NALEDI’S POV
I got to a building with Luka’s name on it.
It seemed like an office building. Big, fancy and glassy. I’d mistake it for an actual business building if I didn’t know better.
As soon as I got out of my fancy car, I walked into the building with Marcus tailing behind me like the bodyguard he was supposed to be on this mission. I had contacted Luka prior to my coming so it wasn’t a surprise when I saw the double doors open and he walked out wearing a pristine black suit.
“Amara!” He spoke with a smile, “Welcome to my building.” Luka extended an arm, asking to walk me up in a gentlemanly way.
I let my hand slide into his and joined him in step.
“A beautiful place you’ve got here,” I remarked, looking around as we passed employees who greeted us in one way or the other before continuing their jobs.
“I try.” He said most modestly and we walked into the elevator, with Marcus tailed behind me of course. “I figured if you were going to be my partner, you should see the business side of me.”
His tone deflected a hint of pride. I didn’t blame him. If I ran a multi-billion dollar chain of businesses, albeit shady, I figured I wouldn’t be the humblest woman in the room.
We got to the utmost floor of the building and I rolled my eyes. Typical. Our journey to the CEO’s office was short, which saw the dismissal of Marcus who was made to wait outside until my meeting was over.
“Nice office you got here,” I stated, liking the melancholy of it all. Then my tone turned serious. “Let’s get to business shall we?”
Luka did a double-take on me. “I don’t know which version of you I like better. The no-nonsense business woman or the-”
I narrowed my eyes when he stopped so abruptly. “Or the?” I prompted but he shook his head. An all-knowing glint in his eye.
“Let’s just say I’m intrigued by you.”
I nodded my head. Knowing he couldn’t tell me even if he wanted to. I could imagine how hard it would be to tell someone how you met them in a certain situation, nearly drained her blood and somehow managed to wipe away their memory afterwards.
Luka pushed back some documents in front of me. “Here you go, I’ll give you time to go through it. You can sign the papers, and then we get to other interesting things.”
I refused to comment on his words. Taking up the papers, I skimmed through them, eyes widening as I read more and more of the ridiculous business proposal.
“What is this?” I asked in a calm tone, and he smiled.
“The new trade. A new chain of hospitals across Africa. I’ve heard they lack those, so you can imagine the profits we can get by pushing more hospitals in strategic locations and the lives that would be saved by them all.”
I resisted a scoff. How wonderful. Luka Donatello was a pathological liar. What did he take me for?
“Interesting dream,” I said, closing the file. “Anything else you need to tell me about this new trade?”
“As you know, Africa is a big place, we need all the money we can get to kick off the project.” His eyes met mine, “And I’m talking in the billions.”
An amused glint laced my eyes, “Last I checked, you didn’t need anymore hand in the business. More profit equals fewer partners, remember?”
“Of course. I have my hands all over the project. But since you want in on the trade, I figured you might as well invest in it. Business is business.”
My lips stretched into a smirk. “I think I have been mistaken so I will clear the air on this.” My face turned serious. “When I heard you needed a partner for a new profitable venture, I approached you, believing you could turn my money into gold. But I was wrong.”
“I am not looking to invest in the creation of hospitals, no matter how profitable they would be in coming years. I think I’ll take my business elsewhere.” I got up, “Apologies for wasting your time. You can call up the many others looking to partner with you. I’ll pass.”
Luka got up. “You seem to have come here with certain expectations, love.”
There was that endearment I hated. “Of course. And I have clearly been disappointed.”
“You don’t like the business?” He said with a smirk. “This is the exact reason I don’t share in on the plans. Usually, I just get the money from my partners, multiply it and give them their cut. No need to know the details of the business.”
“You want me to invest in something I don’t have faith in?” I shook my head, “Would you?”
“If I have been assured of profitable rewards of my investment. I don’t care about whatever they intend to do with the money, love. I needn’t faith to invest in it. If said person is confident enough, why not?”
By now he was in front of me. My hands grazed the curve of his jaw. “You see, that’s the difference between me and others. Amara Cordel does not play luck with her money. If I did, I wouldn’t have taken my father’s company to the length they are.”
“No matter how excellent you are at your job, If I don’t see a vision worth investing in, I don’t.”
Luka seemed entertained by my words. “Interesting. What would you call a vision worth investing in? Or should I say, a business worth investing in?”
Now he was drawing words from my mouth. “For example. The Cordel group of companies was alive long before we were born.” I didn’t miss the amusement in his eyes from my words. “We are known for our large investments in real estate and other profitable businesses. When I took over power, I found if I wanted to be more, I needed to do more.”
I placed my hands inside my purse and pulled out my pink gun. That caught him by surprise. “For instance, this baby right here is one of my beautiful creations from when I decided to try my hand at arms creation.”
A smirk. “I believe you can imagine what a profitable business that has been.”