The night view of Elliot's factory is a completely different event. Lying in the lap of stars, protected by shiny bright lights and filled by beautiful cars, it's no less than a monument for me. There's a certain power to being the owner of such a big factory that I desperately want to feel some day. I own a company, but it's not the same thing as owning a factory like this.

Since Elliot was already informed by me that I would be joining him tonight, the guards must have scanned the number plates of my car because the gates opened just as I neared. I didn't have to wait. I must admit, I felt really special like I was someone very important. Which doesn't happen a lot to me. I'm on the verge of being thrown out from the places I call home.

I take a minute to wonder about my life as I keep on driving till I reach the main area.

Exactly what kind of a life am I living? My job's a mess, my family doesn't talk to me, I go home to an empty place, my friend quit his job to follow his dream, I'm living my dream but not freely and on top of that, I'm boringly single.

I recognize the spot where I parked my car the last time and mentally, I associate it as my spot if there's a future for me to ever return here.

I reach the elevator on the exterior of the building, as I recall coming down from it last time. I guess this is the elevator that is especially for the CEO's office.

Lazy CEO, can't even take a few steps, my subconscious snorts and I agree with it.

As the floors keep on passing by, I arrange the words over in my head again and again. Am I about to say what I'm thinking? Is it the correct decision?

It's obvious for me to second guess every move I make, but what needs to be done, has got to be done.

The elevator door opens and my breath gets caught in my lungs, my mouth runs dry and my cheeks go red. I can feel them getting warmer. My hands are cold and slow because I'm nervous as I look at him.

Elliot Walters is standing in front of me and I am not moving!

He smiles at me, "come out now, the elevator has to descend."

I smile back as I blush even harder than before. I walk out. Just as the elevator doors close behind me, he seeks permission to hold my hand. I release my hand into his palm and he pecks it, like the last time. He always shows good manners before and after the meeting but during the meeting, I know he will turn into a big beast.

Well, for all the good reasons today, I'm in a free-spirited mood, and whatever dart he brings at me, I'll be ready to catch it and spin it back on him. I'm not going away without a win for myself out of the argument that is bound to happen.

I go somewhere and a fight doesn't break out?! Never!

I entered his office for the second time this week. Wow! Who thought what started as mere curiosity would morph into this complex situation. There you have the living proof to the saying, curiosity killed the cat.

But they never said, who's the cat? Did they. Maybe it's Elliot.

"Honestly, I was expecting a no-show, Miss Jones but it's very respectable of you to keep your word," he says as he sits on his chair.

"I said I'll be here tomorrow and here I am. My word matters to me," I reply as I lean back in my chair comfortably.

As I sit in front of him, a thought crosses my mind. He's sitting on the big boss chair and still, he has no power over me because he desperately wants me to agree to his proposal but on the contrary, I am sitting on the opposite end of the table with the thing that he wants most.

"I am the prize, Mr. Elliot and it's only valid if you prove to me that you are worthy of it," I say, spinning in my chair a little bit. I know my body language combined with my words will drive his alpha male personality mad.

But he smirks as a huge smile breaks out on his face. He laughs two to three times and after that, he lays both of his hands under his chin and leans on the table as he places his elbows on it and rests his chin between his hands, " Oh miss Jones, you think you have it all figured out. It's honestly very cute to see you like this," he says.

"Well am I not the prize that you want? Forgive me if I have misunderstood your deal?" I say, my tone laced with the attitude that I know I possess. I have never denied it. It is one of my negative traits but sometimes I use it as a weapon to manipulate my way through a deal. All I need is leverage, and I have it here irrespective of his agreement.

He nods his head, "have you forgotten the part where I said I will expose your crime."

I smirk, " And what proof do you have of that?"

"I have a witness," he says calmly. His smirk was gone. I have a feeling he knows which way this is headed.

"And who might that be," I cross my legs as I play with the infinity gold bracelet on my hand. My tone is laced with sarcasm, laughter, and mockery.

His jaw clicks, " I have a feeling you think I'm bluffing."

I uncross my legs and bend forwards on the table, flattening my arms and hands on it, " Oh! Why would I do such a thing? All I need is the name of the witness and I will believe what you said, " I dare him to say the name out loud.

He looks me in my eye. He's judging the pros and cons of disclosing the name plus he's trying to find out my game. I gave this game my whole night, if he figures it out in a few minutes, my intelligence will be severely insulted.

"James," he finally speaks up.

I stand up from my seat in mock anger as I start to throw a fake tantrum, " Oh my God! That asshole! My best friend did this to me! That's how he got his job here? By saying shit about me! I can't believe he would stoop down to this level," I scream these words. Man! I sounded fake.

After I'm done with the war of words, I sit back down and perform a fake yawn and I snap my fingers while doing that. I blink my eyes two to three times, pretending to shut out the fake sleep.

He rolls his eyes at me as he sees my performance as fifty cents worth of acting, " How did you figure it out?" He asks me, finally.

"Tell me, Elliot. Do you deserve to know? ''. Now my time to play the games has begun.

"You thought you could threaten me? You called me a fake, then you said my company is failing, then you manipulated my best friend to quit his job for which he worked so hard, for what? To come here and do your dirty job? You thought I won't figure it out that you would use his name as bait to lure me in. You shot an arrow in the dark, Elliot. You said you had a witness when in reality James doesn't even know about the offer you made me so then how could he have told you that it was me who wanted to cause that explosion?" My voice is cold as a glacier, as I sneer the words at him.

I stare at him with so much venom in my eyes. I thought he was a business shark, I never imagined he would stoop down to the level of hurting me. Lying is one thing, but blaming me for that incident. That was low of him.

He looks down at the table. He doesn't meet my eyes. How could he?

Good, if he's ashamed. He should be.

He had me believing that he thought I was a bad person. That must mean that he knew that his opinions mattered to me. That's where I went weak. I never should've cared about what he thought of me, but I know it in my heart, I still do.

Even if he decided to walk all over me, I would still care what he thinks about me.

"I never meant for it to get this far. I heard about the incident and I saw it as a moment to grab leverage over you because trust me when I say this, I have wanted you to work me for such a long time but you're so busy, so out of reach that it's impossible to contact you," he says, still not meeting my eyes.

I scoff, " trust you? How delusional can you be to expect that from me? "

"Did you hear anything else except that? He begs.

When I don't reply, he continues, ''If I would have been able to get in touch with you the decent way, I would've. Believe me, I tried!" He tries his helpless voice with me, but no, it's not going to work on me.

"Elliot, one doesn't become small in asking for help so don't give me this bullshit. You had enough guts to give me your number but you couldn't ask for help?" I retort in anger. Somehow, I find whatever he's saying hard to believe and I am so pissed off.

He took things too far.

I don't reply. I get up from my chair and walk towards the window. I can feel his eyes following me as I see the movement of his neck in the faint reflection in the mirror.

"You wanted me to work for you?" I ask him, as I fold my hands in front of my chest, staring out the window.

I see multiple cars being tested on the racetrack. I bet they're testing the speed on these beauties!

"Yes," I hear his reply in a calm voice.

He's uttering one word which means he's probably overthinking what to say, I guess he doesn't want to say anything that can complicate the situation even more.

" Why not work with me, Elliot? Why work for me?" I turn around to look at him. I look at him like I want answers because I honestly do.

I need to know why he thought blackmailing me with a false claim was the correct and the only way to go about things?

"I....," he looks at me begging for me to help him out.

"Don't look at me like that. I can't help you out, only you can, by letting me know why you did what you did," I say sternly.

He shakes his head as he lets out a breath he had been holding, " I like to be the boss of all the things. I want to be in control and I want to be freaking number one. I don't like being the second best and I don't like being replaced," he stood up as he said these words passionately but with anger. It's like he's cursing the words for being true.

I'm scared at how easily I relate to him. My brain takes the opposite stand on this situation from my heart.

Where my brain says- how can someone hate the truth they're saying but my heart knows better - when we are forced to do some things that we don't want to do, that's when we hate the truth.

He comes to stand next to me and looks at me with soft eyes. He looks at me like he's begging me to help him out.

"Please Charlotte just consider this as a strong man's weak and a poor decision," he begs in a soft voice.

I will not let it melt me. I will say what I came here to say.

"I accept your proposal. I will work for you," I say without an ounce of tenderness in my voice. I'm drawing the line and he knows it.

"But....," he asks me. His tone is vigilant now. He's aware that he has a price to pay and the businessman in him is very attentive.

"You have to back ARCANE in the market. You have to show it unofficial support. Consider yourself as an unofficial partner and what you're getting in return is my services to your factory. Agree to this and we have a deal, " I drop the bomb and I don't even look at him.

He said I wanted to cause that explosion right? That I would have killed so many people without even caring about them?

Well then, let him have a taste of his own medicine. How does it feel now that I don't care about the train wreck that I've caused him?

"Charlotte, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I'm friends with your competitors! How can I drop them and join you?" He asks me outraged.

I give him an impassive look, "consider the deal rejected. I'm leaving," I turn around and start walking towards the door.

"Wait," I hear from behind me.

I stop in my tracks. I don't bother to turn around, already knowing what he is about to say.

"Offer accepted Charlotte, but please listen-," he starts talking but I walk out giving him my cold back.

As I exit the factory, my confident facade disappears. I feel like crap. Whatever happened up there wasn't me. Whatever has been happening in my life ever since that stupid explosion a few months back has ruined me.

I didn't realise I had been holding back tears. Only when a warm droplet touches the skin under my eyes, do I realise that I'm crying.

My heart is so heavy with the shit it's been dealing with. Only someone with alien powers will be able to understand that talking to Elliot that way has affected me so deeply. It killed me inside when he couldn't look into my eyes.

I am so disgusted with myself because I gave him so much shit for trying to have leverage over me when in reality, I'm no different.

I did the same. I pinned him down with my leverage.

In the process, I beguiled our deal.

What could have been a simple innocent deal where both of us favoured it, I turned it into a dirty trick to market my product.

I'm using him for his status as a billionaire.

I should be ashamed of myself.

With thoughts like this coursing through my brain, I race into the night, driving fast to get home and bury myself in my bed and cry my guilt to sleep while hoping for tomorrow to be better.

***
Author's note
I'm not perfect and I have never been in a situation like my character's here but I believe that they're mature enough to deal it and I need not create extra drama in this chapter. Let me know after you read it, if it should have been more intense. Would genuinely like to know this, so that I can edit it out later.

Love, Leena ❤❤
Bye-bye until next time