"Mr. Augustus, I am sorry to say I will not be able to handle your project." Rachel said, facing him.

She had told her assistant, Bryan to inform him about the same. When he had given Jared a call, he had insisted on meeting Rachel in private. He wanted to have a talk with her as needed to know her reasons for rejecting his project.

"May I know why, Miss Carter?" Jared asked, looking sharply at her. However, she did not flinch. It was something she was used to.

"It's just that I have some emergency I have to attend to and I'll not be able to handle any new projects as of now," Rachel replied. She was not sure how to reply to him actually. How could she say that she was a little uncomfortable working for him and that her brother had warned her against him?

"How about this? If you are not able to handle the project, somebody from your company can. There are other qualified employees out there." Jared said. Although there was no difference in his voice, his eyes said something else altogether. His eyes were evil and deadly, which returned to normal the very next moment. But Rachel had seen it.

"I'll have to reject that too. My company will not be accepting new projects. It's not only me. We are facing some problems as of now. I am sorry for the trouble." Rachel said sincerely. She actually did not have to apologize to him. The contract had not been signed yet. So, it was her wish if he wanted to go forward with it or not.

"But why? I am unable to comprehend what problems you could be facing for not accepting my project." Jared argued. It looked like he was hell-bent on knowing why Rachel had rejected him. It was the first time someone had rejected to work for him. It was a big blow to his ego.

"That's a confidential matter, Mr Augustus. I cannot say it."

"You know you are the first one to refuse to work for me," Jared said, showing her a sarcastic smile.

"Everything has a first Mr Augustus. Maybe you will get used to it as you have experienced your first rejection." Rachel sassed. This man was getting on her nerves.

"You have a fiery tongue. I love it." Jared said eyeing her up and down. Although only the upper half of her body was visible, she looked quite stunning and he could imagine her incredible figure overall.

Rachel raised her eyebrows. His compliments did not make her happy, instead, it made her frown. She was finding everything about him creepy. If Bryan was not present in the room along with her, she would have lost her mind.

"So, Miss Carter. Do give a second thought about it. I hope you will reconsider or else you might regret your decision in the future."

"I don't think so. I don't usually regret my decisions because I am never wrong." Rachel said. Why was he so adamant about getting her on board in his project. It was not like she was not the only architect in the country. There were many good people. Although they were not as good as her, they were not bad either.

"Oh. Let's talk about something else then. Would you mind having a cup of coffee with me?" Although it was a question, it sounded like an order.

Rachel frowned. 'Why is he not getting my words? I clearly want to stay far away from him. Looks like I need to say it on his face.'

"Sorry. I don't drink coffee." Her voice was a little rude. But she did not mind, neither did Jared. In fact he found it amusing.

"How about tea?"

"I am allergic to tea. In fact, I can't drink anything other than water, I am allergic to them. Now if you will excuse me, I need to meet a client." Rachel stood up.

"Are you driving me away?" Jared said. This time his voice was low and threatening. However, Rachel remained unaffected. She had seen people of his kind. They did not scare her. They were nowhere as frightening as her brother. He was not called the King of Underworld without reason.

"Think about what you want. I must go. I am running a little late." Rachel picked up her bag and walked out of her office without even looking back. She did not give him any face in front of her assistant.

Jared stared at her walk away from him. Nobody knew what was going on in his mind. He was a mystery, even to himself. He liked the way Rachel had rejected him. Nobody had dared to do it till now. He was amused and his interest in her was piqued.

"Sir, if you may," Bryan said from beside. He was a little creeped out looking at the man's devilish smile. It was not good.

Bryan's words instantly changed Jared mood. From being pleased, he became irritated. Nevertheless, he did not say anything and walked out of the office.

After some time, Bryan gave Rachel a call. "You can come out. He is gone."

Rachel peeked into the room. When she found that the coast was clear, she walked inside and slumped on her chair. She was hiding in the ladies restroom.

"What a weirdo!" She exclaimed.

"Totally," Bryan said from the side.

"I am happy that I listened to my brother. Otherwise I don't know how I would have controlled my temper in from of him if I had accepted to do his work."

"Anyway, how is the Adler firm project going on?

"We have finished with the delivery of the necessary materials to the site."

"Then, I'll give a visit tomorrow." Rachel said as she leaned on her chair. Her head was throbbing a little.

At that moment, her laptop notified an email. She opened it and was shocked looking at the contents. It contained the details of all the shady business Jared had done as well as his criminal activities. Although he had tried to hide them, nothing could be hidden from the master hacker Joshua Martin. Her phone rang.

"Did you get my email?" Joshua asked.

"Yes. I did. What the hell is this? He is a criminal. Why isn't he behind the bars yet?" Rachel said aggrieved.

"It not as easy as you think. He is quite powerful and he has a lot of supporters."

"Damn it. Anyway I rejected his proposal today."

"Good for you."

"How's your collab going on?"

"Smooth," Joshua answered in one word. "I need to go. I have no time to talk to you."

"What are you so busy with?"

"I have a date today evening."

"You and a date?"

"Why? Do you have a doubt?"

"I wonder if there's something wrong with the girl's eyes. How did she even accept to go on a date with you?"

"Don't underestimate me. No woman can resist my charms." Joshua boasted. Rachel could literally imagine him with wings flying in the sky.

"Are you sure that it's a date or are you being delusional?" She clipped off his wings the next moment and he dropped to the ground heavily. He did not have an answer for her. It was clearly not a date and the woman in question was not even attracted to him even a bit. He was only meeting her to accomplish a task. Nothing more, nothing less.

"I got my answer." Rachel said.

Joshua cursed under his breathe. His moment of weakness had given him out.

"Best of luck with your so-called date."

"You. You." Joshua couldn't continue as the other person had ended the call.