Hidden By Her Sister, Loved By The Billionaire

Contracts

Chase POV

Still lost in my thoughts about the girl I had almost knocked over and the subsequent contract I had signed with my father, it took me a few minutes to pull myself together as Drew Andrews came into the office, a grim expression on his face. I studied him carefully, taking note of the dark circles underneath his eyes, the pallor of his complexion, and the exhausted creases on his brow. He was an older gentleman, approximately my father's age, with salt and pepper hair and spectacles, a neat and tidy appearance, and a slender frame. For the purposes of this discussion, he had been made aware of my real identity and promised to keep it secret as I motioned for him to sit opposite me and next to Wilson.

"Welcome Mr Andrews," I said to the head of customer relations.

The man nodded tiredly, shaking my hand and then sitting, looking like he was about to be executed.

"I assure you that I am taking careful notes of everything we discuss here Mr Andrews. I hope to be in charge of this company within a year and I will be aiming to make changes. I must insist that you keep this conversation between us" I told him as the man nodded anxiously "and I thank you for coming and being so forward today. You have my gratitude" I finished, standing up and shaking the man's sweaty hand "if there is anything else you need, please don't hesitate to contact me" Wilson handed him a business card "or my assistant."

"Thank you" Mr Andrews muttered, quickly heading out the door as I sat back down and sighed.

"Sounds like the poor man is burning on all cylinders" Wilson commented, looking sympathetic.

"We need to look into how many employees are in that department and doublecheck the hours worked. He looks exhausted" I frowned "and at that age, he can't afford to be working overtime constantly. He should be aiming more for retirement" I added thoughtfully "or at least in a less stressful position, not one that looks like it's about to kill him."

"Well, maybe you can fix that," Wilson said.

I chuckled, putting the paperwork together. "I think I have enough to start on. So now how far did you get on emailing the factories that produce the materials and asking for the change in procedure as opposed to a few years ago."

"You know that your father is going to get wind of everything that you're doing" Wilson deadpanned "Somebody is certain to inform him of what you are up to."

I raised a brow, not cowed in the slightest "Maybe if he had been taking care of the company, I wouldn't have to be this aggressive in dealing with what I now perceive to be problems. Besides, he shouldn't have agreed to turn it over to me, if he didn't want me interfering in the first place. He only has himself to blame" I said calmly.

"You do still have a few contracts with local companies, but I'm getting a sense it's because they are loyal to your father rather than the business."

"Old companies?" I took a guess and Wilson's lip curved up slightly.

"Sure are. Practically ancient"

Wilson began to rifle through a folder on the desk, looking slightly frazzled. "I know I printed one out for you to look at. I figured you would ask something like this" he murmured.

I was not surprised. Wilson was always able to read my mind and be one step ahead of me. It was what made him such a good assistant. He knew exactly what I needed when I needed it. It made him a great friend as well. He continued to rifle through the file his fingers carefully sliding through each one, until he found the paper that he was looking for, a look of triumph on his face as he slid it out and brandished it at me.

"Here it is" he crowed and I took it from him, setting down my mug and scanning the page with interest.

Once again, he had managed to outdo himself.

Several companies, most of them established around the same time as my father. I recognized long-standing friends of his. Possibly one of the reasons the company continued to thrive, but it made me uncomfortable. You shouldn't have to depend on friends in order to have a thriving business. I saw one company that made me frown slightly. There was something about it that niggled at me. What was it? "Elite Fashion" I muttered, glancing at Wilson "What is it about this company that I'm struggling to remember? Something happened recently, didn't it? To the Owners? Some sort of tragedy or something?" I frowned.

Wilson looked incredulous. "Don't you pay attention to the news at all?" he demanded with excitement "Elite Fashion. The CEOs and owners were both killed recently, on their way to an event where it just so happens they were about to announce who was about to take over. Mother and Father were both killed, leaving two daughters behind."

"How did they die?" I asked, feeling slightly morbid, but unable to contain my curiosity.

"Murdered. Shot. Their security team was obliterated. One of the girls was shot as well, almost died" Wilson informed me, "She was lucky to survive."

"What about the other daughter?"

"She wasn't in the car at the time. She was busy organizing the event. Pretty lucky if you ask me" Wilson said shaking his head.

"So which one has taken over the company?"

Wilson frowned. "From my understanding Sage and Sapphire Silverspoon are twins. Fraternal" he quickly amended as I looked at him in surprise "so it wasn't a matter of the eldest taking over as such. From all reports, Sage was the one shot in the tragic incident but it was her sister Sapphire who took over Elite Fashion and was named the successor in the will."

"Hmmm," I murmured, still holding the paper "Why didn't both girls just take over and share the company?"

Wilson scoffed "Have you ever seen two girls manage anything? It's like watching two cats fight. It's better to only have one in charge. Rumors were that it was going to the girl who was most passionate about the company anyway while the other one only ever showed a passing interest. At least that's what I've heard."

"We have a longstanding contract with that company, but how is it affected now that its original signatures are deceased?" I asked Wilson "Are the daughters still legally bound by it, despite the fact that they are now in charge of the company?"

Wilson looked thoughtful. "From what I understand the contract would still be legally binding, despite who is in charge, however, I will get a lawyer to look over it. If Sapphire Silverspoon is in charge, she may be looking to make changes to the company and that includes her suppliers. It's better to be prepared than taken by surprise" he added with an exhale.

"Tread lightly though" I advised him quietly "These girls have just lost their parents and have gone through a traumatic experience. I'm not about to start going after them over a contract. Right now I just want to know what kind of contract we have with them and what our own legal responsibilities are. I don't want to make things worse for them. What that poor girl" I paused thinking about Sage Silverspoon being shot.

Had she seen her parents die in front of her eyes? I flinched at the thought of it and how brutal it might have been. "What that poor girl went through, nobody should have to go through that. I don't want to be seen as some ruthless vindictive company" I told Wilson "so research the contract quietly without tipping anybody off if you can help it."

"Certainly" Wilson picked his mug up and took a drink, his eyes fixed on my face "But what are you going to do?" he asked.

I hesitated "I don't know. On the one hand, our company needs to keep the contracts to keep going, but on the other hand, I'm not about to force those girls into abiding by a contract that my father made with their deceased parents. It wouldn't be right" I said feeling guilty.

"There's a third solution," Wilson said eyeing me as I looked at him confused, a strange gleam in his eyes and a thoughtful expression on his face.

I suspected what he was about to suggest was not something I would be comfortable with.

"What would that be?"

"You could marry Sapphire Silverspoon and merge your two companies? Or Create an empire between the two of you" he suggested as I laughed at the sheer absurdity of it.

"Wilson, I hardly think that's going to be acceptable."

"Why not? She's a few years younger than you, clearly intelligent and passionate about her work, wealthy, and would certainly tick all the right boxes for your father" he pressed as I stared at him incredulously "You could almost say that it's fate" he added.

I frowned, debating the wisdom of his words. As much as I wanted to deny what he was saying, there was a sprinkling of truth. While I had said I didn't want a contract marriage, desiring love in a relationship, Sapphire Silverspoon was more than acceptable by anyone's standards. On paper, she looked like she had all the qualities that I wanted in a wife, but I had learned that didn't necessarily mean anything. Then again, I thought with a sigh, maybe I should think about Wilson's suggestion. It wasn't as though it could do any harm.

Then something occurred to me. "Sage Silverspoon" I murmured eyeing Wilson "Could she be the Sage I bumped into on the street? That woman?" I asked.

He flipped his phone open and began to search for a photo of her. Within moments he had brought up a photograph of the exact woman I had almost knocked over the other day. "It is her" I exhaled, even as he brought up a picture of Sapphire Silverspoon to compare her to.

What was the likelihood of that happening? It was almost like fate had a helping hand in it.

Sapphire Silverspoon was the opposite of her sister, with long dark black hair, bright blue eyes, and a supermodel figure. She was an attractive image but there was something about her that was off-putting. Most men would be attracted to her. I frowned, looking back at the plain photograph of Sage, feeling something k****e in my chest.

"I think we need to visit Elite Fashion," I said quietly as Wilson's eyes widened "and maybe pay our respects."

After all, if they were long-standing clients of ours, it would only be right to offer our condolences, although a part of me wanted to run into Sage Silverspoon again and see for myself if I had the same reaction I had before when I touched her.