17 Not Opponents But Enemies!

DEVON

I stood in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection. Last night when I was coming back from the riverside, I got dad's call. And that was the reminder of my goal.

His threats were not something that I should take easily. My father or not, Victor Sanders would do whatever is best for his business.

And he would not hesitate to eradicate me from his life if he wanted even though he had gone to great lengths just to save my ass after...

"Damn it! You useless machine! Blast you!!"

I sighed. My moment of self-pep was gone as a brunette stormed into my room without showing simple courtesy by knocking on the door or asking for my permission.

"You seriously are admanat on catching me shirtless, aren't you?" I looked at her irritated face through the mirror.

"I would also prefer a completely nude version but right now that's not my concern." She answered distractedly while slapping her phone like it was that guy who had eve-teased her.

I snatched her phone from her hands before she murdered it.

"That one is by the company! Buy one with your salary and then destroy it."

I checked her phone, but the thing was dead.

"Damn it, Christine! You destroyed my company's one thousand dollars plus taxes just by slapping the poor thing?"

She groaned exasperatedly.

I scowled at her. "Don't you dare roll your eyes at me! You should know that I put in the extra two hundred dollars just to get you the latest model and that too without dad's knowledge!" I gritted my teeth.

What a way to begin the important day of my life!

She tsked before reaching for her phone but I held my hand high in the air and out of her reach.

"Boss! I haven't done anything. That god damned thing is not working since morning. I think there's some technical problem."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "You are not doing this to get a new one right?"

"My mom would kill me if I spend another extra dollar this month!"

Well... fair enough.

I slowly lowered my hand before I began to check if I could start the phone, but no matter what I did, the screen remained blank.

"Alright! Ask someone to get it checked until then ask Smith to arrange for a spare one."

She nodded with a sad face. But that was all I could do for her in this small town.

"Ready?" I asked her while picking up the files I was working on last night.

"Boss... erm... are you... are you sure this plan would work? Elena Bell is a stubborn woman. I heard people talking about her the other day. She don't listen to anyone!"

I smirked before turning to face her.

"Oh dear, Christine! Aren't you afraid of offending your Boss by praising his opponent?"

Instead of feeling intimidated, she eyed me curiously.

"What?" I asked when I didn't hear her say anything for a long moment.

"You said opponent."

"So?"

"As far as I know, Devon Sanders don't do opponents, only ENEMIES!"

My body stiffened. Christine's words came as a slap in my face.

Wasn't she right though? Devon Sanders had never seen anyone as only an opponent but an enemy! Then why I broke that rule for this woman without even realising it?

I blinked before clearing my throat. "We are getting late."

I was already out of my room before Christine. We got into the car, and the driver drove it to the factory.

Today I would solve this issue once and for all! And Elena Bell couldn't distract me this time, no matter what!

*

*

*

ELENA

I didn't go home last night. I crashed at Joanna's place only after filling my empty stomach. She woke up early in the morning and asked Steve to stop by my house and get me a dress and shoes.

I decided to go directly to the office. I didn't want to face dad just yet.

By the time I stepped out of the bathroom with wet hair and draped in a towel, I heard Steve and Joanna's voices coming out of the living room.

With her elder brother going to the city for his job, we got her place all for ourselves, and that was perhaps the only reason that she dared to invite a man.

I saw a bag on the bed. I pursed my lips, seeing the blue dress in it. Dad must have done it intentionally. He knew my confidence depended on what I wear and yet, he chose the dress that I bought only for his sake but never wore.

But I had no option. I couldn't wear Joanna's dress, or her pants would look like capri pants on me.

I sighed in frustration but got ready in the next ten minutes. Coming out of her bedroom, I saw them devouring breakfast with coffee.

"Shouldn't you two be waiting for me?" I asked, getting on the breakfast table beside Steve.

"Good morning, Boss!" He smiled like every day.

I had grown so used to his smiles that I wondered sometimes how I was going to survive through the day without him if he ever decided to leave Swindon.

"I haven't started eating yet. I only drank the coffee though." he smiled sheepishly.

I chuckled, ruffling his hair and guess what... he DIDN"T complain!

And that was what made him my favourite assistant!

"Thank you, Steve! You are the only one who actually cares for me. Others are only good at pretending!" I eye Joanna with a look.

She scoffed, her mouth full of eggs.

"Miss Bell, you are my friend right now. Not my boss. Save that sarcasm and taunts for office please!"

Steve, who usually enjoyed our bickering, looked a bit serious today.

"Boss... There is something we should worry about." He began slowly.

But I was too busy eating. "hmm?"

"I... I heard that Mr Sanders has called all the workers on the site today. And someone said that two buses entered Swindon in the early hours of the morning. What do you think he wants to do with so many people?"

I paused for a second, mulling over it. Could he come up with a strike against me?

But then, the scene from his office flashed in front of my eyes. When I was leaning close to him in a warning, I saw how shaken he looked. It was actually funny to see a man with his masculinity ramble like a leaf around me, but that was what I learned from my senior when I first joined TGF.

'Learn to use your feminity to your advantage Elena. Don't let it become your vulnerability.'

Coming that from a man definitely left a deep impact on me. And since then, that was my strategy to dominate my opponent.

And so far, it had worked pretty well, and I was sure this time too, it would get me through.

I waved my hand in dismissal. "Don't worry, Steve. You are overthinking it. I am sure he must have gathered all workers to tell them that he is going back to his daddy dearest and that this project was a failure!

I am just waiting to see how will media rub salt on their wounds after their defeat against TGF." I smirked devilishly, not caring about the concerned looks I received.

Nobody should mess with Elena Bell!

"Oh, that reminded me. I went to buy milk and bread in the morning and happened to see this news. They said the police have found a dead body in front of the office of The Sanders' Group of Companies.

They don't know yet whose body is that. It's a man, and the killer has ruined his face to erase his identity."

"Oh Lord!" Steve whispered, quite shaken by that news.

'Dang it! What is the real deal with these Sanders? Why I feel like there is more to them, dark and uglier than what I already know?'

But I didn't voice out my thoughts.

"Let's see what the police find out about it. But for now, hurry up or we'll get late. Now we don't want people to gossip how Steve and Joanna takes disadvantage of their close bonds with the CEO."

*

*

*

TPV

Mason kept staring out of the window. His foot was constantly dancing in nervousness. Madison sat beside him, attending the calls and firing dozens of instructions.

Jeremy sat in the front seat with a tablet in his hand. He was constantly keeping eye on the live coverage of the news.

Mason closed his eyes, trying to find a way to clean up this mess when he heard Jeremy's loud and panicked voice.

"Sir, mam! L-look at this please!"

Madison's face displayed irritation, but she cut her call and took the tablet from him. Mason finally turned to see the news.

'The police has found a driving licence from the inner pocket of the dead man's pants. And now we have an identity to this unknown man.'

Mason's heart skipped a beat, and his eyes shot up to meet Jeremy's frightened ones.

'This man is Carson Holmes, a government officer from OFCCP, US department of labour. And we have another breaking news for you. According to our sources, Mr Carson Holmes was investigating a case of the death of three labourers at one of the construction sites, BLOOMFIELD.

And the project is undertaken by none other than Sanders's Construction Company, which is named after Mrs Madison Sanders and the Managing Director Mr Mason Burke.'

Mason turned out what the anchor said further because now he felt Madison's panicked gaze directed straight at him.