Chapter 10
Isabella
My mind had been wandering since last night. While I still had my doubts about Nathan, the affection he gave me put my mind at ease. I buried my troubles as I always did to focus on my business. I was late after having been up all night with him, so we couldn’t finish our talk.
The discussion we had last night would have to be continued when I got home. I rushed into the office, where Maya had already scheduled a meeting with a potential firm. She had been interviewing consulting firms for the last couple of weeks who could assist us with our global expansion.
She’d scheduled a meeting with a private investor and his firm who knew all about the markets we planned to enter. Since venturing into the Asian market, we’d run into more complications than I had anticipated. While we were doing well, our company could use some guidance in navigating the terrain.
Since the partnership with the Zinghai Ma Corporation fell through, we were in desperate need of strategic direction in these markets. Although my grandmother was from China and I was well versed in the culture, I still had a lot to learn.
“He’s on his way here. Do you want me to act as your surrogate again?” she asked. I shoveled through the spreadsheets on my desk. From this point forward, I needed to arrive on time. Showing up late to meetings wasn’t like me at all. I organized what I could and gazed at Maya before closing out of my computer.
“Yes, that will be fine. Get a feel for him and let me know how it goes,” I said. She gave me a nod before making her exit. “By the way, who is this person you’ve scheduled?” She stopped and turned back into my office. After shuffling through the papers in her arms, she pulled out a single piece and looked at the header.
“Mr. Alonso, I believe,” she said. I dropped the pin in my hand onto my desk and stood up. We gazed at each other for a brief moment when I emerged from behind my desk to approach her.
“Did you just say, Mr. Alonso?”
“Yes.” She gave me a confused glance.
“As in Dante Alonso, head of the Cayman Roth Conglomerate, who is currently ranked in the top ten of Forbes’ ‘The World’s Billionaires’? That Dante Alonso?”
Still confused, she stepped back and looked at the sheet of paper in her hand again. “Yes. It says right here—Dante Alonso.” I snatched the paper from her to have a look at it myself. Sure enough, it said Mr. Alonso. I looked at her and then at the paper again.
“Is everything all right?” she asked. My nerves rattled. I was both confused and a bit excited. I never thought the Cayman Roth Conglomerate would even consider working with us. I’m sure Maya didn’t set up this meeting herself. There had to be something else going on here.
“I’ll be conducting the meeting myself. Tell Oliver and his team to get ready,” I said.
“Are you sure?” she asked disappointedly. I’d strode to the corner of my office and looked at myself in the mirror before I headed into the meeting room.
“Yes, I’m sure.” Maya fixed the papers she held in her arms and turned to leave.
“Hey, Maya,” I called before she got too far. She threw me an uneasy glance. “You can join us if you wish.” Her eyes lit up, and I gave her a slight smile before fixing my makeup. Dante Alonso—who would have thought?
***
“He’s here. The receptionist is bringing him to Conference Room E.,” said Oliver, who was with our financial analyst team next to the receptionist’s desk. Maya had assembled our legal team, and they were all waiting in the conference room. It was then I saw Dante approach. The moment I saw him goose bumps formed on my skin. His eyes were the color of a mystic gray fog and his slick dark hair were like something out of an erotic novel. The sensual Spaniard in him illuminated the room. He was such a powerful and influential man. I had read about him ever since I decided to go into business for myself.
Noted for his genius when it came to strategic management and investment, a Forbes article I’d read once called him The Great Visionary. He was able to turn every company he ever bought to profitability within just a few short years. The one thing I always admired about him was that he never liquidated a business for its assets. He always thought of the people first and ensured they would have a job under his management.
He made his approach into the conference room as I stood on the opposite end just outside the door. My hands were starting to sweat.
“Isabella, are you ready? He’s waiting,” said Maya.
Okay, pull yourself together, Isabella. You’ve dealt with hundreds of clients and potential partners over the years; this is no different. B-but just look at him.
“Isabella, are you coming in or not?” asked Oliver in a stern voice. We entered the conference room. Dante arrived with a glimmer of light in his eyes and a slight smile on his face. He seemed to be looking directly at me.
“Hello, Mrs. Williams. It’s nice to meet you finally. I’ve been looking forward to this day for quite some time,” he said, entirely bypassing my team and walking directly toward me to shake my hand. Taking my seat, I hoped he didn’t notice my nervousness and the sweat on my palms. What the hell was wrong with me? Where was the confident businesswoman known as Isabella Kam-Williams who took charge in any given situation? I needed to regain my composure.
“Is there any way we can have a word alone, if even for a moment?” he asked. He sat right next to me. In my head, I fainted three times.
“Sure. Oliver, Maya, please give us a few minutes,” I said. I needed to prepare myself mentally. My team exited the room along with everyone else.
“I’ve been studying your business for quite a while now, and needless to say, I am fairly impressed,” he said. Internally, my mind was all over the place. I never thought I would be in a room with Dante Alonso. While being in his presence was awe-inspiring, I couldn’t help but wonder what his true intentions were for meeting with my company. I strategically wiped my hands on the cloth next to my cup of water and adjusted my seat.
“Thank you,” I said. Dante smiled and moved his seat closer to me. I looked outside and saw Maya stealing glances at us. My nerves were already on edge, and I didn’t need an audience. Giving her a side-eyed glance, I gestured my head toward her to make her go away. Dante looked outside to see what had my attention. Maya had already walked off before he could see her smiling at us. I took a sip of water and focused my attention back on our conversation. He did the same.
“As I was saying. I’m impressed with what you’ve built here. Not only with your business, but also with you. If you don’t mind—could you tell me what happened to your partnership negotiations with the Zinghai Ma Corporation? I heard they were caught up in a scandal or something.” That’s when it hit me. He must be here to collect information about the Zinghai Ma Corporation. My sense of him took a gut check.
“Yes. They were caught up in an accounting scandal along with corruption and bribery charges in China. We decided to cease all partnership talks with them. My CFO alerted me to this after I asked him to look over their books. After finding irregularities with their earnings, we withdrew from the deal. A couple of weeks later the news broke about their accounting scandal.” He leaned forward in his chair and took another sip of his water. His eyes never wandered away from me.
“That scandal led us here, didn’t it?” he said.
“What do you mean?”
He gave me a slight grin when I put my hands in my lap. “I mean if it weren’t for that scandal, I wouldn’t be here now—with you.”
The nervousness within me intensified. That smile of his was so damn haunting it was forcing the sweat out of my pores. What was he after? It couldn’t be just the business. There must be something else.
“Are you all right, Mrs. Williams?” he asked as I looked on in a daze.
“Yes, Mr. Alonso. I’m fine.”
“You can call me Dante, or whatever you wish, Mrs. Williams.”
My cheeks flushed. “Should I call my team back in so we can discuss where we’d like to go in this market?”
His smile brightened, and he leaned in closer to me. I didn’t back away. His scent caught my attention and it was so exhilarating. He reached over my hands, which had made their way on top of the table, and grabbed a spreadsheet on the pile of papers next to me.
“I’ve already had my people look over your marketing plan. If it’s all right with you—you will be working with me solely. I’ll ask for nothing in return.”
Taken aback, I glanced him over and gave him a dumbfounded look. “Did you just say nothing?”
“That’s correct. I’ll help with your strategic plans and business development in Asia, and in return, you give a few of my executives a free supply of your cosmetic products. I’m planning to implement a new incentive program for outstanding executives, and I’m sure my female executives and the wives of my male executives would be pleased. It’s going to be part of a larger package of year-end bonuses. The deal should cost you less than five thousand dollars.”
“Wait . . . All you want from me are a few products for your executive compensation packages?”
“That, and to work closely with you. I believe we can learn a lot from each other.”
My instincts flared as I sensed something was off. This was too good to be true. He couldn’t be serious.
“This isn’t a joke, is it?”
He laughed and placed his hand on top of mine for a brief second before removing it. “I assure you, Mrs. Williams, I am very sincere. I have some of the brightest minds in the world working for me, and I’m confident they can handle things while I’m working with you to expand your brand. What do you say—is it a deal?”
This man had to have another agenda. Nothing in this world was free. I put my hands back in my lap and curled my brows. His gaze was still affixed on me as he waited for my answer.
“Let me try and wrap my head around this. You, Dante Alonso, one of the wealthiest men on the planet, want to help me and my business as a consultant—for free?”
“Is that so hard for you to believe? By the way, I’m not working for free. As I mentioned, you’ll supply my high-performing executives with a supply of your products.” He extended his hand to me with that same lasting smile on his face. I didn’t know what to do. Something in his smile was enchanting. I couldn’t describe it, but the way he was looking at me now and the way he talked reminded me of something, of someone, I once knew in my youth. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but his expressions made me reminisce of something I might have heard or read before.
“Well?” he asked.
I smiled hesitantly and met his hand with my own. “We have a deal.” We shook hands as Oliver opened the door.
“Sorry to interrupt, Isabella, but we have another meeting in half an hour. We should discuss—”
“It’s already over. We’re in agreement,” Dante said, cutting Oliver off mid-sentence. “I look forward to seeing you soon, Mrs. Williams. Until then.” He stood and handed me a white cloth made of silk. “For your hands,” he said, much to my embarrassment. I took the cloth and put it to the side. “It was a pleasure, Mrs. Williams.” He exited the conference room, leaving me bewildered. Oliver stood there confused.
“Uh . . . What just happened?” he asked.
I gazed at the cloth and then at Oliver. “Something really bizarre.”