Kapitel 2: Jace: The CEO's Dilemma
I stared at Casey Dunlop as she held the phone in her hand and I saw all the love and passion drain out of her as if a faucet had been turned on. I felt a gaping hole in my chest as I looked at her, it hurt me that she was going through all this because of me. But then, I was powerless against my feelings just as much as she was powerless against hers.
"Casey…" I called, trying to get closer to her.
"Just leave! Now!" She cried, tears filled her eyes as she shifted even further from me. At that moment I was sure that if she could enter the wall, she would have happily done it.
I was hurt as I saw her doing her best to get away from me as if I had a contagious disease. I could see just how much Kira's call had hurt her and I didn't want to make things any worse. So, without another word, I got up from the bed and walked out of the room.
I glanced around the hallway, making sure that no reporter or paparazzi was waiting, and then I hurried over to the staircase while I struggled to get my two-piece suit in order. My little tryst with Casey had ruined it, but I didn't mind. I would sacrifice a thousand of these suits if it meant another opportunity to get into bed with Casey again.
As I went up the stairs, I remembered vividly the feel of her lips against mine. They were soft and they felt so sweet, I could kiss them forever. Remembering the press of her body against mine, or the feel of her succulent breasts against my chest… I stopped the train of thought as I felt a little tightening in my pants.
When I got to my floor, I looked around once more and breathed a sigh of relief as I found it empty.
I began to hurriedly walk down the hallowed hallways. The gold-plated linoleum floors masked the sound of my footfalls, the chandeliers dangling from the ceiling showered the place with bright light. Just as I was about to get to the penthouse, I saw Ethan, my personal bodyguard emerge from the elevator.
"Seriously? What the fuck, Jace?" He blared angrily.
Ethan had been my bodyguard right since my college days. He followed me everywhere and he was damn good at his job. Working with me for over ten years now, I no longer saw him as an employee, he was more like a close friend now. I was especially happy that he saw himself that way as well because I loved how free he was with me. If he had stuck with being formal, I would have fired him a long time ago.
Now, as I looked at him, I only shrugged as I got to the penthouse door.
Ethan used the keycard to open it, "where have you been? I've had the guards scattered all over the hotel looking for you." He stopped as he saw my tattered clothes, "What the hell happened to you? You're about to have a rehearsal dinner with Kira's family. You know her uncle would be there, this is not the time to slack, Jace."
"I'm not slacking, okay? I just needed some fresh air. Knowing you have guards all over the damn hotel is why I chose to ignore the elevators in the first place."
Ethan stared at me, "Thanks for that information, I'll note it down."
I let out a deep breath as I tugged my shirt off and threw it on the bed, and then I made my way into the walk-in closet. It was gigantic and filled with so many clothes and jewelry. There were so many of them that one would have guessed it was my home. However, when you're the CEO of Chillz, the top streaming platform in the entire country, a billionaire that paparazzi like flies after a piece of rotten meat, then top fashion brands would always want to dress you up. Somehow, they always managed to find my hotels and send dozens of their clothes and other fashion accessories my way. This way, I didn't really have to hurl boxes when traveling.
Not that I would hurl the boxes though, Ethan always took care of that.
As I changed into something else, I studied my reflection in the mirror. Ethan was sitting on the bed, busy on his phone while he spoke rapidly. I had managed to tune his voice out, something that I do quite often these days, but from the look on his face, I could tell he was being serious.
"Steve Cornway, the owner of Billings Media, is here." He was saying as he pocketed his phone, "I didn't know he was invited to dinner. Why the hell would you invite your rival to your rehearsal dinner?"
"It wasn't me," I muttered angrily as I buttoned up my jacket. "It was Leo Dunlop, Kira's uncle. I honestly don't get why he's still keeping that snake close."
"Don't you get it? Leo is a shrewd businessman, he's keeping Steve close just in case this deal with you and Kira doesn't work. He's covering his bases and I suggest you do the same."
"You think I don't know that? Leo would have married Kira off to Steve if not for the bad press that would have incurred. Everyone would have known it was simply a marriage of convenience and the media would have had a field day with it. With regards to the merging, I'm the best choice, because when we do it via marriage, the two companies become one but ownership doesn't really change hands. I'll still be the CEO of Chillz and he'll still be the CEO of Beacon studios. But everything we do will be merged."
"Okay… I'm just saying you need to be careful. If this doesn't work, do you have a plan? If Leo eventually merges with Steve, then Billings Media will become the biggest media conglomerate in the country, iof not the world. He would have the studios and the streaming platforms all in his hands. You don't want that, do you?"
"What the fuck is wrong with you today, Ethan? Are you a doomsday advocate?" I rasped as I angrily buckled on a watch. "See, Leo wouldn't merge with Steve. I know that because Steve would never make a deal where he doesn't have the upper hand. My deal with Leo will give us 50-50 power in our respective companies. Steve would never go for that. And I don't think Leo is vain enough to accept any less."
Ethan got up from the couch and slipped his phone into his pocket, "I just don't like the fact that you're putting all your eggs in Kira's basket."
As he said the words, I thought of Casey and felt a shudder go through me. He was right. Anything at all could go wrong, especially now that Casey and I had confessed our feelings for each other. Anything at all could go wrong that would ruin our plans. I had nothing to fall back on considering how I believed wholeheartedly that getting married to Kira would be the best for Chillz.
"Call Lucy for me, can you?" I told him. Lucy was my personal assistant.
With a nod, Ethan made the call while I put finishing touches to my dressing. When I was done, he was standing at the door waiting for me.
"She's on her way. She was making sure that only the right reporters were present at the dinner tonight."
"Everything is ready for it, right?"
Ethan nodded, "my men are all prepared. It would be fine."
He was about to open the door when he stopped and did a double take as he stared at me, "are you fucking kidding me?"
"What is it?"
"Why do you have a hickey on your neck, Jace?"
Oh boy!
"Is that what you went out to do?" He demanded, "who the fuck were you kissing?"
AUTORENGEDANKEN 
Odd_Man
Odd_Man That's the thing with these billionaire types... it's always business, money, and power... until they fall in love. How far do you think Jace would let his love for Casey take him? Let me know in the comments. Thank you.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
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