-Chapter 11-

-Chapter 11-

-3rd POV-

"That's impossible, how did you do it?" Ryan asked, seeing that the company's account had increased by 80 million dollars.

I hesitated to talk to Ryan about my less legal ambitions. On one hand, he was somewhat my right-hand man, but I had trouble fully trusting him.

Finally, I decided it wasn't necessary to mix the legal and illegal sides of my life. So I said, "I gave him 5% of Copperfield Enterprise's shares."

"That's it?" he asked, surprised and suspicious.

"No, we owe him 30 million dollars, and if Copperfield Enterprise is not valued at 1 billion dollars before March, he will snatch an additional 15%," I said, looking Ryan in the face.

He frowned and asked, "For how much?"

"Nothing at all," I said indifferently.

"You gave him 15% for nothing!!!" he exclaimed, shocked, as it was unrealistic to build a billion-dollar business in such a short time.

"Our company is worth nothing for now. Only with funds can we truly become competitive," I said impassively.

"You don't realize what you're doing. Such a loan should not be taken lightly. We could find ourselves underwater in the near future, and he could use this loan to force us to give up parts of Copperfield Enterprise," said Ryan, unhappy.

I nodded, understanding his reluctance, but I replied, "Everything has already been signed. Now we just have to move forward."

Ryan shook his head and said, "I know you well, and I know you're not telling me everything."

I didn't respond and left the room, upset that he didn't trust me enough.

---

-1 week later-

-December 27, 2006-

-POV Vanessa Williams-

'Vanessa, you're fired.'

The memory of the day when, after 13 years of loyal service, I found myself out the door for not turning a blind eye to my colleague's schemes still haunted me today, two years after the fact.

The day I didn't turn a blind eye to Ronald Dexter's actions, the heir to a considerable fortune, I was applauded by all the members of the company. Even that bastard's grandfather personally apologized for his grandson's inappropriate behavior.

Quickly, Ronald Dexter was shown the door of the company, but less than two weeks later, for some obscure reason, I, who had made no mistake in my professional career, began to make blunder after blunder. On the recommendation of Benjamin Dexter Sr., I found myself out the door.

Who would have believed that even though his family did not tolerate his monstrous grandson's behavior, the mere fact that I revealed this monster's actions to everyone would cost me my job, given that his grandfather was a 11% shareholder in Omicron Capital.

I wasn't discouraged because I knew it was only a matter of time before I could get back on track. After all, I was a Harvard graduate and had spent five years as a senior trader for Omicron Capital.

‘How naive I was,’ I thought, looking at my watch.

"Vanessa Williams?" a voice behind me asked.

I turned towards the sound and saw a black man in his twenties walking towards me.

"Mr. Copperfield, I presume," I said, standing up with my hand extended for a handshake.

He smiled and said, shaking my hand, "You are truly beautiful, Miss Williams."

"Mrs., I am married," I replied, showing the ring on my left ring finger.

He smiled and said, "Your husband is a lucky man."

I smiled without saying anything, though inwardly I was becoming increasingly annoyed by his flattering behavior.

A small silence settled between us until a waiter came to break the awkwardness by taking our order.

Once the order was placed, David Copperfield said, still with his charming smile, "I am glad you accepted to meet with me, Mrs. Williams, because I have a position for you in my company."

"What company?" I asked.

"A company I just founded. It will handle investing my money and maximizing its growth," he said.

"What position would I hold?" I asked, curious to know the level of importance I would have.

"CEO," he said without hesitation.

I raised my eyebrows, impressed that he was willing to entrust me with this position, given the reputation the Dexters had smeared me with.

I nodded, increasingly interested, and asked my final question: "How much capital will I have to manage?"

"I don't know. For now, I own three companies: a private security company, the investment fund, and a company in the arms sector. The better my businesses do, the more I will invest in the investment fund, but I can already allocate three million dollars to you."

‘Three million dollars is not much, but it's all I could get from this young man,’ I thought, a bit discouraged.

Going from managing fortunes of hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars to a fortune of three million was a downfall in itself, but it was my only option to get back on track.

I extended my hand and said, "I hope we will have a long and fruitful collaboration."

He smiled, nodded while shaking my hand, and said, "I'm counting on you from now on, Vanessa."