113 A White Flag

Ella’s eyes widened at the mention of the name, Luke Robinson. She was slightly alarmed and unsure of the response to give Joan.

‘Why was he calling so early? What could he possibly want from her? Why was he made the CEO of the F&K fashion home? Where is Chloe Robinson?’ A thousand questions clamored for attention in her head.

“Ma’am, should I tell him to call back later?” Joan broke the awkward silence between them.

“Umm, yes! I mean no! I mean put him through!” Ella massaged her forehead in confusion. However, she had no intention of postponing the call. She wanted to deal with Luke Robinson once and for all.

“Good morning, Mrs. Ariella Treshvire.” A gentle, and charming male voice spoke over the receiver. “My name is Luke Robinson.”

“Good morning,” Ella said curtly. She was slightly taken aback by Luke’s charming voice. If he wasn’t tied to the Robinsons, she would have relaxed her guard and spoken in a friendlier manner to him. “To what do I owe this call?”

From Luke’s perspective, he could tell Ella was practically holding her breath while talking to him. This made him smile and he thought of a friendly way to break the ice between them.

“As the new CEO of the soon-to-be rebranded F&K fashion home, I want to commence work on a good note. I’m aware that this company and the past CEO that I’m taking over from, have greatly offended you and your company. Hence, I have made it my utmost priority to settle the difference between your company and mine. We are neighbor brands and I look forward to a peaceful working environment.”

“Hmm...” Ella thought deeply. Luke could be worse than Chloe. He could be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. His gentle and nice offer sounded exactly like the wooden horse gift the Greeks used to deceive and destroy the Trojans.

.....

“If I may ask, what happened to the former CEO?” Ella’s curiosity got the better part of her.

When Leon had earlier spoken about the F&K fashion company having a new CEO, Ella’s mind had been too preoccupied that she forgot to ask certain important questions. Seeing this as a good opportunity to collect information, she decided to interrogate Luke.

“Chloe is currently out of the country,” Luke replied.

“Really!” Ella couldn’t hide her astonishment.

“Yes! Luke replied in a calmer tone. “Since Chloe was causing a lot of financial bankruptcy, my father decided that I should manage the company in her place.

“Interesting!” Ella smirked. “So what should I expect from you this time?

historical

“Mrs. Ariella, you have every right not to trust me because of my sister’s wrongdoings. Please, give me a chance to correct my sister’s mistake. I can assure you of a peaceful working relationship between your company and mine. If it’s okay by you, I would like to see you in person to offer my white flag and discuss the future of both our companies.”

“Hmm...” Ella unconsciously scoffed. Although she had no plans of being in the company of this Luke Robinson, she was eager to see who this person actually was. “Drop your contact with my secretary. I’ll think about it and give you a call.” She ended the call without waiting for his reply.

Ella pondered on her discussion with Luke for a while and decided that she would inform Leon first, before taking any necessary action. She quickly took her morning coffee and snacks and then left for her 9:00 AM scheduled meeting.

–

After a very busy day at work, Ella left the company and walked towards the parking lots, where Leon was patiently waiting for her.

Leon had earlier called to inform her that he would be coming by 2:00 PM to pick her up. His uncle’s flight was scheduled to arrive at 2:30 PM. Hence, she was ready by the time he arrived.

“Good day, Mrs. Treshvire,” John greeted politely and opened the black limo passenger door for her.

“Good day, John,” Ella smiled in response. “How has your day been so far?”

“It has been wonderful, ma’am.” John smiled and shut the door when Ella was finally inside.

“Hi sweetie,” Leon leaned closer and kissed her briefly on the lips. “How was your day?”

“Awesome, all thanks to you.” Ella’s eyes sparkled. “The bouquet was lovely.”

“Not as lovely as you,” Leon pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead. “I’m happy you like it. You said something about Luke calling you, what was that about?”

Ella quickly gave Leon a rundown of the discussion she had with Luke earlier.

“This Luke guy is so funny,” Leon chuckled. “A white flag indeed! You just have to beware of him. Remember, his Albert Robinson’s prodigy. Hence, he is a master of deception. Although one thing is certain, he is not as stupid as Chloe.”

“Speaking of Chloe,” Ella sat up and stared into Leon’s eyes intently. “I can’t believe she willingly gave up her right of CEO to an adopted son of the Robinsons.”

“That’s my smart wife!” Leon praised her. “I’m happy you’re piecing the puzzle together. Chloe that we all know will never do anything willingly. To tell the truth, Albert Robinson has currently disowned his daughter and sent her to a psychiatric ward where she’s been tortured.”

“What!” Ella’s eyes widened in surprise.

“That’s why I’m not comfortable with Luke’s proposal. Nevertheless, we will meet him together. Let’s hear what he has to say.”

“Thanks, dear. Do you know something funny?”

“What’s funny?” Leon looked askance at her.

“I feel really bad for Chloe right now,” Ella frowned slightly.

“You don’t have to! Although she deserves worse than that, I think Albert went too far as a father. After all, he is responsible for the way Chloe’s life turned out. He is the architect of her downfall. He kept indulging her until she totally destroyed herself. I think both of them should suffer the same fate.”

“Exactly,” Ella frowned slightly, feeling sorry for Chloe even more. “I feel no parent should ever abandon their children.”

“Yeah!” Leon’s face suddenly dampened at the word, ‘parent’. His mind momentarily drifted to his father and he subconsciously felt like his father was about to abandon him forever.

“Mr. and Mrs. Treshvire, we are here.” John interrupted Leon and Ella’s discussion.

Ella’s chest tightened at John’s information. She tried to swallow her saliva but felt a lump in her throat as Leon led her in his arms towards the arrival terminal of the Amzone city international airport.

“Relax, Ella! My uncle is not going to hurt you.” Leon tried to reassure her as he could feel her pounding heart.