NEW YORK CITY
[At Staniforth Construction. . .]
~
Lorenzo Staniforth breezed into his office with the stride of a charismatic boss while his assistant, Walton, followed right behind him.
"How's it going with our Dubaian Prince?"
"Sheikh Hassan bin Saeed will arrive in New York to sign the contract in four days," Walton replied flatly.
"Great!" A subtle smile tugged at the corner of Lorenzo's lip before he slid into his chair. "What arrangements have been made to receive him?"
Walton cleared his throat, shifting his weight ever so slightly. "The General Manager of the S. Hotels has been informed of the Sheikh's visit, and the VVIP suite is already being prepared for his arrival."
Lorenzo nodded.
His priority was to seal this deal with Sheikh Hassan no matter what. The project would not only boost the value of S. Construction but also put him on a pedestal rivaled by no one—not even that waste-of-oxygen half-brother of his.
His half-brother, Andreas Staniforth, had been a thorn in his flesh from the very first day he knew of his existence up till now.
Lorenzo had worked the past year tirelessly making his own mark in Stani-CORP as the CEO of one of their daughter companies, S. Construction. But somehow his half-brother had found a way to overshadow him.
Continuously.
Andreas was blooming as the CEO of S. Tech. Just a few days ago, he'd received the best CEO award. AGAIN. For the third time in a row.
The annoying fact was that he had gotten to that point without breaking a sweat. He was shamelessly reaping the fruit of their sister's hard labor even though it had cost her life.
And what was even more annoying was the fact that Andreas was their father's golden child. . . the perfect thing that ever came from his loins.
Lorenzo was sure that his father wouldn't waste any time making Andreas his successor after stepping down as chairman.
And that made him a tad uneasy.
However, he was certain his father wasn't retiring anytime soon. So he'll worry about that when the time comes. For now, he had to worry more about his father appointing Andreas as the President of Stani-CORP.
THAT. . . he couldn't let happen.
He could let anyone else have it. . . ANYONE but Andreas.
He didn't deserve to be in that position or any position at all. Not when he was the reason their sister had taken her life.
His eyes locked on Walton before saying, "We cannot afford even the slightest mistake, Walton. Missing this opportunity is not an option, understood?"
Walton dipped his head slightly. "Of course, sir."
"What's next on my schedule?"
A slight frown marred Walton's face as his gaze dropped to the tablet in his hand. "Ah, yes. The grand opening of Miss O'Connell's Opera House is scheduled to begin at 6:00 pm. We have barely twenty minutes to be there if we want to be on time."
OH, ASHLEY!
The thought of her brought back memories of last night's ordeal which he'd been desperately trying to ignore the entire day.
He couldn't believe his entire plan was destroyed all because of that creepy blonde.
Ashley O'Connell wasn't just a lover.
She was the one and only child of the Mayor, the nation's Soprano Queen, and his ticket to winning the presidential seat of Stani-CORP.
Lorenzo's father, the old shitlord, had promised the presidential position as a wedding gift to whomever, amongst his sons, who would marry Ashley.
And to make matters even better. . . Ashley was Andreas' one true UNREQUITED love.
Talk about killing two birds with one stone.
He could win brownie points with his father and also make his half-brother miserable.
How beautiful.
His plan had been so expertly schemed, but all that was gone now!
Ashley had had only one condition when she'd agreed to be his girlfriend, and that was to keep their relationship exclusive which meant killing his Playboy habit.
And, for the first time in the history of his playboyism, he could swear with a clear conscience that he'd done nothing wrong this time around.
Last night's incident wasn't his fault. Hell, he didn't even know who that woman was or where she'd come from.
He was still confused by the entire incident which was all the more reason he shouldn't be blamed.
But Ashley wasn't going to believe him, was she?
And he couldn't even blame her, given all his notorious sexcapades.
He had no intention of ruining this relationship with her, at least not until he'd gotten what he wanted.
NO! He had to rectify this issue before it was too late.
"Ashley O'Connell! I hope you realize the length I'm willing to go for you." Lorenzo said under his breath before shifting his gaze back to Walton. "Did you get what I asked?"
"Yes, the bouquet was delivered a moment ago."
"Alright. Let's head out."
* * * *
A few minutes later, Lorenzo's car pulled up at the Ashley Opera House. It was a majestic building that rose high into the evening sky with a grandeur that cast shadows upon the fine cars lining up the street.
Walton quickly emerged from the car, darted to the back seat, and opened the door for Lorenzo.
Lorenzo's Italian bespoke shoe was the first to appear outside the door before his entire body came to light.
As he adjusted the buttons of his luxury beige tux, his eyes slowly took in the surroundings before he began to approach the entrance.
A red carpet colored the grand stairs leading to the entrances while fans, photographers, and reporters were crowded at each side of the barricades, taking photos of the celebrities.
Lorenzo took his time walking the red carpet. Posing for the camera and answering random questions from the press just like every other dignitary who arrived.
By the time he got to the entrance, Walton had already sorted out their tickets. And shortly afterwards, they were ushered into the auditorium's VIP loge.
As soon as Lorenzo sat on the red velvety seat, he began to scan the entire auditorium for any familiar face.
He was in an absolute good mood until his eyes drifted to the far end of the VIP row, where he spotted someone. . .
Someone who made him want to gouge his own eyes and toss them across the room.
His half-brother, Andreas Staniforth.