She had asked him out but he wasn’t ready to go. Not yet. Until he convinced her.
“This partnership could be mutually beneficial, Ashley,” he said, emphasizing her chosen name.
Ashley’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t call me that. And don’t think for a second that throwing around business jargon is going to change my mind.”
Ashley had decided to just ignore him.
“Ashley—”
She held up a single finger, silencing him. “Don’t call me that.”
He frowned, confused. “What else am I supposed to call you? It’s your name.”
“No,” she snapped, her voice cold and unyielding. “I am Emerald now. Ashley is dead, Demitri. The woman you married no longer exists; frankly, she should have never existed in the first place.”
Her words hung heavily in the air, and for a moment, even Demitri seemed unsure of what to say.
“You can leave now,” she said, turning her back to him and moving toward the window.
He hesitated. Then, his voice softened. “I’m not here to dredge up the past. I came for something else.”
She ignored him.
Demitri reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a sleek, black folder. “I’m here for a partnership,” he said, placing the file on her desk. “This agreement could benefit both of our companies. It’s a win-win situation.”
Her lips curled into a mocking smile. “A partnership? With you? Do you really think I’d ever do something like that with you again?”
“This isn’t personal,” Demitri replied, stepping closer. “It’s strictly business.”
“I’m not interested.”
“You haven’t even looked at it,” he pointed out, his tone edging toward frustration.
“I don’t need to,” she shot back. “I have no interest in working with you, Demitri. Not now, not ever.”
Demitri exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair. “Ashley—”
“Emerald,” she corrected, her voice like ice.
“Fine,” he said, his voice rising slightly. “Emerald. Whatever you want to call yourself, can you at least be reasonable for five minutes?”
She laughed bitterly. “Reasonable? You want me to be reasonable after everything you’ve done?”
Demitri opened his mouth to respond but stopped himself. He took a deep breath, calming himself before speaking again. “I understand why you’re angry. I do. But this isn’t just about us. This partnership could help a lot of people. Lewis foundation and that one company the Donaldsons have always wanted to partner with. I can help you make that happen.”
Finally, he got her attention.
He knew how she had secretly donated money to the Lewis foundation but he never knew that was because she was a secret heiress.
He thought she was donating all the money he was giving her for her eggs. But apparently, it was more than that. She had empathy and that was what he wanted to use to get to her.
“Lewis?” She asked with surprise.
“Yes,” Demitri nodded, trying to hide his smile. “The partnership gives room for more donations to the foundation. 10% of the annual revenue goes to the foundation. And Drey’s company is also partnering with us.”
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