Chapter 35 Foul y


    X&J FOODS, NEW YORK.     Xander furrowed his brows as he stared at the chart. Something is wrong. He has done lots of business in his short life, and there has never been this dramatic eruption. There has to be something involved. He scratched his head as he tried to think hard about whether he had missed out on the details.     He picked up the table phone. “Lisa, can youe to my office, please? Also, call Jace to show himself.”     “Right away, sir,” Lisa replied on the other end.     Not too long after he made the call, the door to his office opened, letting in Lisa, who seemed to be under duress from Jace’s shameless flirting.     “Can you cut it out? You are in the office, for crying out loud!” Xander bickered. “You should have him reported to the HR, Lisa. It’s wrong that you keep letting him mess with you.”     “Please don’t try to intimidate me. I have apany waiting for me to run it, just in case you let me go.” Jace boasted, settling into the chair.     “Report him still,” Xander repeated.     “You called for me, sir.” Lisa finally found her voice.     “Oh yes. Please get me all the reports from the market survey we gathered on the package foodpanies. I remember we had one recently.” He said.     “Yes, sir. About a month ago.” She replied.     “Good. Have everything printed and brought to me. Can you get that done in the next ten minutes?”     “I am right on it, sir,” Lisa said, hurrying.     “Is something wrong?” Jace asked when he noticed the severe look on Xander’s face.     Xander thinned his lips in response. “You are the CFO, right?”     “Nah, the CEO.” He mocked.     “Don’t be stupid.”     “I could tell you the same.”     “Say it then.” Xander threatened, keeping a straight face.     Jace coughed out, adjusting his suit. “I am only going to stay quiet because I am a professional.”     “Thank your stars for saving your stupid ass.”     “Whatever.”     “As I said, I need the sales report for thest three months.”     “All of a sudden? Moreover, that is the sales department, not me.”     “Don’t be an idiot. You oversee all of that, don’t you? I want to be discreet with what I am asking you. You know how the cash flows into thepany and how much we spend. So, I need you to figure out what is happening here.”     Jace had a confused expression on his face. “Where are all of theseing from? Did you notice any mishaps? We are doing just fine.”     “I can tell. But I am not a greedy businessman. I know when there is foul y going on.”     Lisa returned with the papers. “Here they are, sir.”     Xander smiled tightly. “Thank you, Lisa. You can go.” He shared the reports in half and passed them to Jace. “Look at those reports and tell me what you see.”     Jace stayed silent and read through each report thoroughly. There was a shocked expression on his face at the end of it.     “What the heck is this? How did we miss it?” He asked.     Xander shrugged. “I am just as perplexed as you are, brother. I wish I had a response to that, but I do not.”     “Do you think someone might be messing around? How is it that they fell so badly within three months? It’s just one worker. It can’t be that bad.”     “Wait a minute,” Xander mumbled. “I think I know what is going on. You know what? I will talk to youter. Get me those.” He snatched the reports and raced out of the office.     Xander tried to calm himself as he neared the office. He wouldn’t want to overthink it simultaneously, and he can’t be irrational in his decision-making.     “Sir?” Carlos called out when he noticed him.     The others got up to address him, and he asked them to sit down.     “Where is Miss Ruiz?”  Xander asked.     “She is on a bathroom break. Would be back anytime soon.” Matilda replied just as Nina walked in.     “Xan…. Sir.” Nina corrected herself. “Is everything okay?”     “May I have a word with you, Miss Ruiz?” He requested, heading out, and she followed suit.     Xander didn’t stop until they were away from earshot. Nina raised a bothered brow.     “Did I do something wrong?” She asked, shaking a bit in difort.     He took notice of her state. “Why don’t we sit together for lunch?”     Her plump, beautiful face scrunched up in refusal. “I think I will decline.”     Xander raised his brow, “actually, Miss Ruiz. I am not asking you for a fancy lunch. I will appreciate it if you don’t think too far ahead and meet me at the parking lot by two.”     “What is it that you can’t say here?” She questioned, feeling cornered.     He exhaled. “Don’t make me get pissed at you, Nina, please.”     The seriousness on his face was something she hadn’t seen in a long while. With how he sounded, Nina knew she would stir trouble trying to argue further. She sighed in resolve and checked her wristwatch.     “I will see you in the next one hour then.” She mumbled.     “Alright.”     ***************************


    WINGMAN RESTAURANT, NEW YORK.     “Care to exin this?” Xander tossed the reports to Nina at the restaurant near thepany.     Nina blinked in confusion until she picked up the documents, and realization dawned on her. She swallowed hard. “H…how did you get this?”     He scoffed. “Nina, I am not Asher. It took me years of hard work to build this conglomerate. Do you think I got here by letting other people handle my business for me without supervision?”     “Xander-”     “Please, Nina. When I noticed you used a proposal from thepany, I allowed it because it was your idea. But there has to be a fucking exnation for the way their sales keep dropping like a dead fly.”     “How is that your business, Xander? You are making sales. Isn’t that what matters?”     “If that is all that matters, do you think X&J would be revered as it is now?” He threw back the question.     Nina bowed her head in regret. She didn’t think anyone would take notice. Xander’s reaction reminded her of the times they were together. He hardly gets pissed, but whenever he does. He hardly backs down until he gets an answer.     Xander sighed in exhaustion. “I am not trying to demean your hard work, Nina. But I need you toe clean to me. No matter how good you are, in this world of ours, if anyone gets to know of your shady acts, no one will care about your amazing abilities. Whatever you are doing, I need you to let me in so I can back you up if things ever go haywire.”     She thinned her lips, trying to keep the tears away. “You know what they did to me, Xander. Do you think I am just going to sit back and let them have the life that I wished and worked so hard for?”     “I never asked you to do that. Don’t forget that I promised I would help.”     “I didn’t want you to get involved. You have done more than enough already.”     “Ask for help when it is essential, Nina. It won’t kill you; it will save you. Tell me, what did you do?”     Nina held his gaze, staring right into his soul. “I-I manipted the recruitment process.” She dropped the bombshell.     “Good gracious!” Xander eximed at Nina’s revtion. “Please tell me you don’t mean it like you said?”     Nina sniffed, wiping at her teary eyes. “It’s just as you heard it.”     He ruffled his hair, feeling restless all of a sudden. “You do know you can be sued and jailed for this. Why the hell would you do something like that and not care to tell me about it?”     She blinked in guilt. “I just thought it was best that way.”     “You know what, detail all of your ns to me. And why did you choose that path?”     Nina threw her head back to keep her tears away. Taking in a deep breath, she kept her eyes on the ss of juice in front of her.     “I couldn’te up with any means to get back at Asher and his family for everything they did to me. I wouldn’t even think of revenge if I was still trying to make ends meet at the grocery store with being pregnant. I just wanted to get myself together first, and they had to put the cherry on top by getting married. I decided then that I would kill two stones with one bird.”     She paused, expecting Xander to say something, but he listened keenly instead.     She continued. “I know just how much of luxury Andrea enjoys. It would be bad news for her if her husband couldn’t live up to that. It probably wouldn’t affect her since she has her father’s money to rely on. But I needed to do it still. As fate would have it, I met with a loyalist of mine who works in M&M Foods.”     “Does she still work there as we speak?” Xander inquired.     Nina nodded slowly, “Yes. Brenda is her name. She is the HR manager and the right person for the job. While I was at thepany, I created a standard detailing food production, which, of course, can only be deciphered by a seasoned food researcher. If such a researcher works there, they would no doubt work on the same tread I would be on here in X&J. Knowing thepany would need a new head researcher. I asked Brenda to recruit the worst candidate that would be a wreck regarding delivery.”     “Howe that is possible when you have assistants? One of them could have picked your method.”     “Asher told me not to show them the main course, as there could be a spy amongst them working for otherpetingpanies.”     “The bastard shot himself in the leg.”     “Yeah, since I couldn’t pick up the file from the office due to the sudden eviction. I figured whoever they hired newly would want to show just how good they were to thepany, even if it meant taking the glory for my hard work. Since they couldn’t get the ingredients to keep the food packetsst, no one wants their products in the market.”     Xander tapped on the table unconsciously. “What exactly is your aim? You do know their finances are in shambles, right?”     “I only got to know some days ago.”     “The rumor is spreading out in the business world. How didn’t you know?”     “I only handled the means that made the money. No one allowed me to know how it was distributed or spent.”     “He was a shitty husband. So?”     “I just want to see M&M fall. Fall so bad that they have to sell out.” She gritted, ring her nose.     “Do you happen to have shares in thepany?”     “Before I got married to Asher. I had bought some shares. And to protect my future, I had boughtrgely then. The shares were being sold out, and I had a friend on the board who advised me to. But what does that have to do with anything.”     He sat up and leaned forward. “Now, you will let us y this my way. And don’t get me wrong. I have to do this to protect the interest of mypany. At the same time, get your revenge and all you deserve.”     Nina felt her throat dry. “So you are not angry at me for putting everything at stake?”     “I still am. That was a risky move. But it is such a bad idea. It might be a good deal for me, too. I almost forgot. Don’t you care about your shares if thepany falls?”     “I am ready to let go of that much just to ruin them.”     There was a burning devilish desire in her eyes. That made Xander amused instead of worried. No one should leave people like Asher and Andrea to live their lives after almost ruining the lives of others.     “I will help you. However, we have to take it slow this time. And to prevent Brenda from getting blocklisted, do not involve her anymore.”     “How then do we get to achieve my goal?” Nina asked, sounding bothered.     “That won’t be hard. Thepany is already in a puddle as we speak. To make them crumble further, we must be diplomatic and not sneak around like thieves. We must seek the major shareholders and convince them to work with us. We have the leverage now that we are making massive sales. They wouldn’t think twice to join hands with us. That way, we get to bite into thest cake M&M offers.”     Nina gasped in amazement. “That is so brilliant.”     He held up a proud grin. “I told you I could help, didn’t I?”     She rolled her eyes yfully. “Don’t get too ahead of yourself.”     “Can’t help it.” He chuckled.     “I am sorry for how I responded to you the other day, Xander. I should not have an excuse for being rude. But it appears my emotions are not stable because of my state.”     “I must admit that it hurts when you act like that towards me. But then, I have to put myself in your shoes.” He reached for her hand. “I want to care for you with no strings attached, Nina. You have no one, and I want to be that person for you. Please. All I am concerned about is how you are doing and nothing else. So lean on me, and I promise you won’t regret it.”     “You sound like you are professing love to me.” She joked.     “Maybe that is what I am doing indirectly.” He winked. Ninaughed genuinely, and it calmed his heart. “Now that’s the Nina I know. Not that grumpy one.”     “Pardon my excesses.”     “How are you doing, though? Have you been going for checkups regrly?”     “I am fine, and I have to admit once again. Ca is amazing. Thank you, Xander.”     “You are most wee.” He said, getting distracted by the ringing of his phone. But he ignored it when he saw the caller.     “Why aren’t you picking?” Nina asked, taking a long sip of her drink. She didn’t realize how thirsty she was.     “It’s nothing important.” He said. Just then, a message from Lisa came in. “I think we should head back to the office now. I have a meeting to attend.”     “Alright. I have a lot to do, too.” She mumbled, standing up.     As they stepped outside the restaurant, Nina held Xander back and hugged him out of nowhere. Xander was initially rmed and eventually eased into the hug, feeling her bump poke him.     “Thank you so much, Xander. I don’t know how I would have gotten this far without you.”     He couldn’t hold himself back and kissed her hair. “Anytime, mama. Anytime.” He mumbled.     All the while, they held onto each other and finally drove off. Dawn watched them from the other side of the road, feeling her insides churn in rage.N?velDrama.Org holds this content.