Their Rivalry

PROLOGUE

Look hot, be cold.

Unknown Location ~ 3rd Person's POV

She was a brown haired about 5'4 with pretty small light blue eyes. She possessed looks too young and beautiful for her age which solicited the envy of many. She had her head held high in determination as she walked, and her brisk movements oozed nothing but confidence. The way she carried herself, and the permanent stoic expression on her face, showed that she wasn't one to be messed with.

She gently pushed through the glass doors of the headquarters of the Ivankov Gas and Oil Company. She carried herself with so much pride once she stepped into the building, one would think she owned the place. Her eyes wandered around briefly, taking in the changes that had occurred since she'd last been there.

The new CEO had certainly kept up the great work of his late father. She paused to catch her breath for she had walked too quickly away from the taxi that had dropped her off there. The time was also used to gather her thoughts, straighten her blazer, and dust imaginary dirt off her dark trousers.

Her husband had managed to get her where she was now, and she certainly wasn't going to disappoint. All his efforts wouldn't be in vain. She was going to make sure the deal was sealed that afternoon no matter what.

She turned to the left in the direction of the front desk. The plump petite lady behind the C-shaped mahogany desk looked up from the screen of her white Apple monitor.

"Hello, ma'am. May I help you?" She asked with a practised smile, and took her fingers off the white keyboard to give the woman her undivided attention as was expected of her.

"Yes, could you direct me to the CEO's office immediately?" She rudely enquired, seeing no reason to be polite about it.

She knew the way to the office of the late CEO, but she wasn't sure whether his son had decided to use it also or not. She wouldn't find it pleasing to be seen walking around as if aimless, searching for his office.

"Of course. Do you have an appointment?" The lady who valued seeing the next morning too much to have the woman thrown out, enquired.

The woman replied in the negative.

"Then I'm afraid you can't meet him. I can however schedule an appointment for... Ma'am? Ma'am? Wait, you can't..." The lady called out after her, already getting irritated by her presence.

The woman ignored the irritated voice of the lady, and walked into the elevator which had the bold inscription 'CEO'S USE ONLY' at the top. Glancing at the blinking array of buttons, she pressed the one for the uppermost floor and hoped for the best.

The executive assistant who was stationed on the exact floor as her Boss, saw the woman walk out of the elevator and wondered where the hell the front desk receptionist had been. She contemplated for a while whether to stay at her post or to go after the woman, and in the end, she decided to audibly warn that the Boss was occupied at the moment

It was only when the woman had barged into the CEO's office, did she realise her mistake. The assistant's warning had meant that he was in a meeting. She quickly wore a sorry expression, realizing she could die as a result of her indolence.

The CEO, a thick tall man with coal black eyes and auburn hair, averted his attention from the men seated around him in a semi-circle to the one who had the audacity to interrupt his meeting. He calmed down a little when he recognized his older cousin's wife. Still, he couldn't let such insolence go unpunished, he'd deal with her later.

"Get out of my office immediately." He ordered; his expression severe.

The woman stood her ground, unready to give in to fear and anxiety, "Not until I get what I came here for." Even as she said this, her heartbeat was loud and abnormal.

The tension that had developed in the room was so thick, it could be sliced with the knife hidden in the pocket of her blazer. The CEO glared at her with cold calculating eyes before speaking.

"Leave us."

Just those two simple words had everyone else walking out in mere seconds. What she wouldn't do to have such power again and even more.

"You, sit." He demanded, his fingers rested on the trigger of a shotgun that had appeared out of thin air, "Speak. Whatever you have to say determines whether or not you get to leave my office alive."

She knew that he wasn't bluffing, and realised that what she said next had to be brief but worth his while. The man wouldn't think twice about killing his own cousin in a heartbeat, much less his wife. He didn't trust the woman anyway, everything about her screamed red flags to him.

"It's done."

"What's done?" He wanted to hear the words come out of her mouth.

"Beatrice White is dead."