Who Wants to Marry A Billionaire?(7)
“And you get an eco-resort and the blessings of your father.” Daniel nodded enthusiastically. “What do I get out of it?” If he was going to be a brat with a silver spoon, Nina thought, she could be a tough operator from a blue-collar town.
“As a kind of deposit, I’ll cover tuition and living for your siblings for the next semester, and I’ll make this thing with the IRS go away. If you help me pull off the deal with Calderon, you’ll get a flat settlement of three million dollars and Elsa will promote you to field director for the Foundation. You will get a pay rise and the chance to travel and become even more immersed in the regional programmes. Just what you have always wanted”
“And you’re serious about this?”
“Serious as a semi-finalist at Wimbledon.”
Nina stared at the glass of cognac on the table in front of her. She picked it up and knocked it back in one gulp. “And what happens if the deal isn’t successful?”
“If you’ve made a good faith effort, then two hundred thousand. I may be a fool, Nina, but I’m not a jerk. As long as you try your best, I won’t screw you.” He immediately regretted his phrasing, “What I mean Nina, is that this is a win-win for you.”
“Daniel, I don’t know…it’s a little much to take in. What’s this going to do to my professional credibility? And why would Elsa agree to give me a promotion when she won’t even give me a simple raise? It seems…unethical as best, and frankly, a little despicable.”
“Don’t worry about Elsa, she’s on my side. Think of it as helping the greater good. DeVere Industries can take this eco-concept worldwide, and don’t you want to be out in the field working with the projects firsthand instead of pushing around all that dreary paperwork? Take until Friday to think about it. Meet me here at noon.” He took the last sip of his cognac. “By the way, it’s 5:30. You can go home now.”
Chapter Five
It started to rain as Nina waited at the Harvard station for her bus to take her home. The stairs to the subway were thick with Harvard and MIT students, teenage kids, and other commuters, all who seemed to be without a care in the world as they hurried this way and that. People smiled and chatted as they opened umbrellas, or dashed for cover as raindrops started to fall. But to Nina, the grey sky and falling rain seemed the perfect reflection of her feelings.
Her bus finally chugged up, the door opening like the jaws of a magical beast ready to swallow her. A magical beast—that too seemed like an apt description, Nina thought, for the choice now before her. Would Daniel DeVere and his glittery world help her slay her financial dragon, or would she just be eaten alive? Was keeping a home worth compromising her ethics? She didn’t know.
She took one of the hard plastic seats, and tilted her head against the glass of the window. Three million dollars? It was like a proposition out of a cheesy movie or the prize for some crazy reality television show. How hard would it be? And how much would she have to embarrass herself? No one ever wins in reality TV without first humiliating themselves, she thought.
The bus spit her back out at the corner by her house, and with no umbrella, she found herself soaked as she hauled herself up the stairs to her apartment. Suddenly, she realized that she felt very, very tired. She’d think about it tomorrow, she decided.
That evening, all she wanted was to curl up with a bowl of popcorn and an old movie, something light, and funny. Maybe an old screwball comedy with a hero played by someone like Clark Gable or William Powell. She loved the dialogue in those old movies, she thought, as she clicked over to the classic movie channel. But then it hit her, as she settled down, pulling an old quilt over her feet, screwball comedies always involved someone wealthy, and someone smart and capable, but a little down on their luck. Her own life should be making her laugh her head off.
When Nina woke the next morning, she felt bleary and hung over, but she knew one drink hadn’t been enough to do that. Her head was thumping, her throat was scratchy, and then her nose started to stuff up. Soon, she realized she was rapidly progressing to a full-blown cold. Not being the type to spread it to all of her co-workers because she was too ‘noble’ to stay at home, she decided to call in sick, and to let Elsa know that she could work on her laptop from home.
The voice on the other end of the line was snappish, “Elsa Woodruff, DeVere Foundation.”
“Elsa, this is Nina.” She coughed. “I’ve woken up with a really bad head cold.”
“Yes?”
Nina always felt tongue tied around the older woman. “Well, in the interest of office health, I thought I’d work from home today…if that’s okay.”
“Fine. We don’t need any Typhoid Mary’s prancing around the office. Just make sure to get me the report on Central America by tomorrow morning.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem.” Nina groaned silently. She had planned to have the report ready by the end of the next day.
“And Nina, don’t think that just doing good work is all that’s required to keep a job at the Foundation. There are a thousand people just as qualified as you lined up outside the door.”
Nina’s blood ran cold. It seemed like some kind of veiled threat. What was Elsa suggesting? “I’m sorry, is there something that I need to address? If there’s anything you want me to improve, I’ll do my best…”