it.

"Of course!" Sophia answered without hesitation. She was confident in her father's influence and power.

"Where's the security?" Just as he said those words, two men in black appeared and held the woman's arms. "Leave and I don't want to see your face again. Please escort Miss Sophia out."

"Unhand me or else I'll let my father know about this! Unhand me!" Sophia screamed and flailed to let her go but the men did not budge. She didn't understand why Vega was angry. It was only a partnership. Her father could easily give him that.

"Miss Hernandez, are you really leaving?" Evos asked after the commotion was dealt with and the spectators slowly scattered.

"I have nothing else to do here and I need to be somewhere else. You are not the only company who invited me." She patted the secretary's shoulder and gave him a smile.

"Is there anything we can do for you to consider our offer?" Vega finally spoke. His low voice and cool voice sent shivers to Kazandra's body but she maintained her composure.

Now that a chance presented itself to her, she needed to grab it. "I'll consider it, that is, if you invite me to dinner." She walked away without waiting for them to respond before she stopped and spoke again. "I'll be waiting for your invitation." She raised her hand and gave them a wave without turning back.

Evos was stunned and before he could react, the woman was already out of the building. He couldn't help but sneak a glance at his boss but Vega remained expressionless. They remained silent for a while before Vega walked to the elevator.

"Are you going to invite her?" Evos steeled his heart and asked.

"Reserve the best restaurant."

Kazandra arrived at the restaurant on the invitation that was sent to her. She was wearing a black above the knee dress hidden by her long white coat. She handed the invitation to the man who welcomed her and she was led to the restaurant's second floor.

She was assisted to a room with warm lighting and a table that was set up for two. Vega was already there and waiting for her. He stood up and pulled the chair for the woman. Kazandra couldn't help the smile on her face even after the man himself was seated.

"I didn't think that you would actually invite me." Kazandra's gaze roamed around the room and was pleased with the minimalist theme.

"Empire can't pass up the chance to be able to work with Vignier and the director of the hotel and restaurant really values Vignier." Vega had a stern look on his face while speaking but Kazandra didn't mind. She already knew that the man was not fond of smiling.

"I don't understand why a company like Empire would show interest in my small café. I can't even be compared to what Empire is right now." Kazandra took the glass that was filled with wine and slowly swirled it before taking a sip.

"We value Vignier, even though it is small, the connections behind it are not to be underestimated." Vega looked at the woman's eyes without flinching.

Kazandra chuckled and shook her head. "You've done your research."

"Empire also values the woman behind Vignier. At a young age, she built Vignier with her own hands and slowly grew it to what it is now, a café that is at the top of its game, well known to many and especially influential to almost all walks of life." Vega leaned back and watched the woman.

He was looking for any reaction from her but all she did was smile and drink wine. "Do you always flatter your business partners in this way? You even did a thorough research."

"This is only the bare minimum of what I can do to get what I want." Vega answered without flinching. Vignier was an integral part in their plan of expansion. "But I have been curious as to the reason why you suddenly expressed your interest to work with us after rejecting our offer multiple times?"

Kazandra looked at the red wine on her glass and swirled it a couple more times before she placed it back on the table. She then placed both of her hands on the table and leaned forward with a smile. "This is only the bare minimum of what I can do to get what I want and I found it in Empire." She leaned back on her chair and continued to say, "I need to put an effort if I want something to be mine."

It was true that she ignored all of their offer because she had no interest. This was one of the things she regretted, if she had paid attention earlier, then she might have met Vega earlier. Luckily Kazandra saw who the CEO of Empire was before it was too late.

Vega narrowed his eyes but the woman in front of him wasn't intimidated. Instead, the way she was looking at him made him shiver. An unfamiliar heat was slowly building inside of him. He never felt anything like that from any other person and it made him a bit uncomfortable with the unfamiliar feeling. He calmed himself and didn't show anything outside even though all he wanted to do was leave.

"Then we are the same in that aspect and I look forward to working with you, Miss Hernandez." Vega nodded as his expression remained cold.

The arrival of the food broke the ambiguous air around them as they finally enjoyed the food. The rest of the dinner was pure silence and they parted ways like nothing happened. Only they knew that that dinner was not a simple dinner.

Kazandra once again arrived at the Empire headquarters and was assisted to the conference room where they were the last time she was there. This time, Vega was already there together with Clint. She sat down and was handed the contract.

"If you have no other requirements, we can proceed with the signing and the project will immediately start." Clint had a wide grin on his face while speaking.

He was glad that Kazandra finally agreed to sign the contract with them. They waited for her to go through the contract and hopefully sign it but they were surprised when she placed the contract on the table and didn't take any actions to sign it.

"Is there something wrong with the contract?" Clint looked at the contract then at Kazandra in confusion. They made sure that the contents of the contract would suit the woman's taste.

Kazandra did not speak. Her gaze was on Vega and the man strangely knew what the woman wanted.

"There are people more competent to handle this project. I can assure you that this partnership will be beneficial to both of us, so you can rest assured and sign the contract." The people working for him nodded and agreed but they were once again surprised with the woman's next words.

"I've told you already, accepting this deal is only the bare minimum of what I can do to get what I want and I can do more to make anything or anyone mine. Signing this contract is one of them and I want to add one more clause, I want the CEO to head and oversee the project."

The room became silent.

"I already told you that night that if I find something I want, or rather someone, I'll grab every opportunity to make it real. Now that I have the chance to get to know him better, don't you think it would be a waste if I don't grab this chance?"

The way she said those words was so casual that one would think that this was not a conversation for a business partnership. Several pairs of eyes landed on the CEO of Empire. To think that there was someone bold enough to talk like that in front of the CEO was an experience they wouldn't forget. He was the owner of the largest business empire in Xefton City and he doesn't tolerate anyone undermining his decisions or talking him out from whatever he decided to do. Not one from the business partners would dare to request for him to personally handle a project.

"Ah, Miss Hernandez, we have competent people that the CEO trusts who will handle the project and Mr. Ishmael will make sure that nothing goes wrong with this project." Clint interrupted in his attempt to stop the woman from provoking their CEO.

Kazandra looked at Clint with a frown. "I am not talking to you."

Clint swallowed the words that he was about to say at the glare that he received. He leaned back and nervously looked at their CEO. The room became more tense at the change in Kazandra's attitude. They were then left speechless when her smile returned while looking at Mr. Ishmael.

Vega raised his hand and Evos leaned down. "Go and change the contract. Add what she requested."

Vega looked at his secretary and gave him a nod. He left the room and immediately prepared the revised contract. There was only silence as they waited for the new contract to come. Neither one of them spoke in fear of offending either Vega or Kazandra.

Clint reached out for the glass of water on the table and took large sips. His assistant who was sitting beside him kept glancing at her boss, unsure of what to do.

The door to the conference room finally opened followed by a sigh of relief from Clint. Evos looked at them with a smile before he placed the contract in front of Kazandra. The flipping of the crisp paper was loud inside the silent room. She was satisfied with what she saw.

The atmosphere lightened at the sound of the pen scratching through the surface of the paper. Clint was relieved that the contract was finally signed. Kazandra handed back the documents and Evos handed it to Vega after making sure that all pages were signed.

"I'm looking forward to working with you Mr. Ishmael." Kazandra stood up and flashed a smile at the CEO of Empire.

Vega's eyes twitched a bit before he gave Kazandra a nod. "Evos, please escort Ms. Hernandez."

After the woman left the room, Vega handed one copy of the contract to Clint. The man read through the contents of the documents and was proven that the CEO would personally work on the project. It even specifically stated that he would be the head of the collaboration.

"Are you sure about this sir? You are already busy managing the other departments and now you will be heading this project." Clint looked at the serious man.

"You wanted Vignier and I wanted the people behind it, this is only a small sacrifice. If I want Empire to compete in the market of Zaithan City, I will need enough backing and power to do so. Zaithan City is different from Xefton City, although Empire is doing well in that city, it isn't enough."

After the proposal was drafted, the collaboration between Vignier and Empire was announced to the board of directors and a team was formed to assist Vega. A series of meetings was also conducted with Vignier's team to finalize the plan. The collaborative plan was finalized after revisions and was ready to be implemented which excited the people involved.

It was a chilly night and they just finished their last meeting. Vega and his subordinates walked their guests out of the building. Each team was harmoniously talking with each other when a clear and sweet voice made them stop from their tracks. They all looked behind them with wide eyes because of what they heard.

"Come and have dinner with me," Kazandra stopped and looked at the man who was walking beside her. "Let's have a deeper conversation. This time it will be my treat."

There was silence before the man's deep voice rang, "I will take you on that offer then."