Yes, Mistress!

Chapter 3: The Billionairess

11 a.m., Kir Tech

Scarlett stopped her Range Rover in the parking of Kir Tech. She checked her appearance in the mirror, adjusted her white blouse, reached for her file and stepped outside. She looked up at that skyscraper, its shadow falling on her.

It dominated New York City’s skyline; the urban surroundings reflecting on some of the window panels. On a twisted stylish side, lush greeneries hung on the balconies. It was an architectural beauty.

She marched inside, heading towards the reception. She waited for the woman behind the white marble front desk to finish with her call and then approached her, “Hi. Good morning. I’d like to meet with executive Cattleya Kir.” 

The woman gave her a judgmental look before sighing, nodding at her, “Alright. Give me a minute.” She tapped rapidly on her keyboard, launching a database before gazing back at her, “I didn’t catch your name.” 

“Scarlett Sinclair.” 

She glanced back at her monitor screen and then apologetically smiled, “I can’t find your name on the list. Did you schedule an appointment with her?”

Scarlett shook her head. “No. Not yet, but it is an urgent matter.” She wondered if she should have called ahead. But how? It wasn’t as if Silas Kir gave her a number to start with.

The receptionist stared at her as if she was mad. She dryly said, wondering how to phrase it, “Ma’am, the chief executive is a very busy person. You have to make an appointment with her p.a.” 

Scarlett had seen this coming and she came prepared. She opened her file, taking out a letter which Silas has given her after she had signed the contract. She slid it towards the woman, “Perhaps this would change your mind?”

The receptionist observed the authentic wax seal of the Kir family and she looked at her for a moment, her brows furrowing. Scarlett insisted, “This is important. I’m here on behalf of her family. It cannot wait.” 

The woman’s shoulders slumped.  It was clear that she was deliberating whether to make that call or not. “Alright. I’ll check with her p.a.” She hesitantly gazed at her before dialing a number, holding the receiver to her ear, waiting for a few minutes. 

“Hello, Dana. Front desk here. I know this is out of the blue but... a woman by the name of Scarlett Sinclair insists on meeting with the CEO. She says that Ms. Kir’s family sent her.” 

Scarlett attentively listened to one side of the exchange. 

“Yes. Sinclair. Mm-hm… yes. No… Alright. Hold on.” The receptionist pulled the receiver away and then asked her, “May I know the subject of your visit?”

She hesitated before answering, remembering that she had to be discrete about the services she came to offer, “I’m afraid it is confidential. I cannot say a word.” 

She waited for the woman to finish up the conversation, “Ah? Of course… No. She doesn’t look like a reporter. She also has… the Kir’s family seal with her... some kind of letter." Sensing the conversation turning to an unfavorable direction, Scarlett added, "Tell her I also have a blue diamond gold signet ring." 

The receptionist repeated her words and then paled, "Oh! Alright. I’m sorry. My mistake. I'll send her right up.” 

The woman clamped the receiver down, looking back at her, a bit annoyed. She used her key to open a drawer, took out an access card, made her sign her name on a list of guests before handing it to her. “You’ll need to return it at the end of your visit. Elevators are right that way.” 

Finally! Scarlett politely thanked her and strode towards the bank of elevators. She swiped the access card across the panel and it displayed the floor 102 before beginning to ascend. She would have never known that there were so many floors in this skyscraper. 

She felt herself wondering what exactly did Kir Tech do. Everyone knew it was one of the most technologically advanced corporation but there must be more to it than just that. She felt lost when researching about it. 

When the elevator chimed pleasantly and the door opened, she walked into the wide area, directing herself towards the brunette who was working on a computer behind a desk. Hopefully, it wouldn’t take much convincing to go through this one. A low beep echoed around her and she froze. What was that? The woman at the desk gazed at her desktop for a good moment before waving her in.

Scarlett looked up towards the ceiling, realising she just walked through a detector. Intriguing. Why would they need something like this here? She pursed her lips, feeling wary. Maybe it was to show off. 

The woman stood, professionally extending her hand for a shake, acknowledging her, “Ms. Sinclair. Before we proceed further, may I have a quick look at the letter? It’s all about protocols.” 

Scarlett handed it to her and curiously watched as she placed it next to another wax seal, comparing it.

She murmured to herself, “Looks authentic… I believe you mentioned a ring as well?" 

Scarlett removed a rich black velvet box from her handbag, placing it on the desk, clicking it open. The secretary held her breath, "It is beautiful." 

It was a golden signet ring with the Kir family crest on it, embedded with a mesmerising 0.5 carat blue diamond. She recognised that her boss also had a similar one which she wore on rare occasions. She dared not touch it for fear of tainting the priceless jewelry.

Scarlett carefully closed the box, slipping it back in her handbag, "I'll hand it to you at the end of the meeting for safekeeping. When can I see her?" 

The brunette nodded, finally introducing herself, “I’m Dana. Ms. Kir’s personal assistant. She’s on a call right now but she’ll receive you shortly.”

Scarlett followed the woman through the office. She admired the city through the wide curtains of glasses that served as walls. It felt serene up here as if civilization was far away.

Dana explained, “You’ll have a ten-minute window to get whatever you want across her. I hope that it will be enough.” “More than enough. Thank you.” The secretary pushed pass a polished wooden door and gestured towards the seats, “Kindly wait here.”

When she left, Scarlett remained standing, her eyes catching sight of the woman on the other side of the glass wall. Cattleya Kir in the flesh! 

One of the youngest and richest billionaires. Only 29 years old. She felt a tingle within her stomach. It would be hard to believe that she achieved so much within such a short time. She was simply alluring. Everything about her spoke about commanding power.

The tall woman wore a professional blue dress. She was pacing her office in measured strides in her black heels, speaking through the Bluetooth headset.

Her golden blonde hair was pulled back in a loose bun, her scintillating diamond earrings swayed with her steps and a touch of red lipstick graced her lips. She was pure sophistication. There was a world difference between them and she simply couldn't look away. She watched as the billionairess rested back against the side of her desk, her stance graceful.

She had thoroughly researched her, studied her, dissected each piece of crucial information to find out what kind of a person she really was and for once in her life, she hasn’t been satisfied with what she found online.

She didn’t particularly care about the woman’s professional life and achievements. When she dealt with a client, it had to be all personal and she has found it strange that there would be missing information on a personality as big as her. 

So she had decided to dig deeper. She bought any magazines and tabloids that mentioned her even if it was just a snippet and she read all she could on her. Secretive rumors surrounded this woman. Some mentioned she was a serial dater and she didn’t stay long in a relationship. 

There were dozens of photos of her having intimate dinners with celebrities. She knew better than to believe them, especially when some rumors were borderline ridiculous, saying things along the line that she was a mafia queen, ruling on an underground criminal empire. 

Untouchable. Unstoppable. A force to be reckoned with. She felt excited.

Sharp emerald green eyes met her abruptly and Scarlett straightened herself, clenching her file. Her stomach fluttered. Through the glass wall, their gaze locked. She was so much more captivating in person than in all the photos she has seen of her.

It was as if it was only now that the entrepreneur noticed her presence. The contact barely lasted two seconds before the woman looked away. 

She saw her lifting a finger to her headset and this told her that her conversation has ended. Would she call her in? Should she just go in? Scarlett tried to make eye contact with her again. It seemed that her call has ended. 

Cattleya Kir adjusted her earpiece, keeping her eyes on the wide screens fixed to one side of her wall. She was videoconferencing with a few government officials on a highly confidential matter. The potential launch of more advanced geostationary satellites to monitor climate change.

As she listened to one of the men who spoke to her, she thought about the woman waiting right outside her office. She had no idea who she was. Dana didn’t mention anything to her. She was about to speak again to answer his questions when she heard her office glass door sliding open.

She glanced over her shoulder, finding the stranger strolling towards her in the middle of the office. “Ms. Kir, good morning. I’m here—” Scarlett stilled, her voice catching in her throat, startled by the numerous eyes who darted from the billionairess towards her. 

Faces of men and women were plastered on numerous flat screens and they were frowning at her in confusion. Heat flared across her cheeks, realizing too late what she just did.

The heiress’ eyes snapped at her, sending her a deadly silent warning. A chill ran up her spine and Scarlett promptly recoiled back, hastily backing off to go back to the area where she was supposed to wait, out of sight of those people.

She forced herself to sit down on one of the seats, ignoring the hammering of her heart. She was done for! Way to make an entrance! She mentally cursed herself for this mistake, wondering if she would get kicked out by Kir before they even got the chance to speak. 

She swallowed hard, reaching for one of the business magazines, trying to distract herself.

The minutes ticked by slowly and yet her anticipation kept rising, her nervousness consuming her thoughts. The way the billionairess had looked at her as if she could murder her at that moment… 

Suddenly the idea that she could be a mafia queen didn’t seem that farfetched. She had to maintain her composure. Rule number 1; never be intimidated by the client. Never.

When she barely managed to finish reading through the last article and she raised her eyes from the pages, she saw the woman taking off her device and walking around the L-shape desk to take her seat. 

Scarlett stretched her legs and stood, wondering if she could go in now. It was as if the chief executive heard her thoughts for she gave her a curt nod, finally acknowledging her presence. She was relieved.

The glass door slid open and she walked in the cooler interior, looking towards the now black screens just as a matter of precaution. “Ms. Kir. About what happened, I apologize for what I—” 

“No need for inane excuses," Cattleya interrupted her, not offering her a seat, “I’m afraid you’ll have to be quick. I am needed elsewhere.”

Scarlett observed how she nonchalantly reached for a file on her side, taking a red pen, going through the report as if she wasn’t even here. “I’m Scarlett Sinclair. I’m a matchmaker from TheOne, a fairly newly established dating service business.” 

The billionairess nodded, crossing out a whole page, the pen lightly tracing the side of the document as she skimmed through it, “Are you seeking sponsorship?”

“No. I was hired as your personal matchmaker and I’d like—” 

“Hired by whom?” 

“By your father.” 

Cattleya paused, narrowing her eyes, “Who?” 

Scarlett cleared her voice, wondering why she was demanding clarification on that, “Your father! Silas Kir. He got in touch with me the day before.”

"Is that so?" Unfazed by the revelation, she leaned back in her seat, making the pen twirl in between her fingers as she finally gave her, her attention. She observed her, wondering what to make of this woman. 

It was probably a trap. An overelaborated sick scheme. Was she one of those journalists in disguise? It wouldn’t be the first time reporters would try to snatch information from her in this manner. “And what do you want from me?” 

Scarlett made a resolve not to be moved by that cold tone. She moved closer to her, clearing her voice, taking out a paper from her file, placing it on her desk, “I want you to go through this. It gives a brief overview of how this is going to work. I’d also like to set an initial rendezvous with you. It’s important I know about your preferences before I get started in my hunt.”

There it was. If that wasn’t suspicious… A small smile spread on her lips and she chuckled mockingly, drumming her fingers on her armrest, “You are serious, aren’t you?” 

Scarlett gazed at her, her hazel eyes challenging hers, firmly saying, “Very.” 

“Then let me make myself clear. I’m not interested in this whole affair. So why don’t you wrap up your little game and go find someone else’s time to waste.” 

Her tone came out harsher than she had intended but it didn’t matter. She made a mental note to have a word with her secretary for letting such frivolous people in her office.

Scarlett frowned down upon her, matching the coldness, “Ms. Kir. You are my client. Whether you like it or not, I've been assigned to you. I will liaise with your secretary to set up our session at your earliest convenience. Thank you for having me.”

Cattleya arched an eyebrow, amused at how the woman raised her chin indignantly at her before walking out, tucking out a loose strand of her caramel brown hair behind her ear. How daring. It had been a good while since someone defied her so carelessly.

Her eyes inevitably travelled the length of her body, watching her hips sway to the rhythm of the taps of her heels as she saw herself out.

She tsked. She didn’t need any visual distractions in the form of sexy, undisciplined, impudent matchmakers right now. Were these fools running out of ideas to get her attention? At least they could have made an effort to make it believable.

The moment the woman crossed her door, she forgot all about her and focused back on the matter at hand. She had to make some crucial adjustments based on the negotiations she just had prior to that girl’s visit.

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