My Ex's Daddy

Nothing on Valerie.

Dean's POV

I shake Hannah's hand from my arm. I do not understand why I am so upset after seeing Valerie. Was it because of the young man with her? He is more her age. I am a grown man. I'm not a boy anymore. Jealousy is made for boys, not men like me!

When we reached our table, our business partners were not there yet. I excused myself to go to the bathroom. I don't want Oliver or anybody to follow me. I got a call to make.

"Benny, I want you to find out everything about JG Industries. Find out if I can buy a lot of shares. I want that company to go bankrupt by the end of the week. Also, find out everything you can about Valerie Morris." I tell my secretary as soon as he answers his phone.

I have been obsessed with her ever since I slept with her. Is it because she was a virgin? No, it is because she had integrity. I have been looking for her secretly because I did not want anyone to know I was looking for Valerie.

I know how Hannah is. She would not be happy knowing I was looking for a woman who stole my heart after I spent a few minutes with her in bed. Hannah always had spies in my office. If she knew I was looking for Valerie, she would have gone crazy and harassed everyone close to Valerie and Valerie herself.

"I will look into it, sir. And what about Bell Enterprises? Should I still investigate their CEO? Nobody knows who the CEO is, has seen, or knows her name. I have put spies in Bell Enterprises, but nobody has told me who the CEO is. She has not been at her office here in Los Angeles yet. It isn't easy to get anybody in any of the other offices." Benny says.

"Do not worry about her right now. She has to reveal herself at one time or another. The other two tasks I gave you are more important. I'm going to have a meeting now. Find out everything you can in the meantime, and meet me at my house at ten." I say.

I can hear Benny sigh. I know I make my people work hard and late. However, I am leading by example. I also work hard and late. They must follow in my footsteps. One day, I want to retire. I cannot leave my company in the hands of Oliver because he is useless.

I walk back to the table. I can see my business partner already there. Perhaps they have witnessed Miss Bell. Maybe they can tell me what she looks like. She must be a young, dynamic woman who can sleep or wait to the top. I do not have time for women like that. I like hardworking women who deserve what they have in life.

I smile at the ladies at the table. I greet the men by hand.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. It's good to see all of you. It is about time that we all catch up again. I am glad that all of you came. I thought you were angry at me since you didn't want to do any more business with me." I say.

"Ah, Mr Stark, you know it is not that we don't want to do business with you. We are all businesspeople and take the best deal we can get." Olga Manson says.

Olga and Mary Manson own Manson Jewelries and Manson Restaurants. They always rented from me, and when they decided to build new restaurants, they always used my company. They are two spinsters. They never got married and have a lot of cats. I am not a cat person, but I ask how their cats are doing. They smile as they go on about their cats. Each one of the cats has a name, like a child.

"Are we going to talk all night about bloody cats? The only cats I like are those you see on Broadway." Hannah says.

I feel like I could kill her if. Is she here to help me or to destroy my business? Sometimes, I do not know what this woman thinks. It sometimes feels like Hannah wants to kill my business. Perhaps she has not forgiven me yet for their divorce. However, I couldn't care less what she thinks or feels.

"Olga, Mary, please excuse the bitter old hag. Don't worry about what she has to say because she's just a divorced woman who has never gotten over her ex-husband. She is jealous because our son moved out of the house, and now she is all alone. I do not believe she can keep a pet, as not even a pet will be able to listen to her nagging all day." I say.

Olga and Mary laugh, and I can see Hannah glare at me.

"Anyway, Bell Enterprises is giving us a decent price, and they listen to us, unlike you, who always do as you wish." Olga says.

"Have you ever met the CEO? I was wondering what she looked like. The few people who saw her say she's gorgeous." I ask.

"She is way out of your league. She is way too classy for you. I admire her because she does not have to sleep her way to the top like some of the young women I know these days." Mary says.

So they have seen her but are reluctant to tell me what she looks like.

I will not ask them any further because I don't want them to think I am jealous of this woman stealing all my clients.

"I only talked to her on the telephone, but her manners are impeccable, and she also gave us much better prices than you, Dean. We have a lot of new projects in this city. You will always be my friend, and I appreciate our friendship. But friendship and business do not go hand in hand." Bruce Wilson says. He is the mayor of Los Angeles. His wife, Helena, is sitting next to him. They were inseparable and were high school sweethearts. They did go to school with Hannah and me. They know our story.

My other guests and ex-clients are Shanon Moore from Moore and Associates, a law firm that sold the building they bought from me and bought one of Bell Enterprises' new buildings in the latest development area of the town, and Bill Cruse from Entertainment Inc.

I tried all night to convince them to come to me instead. However, Oliver is sitting there with a mouthful of teeth, saying nothing, and nobody trusts him. They know that my company will go to him one day, and they do not want to do business with me anymore. Well, I wasted my whole night.

I get up at almost ten, and I want to get home. Hannah wants to follow me, but I tell Oliver to take his mother home since he brought her.

When I got home, Benny had a report about JG Industries for me, but he could find nothing on Valerie Morris. He explained that it was as if she had disappeared from the world map. After she left Los Angeles seven years ago, there was no trace of her until I saw her.

Where have you been, Valerie? What have you done over the years while you were away from me? I plan on getting you back in my life. You do not know it yet, princess, but soon you will be in my bed permanently.