The Attractive Mr. Cleft

Rena's POV

My home is my sanctuary, after working hard right after completing my education, working in one of my dad's company and completing deals by that cunning old man, I was later rewarded as a manager in one of our branches. With my allowance which I had been careful with, I could afford a not so little and adorable home in a sophisticated neighborhood in the city.

I worked closely with the interior designer and handpicked all furniture and decoration. As much as I love being alone, I love mixing colours which was why I painted each room with different colours, except for the kitchen and the bathrooms that are decorated white and gold. I love the warmth, sense of security and tranquility I feel whenever I'm home. My comfort zone which is why I designed the house with soft colours and hues. It has four rooms which I converted to a bedroom, sitting room, gym and a study.

The deal I made with my father is to convince the CEO of Stone Hotels to give us the right to become the sole supplier of their  dairy products, considering how famous and sophisticated the hotel is and being patronised by the top of the cream in the society, hosting events in the hotel is a standard on its own and their catering service is out of this world.  Stone Hotels is a five-star hotel managed by the eldest of the Stone brothers. They have chains of hotels around the world, it's a longtime business which is passed from one generation to the other. Imagine how big of a deal it is if I can pull it off?!

"Doug, looks like your paternity leave will be cut short" speaking to my assistant over the phone

"Don't worry, you will be compensated" I continued,

"Can you resume on Monday?" As much as I would love to let him spend some more time with his wife and newborn, we have a task to accomplish and I can't afford to lose to my brother.

"yes ma'am, I can" replied Doug.

"Good, thank you", I replied.

Doug is the only one I consider as a 'friend', he's a responsible man in his forties. He and his wife just gave birth to their first kid after several years of attempts. He's competent and good at his job. His contribution and suggestions are always brilliant and useful; his mother-hen behavior is always appreciated even though I don't really show it but I think deep down he understands that I do appreciate them. His wife, Martha has tried several times to invite me to dinner, especially during the holidays but I always decline politely.

"Time to get to work and think of how best to approach this", I muttered to myself.

Sighing and clearing the leftover of my meal to the fridge. I packed my hair into a messy bun and went to my study to read more the Stones. I know the hotel business is just a division of the other Stone businesses and the hotel is managed by the first son, others are managed by the rest of the siblings. "talk about division of labour", I commented.

The eldest being Ryan Stone whom I've seen several times in the few social gathering I managed to attend over the years, is a walking god, sexy as sin and he knows it. Handsome is an understatement and he is impressive, judging by the way he was able to accomplish so much after he became the CEO.

 He's a playboy who I deliberately steer clear off, not because I'm the committed type but he has this air of arrogance around him, like the world is beneath his feet and can do whatever he wants. I don't like people who do things spontaneously, I like thinking through things thoroughly, weighing the pros and cons before delving into it. "I take calculated risks sometimes but not all the time, unlike Mr. cleft"  

 As much as he's competent in managing the several chains of hotels, he's also the type who knows how to charm ladies off their pants with his sexy smirks.

After several hours of surfing the net and garnering information about Stone Hotels and its CEO, currently starring at the image of Ryan, in his usual three-piece suit, looking as sexy as sin in the cover of Forbes, featuring as the "The Most Eligible Man in the Country". His pearly white teeth can be seen with the full grin on his face, his short jet black hair is a little bit disheveled and his cleft gives an adorable feature to his already handsome face.

There's something about his blue eyes - ruthless but alluring at the same time- I keep getting drawn in it, its like being summoned to come have a meal.

"Enough of gawking, Ser", I chided myself,

"focus!", I reminded myself, "the CEO position is the end goal"

I couldn't help starring back at the image one last time before moving on to read about the company while thinking about how to snag the deal for myself before Junior beats me to it.