"I am not agreeing with you, Mr. Grayson! You may please leave now! I have a meeting", I almost shouted at him.

He pressed his lips in a straight line, trying his best to not tear me open.

His eyes narrowed as he went towards the door, he stopped there, turned around and said, "You will regret it, Miss Mallay."

And with an evil smirk on his face he left my office.

God, what have I got myself into?!

As soon as he left, I grabbed the pen stand on my table and threw it on the wall, and I stood near my desk supporting myself against it.

What does he thinks of himself?! God?! He thinks he can order anyone. I am not going to agree with him. I can't marry him, not that asshole especially. Marriage was the last thing on my list, I have so many things left to do.

I never even had a boyfriend, I spent my teenage year planning and my adulthood executing my plan. I don't have time for all this. And I don't even want to merge my company with his, I know it is of benefit for me but I can't marry him, I just can't.

And when he said that he would make me regret this, I know he meant it. And I can't help but shiver thinking about all the things he could do to make me regret rejecting his proposal.

My company is everything I have, I can't risk it.

The door burst open and a confused Josh walked in, "From when did I become your boyfriend?! And you almost kissed me Thera, what's wrong?! "

"You were supposed to act along with me not stand there as if you have seen a ghost!", I yelled at him.

"How was I supposed to know that what is happening, I didn't dream that you will do all that. First you call me in and then introduce me as your boyfriend to Mr. Grayson, I should be the one yelling at you. It was not my mistake!", he yelled back.

Before I could say anything, he walked away from my office, slamming the door.

What the hell!

Firstly that asshole messed up with my mind and now I even had a fight with my friend. We hardly fight.

Awesome Thera!

I sat on my chair, with my head in between my hands and I tried calming myself.

An hour later, my intercom beeped and as I pressed the button, Josh said very coldly, "You have a meeting in fifteen minutes with the French Investors."

"Cancle all the meetings, I am going home."

He didn't reply me but I know he understood.

I was not in mood to attend any more meetings or do anything so, I collected my things from my desk and decided to go back home.

Walking past Josh's desk, he didn't even glance once in my direction.

He was pissed off!

I decided not to say anything to him and I went home.

"You are back early, Thera", Maria said upon seeing me.

"Yeah...I wasn't feeling well so I came back."

"You okay?", she inquired.

"Of course, I just need some rest that's it", I smiled.

She nodded smiling back.

She turned around to leave when I called her saying, "And Maria, no need of cooking the dinner tonight, I will be making it."

"Yes, Thera", she said before leaving.

I know how to make it up to Josh.

____________________________________

Josh loves my smoke flavoured chicken curry, so, I decided to cook that today for him and say sorry.

So, I started preparing my curry as I first marinated the chicken...

Two hours later, my curry was prepared and I packed the curry along with some bread that I made and after dressing up in a casual jeans and T-shirt I went down to my favourite car, Aston Martin db11.

I quickly drove towards his apartment and reaching there, I rang his doorbell.

A few seconds later, Josh opened his door with a bored expression on his face and on seeing me there, his eyes widened a bit.

"What are you doing here?", He asked trying to act cold but I knew his coldness was assumed.

His eyes went down to the packet I was holding and I am sure he could smell the curry already.

"Why, can't I come see my best friend?", I said side stepping him and moving inside his apartment and I kept the packet on the table.

"Thought Miss Mallay was angry that I couldn't act along with her lie...", he mumbled.

"Come on bro, you know I could never get angry with you, I am sorry. I was just frustrated and I just yelled at you", I apologised giving him my puppy eyes.

He rolled his eyes as he sighed, "Well...what have you brought?"

"Your favourite smoky flavoured chicken curry! Am I forgiven now?"

"Of course, Miss Mallay", he chuckled.

"Yay!", I exclaimed happily as I lightly pecked his cheeks.

Josh set the table and we sat down together for the dinner.

"So, what happened today?", Josh asked while stuffing his mouth with the food.

"That asshole wanted to marry me."

"What!?"

"I mean, he wanted to merge our companies by marrying each other..."

So, I explained everything to Josh.

"And that's when I called you in and you know how bad I am at lying and your expression just made it more evident." By the time I finished explaining, Josh's jaw dropped.

"But...what if he...really do something...like, you know what he is capable of", he spoke with concern.

"I know Josh", I sighed, "he did threaten me and I know he will be doing something sooner or later...we just have to be prepared."

"But I can't marry him either", I added.

"Yes, you can't marry him and what if he comes to know about...", he trailed off and I knew exactly what he meant.

"He can never know that...I have tried my best to hide those things for seven years and no one knows about it till now so, I don't think so that he will get to know about it." Josh hummed in response.

Hope he never gets to know about all that...

"And Thera, remember the land that we had to buy in San Diego for the new restaurant?", Josh changed the topic.

"Yes?"

"The couple that are living there are not ready to sell the land no matter how much we tried to persuade them", he explained.

"What is their problem?"

"They say that it's difficult to find new house and all that."

I thought for a moment before speaking, "Fine. Find them a decent house and even double the amount we were paying them earlier. I need that land."

"Ok, Miss Mallay."

________________________________________

A week had passed...a week that was calm, nothing happened, everything was going smoothly, it felt as if it was the calm before the storm.

He didn't do anything but I knew he would because one should never underestimate Isaac Grayson.

I was standing in my office, near the glass wall watching the roads. My office was on the 50th floor so, the view from here was amazing and always calmed me down.

My intercom beeped and I pressed the button to hear Josh speak, "Miss Liesel from the Finance Department wish to see you, it is important."

Miss Liesel was the HOD of the Finance Department.

"Send her in."

A few seconds later, there was a knock on the door and Miss Liesel walked in with her laptop in her hand looking terrified, I am not scary then why she looks pale?

"Good morning, Miss Mallay", she greeted.

"Morning", I replied.

"Ma'am...there is a...problem."

"Which problem?"

She walked over to me and placed her laptop on my desk as she opened it and she began typing on it.

"Ma'am...suddenly our restaurants in Boston have started...to incur loss. We have been going smoothly till yesterday but suddenly today they incurred losses and not small but huge and it's not just one restaurant but all the restaurants in Boston", she explained making me go pale.

"Show me."

She showed me her laptop and she was right, the losses were huge and all of a sudden.

"Ma'am...we are...trying...but...", she was afraid that I might shout at her and blame her but I know she is not the one to blame.

"Miss Liesel, you can leave now. Try to handle it and I will see to it." She nodded before leaving.

I rubbed my temples in frustration...

Then, I grabbed my phone and walked out of my office.

Walking towards Josh desk, I asked him, "Do I have a meeting today?"

"Yes, you have a meeting in an hour."

"How many meetings do I have today?"

"Just this one."

"Cancle it", I ordered.

"But...why?"

"I will explain later Josh, just cancle all the meeting, I have a more important work to do right now."

"Where are you going?", he asked in confusion.

"To settle a few things", I told him walking away from his desk.

_______________________________________

I drove my car as quickly as possible and soon, I reached my destination.

I walked over to the receptionist's desk and demanded, "I want to meet Mr. Grayson."

She was still typing on the computer as she spoke, "Do you have an appointment?"

"Listen to me!", I bellowed making her look up at me as her eyes widened on recognising me, "just tell your boss that 'Thera Mallay' is here, he must be expecting me."

"Ye-yes, Ma'am." She pressed her the phone to her ears and muttered a few words and after hanging up the phone she stood up saying, "I will take you to his office Ma'am."

"No need of it, just tell me the floor."

"70th floor."

I turned around immediately went to the elevator and pressed the button to the 70th floor.

The doors of the elevator opened and I could see a door at the end of the hall with the bold words, 'The CEO" written.

Should have written 'The Biggest Asshole', instead.

As I was about to knock on the door, it opened revealing a woman who looked like a model, with messy hair and smudged lipstick and she walked away giving me a disgusting look making it obvious that I interrupted them. Like I care!

I walked in and there stood that asshole as he fixed his tie and ran his hand through his hair to fix them.

"What a surprise, Miss Mallay", he remarked, smirking.

"Just stop this already, Mr. Grayson!"

"What?", he asked acting as if he knows nothing.

"The games you are playing to make me merge my company with you, it won't work!"

That smirk was plastered on his face and he spoke with confidence, "I never lose, Miss Mallay."

He was nothing but an arrogant, obnoxious jerk, who just cared about himself.

Oh, how I wish to beat some sense into him!

My ears were red with anger.

I watched him search something in his coat pocket and he pulled out a cigarette and a lighter. And just like that he started smoking not bothering that even I was in the office and that smoke could effect me.

"You can't smoke in here!"

He removed the cigarette from his mouth and held it between his fingers.

"Right now, you are in my office and I have more power here, right? I can do anything", he mocked me just the way I mocked him.

I took a deep breath to calm myself and said, "Look, Mr. Grayson, I don't want to merge my company with you and besides that even if I do merge my company with you there is no point of getting married...I mean, we could just merge it, why marry each other?" I was surprised that I managed to spoke so calmly.

But the moment I asked him about that marriage, his jaw clenched and took a deep puff of his cigarette turning his head sideways, completely ignoring my question.

I should have kept quiet but my mouth has a brain of his own so, I said crossing my arms, "Oh, of course, you want the public to think that you merged the company just because we are in love and are getting married not because you are afraid that I might overtake your empire, right?"

His head snapped to me and he spoke through gritted teeth,"Stop assuming things on your own."

He once again opened his drawer and pulled out some papers and said to me, "Just sign these papers."

I let out a chuckle, "You are not God, Mr. Grayson and you can't order me."

"But I can sure make you beg me."

I raised a brow at him and he continued, "You should be thankful that only few of your restuarants are suffering loss. But if it continues at this rate, if you keep losing millions in a day then there will be a time when you will have nothing and then you will have no other choice than to sell off your company to me."

As he finished, my jaw dropped.

I walked closer to him, with the desk seperating us, I leaned in and said through gritted teeth, "You are an Asshole Isaac Grayson and I won't succumb to you."

Before he could say anything, I was already out of that office.