14

Chapter Fourteen

The Lemaiyan Group Headquarters was a 19-floor steel and glass building that stood out from the rest of the block in terms of grandeur, sheer size, and design.

It was about a decade old, and proof of the upward trajectory the conglomerate had been on for the past twenty years.

Amanda took the elevator to the 17th floor, where her father's expansive office was located. The secretary's face morphed into surprise for a second when she appeared, but the expression was quickly replaced by a smile.

She shot to her feet and greeted formally, "Good morning, Miss."

"Morning, Lucy. I believe I'm on time for my meeting with the chairman, no?"

Lucy looked towards the Chairman's door, then back at Amanda. "Yes, it's time, but--"

"But?"

"Your sister just arrived."

Amanda stiffened. "Rebecca is in the office with my father?"

"Yes. I tried to tell her that he has an appointment right now but she walked right in."

"It's fine," Amanda assured her. "I'll join them."

In the few seconds it took her to get to the office door, all her defenses came up. If this was going to be a repeat of the previous night, she wasn't going to back down easily.

Her father was seated behind his desk, while Rebecca paced near the windows. The two looked over when she walked in.

Amanda went straight to the Chairman's desk. He rose and walked around to receive her with a hug.

"I thought I booked you for the next half hour," she stated when they separated.

Charles walked back to his side of the desk. "I know, but I think you'll want to hear what your sister has to say."

Amanda doubted that.

Rebecca walked over, heels clucking on the laminate floor. "It's good to see you again, Amanda. We were just talking about you."

At least they weren't hiding anything…

"Dad, I want us to talk in private." How was she going to dissect his thoughts about when he was going to hand over Lemaiyan Fits to her when her number one antagonist was eavesdropping?

"Let's do that another time. Rebecca was just telling me about what we can do to repair the damage the fashion house has suffered in recent months."

"Damage?" Amanda shook her head. "Why are you talking about the company with her? She's not on my board. It's none of her business."

"She's on mine," Charles pointed out.

"I don't want anything dragging the entire Group down," Rebecca joined in.

Their father focused on Amanda. "She's trying to help."

Amanda sighed. "Yeah, right."

"Katherine Wells agreed to be the face of the next campaign."

Amanda turned sharply to her sister. "What?"

"I talked to her last week. She's willing to become your new brand ambassador."

Katherine Wells? Katherine Wells was the biggest name in the region at the moment. Actress, songstress, founder of a major charity foundation, and named at the top of the most influential people in the continent some eight months before.

She had also canceled their agreement a few days before the first photoshoot after agreeing to the same offer from Amanda just a few months ago.

Amanda shook her head. "I'm not working with her again. Do you know how far back she set us last time?"

Rebecca shrugged. "We are close. I talked to her. She promised she had all the time for your project this time round."

Charles addressed her. "Amanda, forget about what happened in the past. If Wells is willing to work with you again, take her on. You know you can never get a better ambassador right now."

Was this a coincidence? That just after her meeting with Lucas, Rebecca was here, ready to save the day? It was as if she had anticipated the issue.

Amanda wasn't eager to take any favours from her sister, but this was an opportunity she couldn't bypass. If she disagreed, Rebecca would get another excuse to question her ability to make the best decisions for the company.

"Fine."

Rebecca smiled. "Good. I'll let her know."

***

When Amanda got back to her office, Tyra showed up shortly afterwards.

"Sorry I ditched you at the party Saturday night," Amanda apologised. "I was tired."

Tyra waved her hand in dismissal. "It's okay. I had a great time enjoying more of the expensive champagne."

Amanda laughed and settled behind her desk. "So, what brings you here on a Monday morning?"

Tyra's hand played with the earring on her left lobe. "I think I dropped an earring in your car the other night. It's a teardrop 1 carat diamond stud Mum got for my birthday. She'll have a heart attack if she finds out I lost it."

"Don't worry, if it's in the car, I'm sure Tom will find it. I'll let him know."

"Thank you." Tyra took a seat. "So, how's the first day back?"

Amanda sighed and pressed her fingers to her temple. "Not my favourite."

"I'm sure you'll be in your element soon."

Amanda shook her head. "Not with Rebecca breathing down my neck every turn I take."

Tyra leaned forward. "What did she do?"

"Remember when Katherine Wells ruined our plans by pulling out of the campaign at the last minute?"

"You were pissed."

"Yeah. Well, apparently, she let Rebecca know she's willing to represent the brand now."

"Sure she won't pull the same prank again?"

"Rebecca hinted that since she was the one asking, Wells would do it."

"What are they, besties?"

"It's saving me a lot of headache, but I cannot help but be wary about Rebecca involving herself in this. Is she trying to show dad that she's more resourceful or something?"

Tyra shook her head. "I'm sure it's nothing. The only reason this company exists is because it was your dream. It wouldn't make sense if she tried to take over."

"If she convinces Dad to keep it in the group, there's nothing I can do."

Tyra waved off her worries. "I don't think he can do that when he injected every last cent of your mother's inheritance into the group. He owes you L Fits."

Amanda founded Lemaiyan Fits with a clear vision in mind. To build a brand that offered both unmatched style and pricing.

Her late mother, Adeline, had inspired this dream. Adeline was the head of a foundation that provided clothing to the disadvantaged. After she passed away, Charles kept the foundation operational. Founding Lemaiyan Fits was a step Amanda took to make it possible for more people to enjoy what was otherwise the privilege of those at the top of the economic ladder.

To ensure complete control and ensure the vision didn't get buried in the politics of driving large profits for the group, she intended to make her company an independent one.

Her mother's inheritance was more than enough to get such a company up and running.

When she shared her plans with her father, he convinced her to begin the company under the family group. In exchange for pumping her mother's inheritance into the group, her company would enjoy a smooth start in the industry as part of the conglomerate.

Once it was performing like the other subsidiaries, he promised to transfer his majority share to her.

Initially, he had promised to do it after her wedding.

But now, she wasn't getting married.

And with Rebecca whispering down his ear, it appeared that she would be waiting longer.

There was a knock on the door, then Cara appeared. "Your next meeting is up."

Tyra shot to her feet. "I'll get going."

Amanda nodded. "I'll let you know if Tom finds anything."

"Thanks. Let me know when you're available for lunch this week, girl."

"Sure."

***

Tyra couldn't believe she had made the trip to Amanda's office for nothing. It was a long shot, hoping to run into Lucas Erikson when the two didn't share the same floor.

She stalked towards the elevator, her mind churning. If she wanted to get the man's attention, she needed a better plan.

She pinged for the elevator and waited. It arrived a few seconds later.

When it opened, it wasn't empty.

Lucas Erikson stood in the middle of the car, one hand shoved in his slacks' pocket. When he saw her, he moved to the side to create more space.

Maybe the trip wasn't so useless after all, she decided as she stepped into the car and pressed the ground floor button.

She turned to him, smile on her lips. "I don't think we've been introduced yet, Mr. Erikson. I'm Tyra Okello. Manager of Destiny Jewels."

Lucas looked at her, his grey eyes studying her from head to toe. Tyra held on to her composure from his gaze. Damn, it would take a special kind of woman to not react to such a look. A kind not interested in fine men at all.

"Should I know you?"

His response threw her off a little. That's definitely not what she was expecting. She tried not to take it personally.

She chuckled. "That wouldn't be too bad," she reached into her bag and grasped the card she had put at the ready. She held it towards him. "Especially if I had your business."

One corner of his lip turned up. "I've never heard of Destiny Jewels."

"You just got here. You'll hear about us soon enough."

She figured that she would be more memorable to him if she let him find out, on his own, that her family owned the largest jewelry shop in the city.

She arched an eyebrow when all he did was stare at the card. He wasn't going to leave her hanging, was he?

He plucked the card from between her fingers. "Let's see about that."

Tyra smiled.

Oh, she would see.