Arianna’s POV
Mike pulled the door open for me. Panic had started swallowing me and I couldn’t bring my body to leave the car.
My hands were shaking and I could feel the beads of sweat already threatening to ruin Olga’s hard work on my
face.
What if I ruined everything and Gabriele decided to sell me to someone who would treat me like the slave I was?
Oh my God!
Why did I even accept to do this in the first place?
“The princess is stuck to the car or what?” I heard Niko’s mocking voice behind Mike and my eyes narrowed.
I summoned up courage from somewhere within me just to save my face and got one leg out of the car.
I was still scared of the outcome of what I was going to do but I wouldn’t let Niko see how much it was affecting me.
I would rather go freak out in the bathroom!
“Are you okay?” Mike asked. “We can call the boss to reschedule the meeting if you are not feeling well…” He said with concern.
I raised my eyes and they met Niko’s scornful one as he laughed at my misery.
Fool! I would show him!
I straightened my back and pulled myself out of the car.
“I am fine, thank you, Mike. You are a sensible man,” I spat out hoping Niko had enough sense to realize it was a blow for him.
“Okay then. Let’s go,” Mike said, leading the way.
I pushed down my fears to the back of my mind and cat-walked like I had nothing to worry about.
Mike led me to the elevator which was just by the end of the large parking space we had been waiting at. He pressed the control key and the door slid open.
He stepped in first and I followed. Then Niko entered last. He gave me a funny look and I ignored him.
We were getting closer to the assignment. My anxiety was eating me from the bones. I didn’t have it in me to argue with him anymore.
I turned to the door and tried to keep my shaky hands from becoming visible. The elevator dinged and it commenced operation.
As the numbers increased, my heartbeat got faster and louder. It was a miracle Niko had not commented on it.
I was close to giving up and running away or something. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it.
One –Niko would laugh at me so badly, no comeback could save my reputation.
Two– Gabriele would sell me for ruining this deal.
What if he already wanted to sell me but was just looking for a justifiable reason to do it?
No, he said he believed I could do it. The other night when I had worked on his files he said he was impressed.
What if all of that were just to push me into doing it so he could sell me out?
Oh my God!
“When the boss told me she was going to do it, I knew he didn’t value this deal with the Asians,” Niko suddenly said, pulling me out of my panic attack.
I blinked away the tears that were swirling in my eyes and tightened my fist.
The fool was only trying to get at me, I wouldn’t even give him the privilege.
“He just wants her to do it and then fail at it… It would prove how useless these Americans are,” he said with a snicker.
Did he just say Americans were useless?!
My fists tightened and I was close to throwing a blow at him but I held myself back.
He was baiting me. I wouldn’t fall.
“I think American women are really smart though,” Mike said and I almost purred with gratitude.
“Thanks, Mike,” I mouthed at him and turned my concentration to the door once more, ignoring the fool that snickered silently.
I was holding on to my control with the last string in my body. Any more words from him and I was going to snap.
“You think every woman is smart… But I can assure you this particular one isn’t my dear friend!” He spat out and I felt the last string of control break.
“You think I am going to fail this assignment and I will be sold out?!” I said in a dangerously low voice.
“You must be dreaming, Niko!” I added with a determined smile.
“I would go in there and I would not only close this out, but I will also get more transactions open!”
As if the elevator had been waiting for me to say that last sentence, the door opened and I stepped out first.
There was a conference room ahead of me and I could see the Asians waiting through the glass door that separated the reception area we walked into to the conference room ahead of us.
“Welcome ma’am,” the receptionist greeted with a bright smile.
“Thank you,” I said, feeling more confident than I felt in the car.
I was going to show Niko what American women were capable of and he would swallow back those disgusting words he had spat out.
I continued walking in the direction of the conference room and I heard her shoes rush through the tiled floors as she came after me.
“Welcome Niko and Mike,” she said breathlessly.
“Ma’am sir Gabriele had said I should prep you on what the clients want-”
“A billion orders of our products transferred to their country in good condition and an expert from our end in one of their storerooms for a demonstration to their workers…”
“… of course this doesn’t mean we will refuse them. We will accept it but it will cost them extra. As long as they are ready to pay for the services, then it is a closed deal. Did I forget anything else?” I finished with a confident smile.
The receptionist or secretary – I am beginning to guess– was left with her mouth open wide as she stared at me.
“No- no- I mean, no, you didn’t forget anything ma’am,” she stuttered.
I threw a hard stare at Niko and he had the same dazed look.
Fool! He thought I wouldn’t remember!
“Shall we go inside now? Our clients must be exhausted from the long wait,” I said, clapping my hands like the lead actress in a movie about billionaires.
“Definitely!” Mike said, giving me a thumb’s up.
I cat-walked my way to the conference room and as I stepped in they all followed after me.
The men and one woman sat upright as soon as I walked in. I directed my legs to the seat at the head of the table and stopped there.
“Hello gentlemen and ladies,” I greeted with a small nod. “Apologies for coming in late, shall we begin?”
“Of course.”
“Yes.”
“Hello.”
Their responses chorused in the room like a band of well-mannered schoolchildren.
“Where is Mr. Gabriele?” The woman amongst them asked in a hot tone.
I glared at her for at least ten seconds until she backed down. Surely, Gabriele must have had something to do with her. Why was she being rude now?
I saw Mike move slightly closer to me and I waved him to stop. I knew how to handle sassy people like her.
“I am Arianna. Mr. Gabriele’s sales manager–” this wasn’t the job title we had decided on but saying I was his assistant sounded too light. I needed to scare off this woman.
“He is currently tied up in other business deals out of the country and I had to take his place. I believe you wanted to buy a Billion quantities of our products?”
I watched and enjoyed how the woman’s ego deflated in the room and she sank into her chair.
“Yes, we do,” the one who looks older than the rest of the men said.
“I am Mr. Choi. We had already discussed everything with Mr. Gabriele during the presentation. We love your product,” Choi said. He had a strong accent to his English but I could perfectly understand him.
“We only want to know his response to our request,” the man next to him said.
“You are Mr…” I trailed waiting for him to respond.
“Mr. Chen.”
“Yes, Mr. Chen. As a company policy, we allow our clients to bring in whatever amount of their personnel to our factories for training on how to make the best use of the products,” I started.
“But we are a continent away. We can’t afford to send a thousand people to Italy for a month’s training!” The woman fired back.
I smiled at her foolishness and said, “I understand that because your request states that we take down our personnel to your country to train your workers. That’s why we are forced to ask your company to pay for the movement of our staff and of course the product shipment itself.”
This was the moment I either won the transaction or lost.
“How much will it cost?” Mr. Choi asked.
My heart skipped a beat as I had forgotten this very detail.
“Two million dollars,” the secretary whispered into my ears –saving my life.
“Two million dollars,” I said, closing up my fingers on the table as I held my breath waiting for their response.
They spoke softly amongst themselves and I crossed my middle fingers secretly.
God, please let them accept this!
They turned back to me and I forced my back to stay straightened.
“We will pay four million dollars for two of your personnel to stay in our country for a month,” Mr. Chen said and I felt like screaming with excitement.