Love In Disguise: Rebirth of the Heiress Chapter 7

I stood there, staring at the door. Jo was droning on about how today's eting was crucial for the future of the company, but my mind was elsewhere.

Jason Lincoln Cole.

The CEO of JLC limited. He was the top of the food chain. Rich. Handso. Sexy bachelor. You may think he is a whore. Nope. He was loyal to one person and he was a total mystery. He doesn't like to show his face basically because he wanted his life to be private.

But there were news that he was a arrogant bastard.

He was rude. Didn't care about you or your feelings. Everything is suppose to be too quality. Get it done once, no chance for mistake.

Even while working in the lower subsidiary I have never t him.

I planned not to cross him. I don't think I am ready to add crossing big shots into my schedule.

"Kiara, you listening?"

Jo's voice pulled out of my daydreams.

"Huh? Yeah, totally listening. Super important eting. Got it."

Jo frowned, but he let it slide. Thank God. If he knew what was going on in my head, he'd probably have committed. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, adjusting my blazer, feeling the sweat already gathering on my palms.

"We're eting with Mr. Lincoln Cole today," Jo continued, glancing at his notes. "Don't know why he's decided to actually show his face today of all days. He usually stays behind the scenes, but apparently, this deal is personal for him."

Lincoln Cole. The na rang out like a death sentence. Jo and the rest of the staff called him "The Devil," which seed fitting given the whispers around the office—about him being a hard-ass, a ruthless boss who drank too much, cursed too loudly, and fired people on a whim. But no one had ever ntioned that his full na was Jason Lincoln Cole.

Jason.

It couldn't be.

The door to the conference room creaked open. My heart sank into my stomach. The man who walked in was tall, lean, and confident. Dark hair styled to perfection, expensive suit, sharp jawline. His eyes scanned the room, taking in everything and everyone, and then they landed on .

And that smirk. The one I rembered far too well.

Oh, hell no.

"Well, shit," I muttered under my breath, sinking lower in my chair.

Jo shot a confused look, elbowing sharply. "Stand up. Everyone stands when he enters."

Crap.

I scrambled to my feet, trying not to look too flustered, but it was impossible. My brain was already spiraling. He was the Jason fucking Cole. The devil everyone hated was the sa guy I'd slept with a few months ago. The one I was stupidly rude to when I left his hotel room at 4 AM.

"I see you've all decided to join ," Jason's deep, annoyingly sexy voice filled the room. It was casual but authoritative, like he knew he owned every damn thing around him.

Everyone nodded and mumbled greetings, including Jo, who was practically vibrating with nervous energy. I, on the other hand, was busy trying to make myself invisible.

Don't look at . Don't look at . Just keep walking.

But, of course, he did. Jason's piercing gaze landed right on again, and for a split second, I saw recognition flash in his eyes. His smirk widened—cocky, self-assured, like he was recalling the sa night I was desperately trying to forget.

He unbuttoned his blazer with one smooth motion, tossing it over a chair like he was about to own this entire room. And he did.

"Shall we begin?" he asked, his eyes never leaving mine.

I gulped.

Jo was already pulling out the PowerPoint, babbling sothing about profits and market shares, but I couldn't hear any of it. Jason freaking Cole was right in front of , looking like he was enjoying my misery.

I wanted to crawl under the table.

The wish of not wanting to offend a big shot, yeah, Santa is definitely throwing that one out.

I have fucking kicked his balls. I was even rude to him today.

He walked over to the head of the table, sitting down with that sa swagger that got into this ss in the first place. I tried to avoid his gaze, focusing on the chart in front of , but it was impossible to ignore him.

Especially when he spoke again. "You."

I looked up, panicking for a second. "?"

"Yes, you," he said, leaning back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest. "What's your na?"

Shit. He was going to make say it.

"Kiara," I muttered, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. "Kiara William."

"Kiara Williams," he repeated, dragging out each syllable as if he didn't know the na. "You look familiar."

Oh, for the love of—

I could feel my entire body heat up, and it wasn't from the stuffy conference room. No, it was the mory of that night, of how smug he was, and how I'd sworn I'd never see him again.

Jo looked between us, frowning. "Have you two t?"

I opened my mouth, ready to deny it, but Jason beat to it. "Not officially," he said, that damn smirk growing wider. "But I feel like we've crossed paths before. Haven't we, Kiara?"

If I could've smacked him, I would've. Right there in the middle of the eting. Instead, I forced a smile that probably looked more like a grimace. "Nope. Never."

"Hm." He wasn't buying it. The gleam in his eyes told he rembered exactly where we'd t—and exactly what happened.

I cleared my throat, desperate to change the subject. "So, um, Mr. Cole, let's talk about the project. Jo has a presentation prepared."

Jason raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "Oh, I'm more interested in hearing what you think, Kiara. Why don't you tell what your... take is?"

Kill . Kill now.

Get a shovel as well and bury .

I glanced at Jo, who looked like he was about to faint. His eyes scread don't screw this up.

Great. No pressure or anything.

I took a deep breath and straightened up in my seat, refusing to let Jason see how rattled I was. "Well," I began, flipping through the presentation notes, "I believe our team has developed a solid plan for the expansion. We're targeting a 10% growth rate within the next quarter, with a focus on—"

"You're rambling," Jason interrupted, waving his hand dismissively. "Get to the point."

I clenched my fists under the table. This guy was the worst. How the hell did I ever find him attractive?

Oh wait his face.

But I couldn't back down. Not now. "The point," I said through gritted teeth, "is that our team is confident we can et the expansion goals with the proper support and resources. We just need your approval to move forward."

Jason tilted his head, eyeing like I was so sort of puzzle he was trying to solve. "Is that so?"

"Yes," I shot back, eting his gaze head-on. "That's so."

The room went silent. Jo looked like he was about to pass out, but Jason just smiled. A slow, infuriating smile that made want to punch him and kiss him all at once.

"Well then, Kiara," he said, standing up and adjusting his tie. "I guess I'll have to take your word for it."

And just like that, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving sitting there, speechless.

Jo turned to , wide-eyed. "What the hell was that?"

I exhaled sharply, trying to steady my racing heart. "That," I muttered, "was Jason fucking Cole."

"What?"

I wave my hand endlessly ending the conversation.

"Well that was the shortest eting I have ever attended in this company."

Soone ntioned. So of them looked relieved. It had ended without soone being fired.

"Aren't you surprised the new girl didn't get kicked out?"

"Yeah I am. Surprisingly. Her luck must be good."

"She should co to every eting so that she can take the brunt of his heated stare."