Mr. Billionaire, I'm Back!

Chapter 29: A Late-Night Tryst

When Sarah got back home, Susan saw immediately saw that she was upset. She ran to her daughter, hugged her, and said, "Sarah, my dear, what's wrong?"

Sarah began to cry, and her mother stroked her hair. "Joanna and Julie are bullying me," she whined. She stomped her foot like a petulant child and yelled, "I hate them! I hate them! I hate them!"

"There, there; don't worry about it," Susan said. "Mommy will deal with them for you."

Sarah: "Mom, you don't know what Joanna did today. She is the worst. She embarrassed Mike in front of all the senior statesmen!"

Susan frowned, and a cruel expression appeared on her face. "Why didn't I hear about this?" she asked.

Sarah: "I don't know, but it's true. Mike told me everything. Mom, don't you think it's about time we hurt that b***h?"

"I agree," Susan replied. And that night, after Mrs. Moore had gone home for the night, Susan went upstairs and changed her clothes. She took a mask out of the drawer, put a cap on her head, and then left the house. Earlier in the day, she had arranged to meet a man at a hotel that was not far from where she lived, and by the time she arrived, he was waiting for her.

The man was in his mid-forties, and he had a muscular build. He looked healthy and clean. He met her in the parking lot. Then she put on her mask, and they walked into the hotel together. Once they were in their room, she took off her mask and said, "We can't leave any trace that we were here." And then they made love.

When they were both spent, they showered together.

"I need you to do me a favor," Susan said.

"Oh?" the man replied.

Susan: "I need you to destroy my Stepdaughter, Joanna Devine. First, get rid of everyone around her, one person at a time. Then, when she is utterly alone and helpless, I want you to torture her slowly. I want her to die an agonizing death."

The man nodded, and with a Cheshire's grin on his face, he said, "Your wish is my command." And then they f****d one more time ("One more for the road," the man had said, and he'd laughed maniacally as the words left his mouth).

It was a quarter past two when Susan snuck back into her house, and nobody had even noticed her absence.

***

Eric Holland was arrested on multiple charges, including rape, aggravated assault, and assault with intent to kill. Thus, everyone hated him, and they all wanted him to pay for what he had done. People said he was a scumbag and deserved to be severely punished for what he'd done.

Eric Holland's trial went quickly, he was sentenced to death, and Blan Real Estate went bankrupt almost overnight.

***

At Devine HQ – The sun shone through the window of Joanna's office, and it lit up her face as she read the newspaper. And when Steve walked through the door and saw her in this light, he thought she looked like a fallen angel.

Steve had a sly expression on his face, and when Joanna looked up and saw him, she shuddered involuntarily. "Please Knock before you enter," she said.

Steve smirked. "I'm so sorry," he said sarcastically. "I will knock next time."

Joanna rolled her eyes. She was displeased by Steve's intrusion. "What do you need?" she asked.

Steve: "The president would like you to attend a business meeting this evening with Danny Smith and Mr. Jones from the Jones Corporation. It will be at the Maple Garden Hotel, and I will be joining you. Mr. Jones has asked that you come prepared with a proposal."

When Joanna heard who the meeting was with, her heart began to beat faster. There was a lot of mystery behind the Jones Corporation. Thus, most companies refused to do business with them. So why would we? – Joanna wondered – This had better not be another trap!

"Fine." Joanna nodded absently and said, "Get me all of the information we have on the Jones Corporation ASAP!"

***

At the Maple Garden Hotel - Joanna and Steve came to the appointed place, but when they tried to enter the private room, Steve was stopped by a bodyguard at the door. Joanna frowned. "What are you doing?" she asked.

At the sound of her voice, Danny emerged from the private room, and when Joanna saw him, she finally understood the purpose of the meeting. Danny smiled politely and said, "Good evening, Ms. Devine. Our president only needs to see you. He is not interested in wasting time talking to your underlings." Danny pointed to Steve. "He can wait outside with me."

Joanna looked at Danny suspiciously, and then she turned to Steve. "You can wait outside," she said.

Danny led Joanna into the private room, and she was shocked by who was waiting for her.

I should have known that he was the owner of the Jones Corporation – thought Joanna. In hindsight, it made perfect sense, but Jones was such a common surname that it had never occurred to her.

"Brian?" she gasped. He was standing by the window, and he had a goblet in his hand. His hand-made suit fit him perfectly, and he looked good in it.

Brian nodded to Danny, and Danny obediently left the room. Then he turned and walked over to where Joanna was standing. He offered her his hand and said, "Hello, Ms. Devine." Joanna glanced nervously at his hand and then at his face. She felt uncomfortable touching him, but she felt thought she had no choice but to shake hands with the man.

Joanna sighed. She politely shook his hand, and then she said, "Hello, Mr. Jones."

Brian smiled faintly and said, "Ms. Devine, please take a seat. If you don't mind, I'd like to have dinner with you before we get down to business."

Joanna did mind, but out of politeness, she smiled and said, "That would be nice."

Over the course of their evening, nothing unusual happened. The meal was pleasant, and when it was over, Joanna revealed her proposal. She handed it to Brian and said, "Feel free to take as much time as you need to look it over."

Brian thanked her, and it took him two hours to read the document. While he was reading, Joanna watched the people passing by the window, and there was one man in particular that caught her eyes. He was sitting on a park bench, quietly reading a book. He was attractive, and no matter how many times she looked away, she found her gaze drawn back to him. And time sped by relatively quickly.

When Brian was done, he put the document on the table and looked up.

"What do you think?" Joanna asked. "Are there any changes that need to be made?"

Brian smiled and said, "Ms. Devine, you did a good job, but there are some minor changes that I'd like to make." Then he took a pen out of his pocket and began to circle all of the things that he was unhappy with. When he was done, he handed the document back to Joanna and said, "Please make some changes. We can discuss this again once you have finished the second draft."

Joanna took the document from Brian's hand, and as she began to go over the corrections he'd suggested, she began to feel uncomfortable. There was nothing wrong with the contract as it was, and the things he'd circled were inconsequential. She wanted to call him out on it, but she didn't want to risk damaging their business relationship. Therefore, she did the only thing that she could do. She nodded her head and said, "I'll get right on it."