Adeline had gone red in the face.

Nurain was a company that had a more than thirty billion dollar total value asset. It was one of the leading names in fashion and one of the fastest rising companies in the metropolitan area that was Glover city.

Nurain had a lot of potential, it would one day be one of the most known fashion brands in the world and it was just a matter of time before they went international.

And yet here someone was publicly offering her twenty million dollars for her company.  Twenty measly million dollars?

Constantine wanted to know who this man was. He knew he had seen the face somewhere before, maybe on a poster or simply on the street one day. Con had photographic memory so if his mind was telling him he had seen this guy before, then he definitely had, he just had to think well and pinpoint where.

Con closed his eyes and let his mind do the rest of the work. The memory came back to him in a second.

He had seen this guy in a bar. 

His name was Jake Caswell, the CEO and managing director of Caswell group of companies. They dealt in everything from house wear to casual clothing and up to high end fashion.

Nurain had recently left them in the dust and surpassed their total net worth. Con had heard all of this from Jake himself. Con hadn't taken it to mind then, so what was this Jake guy doing here now making such a mouthy offer?

Could he even afford the twenty million?

Adeline simply shook her head and looked at her rival in the eyes.

"Offer rejected. Nurain is not up for sale."

Con watched as the Jake guy simply scoffed.

"You think you're all that don't you Adeline?"

Adeline simply nodded and shrugged.

"I do. Can you get your car out of my company now? You're stalling our progress."

The Caswell CEO simply laughed at her words and shot her an intimidating look.

"Do you want me to tell you the truth Adeline, you're nothing!. Yes, you heard me right, you and this little ragtag group you have behind you, without them you are nothing. I won't be asking twice. Everyone knows that the reason Nurain is making it so well is because you sleep with all the husbands of all your politician patrons behind their backs. That's why they shop here on the request of their husbands. You're nothing but a cheap whore who uses her body to grow a company, and thinking you can stand against a mighty group like the Casswell group of companies is simply folly. I am here to make you see that you can't."

Jake smiled when he spoke next.

"Sell Nurain to me. Your designers will be paid better and we can forget this ever happened."

Adeline was visibly shaking from rage. John and Jane were even more enraged. Jane especially.

How could this arrogant male say say such things to her boss?

She had been one of the initial set of people Adeline had hired when she had the idea for Nurain, and never in her four years of working with her, had she ever heard or even seen the other woman do something as lowly as sleeping with men for favors, talk less of some of her most important patron's husbands! What would they think if they heard of these vile accusations?

Jane stepped forward with all the wrath she could muster and sneered down at the Caswell Ceo.

"Just so you know this, no one believes a word of what you're saying, no one is even listening to you. You're spewing lies, bland lies that will get you nowhere. We stand with her and we stand with Nurain, she is not going to sell her company to you, not now and not ever!"

Pa!

The sound of the slap was crisp and loud under the hot afternoon sun.

Con could feel killing intent start radiating off him. He had to rein it in less people panicked and Adeline ended up getting hurt in the bustle of the sudden panic.

One of Jake's men had just slapped Jane Firvion, the lovely HR Manager.

The guard sneered down at her as he spoke.

"Scum like you aren't qualified to talk back to him. You're too low profile."

Nurain's guards began to move towards the opposing party but Jane simply held her hand up. They all understood the sign for what it meant.

Jane looked the Caswell man straight in the eye as she spoke.

"If that's all you can do, you'll have to try harder."

Con felt new respect for her spark up in him. Jane walked back to Adeline and smiled at her when she saw the look of gratitude on her face. She cleaned the tear that had fallen out of her boss's eyes.

Adeline couldn't be disrespected like that.

Adeline nodded at her and turned her face to Jake Caswell.

"You're a fool Jake, a big fool if you think you can bully me into submission. I'm guessing that's all you do to your new bride isn't it?"

Her blow hit the right spot. The look on Jake's face turned sour.

"If the Caswell group of companies is so high and mighty, why is its financial worth decreasing with every passing day? You should be ashamed of yourself Jake, trying to bully a woman into handing over her hard work to you. I will not be terminating my contracts with any of my designers and I will not be selling Nurain Fashion corporation to you. Not now and not ever!"

All the staff behind her nodded as she said her final words.

Constantine smirked at her bravery.

'"You might want to reconsider that, you do remember that you have no one backing you right?"

Adeline felt a spark of panic at that. He was right, but nevertheless.

"I don't care. I am not selling Nurain to you."

The look on Jake's face turned sour and ugly. He opened his mouth to speak again but he was cut off by someone's lazy and slightly annoyed voice.

"Why do you still have something to say, are you deaf and dumb?"