Chapter 16 Aziel en China

The past two weeks have been great. My engagement was, as I thought, an online success. Social media goes crazy for the love story of Danner and me, everywhere we appear together the phones are held up to capture us from various angles. And everything goes on social media. Men's names associated with me are also mentioned, they also get the chance to comment on my engagement. Dordrich's name pops up every now and then, but not prominently because no one can present photos with us together as evidence of a possible intimate relationship between us. So not much value is placed on the gossip. Alyssa hasn't published the spicy photos, but I won't let her fool me. That bitch has a plan with those pictures, I bet my bank account on that. She also hasn't contacted me for the date with Dordrich yet, probably doesn't want to risk the crowd on social media accusing her of intentionally disrupting my dream engagement. That Alyssa is a smart girl, but I am not inferior to her otherwise I would not have achieved so much success at this age. And how much Danner enjoys this media attention, telling you! His automotive company has never sold so many top brands as in the past month. Even his overseas orders have increased. I look at the ring on my finger, which is supposed to be my bonus for my contribution to his financial success in recent times. But hey, the value is nice, the only special thing is that my fiancé gifted it to me. Because I could treat myself to a diamond ring easily. Today I have an appointment to pick up my ring with the ruby. I was not yet completely satisfied with the way the stone was cut and the shop had to return it to the manufacturer. In two Zoom contacts, I was able to check the stone until it was finally sharpened exactly the way I want it. It really is a wonderful specimen now, whichever way you look at it, the red color shines deep in your eye. It will especially stand out on my finger at night, and I'm already looking forward to all the looks it will attract. I plan to wear it on my business trip to China. My company is aggressively expanding into this large but highly competitive market. The Chinese are masters in the ICT sector, but I also have a lot to offer them. So, I found an influential partner, his background looks good, and his business is booming. I want to use the ring to impress the Chinese businessmen, get their attention and keep their eyes on me. Sometimes we women have to use our charms to achieve success, the men always fall for that. That's my experience. The news of my grand engagement has also reached the Chinese business world, you can trust Danner with that. He knows about my expansion plans and ensured that my name and photo appear more often in the Chinese media, especially in Beijing. And of course, his name is always mentioned next to mine, he marks his territory quite well. "Loraine, have you got everything ready? The files are bulky, you have to go through every detail to the last letter. The Chinese are very efficient and secure with information and strict with agreements. I told Aziel to prepare to accompany you." Kaylah entered my room and is now standing in front of my desk. "Aziel? Kaylah, are you mad or so? Do you want to lose your job?", I ask her menacingly. She doesn't give a damn and raises an eyebrow. "Why should I? Aziel is our best man in this case. He knows the Chinese market on his ten fingers and has dealt with them before. He knows their culture of doing business and can give you good tips during the conversations". I know she is absolutely right, previously he got us a lucrative contract with a Chinese company based in America. He has flawlessly led the negotiations to success and the Chinese counterpart was very pleased with him. The only downside was that they were not pleased with a man and woman working side by side. They hold old-fashioned views in that regard. We solved that by adding Kaylah as a note-taker to our team and that has completely relieved the tension. As if two women can't seduce a man and play him sexually together! But hey, everyone has their own views, I respect that. It was important to me that we were able to win the contract and thanks to Aziel we succeeded. But now, taking him to China with me could cause the same problem and worse. Danner! How do I convince Danner that Aziel and I are just going to do business and nothing else? I rub my forehead. The last few weeks have been without any commotion between us, and I wish to keep it that way. But taking Aziel to China can bring all this to point zero. "Kaylah, you know my problem. I want to stay engaged to Danner for a long time. Find a solution and quickly." Her face is twisted with anger. "Why should I? I'm not in charge of your love life. I'm assisting your business to run as efficiently and effectively as possible. You have to solve Danner s issue yourself." I give her a warning look. I know she's not particularly fond of my engagement, has made sarcastic remarks about it a few times. Now that she has linked Aziel to my trip, knowing that this will cause problems in my personal life, she also must take care of the solution. She knows I don't like half work. "Should I ask the human resource department to explain how to link business and personal interests for a company?", I snap at her. " You have completed the shortened HR training, so you know how to deal with these kinds of matters. Don't waste the money I spent on your training". Rolling her eyes, she turns and leaves my office. Bitch! To relieve my irritation, I decide to leave for the jeweler to pick up my ring. I check my bag for my credit cards and other necessities. The jeweler previously refused an advance on the ring, he assured me that I can only pay when I am completely satisfied. I walk past my secretary with my head held high, put the jeweler's card on her desk and leave. In the parking lot, I lower the hood of my Bugatti, I want to feel the wind in my hair and the soft sunbeams on my face. I put on my shades and drive to the shop at my leisure. Luckily there are facilities for customers to park in front of the store, so I jump out and walk right in. The friendly lady meets me. "Loraine. You came to get your ring", she confirms with a laugh. She was the one who helped me with the order from day one when I saw the beauty in the vitrine. We walk to her office together. "It really has become an exceptional model. You know exactly what you want, don't you?! I love customers like you," she says with a friendly smile. She opens the box where my ring should be and looks startled. I see her reaction and follow the direction she's facing. The box is empty. "What's going on?", I ask her. She turns pale. She indicates stuttering. "Your ring is gone"...