Melting the Cold CEO's Heart

Liz had to admit that she was quite startled. She had been gearing up for a final confrontation with these folks at the point of time when things were ready to come to a head, so it was quite surprising that Jonathan wanted to meet her before that.     

In the past two days, she had been keeping a close eye on them, and it had all been pretty quiet. Although Jonathan had given away his own job here, he was supervising other things, as he was a high-level executive who had multiple duties.     

Liz was quite divided on the issue. If she went, it was possible that she might be walking into a trap.     

Of course, she was only thinking about traps regarding her job, though. This wasn't a movie where something far-fetched like him hiring some goons to kidnap her could happen.     

No, in the world of business, there were much more complex ways to entrap someone, and Liz knew that more than anyone as she had already used some of them in her exploits so far.     

Only, if she didn't go, it might seem like she was scared, and it was also possible that even that could be used against her.     

After all, how could anyone who was scared to even meet their opponent boldly lead a company to new horizons?     

In the end, the decision came down to who she was.     

And Liz had never been the type to cower in the face of danger.     

So, deciding to be cautious, she immediately went to the location given by Christoff.     

On that topic, it wasn't too surprising that they had figured out that he was working with her. It had been a long shot to use him as a spy in the first place, especially after the very public way in which she had 'defeated' the man.     

So, the fact that they had figured it out meant that Liz had all the more reason to be as careful as possible.     

The specific cafe chosen by Jonathan was a very high-end one that was apparently quite famous in Argentine.     

Only serving the most exotic of blends with the cost of a single coffee equaling that of a full meal outside, the clientele who visited this place only included the most refined of individuals.     

Liz fit right in, as a lot of people at the location were also executives taking a break from work.     

Jonathan had booked a private room, and after entering and looking at the fine decor, Liz had to admire his choice.     

Keeping a close eye on all directions, she reached the private room, which only had space for two people to sit in, with expensive paintings hung on the walls to elevate the ambiance to a different level.     

Jonathan merely looked up when she knocked and entered, before gesturing at the seat in front of him.     

There were no smiles to be seen, as if he was ready to get down to business.     

Liz was quite glad to see this. Not in the mood for bullsh*t, she sat down and asked, "What do you want?"     

The time for pleasantries was already past, especially because she knew that this man had contracted Christoff to oppose them in that manner.     

Jonathan understood the same, as he didn't take offense and simply said, "I would like to call a temporary truce."     

If she hadn't thought long and hard on the way regarding what this man might say, this sentence would have started Liz.     

Instead, she just curled her lip and asked, "And why would I trust you?"     

This made Jonathan sit back and shrug, before slumping his shoulders exactly like a man who looked defeated.     

The act was so good that Liz couldn't even tell if it was an act. There was such a difference between this man and the cold, confident one back in the board room, that she considered whether it was possible that he wasn't acting.     

First, she decided to hear him out.     

"I got too confident. So much so that I didn't notice the viper approaching me, hidden in the undergrowth of the forest that is Happle."     

Liz almost felt like laughing at this sentence that seemed so out of place, but she had heard that this man had a propensity for poetry. Clearly, he was showing that now.     

She thankfully managed to maintain her composure while she watched him continue.     

"You know Ben, right, the one who always sits behind me and supports everything I say?"     

Yes, Liz did remember him. In that meeting which they had listened in on, Ben had been the one to support Mark when he had proposed the plan to give Jonathan's job to Liz.     

She simply nodded, which made Jonathan carress the cup in front of him and say, "Ben was instrumental in me, I mean, us, deciding to use this plan against you- of raising you up, and then seeing you crash down and burn. But…he was doing that to usurp my position. I should have been suspicious when he was so quick to support that damn Mark. Hell, maybe they even worked together. I no longer know. Anyway, the end result is that he, along with a few others whom he secretly swayed to his side, is out to support you and make sure that you win, and that I lose. Using that, they will carry out a vote to demote me."     

Wh…what?!     

That Ben, who had indeed supported Mark and lead to Jonathan taking that decision, had betrayed him?     

This was pretty damn shocking, but when Liz thought about what Jonathan had just said, she realized something.     

"If that's the case…why should I help you? Can't I just allow them to help me win? I would walk away smiling, right?"     

This made Jonathan fix his beady eyes on her and speak with utter seriousness.     

"It might look like so. But trust me, after they're done with me, they'll come for you. In some way, they'll make sure that you fall, too. So, I propose that we work together to beat them back, following which I'll support you to win. Yes, I was prejudiced against you. But I know how to be flexible. I value my job over that. Think about it, and you'll see that I'm right."     

He had a point.     

At this moment, Liz was quite confused. Whom was she supposed to believe?     

She couldn't have expected that this would turn out to be so complicated, but it looked like she had no option but to deal with it.     

So…Liz decided to go with her gut, which had never failed her so far.