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AS LIVIA TALKED TO MR. DONOVAN,
the tension between James and her was thick enough to be cut with a knife.
Livia could feel his burning gaze on her, which made the whole situation even more thrilling.

She made her move.
And it was a bold move.

With a confident smile, Livia slipped effortlessly into conversation with Mr. Donovan.

"You know, Mrs. Ashwand. I was quite surprised to see you with Beaufort tonight." The man said. He leaned forward towards her.

"Considering his family and yours have never gotten along well," the man said, and Livia shrugged.

"Yes, well but I'm ready to take the best opportunities." she said, careful not to divulge any more information and make herself vulnerable.
Mr. Donovan pierced her with his sharp eyes. He looked intrigued and nodded thoughtfully as he took a sip of his drink. Liv sipped her glass too and let her eyes wander over the people around her again.

"I've heard a lot about Ashwand lately. You seem to be making some big moves, Miss Ashwand." The man then said and Livia smiled, accepting the compliment gratefully.

"We've been working hard to be ahead of the curve. It always has to be more than just keeping up. The whole market, the other companies, it's all about setting the pace.. for me." she said, now piercing him with her eyes.
Then she looked back down at her hands, allowing a brief silence to fall between them for her words to sink in.

"Big words Mrs. Ashwand, really bold I'd say!"Mr. Donovan said and nodded. It made Livia realize she had him on the hook.

"Yes." She said and then looked at the man, looking into his drink, as if he's inspecting it.

"Mr. Donovan, I've heard a lot about your work." She began warmly, lowering her voice and leaning forward just enough to make it personal.

"And after our conversation earlier, when you told me about your statistics and visions for your company." She said, smiling. Her enthusiasm was rather fake. She had been so incredibly bored by his yapping about his statistics and percentages that she created.

"I think Ashwand Enterprises might be the perfect partner for your latest project. I'm introducing the new line soon and we've beenย  developing some initiatives that are quite close to your goals, I think."

As they talked, Livia could sense James' presence, even though he wasn't there.
She knew he would be watching her, but this was her moment and she wasn't going to let it slip away.
She leaned a little closer to Donovan and lowered her voice.

"I mean Beaufort Industries is undoubtedly impressive," she said in a soft and controlled tone.

"But if you're looking for a partner who is not just reactive, but proactive! A partner who knows where the market is going and adapts before anyone else does. Someone who thinks more steps into the future, then Ashwand is your answer Mr. Donovan" she said, seeing how intrigued the man was.
She saw his eyes wander over her dress, which accentuated her figure, as she leaned forward.

"We don't just follow trends," she said, her eyes boring into his thoughts.

"We create the trends." She said, leaning back.

"You know just what to say, don't you miss Ashwand?" Mr. Donovan chuckled.

"You got that from your father!" He said and Livia felt her stomach twist painfully. She forced a smile.


























โ€ข


















As Livia was still engrossed in conversation with Mr. Donovan, she noticed a change in the atmosphere, signifying the unmistakable presence of James Beaufort as he entered the table. She saw the eyes that were drawn to him as he walked towards her and fixed his gaze on Mr. Donovan.
Livia tensed slightly, but kept her nonchalant expression as James approached the table.
Donovan met the boy's gaze and then signaled for James to join them.

"Mr. Beaufort, have a seat! I've just heard from your competitor here about some interesting tactics on the market. But I understand you're also launching a new line, am I right?"
James' eyes darted to Livia, there was a barely concealed sharpness in his gaze, but his smile remained intact.

"I'm sure it's fascinating," he replied, sitting down next to her. His knee touched hers under the table, causing her heart to jump slightly. She wondered if it was accidental or meant as a warning.

"And yes, you're right. Beaufort Industries has a few developments of its own that could be of interest to you, Mr. Donovan."
His voice was calm, calculated, every word full of confidence.

James talked about the new line, about plans for the future. Livia was almost certain he was watching her out of the corner of his eye. He was testing her, challenging her for an answer. She waited until he finally finished his endless bluffing.

"What do you think, Livia?" James then said and leid his eyes on her.

"You're a bit quiet, I never see you like that." James said to her, his voice soft, almost caring but the girl knew that he was trying to mock her.
He tilted his head towards her, and Livia felt her eyes on him as she looked down at her hands.

You initiated this Beaufort! She thought as she chose her next words to be ruthless.
She looked up, leaning her elbows in the desk.

"Beaufort Industries has a different model than ours, if I may say so. It's based on size and frequent, quick numbers." She began in a professional but undeniably sharp tone,

"Which means it, unfortunately, can be slower to react to sudden changes in the market. Ashwand Enterprises, on the other hand, is now designed for agility. I work with my team to be able to adapt quickly and respond to new data and trends, like I said before. That's the difference between a cruise ship and a speedboat."
James' jaw tightened slightly, but he didn't interrupt her. Instead, he leaned forward without taking his eyes off her.
Donovan nodded, clearly intrigued by the dynamic between the two of them.

"It's really interesting listening to you Mrs Ashwand." he said in a thoughtful voice,
James smirked, his eyes twinkling with a mixture of amusement and annoyance.

"Oh, it's definitely captivating." The blonde boy said, his tone was smug and let tingles run down Liv's spine. She knew there was a silent threat in his words.

"I wouldn't say captivating is the right word." She said, still smiling charmingly.
She turned to James, her smile firm.

"Ah there it is! The usual animosity between Beaufort and Ashwand." Mr Donovan laughed.

"I suppose it will never go away!" The man said and leaned back. Livia gave him a quick glance.

"I guess we just believe in different strategies. One of us.." she said, turning to Donovan and pointing in between her and James.

"-Prefers to charge in and create a whole mess! While the other believes in precision and timing."
James leaned forward, his voice low and dangerous as he countered.

"Or maybe one of us is just better at recognizing opportunity when it knocks." His voice was low as he pulled his eyebrows up.

"You say that as if one would recognize it in your company?" asked Livia teasingly, her eyes meeting James's. She could see the anger starting to itch him from the inside and his gaze turned arrogant again.
Donovan looked between them with a sly smile, obviously enjoying the show.

"Recognition comes when there is something worth noting. Not everyone has that luxury, I suppose."
His eyes flicked to her, the insult subtle but unmistakable.

"Well! it seems I have a lot to think about," Donovan then said, standing up and finishing his drink. Both Livia and James got ripped out of their passive fighting.

"You'll be hearing from me." He said, nodding to Livia and then James as he put on his jacket.
They both stood up and shook Donovan's hand in turn.
As Donovan walked away, leaving the two of them alone at the table, the air felt electric, as if it would burst at any moment.
James turned to her, his voice low.

"You really couldn't resist, could you?!" He asked in a sibilant tone.

"Me resist? If you hadn't barged in, everything would have been fine, but now we've both lost him! Good job Beaufort." She said, patting him on the shoulder and making to leave, but James grabbed her by the upper arm.

"Don't blame me for this, you're the one who took him from me in the first place." He said and Livia scoffed.

"I've already spoken to him by then. Just admit it Beaufort, you were too slow. Again." She said and yanked her arm out of his grasp. She looked at her watch and saw that it was already midnight, so her driver would be there soon.
James scoffed and ran a hand over his face as he watched her go.














โ€ข



















When Livia walked out of the hall and into the fresh night air, she heard steps behind her. Shortly after that, someone gripped her upper arm and dragged her along.

"You're a moron Livia." She heard the voice of her father and everything inside her froze.

"Dad?" She asked shocked. She thought he was at some charity event with her mother.
The girl felt her blood rush in her ears, the fresh air around her suddenly seemed thick and suffocating.

"I asked one thing of you. One thing!" He said as they walked to their car, a bit further away from the whole event. When they arrived, he pushed her forward, so she would stumble against the car.

"It was not my plan to get involved with him!" She snapped back, her eyes looking at her father's strict and cold gaze.

"Then why do I see you fooling around with him as soon as I let you out alone?!!" His voice grew louder and Liv knew that he would snap any moment.

"I tried to keep away. But I saw the opportunity of the moment and I took it! In fact I- I got Mr. Donovan-.."

"YOU'RE RUINING the reputation of our company-.." he started but Liv interrupted him, just like he did.

"I CREATED the new line! I PUSHED the company forward the last month!" She empathized the 'I' pointing to herself.

"Have you forgotten WHO built this company?! WHO worked day and night to bring it to the point where it is?!" Her father hissed, walking closer to her.

"Get in the car!" He said pointing to the black vehicle again.

"I didn't do anything wrong." Liv said, keeping her ground and crossing her arms before her chest.

"This is MY company ur ruining and I'm NOT gonna let you soil it with another scandal!" Her father said and Livia felt anger boil inside of her, cause he, again, called the tragic death of her brother a scandal.

"This is our FAMILIE'S company. YOU just married into it." Liv yelled, her eyes narrowed and her tone sharp.

The next thing she knew, was hearing a slap and feeling his hand on her face. She held her burning cheek and looked shocked into her father's eyes.

"Say something like that to me again and I'll show you how to behave, you'll see!" He hissed, aggressively.

"Get in, NOW!" He hissed, his eyes ripped open and his finger pointed to the black car.
Livia didn't say another word. She stepped into the backseat, feeling a tear run down her cheek.


What she didn't know was that James had followed her and was watching the whole time.
























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1945 words

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