Chapter 4
“A Natalie Shaw is here to see you, sir.”
Viktor stared at his intercom for a moment. “Who the hell is Natalie Shaw?” he demanded, turning back to the papers on his desk, sifting through the reports until he found the one he needed.
“She says she’s a friend of Hayden Ferrant, sir.”
Viktor stopped and stared for a long moment, predicting that this wasn’t going to be a social visit.
“Send her in,” he told his assistant, pulling his mind away from work issues for the moment. Somehow, he knew this wasn’t going to be good. Coming around his desk, he started to put his suit jacket on, but the door burst open and a lovely woman with sandy blonde hair entered his office. Her soft brown eyes captured him even from across his office…since they were glaring at him.
“Mr. Chenko?” the woman asked, but her voice was threatening.
“Yes. What can I do for you, Ms. Shaw?” he asked, waving a hand to the sitting area, inviting her to take a seat.
The woman shook her head, dismissing the niceties. “I’m not staying long. I just came here to warn you.”
Viktor’s eyes widened slightly, even though his prediction was now confirmed. “I see. And what’s your warning?” he asked, thinking the woman had spunk. He liked that. Especially if she was a friend of Hayden’s.
The woman’s pretty eyes narrowed. “I’m warning you, don’t hurt Hayden.”
He bit back the smile that threatened, correctly assuming that this petite woman wouldn’t appreciate his humor. “I have no intention of hurting her, Ms. Shaw. I’m going to marry her.”
Natalie stared at him, astounded by his announcement. It took her several moments to recover, but when she did, she simply shook her head and moved closer. “No, you don’t understand. Hayden is a sweet, wonderful woman who is genuinely caring and kind.”
“I know this,” he replied, thinking it was ironic that this particular woman, with her worried, brown eyes and her trembling demeanor, was telling him that his fiancée was too kind hearted.
“No,” she argued. “You don’t know Hayden. She’s tender and sweet, and I don’t care how much you are worth, if you hurt Hayden, I will hurt you. Understand?”
Viktor’s smile was genuine now. “I admire that you are protecting her. But I have no intention of hurting her in any way. My only goal is to marry her and make her happy, to protect her.”
Natalie scoffed. “She doesn’t need protecting, other than from unscrupulous business people.” She shrugged again. “Well, and from her tender heart. She’s too trusting, Mr. Chenko.”
“I agree. I also know that she’s pretty bad when it comes to business, which is why I’m stepping in to help her. She’s brilliant at landscaping and plants, but horrible at business.” Viktor tilted his head slightly. “You’re her friend. She talks to you. I have a list of people who owe her money and will deal with them individually, but if she ever says something about another person bothering her,” he leaned forward so she understood his earnest request, “I want you to tell me. Would you do that?”
Natalie watched the man carefully, wondering if she could trust him. At the moment, she didn’t really have a choice. “You’ll have to prove yourself to me before I’ll come to you with any of her problems. I’m not going to violate her trust in me either.”
Viktor once again nodded his head. “Fair enough. But…”
Natalie stepped back, shaking her head. “She’s too sweet for a man like you. People take advantage of her because she’s too nice, and I suspect that you’re taking advantage of her now.” She let those words sink in, then continued. “You’re right, she’s brilliant when it comes to plants. She can bring things back to life with her gentle touch and her innate sense of what a plant needs to thrive. But that also means that she cares too much, listens to everyone else’s tale of woe, puts their needs first.”
Viktor nodded his head. “I agree with you. And I guarantee that no one will ever take advantage of Hayden again. Does that reassurance suffice?” he asked gently, admiring this woman more and more. It took guts to threaten a man like him. He could have her life ruined with one phone call. And if she’d come here threatening him for any reason other than to protect Hayden, he would make that call and forget the woman ever existed. But the fact that this tiny woman was looking out for his future wife…well, she’d just gained his protection as well.
His assurance seemed to pacify the feisty woman since she stared at him for a long moment, then nodded her head. “Fine. That Harry guy, he’s the worst. But there are several other jerks who owe her a huge amount of money.”
Viktor’s eyes hardened. “Give me their names and I will ensure that they are dealt with.”
Natalie shivered, thinking that this man might just be a match for…
Well, that other man was in her past. She hadn’t been good enough for him, so she’d forbidden her mind to think about him. Her future was here and now. “Good to hear. I’ll send you a list.”
“My human resources department is supposed to bring Hayden several resumes of people who could potentially help her with the business side of things. I’ll check on that and will personally interview anyone she eventually picks to make sure that the candidate knows how to run a business.”
Natalie nodded once again. “Fine. But make sure that the person doesn’t take over. She doesn’t know how to run a business, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have good instincts about what people want and her customer service is beyond good. People come back to her again and again for that.”
“Agreed.” He took a card out of his pocket and handed it to her. “If there’s anything else you need, don’t hesitate to call me.”
Natalie took the card and stared up at him. “I might not be as powerful as you are, but Hayden was there when I needed her the most. I will be there to take you down if you hurt her.”
Without another word, the woman spun around and walked out.
Viktor watched her walk away with amusement and admiration lingering in his eyes. The woman had spunk, he thought. He liked that. He also appreciated the fact that she was watching out for Hayden.
When the door closed, Viktor turned away to focus back on business. Glancing at his calendar, he noticed that he had a social event. His first thought was to introduce Hayden to his social circle, but he quickly dismissed the idea. He needed to do that slowly. His acquaintances wouldn’t accept her simply as his fiancée. They would only accept her as his wife. They were a brutal, despicable lot of humanity and he wouldn’t subject Hayden to them without the protection of his name.
He dismissed the fact that he was a member of that “despicable lot of humanity” and called his assistant. “Clear my calendar tonight. Call a restaurant and tell them to deliver food to my fiancée’s house. Then inform her that I will be dining with her tonight.”
With that out of the way, Viktor got back to work. It didn’t occur to him that Hayden might already have plans tonight. In his mind, he wanted to see her, so he would. End of story.