The Billionaire CEO

Chapter Sixteen

I don't think I've ever seen so many camera's or as many media outlets covering the same event.

By noon three hours later it had been broadcast in nearly every country in the world, and that added stress was obvious for Adrian who had been on the phone making sure nothing was ever linked to Winters Group, since it would be the first major incident of one of the company's subsidiaries.

When we got to Dubai International Adrian and I both got onto the jet with complete silence between us mostly due to him looking both mad and focused.

He sat across from me dressed in a full suit with legs crossed and his hands held together tightly in his lap while he looked out the window with his jaw clenched.

There were few times his anger was like an ocean, deep, dark, and intimidating but I could feel it like a weight in my stomach.

"Sorry", the word leaves his lips and I glance up at him being met with his fiery thunderstorm coloured eyes.

"What?" I ask wondering if he had said something before he spoke.

"I can feel your nervousness, and I can see it on your face. So I'm apologizing for being so angry" Adrian says leaning forward in his chair.

"It's alright, I can tell you're angry, so vent, you've been on your phone for hours and it's only made you madder" I say giving him a soft smile that he returns.

"What did I do to deserve you?" he remarks more to himself then me.

The answer is a lot Adrian.

"The pipeline has to be purged of oil, and the environmental cost is going to be over a billion dollars to clean up the oil spill, and Eastern Oil lost over thirty seven million dollars in oil, most of which went up in flames. The repair of the pipeline will cost another four billion, so learning that in three minutes my company lost what will come to five billion dollars in profit, and expenses. My mood isn't good, it's also been seen by top socialites from twelve major corporations, and someone has to pay for it, but Eastern Oil doesn't have the money, and a bail out cost from Winters Group will put Victor in a position to repay what will be paid somehow" Adrian sighs, "This was more then one whole day's profit, but the PR alone could push my whole enterprise and everything we've worked for completely under if this isn't solved".

"You know it was a bomb, they have to find the fragments and piece it back together".

"It's not that simple, arson and terrorist investigations take a long time, nothing can be touched until it's identified who did it, but the chemical compounds of foam, and the need to clean up the mess with mix together, prolonging this whole event".

"So what do we do about it?" I ask reaching over to hold his hands which he gave a small squeeze.

"We wait and attempt to deal with this whole thing with care, it's also odd that in under half a month I'm shot at, and in the exact location of an arson event that could have killed dozens of people" Adrian says.

"Let the police do their job, and stay focused on work, treat it like the other situations, this is far from the first time either of us have been targeted" I muse.

"A kidnapping, threats, now attempted assassination" Adrian laughs, "for fuck sake, why can't we just be left alone".

"One day we will be but until then we make sure we are protected at all times more so then usual" I suggest.

"A hundred twenty fucking bodyguards and I still can almost be killed" Adrian laughs as one of the flight attendants brought the glass of scotch he asked for to him.

Taking the glass Adrian brought it to his lips while I accepted the glass of water handed to me.

The flight took along time but that was expected, and by the time we landed it was four PM in New York.