Chapter 8
As Athena rode in the elevator to Isaac Cromwell’s Virginia office, she still felt like everything was a dream that she had to wake up from. She turned around and looked at her reflection in the mirror and sighed. She had chosen to wear a cream colored elbow sleeved midi dress, green suede pointy toed shoes and a red long sleeved jacket. She had straightened out her curls and held her hair in a loose bun leaving a few strands to frame her face. She was not sure that she was wearing the right outfit. Somehow, she felt she was a little too sexy but then again, she was seeing Evgeni later and she wanted to blow his mind. And the dress she had on was one that screamed sexy professional without being trashy.
When the elevator doors opened, she walked out and came face to face with a small blond haired woman.
“Miss Davis?” she asked and Athena nodded with a smile. “Mr. Cromwell is expecting you. Right this way.”
Athena followed her down the hall until they got to a door to a corner office. The woman opened the door for her and she walked in. Isaac who was on the phone, waved her in and she walked to one of the chairs in front of his desk.
“I’m sorry about that,” he said when he hung up. “I am very happy to see you again.”
“You gave me no choice,” Athena said with a smile. “Or as Carla would say, you gave me ten thousand reasons.”
“I would have offered more but you wouldn’t let me,” Isaac said and she shook her head.
“I used to work for one of the leading Fortune 500 companies in the country and one thing I know is that when someone is offering a lot of money, then he probably has a lot to hide or a lot to lose,” she said. “So, which one is it?”
“I have a lot to lose if my new partners are not impressed,” Isaac said.
“Do you mind my asking who your new partners are?” Athena asked.
“A Bhutanese Sultan has taken interest in one of my ventures and considering he is royalty…I need the very best. And you Miss Davis, are the very best,” he said.
“Please, just call me Athena,” she said with a smile. “Miss Athena makes me feel like I should be next in line for some crown or something.”
“Fine, Athena
but you also don’t get to call me sir, I’m not a knight or anything,” he said.
“Alright, Mr. Cromwell,” she said.
“Please, Mr. Cromwell is so damn weird.”
“Weird? Really?” she asked.
“Well, yeah. No one has called me that in years and if you can tell by my years, they have been very many years indeed,” he said and she smiled. “I know I just insulted myself there but just so you know, I am the only one allowed to do that.”
“Well, I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Maybe I wouldn’t mind it, if it was just you though,” he pointed out. “A beautiful woman like you would definitely make me feel like a young man again,” he added with a smile and she shook her head.
“Much obliged, sir…I mean, Isaac but I am not exactly single.” Isaac leaned forward and smiled even more widely.
“What do you mean by not exactly single? I mean, you either are or you aren’t.”
“I just started seeing him the other day. It’s a relatively new thing.”
Isaac leaned back and rubbed his chin.
“So you are still in bliss. That moment in paradise before you define the relationship,” he said and she forced a smile. This conversation was getting weird.
“Yeah I guess,” she said as she pulled a notepad from her bag.
“He must be a very lucky man, this guy you are seeing,” he said as he looked at her and she shrugged.
“Well, enough about me,” she started in a bid to change the topic. “Why don’t you tell me about this cocktail party you're having. What do you have in mind as far as the theme is concerned?”
Isaac took a long deep breath.
“Well, for starters, he is royalty so I will need something big, pompous if I may use that word,” he started. ‘But this merger is also cultural. I still have to remain Irish in my theme.”
Athena looked up and smiled.
“So, a lot of booze.”
“Definitely,” Isaac said laughing. “Gin, whiskey, scotch…you name it.”
“Well, I have just the man for that job,” she said. “So consider the drinks sorted.”
“But you can also throw in a few bottles of wine for the ladies. And some champagne of course, we are celebrating after all.”
“Noted.” Athena scribbled in her notepad. “And do you have a venue in mind?”
Isaac rubbed his chin again and sighed.
“I was thinking I would leave that to you. As well as the menu.”
“That’s great. I will send you an invoice with everything itemized but meanwhile have a look at this,” she said as she handed him her company’s prospectus. “It will give you an idea of what to expect as well as the price range you will be in. I mean as far as the guest list is concerned and everything.”
“Well, this all seems fair but I also have this for you and your friend,” Isaac said as he pulled the top drawer of his desk.
“What is this?” she asked as he placed a yellow postal bag on the desk.
“Twenty thousand dollars. For you and your friend as promised,” he said.
Athena’s eyes grew wide. She quickly opened the paper and looked inside.
“Holy shit,” she thought to herself as she looked at the crisp hundred dollar bill bundles in the envelope.
“Is everything alright?” he asked and she looked up still shocked.
“You were giving the money in cash? I thought it would be a check and….I didn’t even think you were serious about it,” she said and he shook his head.
“I have to write this off as petty cash,” he said. “Otherwise my CFO will have my ass.”
“What do you mean, petty cash?” she asked. There was no way twenty grand would ever pass for petty cash in her books. Not even when she was at Jameson & Klein.
“Athena, I made a promise to you and I am going to keep it. So why don’t you just take the money and make sure Carla gets it too,” Isaac said. “People who work with me tend to be happy.”
“Clearly,” Athena said as she put the envelope back on the desk.
“Well, do you have something for me to sign? You know, something that makes this official?” he asked and she nodded. She handed him a folder containing the contract and smiled.
“I can leave that for your lawyers, maybe they want to look it over or something and then we can have a talk later?” she asked and he shook his head.
“No need for lawyers. You seem like a nice person,” he said as he reached for a pen. “I know there is no way you would screw me with some weird clauses, right?”
Athena shook her head. This man was surprising her by the minute.
“It basically just outlines the date of the said event and there is an agreement that you have to pay the company a percentage just for commitment’s sake,” she explained. Her jaw almost dropped as she looked at him signing the contract and then open his check book. He scribbled an amount and then tore the leaf from the book before handing it to her. “This is so much more than the company would expect.”
“Well, the contract stipulates that I should have a down payment of at least fifty per cent,” he started. “Judging by the prospectus you just gave me and the guest list I have in mind, there is a possibility that we might be spending upwards of eighty grand. So I guess this covers it, right?”
Athena looked at the check and shrugged. Her boss was going to be extremely happy and she knew a healthy commission was coming her way.
“Yeah,” she said. “This covers it.”
*****
Evgeni had just walked into his office when his assistant called him.
“Your three o’clock is here, Mr. Markovic,” she said over the intercom.
“I thought I was free for the afternoon,” he frowned.
“It’s a walk in, sir and he says that you will want to see him.”
Evgeni shook his head.
“Who is here?” he asked.
“He says his name is Isaac Cromwell,” his assistant said.
Evgeni felt the room suddenly grow cold. He took a long deep breath and then sighed.
“Send him in,” he finally said. He looked up, his heart pounding as he waited to see that old fool he had been longing to rid himself of. When the door finally opened, he didn’t bother to stand up.
“Evgeni,” Isaac said as he walked into his office and shut the door behind him. “You are truly your father’s son seated behind that desk.”
Evgeni shook his head. That was the last thing he needed to hear. That he was his father’s. Surely he was but in genes only. Definitely not personality or work ethic. He looked up at Isaac and gestured at the seats in front of his desk.
“I understand you want in on Markovic Oil,” he said and Isaac smiled.
“Straight to the chase. There is no beating around the bush with you, is there?” he asked and Evgeni shrugged.
“I will not pretend that I want you here when I don’t. So just say what brought you here already.”
“Well, it’s quite simple really. Plus you already said it,” Isaac started. “Markovic Oil.”
Evgeni forced a laugh.
“I mean, my merchandise has been getting to various parts of the world on Markovic Freight but now that you want out, I need a fallback plan. And Markovic Oil is it.”
Evgeni ran his fingers though his thick hair and shook his head. He was getting more frustrated by the second. Isaac Cromwell was not the kind of person he would have chosen for good company.
“What do you want from me, Cromwell?” he asked as he looked at Isaac. “Why don’t you just say what brought you here and then for God’s sake, leave.”
“You know very well that I just can’t leave. Not before we sort out the issue at hand,” Isaac said in an uncomfortably calm voice. “You want out of the Cromwell business and I want to make sure that I will not lose out on my income.”
“I am giving you four hundred million dollars,” Evgeni pointed out and Isaac forced out a laugh.
“I don’t want money. I want a stake in Markovic Oil.”
“You want controlling interest in Markovic Oil,” Evgeni corrected him.
“That is what I said,” he shrugged. “It’s the same bloody thing.”
Evgeni shook his head.
“Controlling interest means that you own it. And I will not let you have something I built legitimately from the ground up.” He sighed. “Just take the money and let my freight company be. That is all I ask.”
“Four hundred million dollars,” Isaac said under his breath. “That is more than what Markovic Oil is worth,” he added and Evgeni raised an eyebrow. “You think I didn’t do my homework?”
“What are you talking about?” Evgeni asked.
“I had someone do an appraisal of Markovic Oil and according to him, that Middle Eastern glory hole is worth almost half of what you are offering.” Isaac smiled at him. “Now why would you offer me double what the company is worth?”
“Because I want a clean business. I want a clean import export business without having to worry every single time a friend from the SEC gives me a call and most of the time it is just to invite me to his place for Sunday potluck. And Cromwell, that shit sucks!” He exhaled loudly. “This is more than just about money, Cromwell. I am worried about my legacy.”
“So, what kind of legacy are you trying to leave here, Markovic? A broke one?” Isaac asked and Evgeni shook his head.
“An honest one. That is what I am trying to do. Create an honest lifestyle that my kids can be proud of.”
“What do you mean proud? Your father left a great fucking legacy. Aren’t you proud of his?” Isaac asked and Evgeni shook his head.
“No, because I have been cleaning up his mess for most of my adult life.” He sighed. “That is not something I want for my kids.”
“Your kids?” Isaac asked. “Is there something I should know?”
Evgeni shook his head.
“I just think about the future, that’s all.”
Isaac looked at him for a long minute before he shook his head.
“You know, I really didn’t want to play this card but,” he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “I met this lady the other day and she is simply stunning. I gave her a job too.” He handed the phone to Evgeni.
“What? What is this?” he asked.
“Why don’t you have a look for yourself?” Isaac said matter of factly. Evgeni grabbed the phone and looked at it and immediately, he felt rage going through his body. He was looking at Athena’s photo. “There are more pictures if you care to scroll to the left,” Isaac added as he stood up and walked over to the window. Evgeni couldn’t see it but there was a sick smile plastered on his face. A kind of victory smile.
With every photo Evgeni looked at, he got angrier. He was not just looking at pictures of Athena. If he didn’t know any better, he could have sworn they were surveillance photos. Cromwell had been following her. That fucking asshole had put a tail on Athena. He looked up and tossed the phone on the desk.
“What is this shit?” he asked angrily. “What did you do? Where is she?”
“Whoa, there tiger,” Isaac said smiling. “One question at a time.”
“Cromwell, you better answer me or so help me I will bash your face in, right the fuck now!” Evgeni’s heart was racing.
“That’s the hot Markovic blood right there,” Isaac said crossing one leg over the other. “I knew you had it in you.”
“The hot Markovic blood you are so proud of is telling me to put a bullet between your eyes right now, Cromwell! Where is Athena?” Evgeni asked again.
“Right here? In your office?” Isaac asked in a calm voice. “Don’t you know anything about that kind of business?”
Evgeni was getting restless.
“Cromwell!” he said in a louder voice than he had originally intended. He noticed people out of his office suddenly looking through the window but he didn’t really care.
“She’s fine. You can call her if you don’t believe me,” Isaac said and Evgeni did exactly that. “She is probably at the office working on the party she is planning for me.”
Evgeni shook his head as he held his phone to his ear. At that moment, everything dawned on him. Athena had been busy with some big project lately. It was his project. Cromwell had taken it upon himself to give her a project so that he could keep her close without her getting suspicious.
“You son of a bitch!” he hissed.
“Hey, no need for name calling,” Isaac said. “It’s not like I have done anything to her. Yet,” he added just as Athena picked up.
“Athena Davis, hello.”
Evgeni breathed a sigh of relief. He was not sure whether to practice his knife throwing skills at Isaac or just talk to Athena.
“Athena,” he said in a soft voice. His heart had won the battle for now. “How are you?”
“Fine…just trying to figure out where I can get fresh tamarind in Virginia,” Athena said. “Normal work day. How are you doing? You sound a little out of breath.”
“Just…leaving the gym,” he lied.
“This early?” she asked. “And why did you have to use a commercial one anyway? Don’t you have a gym in the house?”
“It’s just an exercise bike, a treadmill and a few weights,” he said, almost smiling.
“That’s a full gym to me,” she said. He could tell she was smiling.
“I just had a bad encounter in the office and needed to work out the stress,” he said. “Listen, why don’t I come and pick you up after work?”
“Sounds great. I would love that.”
“Well, don’t leave until I get there,” he said in a warning tone but judging from the way she laughed, he knew she didn’t really heed his warning.
“Yes, sir Mr. Markovic,” she said. “See you later?”
“See you later.” Evgeni hung up and looked at Isaac.
“See, I told you. She is fine,” Isaac said. “But you should know that someone on my payroll knows her every move.”
“What the hell do you want from me, Cromwell?” Evgeni asked as he walked to where he was.
“A fair trade. Fifty one per cent of Markovic Oil and I find a new pipeline,” Isaac said cooly. Evgeni shook his head.
“You know what, take Markovic Freight. You can call it Cromwell Freight for all I care,” he said but Isaac wasn’t having it. “Then take the fucking money. Four hundred freaking million.”
“Maybe you don’t value Athena as much as you claim to,” Isaac finally said.
“You wouldn’t dare,” Evgeni said.
“Maybe your father should have told you a little more about me, boy,” Isaac said as he began walking towards the door. “I say what I mean and I definitely mean what I say.” He placed his hand on the handle and pulled the door open. “You want your girlfriend to keep on breathing, I want controlling interest of Markovic Oil,” he said again before he walked out leaving Evgeni breathing hard.
He was not sure how long he had been standing there, panting and sweating. But what he knew for sure was that he needed space. He needed to think. He needed to figure out what to do next. How to protect the woman he loved. He was pacing up and down his office for a long time before he finally sat down in his seat. He opened the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a burner cell. He had thrown it there the first time Viktor had given it to him because he knew that he would never need it. Not after renouncing the Markovic name and ways. Not after moving to Virginia. But now, he officially needed it. He switched it on and sighed loudly. He knew that once he took the road he was about to, then there was no turning back.
“And to think I have worked so hard not to be back here,” he thought. “But Athena…I can’t let anything happen to her. I won’t let anything happen to her.”
He called the only number programmed in the phone and waited for it to be picked.
“U menya yest’ sornyak v moyem sadu. Mne nuhzhno obrezat. Nemedlenno,” he said calmly using the exact same words he had been advised to use when he used the phone. The words he was to say were ‘I have a weed in my garden that needs pruning immediately’.
“Da. Where is your garden?” the voice on the other end asked.
“I will send you the address,” Evgeni said. “Maybe I can give you an advance for a job well done. You come highly recommended.”
“Of course, sir. You will have a manicured lawn in no time,” the voice said before hanging up.
Evgeni knew that he would be sending his banking details to him in a few minutes and maybe by the time he went to bed that evening, he would sleep better knowing that his greatest problem had been eliminated.