Page 14 of The Mogul: Leonard

His sharp gaze remains fixed on my face. The intensity of his scrutiny makes me feel uneasy, but I make sure to keep a smile on my face. Showing any signs of fear in front of him could be fatal.

Finally, a shark smile crosses his face. “I’m happy you chose not to cross paths with me. It would be a shame to squash your business. But don’t worry, with anything else you’ll be fine, as usual,” he says and I don’t miss the implication in his words.

My non-reply is confirmation for him. HD Security will be hearing from me as soon as I leave this place. I don’t care if it’s the middle of the night. We agreed not to utter a word about it. We signed a contract, and they breached it. I know my people didn’t do it. I trust them with my life, so the information had to come from someone else.

Philip puts a hand on my shoulder and squeezes, maybe for reassurance or maybe to let me know I don’t fool him, but I’m happy when he excuses himself and leaves.

When I finally reach the bar, I’m more nervous than before—the Philip debacle has made me more upset than Roxanne’s admirers.

“They let anyone come to these parties. I should tell my sister to be more selective with her guest list.” Roxanne’s voice brings me back to reality.

I turn toward her, leaning against the bar counter. She is even more gorgeous up close. She has a slight smile on her face, and I can’t tell if the cutting remark is a serious jab or if she is teasing me.

“Yes, people with pink hair shouldn’t be allowed in a grown-up place. Or the grown-ups should get a babysitter if they can’t leave their kids at home.” I grin, hoping she understands I’m joking and she doesn’t get offended.

She rolls her eyes and smiles. “At least I’m a bit colorful. You’re all dressed the same with freaking sticks up your butts. Do you all meet up somewhere to buy your identical tuxedoes?” she fires back.

She is a piece of work. I forgot how irritatingly teasing she can be.

“Right, and you’re the one matching your hair with the car you drive. How can you even think about coming to an event like this in your own car?” I point out.

I’m not too keen on people trying to be unconventional just to rock the boat. You can have your own ideas and be an individual but show some respect for the ones putting their hearts into organizing these kinds of things—her sister, in this case.

“Of course, I should pay for my limo with the money I make enslaving my employees in shitty jobs that barely pay enough to support their families while I become a billionaire. Wait, that’s you, not me. I don’t have that kind of money, but I do have my dignity.”

I feel the unease growing in my gut. How dare she judge me without even knowing me? She has no idea how I treat my employees, or she wouldn’t say those things. She’s just a kid playing hacker, thinking she’s better than anyone here because she drives a shitty car.

“I can see you’re still a brat.” Gone is my playful politeness.

“Last I checked, you were the one being rude to me,” she snaps, leaving all pretenses behind.

“And the last time I met you, you were the one acting like a spoiled teenager,” I reply.

She scoffs, clearly offended by my statement.

“Sorry to interrupt this lovely conversation, but they’re serving dinner.”

Raphael’s voice is like a cold shower. I suddenly realize I’ve lost my composure in a place full of people who know me and can tear me apart if I do something stupid, like fight with this girl.

It takes all my strength to get myself back in check and follow my friend to our table. Next to me, Roxanne struts with her chin high and long strides to keep up with us. God forbid she comes in second to someone.

When I look at the assigned places at our table, I lose my cool again. “Come on. Seriously? Next to her?” I ask Raphael, noticing Roxanne’s name next to mine.

My traitor friend chuckles. “You’re the only two singles. Do you want me to split up a couple?”

“I swear, any table but this,” I murmur, but Silver can hear me.

“Don’t be melodramatic. It’s just a dinner, and, by the way, she’s the only one here who even understands what you talk about. You’re such a nerd, you could be from another planet. None of us understands when you start in with your commentary,” she points out, not totally wrong.

Sometimes, when I start to rant about my job, I feel like a fish out of water. My friends lose interest after the first few sentences. Although they try to understand and ask me questions, it feels more like I’m teaching them instead of having a constructive conversation. Roxanne is probably the only one who can challenge me in that sense. When I glance toward her, I can see that she is trying to hide a slight smirk.

“Fine!” I give up and sit with Roxanne on my left and Silver on my right.

“And you can also talk to her about the problem you’re having with your company,” Silver drops with a wink in my direction.

I want to kill her. She did it on purpose. She suggested her sister a few weeks ago and didn’t take no for an answer. I glare at her while Raphael clears his voice to hide a laugh.

“You have a problem with your company? What a shame you can’t solve it yourself. Aren’t you the big tech guru?” On my other side, Roxanne beams at my troubles.

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