Chapter 19

"Basically, you are saying that you let Damon spend time with Angel in your house, and it was all just to let him slip up and find something you could use against him?" Mina asked for the umpteenth time in Avery's office when the latter explained the events of the previous day.

Avery rubbed her forehead impatiently. "Yes. And you knew this before it happened so don't give me that shocked expression."

Mina crossed one leg over the other at the knees, on one of the two leather chairs in front of Avery's desk. "I did know you were thinking of such a thing but I didn't think you would really do it!"

"Well, now you know that I did." Avery rolled a pen, her mood constantly teasing the border between normal and irritated.

Mina took one look at her and let out a breath. "Do you want to know what I think?"

"You are not going to shut up if I say that I don't." She smirked. Mina enjoyed making fun of her especially when she was in sticky situations, it was already a surprise that she was not teasing her.

However, she looked serious when her hand tapped the desk. "Avery, if you are not really comfortable letting him meet Angel, I suggest you let him be. Don't give him the hope that you could give him a second chance. I'm not specifically talking about a second chance in your life. I mean a second chance in Angel's life. It's more sensitive and you know that."

"Mina," Avery didn't like where this was leading.

"This is not just about Angel, Avery." Mina ignored the warning and continued. "It's about Damon too. This is a father who missed out on four years of his son's life. Oh, by the way, he missed out on four years and eight months. He didn't get to witness the ultrasounds and gender reveal either. It must be hurtful to him too. Now that he is back, he wants to do his best to make up for the time he lost.

If you don't really want them to bond, you should not give him false hope. It's unfair to both of them."

"Are you done?" Avery slammed the pen onto the desk.

"No, I'm not. I could go on. How would you feel if he had full custody of Angel and only let you near your son because…"

"Enough!" Avery snapped and shut her eyes, calming herself before she could explode. "If I didn't know better, I would think we have become enemies in recent months. Why are you siding with that bastard?"

Mina tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "I'm not siding with anyone. I'm just stating my opinion."

"Well, your opinion is unacceptable. Please leave." She tried not to yell at her friend.

Mina stood to leave. When she reached the door, she turned. "You know how empty you feel for not receiving any love from your parents. Don't let your son feel the same way." She waved her fingers. "Just saying."

Avery looked down on her desk and sighed. How did she turn into the villain in a flash? How was she being unfair? Deciding that her friend must have eaten something wrong and was full of crap, she got back to work. Mina returned in less than five minutes.

"Mr. Mirabelli's proposal." She placed the file on Avery's desk. "He would like you to choose the venue and date for your next meeting after reading through the proposal." She reported. When Avery nodded in acknowledgement, she added, "Mr. D'aboville is here and would like to see you."

"You know what to do about people from companies that are on the blacklist of Vaillant Telecommunications." Avery looked up with a pair of gloomy eyes.

"I do. But he insisted that he had a proposal that could double Vaillant Telecommunications' profit for the next quarter, and requested that you keep personal matters away from business."

She stared at Mina for several seconds and took a deep breath. "Do you think there is a way to get rid of him for good?"

"Actually, there is. But the consequences would override the benefits." Mina gave her a meaningful smile.

"Never mind. If worse comes to worst, I will make him sign a contract. Let him in."

Damon was pleasantly surprised when he was let in. He had thought that he would have to pull some killer moves that would make Avery glare at him for the next two hours.

"Miss Vaillant." He offered his hand for a shake, which she ignored.

"I heard that you have been bluffing about having a proposal that could double my company's profit." She went straight to the point.

He glanced at her for a while. She really did hate his presence. Shrugging, he took out a USB flash drive from his pocket and placed it on her desk.

"Yes. Everything you need to know is right here."

She connected it to her computer and swept a brief glance before glancing at him. "Your proposal does not meet the standards of Vaillant Telecommunications."

"You decided that based on our personal grudges. You didn't even give it a brief read." He called her out on it.

"I have the right to do that." She retorted.

"Of course, it's your company. You have the right to reject the best ideas if you want to. But I'm curious to know what the board of directors would think of the CEO letting her feelings decide whether to accept or reject potential partners." He challenged, and took in her glare with a slight smirk. "I'm not going to be a tattle tale, of course. If worse comes to worst, I will send this proposal to HRG Group and collaborate with them instead."