Chapter 41: Chapter 41

"That hasn't happened before...Jason do you know the cause of it?"Victor walked as he slammed the file he was going to and looked at the two people standing before him with narrowed eyes. He never knew of a day when he had to say his company was going down but seeing the various replies for the past three months he wasn't happy

"Sir...we have new competitors I'm afraid?"Jason said nervously, not sure how to deliver the bad news. Priscilla felt the same because this was a big deal. With the new ival company they had. They could face some serious publicity competition

"Who is it?''Victor asked although he had an idea of who it could be. Jason and Priscilla exchanged glances and were about to answer when the study room door flew open getting Victor's attention and it was Leo who walked in looking all happy in a flashing navy blue suit. Priscilla looked at him for a while but averted her eyes shyly

"What took you so long?"Victor asked coldly and Leo smiled even more as he nodded at Jason and Priscilla who immediately left from there and closed the door.

"So did you miss me...I look dashing right?"Leo asked showing Victor his new look but the victor wasn't interested as he narrowed his eyes coldly

"I went away and came back...I thought I'd find you a little different"Leo remarked rolling his eyes in annoyance seeing his friend still the same. Leo took a sit and picked up the file on victor's desk and started going through

"So it seems your rivals want it all... I was called to do a commercial for the Moreno's"saying that Leo put back the file on the desk and Victor's expression morphed into a dark one. Leo understood why his friend was not happy about the news however everything was fair in business

"So he came back?"Victor asked coldly. He knew who was the new president of the Moreno group of companies. As much as he knew his company was the best in the country and all over. He never outlooked the existence of the Moreno family..rich and famous and known for their good achievements over the years

"Bro I got info from my source about something...do you have a good project for the upcoming showcase?"Leo asked more seriously. He wasn't a businessman but he understood the threat which came with the Moreno's. Their eldest son was shrewd and got things by hook or by crook

"I have that covered...I don't think you need to worry about my capabilities" Victor said clenching his hand in a tight fist. He hated it when it came to the Moreno's. Even before he had a problem with the eldest son and now he was back in the city he didn't want trouble

"Ms. Payton is the target...it seems the little one is in high demand... Vic, it's good you got her first, and please convince her to be our permanent employee later on" Leo said looking at Victor who was angry. He was bound to be angry when he had something the Morenos wanted. Every company desired to have formidable employees to bring some good ideas to the table and with Vivienne's good school records.. she earned herself a few admirers

"She's mine...he better watch it...I won't be so lenient" he hated sharing especially something which was his completely. If his rival wanted to get his hands on something which wasn't his then he knew any better than to start away

"I heard you gave her the other project...what happened to giving it to a group of capable employees to work on it...how sure are you that she can do it single-handedly "Leo failed to understand Victor at times, especially anything concerning Vivienne. At times he was lethal, he gave the woman he was interested in a project which was crucial to work on alone. At least he needed to treat her like other interns

"I need new ideas...let's see if she's capable," he said knowing full well he didn't do a good thing treating the little redhead impartially. Unfortunately, he just wanted to see how capable she was because he had full faith in her intelligence. Back in the past, she used to do things that amused him

Several times she snooped on his work and made a few changes. Of course, his Surrogate didn't know he used to notice that. She had a vast imagination and a mind of a businesswoman although she still needed a little push to reach her full peak

"So did you propose to her...Vic, you need to be serious about her...if not you might just lose her"Leo said because he didn't want Victor to keep his feelings from being known by Vivienne. They both deserved to be with each other because Mauricio Moreno had his sights on Vivienne. Then things would get complicated, especially with Victor as the man who would ruin anyone who even dared to have eyes for what was his

After that conversation, Leo and Victor talked about random things concerning the company affairs.

***

(Vivienne)

"A... Alex are you sure we need all this?"I asked when she kept shoving all kinds of food in the cart we took. Since it was a good Sunday, Alexis and I decided to do some shopping for groceries. We needed to restock our kitchen hence we bathed got ready and took a taxi to the mall now both of us were busy getting all the foodstuff we needed

"Cheese...Nah, "Alexis said and shut the refrigerator when I asked her to get cheese for me. I think Victor loved cheeseburgers more than sandwiches which were why I took some cheese. Alex hated cheese the most

"I think we need more...how bout you go to the other side and I'll head to the supermarket"I suggested seeing how worked up we were. It was best I went to the supermarket within the mall and got some greenies while I bought foodstuff and some other things we needed.

"Yeah, good idea...I think I might need some sanitary" she said with laughter which had me rolling my eyes in annoyance while walking away from there. I left Alexis laughing at her jokes and concentrated more on what I wanted

Taking the elevator to my destination. I found another cart but I only took a single basket since I didn't want to drag it around and started loading in some veggies. I wanted as many fruits as I could find. Hence I walked around the quiet place. It was huge and each section was separated by rolls making it easy for me to find what I wanted. I saw various people were busy shopping for what they wanted.

"Ms. Do you need any help?" someone walked up to me and said and looking at the lady dressed in her uniform I shook my head and dragged my cart away. It was heavy but I didn't mind as I threw in some fresh apples. I didn't even mind how filled it was but I was beginning to feel tired as it was hurting my hands

"Damn it...what was I thinking?"I muttered cursing myself as I stopped to place the basket down but suddenly the home snapped giving me a bad vibe and just as everything was about to fall and scattered around

"Careful Ms" a pair of strong hands caught the basket before it could snap, saving the day and when I lifted my head. I was stunned to see a familiar face grinning at me.

"Umm.. it seems you took the wrong one...why didn't you take a trolley?" the man asked and took the basket in his arms even when I didn't ask for help

"Sir...please I can manage..just a minor setback," I said more seriously because it was the same man I met at the club. I completely forgot about him but he was just grinning at me

"Are you always this stubborn?" he asked as he stabilized the basket more in his arms and looked at me with arched brows. I didn't know him nor what he was doing here

"I'm sorry but I have work if you don't mind...may I have my basket back" I was as polite as I could be. He was a total stranger. I didn't want any trouble, especially with a man in an elegant suit

"It's Mauricio remember…" he said with a small frown saying his name as if I asked for it

"Do you have a problem huh...I mean do I look like someone interested in playing around like a kid!"I lashed out, not sure what he was doing, holding my basket hostage. If he wanted to be a hero then he better helps someone else maybe the old lady struggled to choose between oranges and raw mangoes

"You are right Ms...I have a problem...come I'll be your cart while you choose your veggies" he said with a mischievous grin which made him look cute. "I have at least twenty minutes to spare, ''he added, glancing at his silver Rolex wristwatch and looking at me with a charming smile. I didn't see him the previous night but I had to say he was good-looking. A nice jawline and a clean shaved beard gave him a bossy aura. With a protruding slightly long nose, his scent was of wood and mixed fragrances reminding me of someone who worked in a construction company. His laugh was more charming so was his voice and his eyes were a bit small but alert. He was a little lean with not so broad shoulders but the suit he was wearing fit him just fine and he was taller than me making me appear like some kid before him but altogether I didn't like his friendliness with me.