The Man Of Her Dreams (COMPLETE)

Chapter 17 continuation...

It was the most difficult board meeting she ever had in GOC. Sa kasamaang palad, natapat din iyon sa quarterly review ng kumpanya. And she had to present the growth of the company for the last quarter to the members of the Board of Directors.

She was more than ready to present a while ago before the devil popped in the conference room, and ruined her poise. Napatiim bagang siya. Parang gusto na niyang tawagin si Roshelle para ito na ang mag-present ng quarterly report, but she does this every time.

Napahugot na lamang ng isang malalim na buntong-hininga si Diadem. Her knees were shaky when she stood up and turned on the projector. Parang hinahalukay ang sikmura niya habang nagre-report. She never dared look at Vince's direction. Nag-report siya na tila wala roon ang lalaki. But she stiffened when she heard his voice intervened with what she was doing.

"Twenty percent growth for the last quarter? Only?" he added the last word with a glare of sarcasm.

Humarap siya sa projector para itago ang pagkainis na gumuhit sa kanyang mukha. She shut her eyes hard, and took a deep breath to calm herself. She was sporting a formal stance when she faced the board and shot Vince a cold stare. "Yes, Mr. Boulos. You heard it right. That's twenty percent growth from the last quarter," pormal na sagot niya.

"And you are okay with that?" He looked as if unhappy and unimpressed, but his eyes hovered at her as if she was naked.

She felt her temples tinge. She didn't like the way he looked at her. Iniinsulto ba siya ng Hudas na ito? Minamaliit ba nito ang kakayahan niya? Didn't he know that it was her who drove GOC to success? For the last ten years, the company had been the leading oil company in the country. How dare this jerk insult her inside her own conference room!

"Twenty percent is still twenty percent, Mr. Boulous," she answered with a hint of annoyance. She tried to remain calm and professional even if she had the urge to dig her claws on his face.

"I'm quite surprised that you are already happy with that unimpressive figure, Ms. Elizalde. You know what, that's a big NO with Infinity. We don't settle for less."

"This is just for the last quarter, Mr. Boulos. The company has been reaping really impressive profits for the last ten years. You don't know what you're talking about."

"So I guess, you are losing your Midas touch, then?"

What he said really infuriated her. She held the projector's remote control as if she wanted to crush it. At gustong-gusto na niya iyong ihagis sa walang modong pagmumukha ni Hudas! Hudas talaga ang lalaking ito. Kesehoda ba namang ipahiya siya nang ganito sa harapan ng board?

"You know I bought a large chunk of shares in this company because I thought it's earning much. I'm not expecting this." Napailing ito na tila hindi makapaniwala.

"Well, if that's the case, I'll buy back your shares, Mr. Boulos. You don't have to suffer from a bad judgment investing your money in our company. You can get out this early." She looked at him with her feisty eyes. The thought that she could get rid of him made her glad.

His mouth twisted wickedly. "I'll let you buy me out if you'll pay me thrice the market value of my share," seryosong wika nito.

"That's insane!" she exclaimed. "Who the hell would do that?" She gritted her teeth. She couldn't hide her anger anymore.

"Then that means that you don't have the money to buy me out, Ms. Elizalde," muli ay patuya itong ngumiti.

"It's not like that," kaagad na paliwanag niya. "What you're asking is too much. It's a bad investment. Lugi ako sa lagay na iyan. I'm not that crazy to do that. Nobody would." She shook her head, amazed at how ridiculous Judas could be.

"Okay," nagkibit lang ito ng balikat. "Then, I'll stay in this company." Inilibot nito ang paningin sa ibang board members. "But don't worry, ladies and gents, since I'm here now, you can rest be assured that the company will grow more. I can help you make your share value even bigger. I did that with Infinity Oil. I can also do it with Global Oil," confident na wika nito.

"That's an exciting news, Mr. Boulos," si Mrs. Socorro na tuwang-tuwa sa narinig. "We're just so glad that you came and joined us. Welcome to GOC." Sinundan iyon ng iba pang miyembro ng board.

Bigla siyang pinagpawisan. Unang araw pa lamang ni Vince sa GOC ngunit mukhang nakuha na nito ang paghanga ng ibang board members. Her eyes sharpened even more. No, she wouldn't allow him to act as if he was the redeemer of the company. Hindi niya ito hahayaang magpasikat.

"That's all for now, ladies and gentlemen. The meeting is adjourned. See you next time." Ayaw na niyang patagalin pa ang meeting na iyon. Buwisit na buwisit na kasi siya.