Chapter Nine
‘And that’s when I told him he had a deal!’ exclaimed Daniel Peterson.
He might not look it, dressed in an off-the-rack grey suit, a white-and-grey-striped shirt and a pink tie that aged him horribly, but Daniel Peterson was one of the richest men in Europe.
It was, Maria realised, his own type of armour.
He delighted in being underestimated and unfortunately Micha had committed less of a sin, and more the fulfilment of Daniel’s often persecutory expectations, ones that told him he would constantly be undervalued and insignificant to younger and brighter men than him.
Peterson’s ego was often his downfall, but surprisingly enough, his intelligence was high enough to drag him back up again.
It was just that most people didn’t stick around long enough to find out that this was the case, until they had been dismissed by Daniel.
‘Not bad, Daniel,’ Maria offered, her smile wry, just the way the Englishman liked it.
It hid the tiredness that was beginning to press against the backs of her eyes and she was fighting the urge to place a hand around her stomach.
There was nothing there other than a bundle of cells, but she had walked into the restaurant at the top of the Shard feeling protective of those cells.
As if she was being reminded that having both a career and motherhood was going to be difficult.
Micha had been content to let her take the lead.
Something that surprised her. Oh yes, he’d said as much, but in Maria’s experience, the men of Gallo Group often said one thing and did another.
And this was, actually, the first time they’d worked together in the years since they’d both worked for her grandfather.
Unbidden, her gaze flicked between the two men. There was no contest. It had nothing to do with the fact that Peterson was nearly nine years her senior, or greying at the temples. Some would find that eminently attractive. But Micha?
She took a sip of her sparkling water.
It did nothing to wash away the taste of desire on her tongue. His jaw in dark shadow seemed arrogant rather than lazy, the high cheekbones sculpting the planes of his face in harsh lines, the furrowed brow only serving to draw attention rather than deter it.
Husband. Lover. Father of her child. Enemy.
Micha had been many things over the years, but she was finding it hard to pin down just what he was to her now.
She sighed.
‘Ahh, is it that time already?’ Daniel asked, misunderstanding her feelings. But she could work with this so she smiled and agreed that ‘yes. The wining and dining is done, and now we talk business.’
‘Okay,’ he said, smoothing his fingers along the edge of the white-cloth-covered table.
The darkness of the night beyond the extremely thick windows, the subtle lighting and gentle hum of conversation, as well as the discreet positioning of the table, added to a feeling of seclusion; as if it were just the three of them.
‘I heard there was a mistake during the contract negotiations,’ Maria started, ignoring the slightest flinch from Micha, without taking her eyes off Daniel. ‘And I’d like to hear how you felt it came about.’
‘We agreed verbally, to continue in the manner as before. And yet when we received the contract, key components had been changed.’
‘What were you told?’
Daniel flicked his gaze to Micha before it returned to Maria.
‘That it was a mistake with a new member of staff.’
‘You didn’t believe this?’
‘What I didn’t believe was that such an important contract for Gallo Group had been put under the charge of a member of staff so inexperienced as to make such mistakes. It shows a distinct lack of respect.’
‘Mmm.’
Maria took another sip of her water, buying herself some time. She knew what had happened—Micha had told her as much—she just wanted to see how Daniel saw it. Needed to, in order to know whether the plan she had to rectify it would work.
‘Mmm?’ Daniel questioned.
‘Yes. Mmm. I am thinking. I am also wondering if you know how many contracts GG was dealing with at that specific time, given the transition of power from my grandfather to the man he chose to follow in his footsteps.’
‘If that had been the case, I might have been more understanding, but I’d heard rumours.’
Maria cut a glance to Micha, who, this time, was not just frowning, but positively scowling.
‘Rumours that suggested that you, and not Mr Rufina, were Gio’s intended heir.’
Maria silently cursed. It wasn’t Micha who would be the downfall of this company, but whatever member of her family had a big mouth and seemed intent on letting the whole thing burn rather than trying to save it.
‘But you are back. Wife and CFO. That could change things.’
She hoped to god that the dim lighting in the restaurant hid the blush of anger painting her cheeks. Of course, a man would see her marriage first. She opened her mouth to speak but Micha got there first.
‘I think you’ll find, Mr Peterson, that marriage to me comes a lot further down the list of Maria’s priorities than Gallo Group.
’ Micha’s voice was low, but cutting. But not to her.
The cut was to him. To Peterson. The man who they had come here intending to woo.
‘And if you don’t see that, and don’t want to continue with Gallo Group with Maria as CFO, secure in the knowledge that under her, your wealth will increase exponentially, then I’m not entirely sure that we want to do business with you,’ he said, leaning back in his chair.
‘Now, I understand your concern. Reading over a contract that differed to our verbal agreement must have been jarring.
However, like Gio, I strongly believe in giving chances to staff, letting them try and letting them learn.
And lessons were learned. The staff member is still in our employ and has not—in fact—made another mistake yet, despite working on multiple contracts simultaneously. You can be assured, he never will.
‘Now the question moves to whether I want to work with someone who gets their—how do the English say?—knickers in a twist because a new hire used the wrong contract template. This speaks to me of someone ungracious.’
‘Micha,’ Maria cut in from across the table in warning. He had made his point. Rubbing Daniel’s nose in it wouldn’t help at all.
‘Darling,’ he bit back with a sinful smile.
She turned to Peterson. ‘He is being defensive on my behalf.’
Daniel grinned. ‘As he should, and very much as I’d hoped he would be.
Maria, I hope you know me well enough to know that I am completely aware of your skills and your contribution to Gallo Group and would never dismiss you as “just a wife.” I just wanted to see how that dynamic would play out.
So, okay, you have me intrigued. I want to know what your new offer is. ’
‘Why should we make any changes to the original terms?’ Maria asked, her words clear as a bell.
‘Because I know how much you need me,’ Daniel said.
‘Needed. We have, of course, in the last few months been exploring other avenues,’ Maria lied without compunction.
Daniel raised an eyebrow, willing to entertain the threat that Maria had dangled before him, like the stick instead of the carrot, and Micha didn’t know whether to be impressed, or infuriated, but he was willing to see how this played out.
‘I don’t believe you,’ the Englishman said slowly.
‘That’s irrelevant. We have been exploring a rebranding. Clearly there are people who have had some difficulties reacting to the changing of the guard, which leaves us with two options. To hold fast, or…’
‘We completely rebrand. Fresh blood, new contracts, new appearance,’ Micha picked up seamlessly.
‘You wouldn’t. That’s crazy,’ Daniel said with a shake of his head.
‘No, it’s a gamble. And one that could very well pay off. There are quite a number of people out there who are getting tired of fusty old men making the same decisions over and over and over again,’ Maria interjected.
‘And some people are attracted to a little bit of crazy,’ Micha replied with an arrogant smirk, sure to exacerbate the rumours of his rebellious business sense.
‘And the board?’ Daniel asked pointedly.
‘Will fall in line,’ Maria replied with all the confidence that Micha didn’t believe for a single second.
Peterson leaned back in his chair, his gaze flicking between Maria and Micha. A waiter approached, and veered swiftly away with a single flick of Peterson’s hand.
‘Mmm.’ The sound was almost a growl. And almost approving.
‘You work horribly well together. And I’d rather be on your side than against it.
’ With a nod, he stood from the table. ‘I believe I have taken up enough of your honeymoon as it is.’ Peterson cast a look between them.
‘I will happily sign on the terms as originally agreed. But I leave you with a warning. Someone is stirring the pot. And you need to find out who, or there won’t be a company for me to sign with. ’
He left Maria and Micha in stunned silence with empty dessert plates in front of them, which the waiter came to take away as Maria struggled to catch up with what had just happened.
‘He’s right,’ Micha said, his gaze heavy on her.
‘About a traitor?’
Micha held her gaze. ‘No. That we work well together.’
He meant it. He’d enjoyed working with her.
They’d never done it before, their past a wedge between them like an iceberg, forcing them to only interact when necessary.
Gio had been content to leave Paris and England under his purview, and Micha had left the financial discussions between his manager and Maria to get on with.