Jilted Ex-wife Billionaire Heiress novel Chapter 42

Chapter 42 Taken For A

Ride

Howard sighed when Darya made no move to drink. ‘Fine. If you don’t like vermouth, how about Campari?‘

He located a bottle of the liqueur and poured a glass for Darya. ‘Now, about the deal. I can’t go back to the board with an offer of fifty per cent below market rate. They are going to laugh me out of the room. How about

twenty?‘

Before Darya could answer, he continued, ‘I know Kemp’s at a disadvantage here. I admit, we do have some issues right now, but they are just temporary. We need your cash, but you need our technology. There’s no reason why we can’t work out a deal that’s mutually beneficial.‘

He leaned over the table.

Darya moved back.

Howard didn’t seem to mind.

His bulky build blocked Darya’s view of the table. ‘What do you say?‘

Darya played with her phone.

With the screen turned away from Howard, he didn’t realise everything he said had been captured on camera. ‘What’s Sharon’s role in all this?‘ Darya asked. ‘I’m the project leader. She shouldn’t have gone behind my back.‘

Sensing a change in her attitude, Howard smiled. ‘She gets a hundred thousand dollars bonus if Kemp gets the deal at market rate.‘

‘You are talking about a kickback,‘ Darya pointed out.

‘Come on, it’s just the cost of doing business.‘ Howard’s gold tooth flashed as he grinned. ‘But that was before you came on board. Since you are the boss now, the same deal–no, a better deal–is open to you, of course.‘

‘How much are you talking about?‘ Darya sat up straighter.

Believing he’d had her hooked, Howard relaxed. ‘How about a quarter million? In cash. If you are unhappy with the figure, we can always negotiate further.‘

He added after a pause, ‘In a hotel room.‘

He attempted a suggestive wink, but with the rolls of flesh on his cheeks, it came out as more of a muscle

spasm.

When Darya appeared to be lost in thought, Howard picked up the glass of Campari and offered it to her. ‘If you are interested in working with me, how about a drink?‘

0.0%

20:45

ท

III O

<

Chapter 42 Taken For A Ride

Darya smiled at the gleam in Howard’s eyes.

She stood up and circled the glass table.

Howard gulped as Darya neared.

He could smell her perfume.

Up close, he could see that her skin was flawless.

Wondering if the rest of her was just as perfect, Howard grinned and tried to look down the front of her blouse.

Blinded by lust, he didn’t notice Darya switching out the glasses on the table with a quick sleight of hand.

When Howard didn’t look upset when she refused to drink the vermouth, she knew the drug was not in the

wine.

There were six empty glasses on her side of the table while only two were on Howard’s side.

When Sharon poured a drink for Darya, she picked up one out of the six.

Howard did the same when he offered the glass of Campari.

It was easy to conclude that the glasses, not the wine bottles, had been drugged, likely with some kind of colourless and odourless solution coated on the inside of the wine glasses.

Darya made a mental note to pick up the security footage on her way out.

Before coming here, she’d called Avery, who owned the club, and asked a staff member to install a sound- enabled camera in this room.

Everything Howard and Sharon did before her arrival was captured on tape.

Thinking of this, Darya smiled.

Emboldened by alcohol, Howard made a move to grab her waist, but Darya moved out of range.

Frustrated and getting impatient, Howard tapped a finger on his thigh. ‘Are you going to drink with me or not?‘

‘Not.‘

‘What?‘

When Darya’s refusal sank in, Howard’s face darkened. ‘I thought you agreed to talk more about the deal.‘ ‘The deal was we pay you fifty per cent below market rate for your technology. It hasn’t changed. Take it or

leave it.‘

Realising he’d been taken for a ride, Howard snarled, ‘But you said we could work out another arrangement!‘

‘I said no such thing.‘ Darya wagged a finger at him. ‘You’ve really got to work on your listening skills, Mr

Banks.‘

‘Bitch!‘

Enraged, Howard lurched to his feet.

34.2%

20:45

> O III

< Chapter 42 Taken For A Ride

He lunged at Darya

Forget about the drug.

It was just the two of them in the room.

He was bigger, older, stronger.

He could easily overpower the cheeky bitch and teach her a lesson she’d never forget.

Darya took a step backwards and bent her knees, gearing up for a fight.

In her eyes, Howard’s drunken movements were laughably slow.

Mentally, she planned out one punch to the man’s throat to stop his forward motion, followed by a jab to his solar plexus, then a stomp on his kneecap.