City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

Chapter 192: Valentina

“Sorry, I wanted to come sooner, but held up in a meeting,” I said to the red-head, as I walked into the office.
 
She is a beautiful woman with curly, bright red hair. 
 
I always had a thing for redheads, which is why I couldn’t help but get attracted to the woman in front of me, despite having a girlfriend.
 
“It is fine, Miss Valentina,” said Carla, with a beautiful smile on her face.
 
“The curly hair looks very good, by the way. When do you change it?” I asked as I sat down.
 
“They are natural. I used to keep them straight,” she replied. I couldn’t help but smile hearing that.
 
She shouldn’t have changed them. The curly hair looks great on her, much better than the straight she used to have.
 
“I have called you here for the changes we have to make,” she said, and I couldn’t help but sigh.
 
I had expected this much when she contacted me yesterday.
 
“I hope they are not big, because, if they are, they are going to push the deadline of the circle,” I replied, to which she smiled.
 
I am already doing everything I can.
 
I assigned the maximum number of people to finish it on time, but the requirements kept increasing, making it harder for her to maintain the deadline.
 
“The change is not about the circle; it is about the establishment,” she replied, and I couldn’t help but sigh in relief.
 
It also made me feel happy. It is a new business and seeing Carla’s expressions; it didn’t feel like a small change.
 
Speaking of business, I really hope I will the bids for the tender. 
 
I have formed a partnership with two other mid-size companies to bid for proposals. With the price we have set, we will not earn much from it, but that is not the purpose.
 
The purpose is to break into state contracts, which only the top four have monopolies over.
 
I have contacted the headquarters about it, the moment I received the proposal. They have asked me to bid, with the lowest I could; it won’t matter, even if suffer a loss.
 
Once we establish our reputation with the city; we will get more contracts. 
 
That will help us earn a lot of money. The state contracts are the most profitable ones.
 
Not to mention, getting a state contract will increase the reputation company, and will help me get more general contracts.
 
I hope Remus will show some favor. Though likely, seeing how didn’t even talk to me two days ago.
 
“What changes does Remus want this time?” I asked. To which Carla smiled and instead of answering, she pushed the file toward me.
 
I opened the file and saw the rough sketches; the first sketch had an extra floor on the establishment. I looked at it carefully and read the surrounding texts before changing the page.
 
It was there I received a surprise. 
 
This is the most radical idea about the design of the establishment he had shown me. Looking at the ink, I could tell he had conceived it months ago.
 
It is really something. I thought I stopped getting surprised by his ideas and now gotten surprised once again.
 
They are different from anything; I have come across.
 
I looked at the whole file before closing it and turning to Carla, my expression serious.
 
“It is a big change, Miss Carla; it couldn’t be done by cloaking the building with mist. You will have to close the business, at least for a few weeks or even a month.” I informed.
 
He doesn’t want a small change in the establishment, like he did in the past few months, but big ones, including more powerful enchantments.
 
It will be very costly; most importantly, he will have to keep his business closed for about a month, which will cost him more than these changes would.
 
From what I heard; he earns about three to five million imperials every month, second only to the brothel next to him.
 
These new changes might make him the top earner.
 
“Mr. Silver is aware of that, and he wants you to begin with outer changes first and start with the inner at last month,” said Carla.
 
“I will start the work on establishment by the end of the week,” I replied.
 
“No problem,” Carla replied.
 
Two months would be more than enough to finish the job. 
 
For the next fifteen minutes, we discussed the other details, and she gave me the check of the million imperials. 
 
“I will prepare several models for Remus and hand them over to him tomorrow,” I said and left the office.
 
Soon, I walked out of the office and entered my carriage. 
 
I opened the file and wrote the notes. I will have to give these to the design department and ask them to create models and blueprints to show to Remus.
 
Hun!
 
I was taking notes when the green gem ring in my left hand lit up. A message came and when I saw the signature and read it, a smile couldn’t help but appear on my face.
 
The headquarters approved the plan; there was no surprise in that.
 
Seeing they are willing to suffer even a loss for contracts. We will actually make some good profit. Not as much as we liked, but with the scale, it will still be substantial.
 
I hope the headquarters of the other two companies will also be okay with it.
 
I will know for sure in the evening.
 
Soon, the carriage stopped, and I walked into the office and took the stairs, instead of the elevator, that I usually do.
 
“Chief,”
 
The receptionist greeted me as I appeared in front of her.
 
“Is Sadler in?” I asked. “Yes, Mr. Sadler, in his office,” she informed, I nodded, and I walked toward it.
 
Click!
 
I opened the door and walked into the office, where a middle-aged man with sandy hair was working with three people. Multiple blue splattered around them, with the projection floated above the slate.
 
“Chief,” he said. I nodded and placed the file on his deck.
 
“I want several models ready by midnight,” I said.
 
Usually, Remus’s work is handled by an old man, Davidson, but he is busy. Sadler is good and more suited to design, the changes Remus wants this time.
 
“Chief, me and my team are already swamped with work. Can I do it tomorrow?” he asked.
 
“It is Adviser Silvers, work,” I said, and his expression changed immediately. 
 
“It will be done by midnight,” he said, taking the file.
 
Remus is a priority client. Most importantly, they think something is between me and Remus. 
 
Which is what I want them, and everyone, to think.
 
If they came to know about my real relationship; I would be in a dungeon, ready for public execution by the church.
 
I walked into my office and saw the old man Davidson waiting there.
 
“Have you finished?” I asked as I sat down in my chair. “Take a look,” he said and slid the file toward me, I began to read through it and the more I looked, the bigger the smile on my face would become.
 
“You have done a good work, old man,” I said to him, as I closed the file.
 
“Let’s hope we will succeed with this,” he said. 
 
“We have given our all. It all depends on Remus now,” I said, to which he nodded.
 
A few hours passed, and I concluded other business with an old man and met a few clients.
 
The bossiness is going well in the Greltheaven. Far better than I had expected, when I had come to the Greltheaven, more than a year ago.
 
When I first asked to be sent here, my superiors were surprised. I was a rising star there and coming here was a sort of demotion; they were planning to send one of the worst-performing managers here.  
 
I have my reasons to come here; I wanted to be away from the mainland. In a place where the influence of the church is much less, where I will get more freedom.
 
The Greltheaven had turned out to be a better place than I had expected it to be. Like an oasis in the barren world.
 
It is quite unfortunate; it will be temporary.
 
It has a decade at most, before the undead sent its horde, and unlike merchant states. The region didn’t have a powerful force to stop it.
 
They will raze the whole region, leaving it barren of any people.
 
 
‘Chief, Mr. Cass, and Mr. Wayne have arrived.’ informed my secretary.
 
Click!
 
“Send them in,” I said as I adjusted my posture. A second later, the door opened and two middle-aged men came inside.
 
“Mr. Cass, Mr. Wayne; thank you for coming,” I said to them, as they sat in front of me.
 
“We have received affirmation from our headquarters to proceed with the proposal,” said Wayne, and with a smile, my face became bigger.
 
“Good. Now, we only need to submit our bids tomorrow,” I said, and couldn’t help but feel excited about it.
 
“About that. Have you spoken to Remus Silver?” asked Cass, and I made my expressions serious.
 
In our earlier meeting, they implied I leverage my relationship with him, but this time, he has directly said it.
 
“I do not mix my personal relationships with business, Mr. Cass. If we win, the tenders, it will be on the strength of our proposals, not on my relationship with Adviser,” I replied.
 
“My apologies. Miss Elar, if you feel hurt by my words, but you can see how important these tenders are to us,” he said.
 
“It could help us break into the big boys club,” added Wayne.
 
“I want the same thing too, but I will not leverage my personal relationship with him,” I said, this time more firmly.
 
They seemed to understand it, as they didn’t bring up that subject again. 
 
Ten minutes later, they left my office.
 
There was not much to discuss since we had already finished negotiations. The last few things that remained were done within a minute.
 
Soon the evening came, and I left the office.
 
Usually, I stay till night, but I have to leave before dawn tomorrow. I also planned to give a few hours to the new spell I am learning.
 
The spell cost me a lot. It is also the most difficult spell I have ever studied, but it will increase my strength. If I was able to do it, I might even get a level in my mage class, if I am lucky.
 
Ten minutes later, the carriage stopped in front of a four-story house. 
 
It is secluded from most houses. I need it to be secluded since it is not just a place where I live; I also do my experiments here, which could turn deadly if things go wrong.
 
It also gives me the privacy to do the other things.
 
Hun!
 
I had just taken a step when I had stopped. My staff appeared in my hand, and a crystal on it lit up a moment later.
 
I gently took a step inside the living and opened my mouth to call out to whoever was inside, when I froze once again.
 
There in my living room is a woman; she is lying seductively on the sofa, and there is not a single article of clothing on her.
 
Staring at her smoldering eyes. I couldn’t help but feel parched, and it was not the water that would satiate my thirst.
 
“Weren’t you coming two days later?” I asked as I walked toward her.
 
“Yes, I was, but the mission ended early,” she replied and got up. “You should have informed me,” I said as I stopped in front of her.
 
“I wanted to surprise you,” she said, bringing her lips close enough that I could feel her breath on me.
 
“I am surprised,” I replied softly. 
 
It made her smile, and she brought her lips to mine and gave me the lips that I had been thirsting for.

Visit for Advanced Chapters.