Page 5 of Between Love & Ruin

“I have dropped a message,” she says, and I nod.

I open my phone to check on some mail when footsteps near us and Myra elbows me, signaling they are here.

I don’t look up until Reyansh calls my name.

“Apologies for the delay, Mr. Wolfe,” he says, and I can sense the urgency in his voice even when he tries to hide it with his stoic face. “We got caught up in an emergency.”

“I don’t like waiting, Mr. Carter,” I say, shaking his hand firmly. “And you know how precious my time is. This deal is important, which is why I flew down all the way from NYC to London. I would appreciate some consideration for that.”

“I know,” he says, taking a seat at the table. “I can assure you there will be no future delays. Now, without further ado, shall we?”

I nod, and his team starts setting up the design plans we had been discussing for months.

Wolfe Media works within the entertainment industry among other media houses, and we are the biggest in the game. And ever since I took over, I have wanted to build this special place. This entertainment house will solely focus on building stories that leave an impact.

As someone who grew up surrounded by stories that shaped me into the man I am today, I have disliked every piece of entertainment that’s being curated in the industry. I believe there are far better stories in the market, and we should capitalize on them rather than building the same old piece of content that we have been doing since forever.

When people get to know that I, as a man pushing thirty, read romance books, they think I am joking. But I feel like there’s more to romance books than just fantasies. But to know that, one would have to pick up a book, and people don’t really have the time for that.

That’s where this company will step in. Bringing in pieces of art that truly matter. It’s more of a dream project than just a business model, and for that I wanted to work with people who worked for passion, and Reyansh is one of the very few people who work for that.

So even if he did come in late, I would have never turned down the opportunity to work with him.

But the thumb rule of business is to never let them know you want them if you want to sustain the upper hand. And based on my experience, this applies very well in life too.

Limits the disappointments you get in life.

* * *

“So, this is the final plan,” Reyansh says, and I won’t lie, I am impressed as hell. We didn’t give them much time to prepare everything, and to have done such a great job in so little time is amazing.

“We are happy with this,” I say, trying to make sure they don’t get their hopes high and take this for granted. It is very difficult to crack a deal with me, and I want to make sure they know what it means to have done that on the first try. “But to execute this, your team will have to come down to NYC, including you. I want to make sure you will be okay with that.”

Reyansh looks at me with a piercing look, and I can see the gears turning in his head. I know that look very well. When I place such conditions, people normally back down.

But I don’t think he is one to give up easily.

“Why do you insist?” he asks

“Oh, I don’t insist,” I say with a chuckle. “But this project is crucial for my company, and we don’t take that for granted. I would want this plan to be executed under your supervision directly. If it’s okay with you, only then will we proceed with this.”

He stares at me for a minute, and I let him think over my words. Sure, I want to work with him but on my conditions. This project will take months of commitment, and I want to see if he is willing to do that.

“Okay,” he says after a while. “My team will be there, along with my wife and me.”

My eyebrows furrow, and only then do I notice the glimmering ring on his finger.

“Your wife?” I question, amused.

“If I am flying down across the continent for someone, I am doing it with my wife, Mr. Wolfe. I don’t do long distance.”

I can’t even stop the small smile that takes over my face. I value a man who values his family because they are the best example of what loyalty looks like.

And those are the best people to work with.

“Good enough,” I say, standing up, and he follows suit. “You can send through the contract with all the details that we discussed today to my PA. My team will get back to you after that.”

“Thanks,” he says with a polished smile. “We are happy to work with you, Mr. Wolfe.”