Destroying the CEO - Book cover

Destroying the CEO

Kimi L Davis

Chapter 2

CECE

Maslow Enterprises was one intimidating building, but that did not mean I would turn and flee.

No, the man who had destroyed my life was in there, and I would not leave until he gave me back my shop.

I had worked too hard for it, and if I had to fight every security guard in the building, I would.

With the sole purpose in my mind, I squared my shoulders and entered what I knew to be the lion’s den. Most people might be scared of entering this building, but not me.

I was strong and fierce, and no lion had the power to scare me.

The polished marble floors and the pristine walls were what caught my attention first. This place was for the rich; there was no place for the poor here.

However, no one was allowed to be rich by snatching things from those who were powerless. That was not fair, and I would make sure Brenton Maslow understood that.

“Excuse me, miss? Where are you going?” the receptionist asked, wrinkling her nose as she ran her eyes over my trench coat that I had bought from a thrift shop.

I knew exactly what kind of a person she was, which gave me a clue as to what my enemy was going to be like.

People like this arrogant receptionist with her hair styled by a hundred different products were only comfortable with those similar to their own status and position; anything below that and they treated you like insects that needed to be squashed immediately.

“I have to meet Mr. Maslow,” I told her, hating the fact that she was wasting my time.

Brenton’s office was on the third floor, which meant that his other brothers had offices on the remaining floors.

“Which one?” she inquired in her crisp blue suit meant to show off her power.

“Brenton,” I answered her, refraining from rolling my eyes at her. Why was I even wasting my time talking to her?

“I’m afraid you’ll have to wait. Mr. Brenton Maslow is in a meeting right now. Besides, he does not see anyone without an appointment. So, I suggest you leave and come back after making an appointment with him,” she told me with a smirk.

Just who did she take me for? Just because she was a little rich, she thought she could tell me what to do. She was so wrong.

I had come here with a purpose, and I was not leaving until that purpose was fulfilled.

And as for Brenton being in a meeting, I couldn’t care less. He would have to talk to me, and I didn’t care who was present. He would talk to me, and he would talk to me now.

“How about you make an appointment with a dermatologist? Your face looks like somebody stomped on it repeatedly. Even the moon has fewer blemishes, which is why it doesn’t need to cover itself with layers and layers of makeup.”

I smirked when her jaw dropped, and I walked toward the elevators, leaving the snobby receptionist frozen in shock.

I stabbed the button until the elevator doors opened.

If the receptionist recovered from her shock, she was bound to send the security guards after me, and I was not going to let anything or anyone stop me from meeting Brenton.

He had to give me my business back; I would not let him walk all over me.

As soon as the doors opened, I stepped inside and pressed the button for the designated floor.

The red carpet muffled the sound of my shoes as I rode up the elevator, hoping the snobby receptionist hadn’t alerted the people on the floor about my presence.

If I had to throw punches in order to meet him, I would.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, I strode out toward the only room that was present on this floor. However, the receptionist sitting at the desk stopped me.

It took everything in me not to knock her out with my fist. Why were people preventing me from achieving my goal?

“Excuse me, miss? But you cannot go in there. Mr. Maslow is in a meeting and no one is allowed to disturb him under any circumstances,” the woman said, her light-brown hair tied in a neat ponytail.

“Listen. Brenton Maslow ruined my life. He destroyed my business by taking over the land. I cannot just sit by and let him think that there are no consequences of his actions. I have to talk to him right now because he owes me a goddamn business,” I said, hoping she would understand and let me go.

Her lips pursed. “I am truly sorry to hear about your business, but Mr. Maslow gave me strict orders not to disturb him for the entirety of the meeting. Please sit down and wait for him to finish, and then you can talk to him.”

“You know, just because he is rich and powerful doesn’t mean his time is more precious than mine. I came here at this time because I have other things to do later. So, please, tell him that I need to talk to him right now,” I replied, getting irritated.

This woman was wasting my time; I was afraid I would have to do something I would regret.

She shook her head, and I knew I had no choice. “I’m sorry, miss, but I cannot do that. You can go do the other things that you need to do and come back later.”

“I’m sorry too.” I punched her without thinking twice, my knuckles colliding with her nose. The receptionist grunted before slumping to the ground, unconscious.

Once she was out of the way, I eyed the double doors before marching toward them.

I pushed the glass door to the side and entered, stopping short when I saw a bunch of men sitting around a table with papers and files scattered all around them.

However, it was the man sitting at the head of the table who was my main concern.

Brenton Maslow.

Though I’d never had the misfortune of encountering him until today, I had made sure to Google his picture.

With curly blond hair and sea-green eyes, Brenton Maslow was a man who could have women dropping down on their knees just for a mere glimpse of him.

However, as I stood gazing at him, I realized his pictures did not do him justice. He was much more beautiful than he appeared in the pictures.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Brenton stood up when he saw me, his green eyes blazing with fury. “Who let you in? Where is Mariam?”

“Hello.” I faked a cheerful smile to piss him off. “My name is Cecelia.”

“I don’t care what your goddamn name is. Get out of my office! Mariam! Mariam!” He shouted for the receptionist.

The rest of the men sitting in the room remained silent, their eyes downcast as if they were used to their boss losing his temper.

“No need to disturb others, Mr. Maslow. However, I think your receptionist is too busy to listen to you right now,” I stated.

“Get the fuck out of my office or I will call security,” he threatened, his hands resting on the glass tabletop.

“You can call security after I am done talking. Call them before I finish, and I swear to God I won’t hesitate to ruin your reputation in front of your employees,” I shot back, keeping my voice firm.

Brenton’s eyes widened as if I’d slapped him before narrowing into slits. “Who the fuck do you think you are? You think you can threaten me?”

“As I said, my name is Cecelia. The reason I am here is because you destroyed my business when you took over the land yesterday. Your men came and demolished my shop. You had no right to do that, Mr. Maslow, especially when I am legally the owner of that property. You had no right to demolish my bakery without my consent. What you did is illegal, and I want you to pay me back for it,” I said.

He looked as if he wanted to slap me. “You clearly don’t know who you are dealing with.”

“I don’t care how powerful you are. You are human, just like I am. And your actions have consequences, Mr. Maslow. You owe me a bakery, and I am not leaving until you give me back what you stole from me,” I told him.

“I am giving you to the count of five. If you don’t leave by then, I will call security and have you thrown out. People like you don’t have money or prestige. The only thing you people have is your dignity; am I right? So I am giving you a chance to salvage that dignity, because after the count of five, not only will I have stolen your business, I will have stolen your dignity as well,” he warned me.

I smiled. “I can understand that a thief like you doesn’t know anything other than to steal. However, I am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. I have no problem talking this out with you in a civil way.”

“No, you don’t understand,” I watched as he walked over to me, his gait predatory, as if I were his next meal.

He stopped a couple of inches from me, so close I could smell his cologne.

“I don’t waste my time talking to people like you. And the fact that you are forcing me to speak to you is no less than a crime to me. I should have you locked up for this.”

I smirked. “Projecting your crimes on me now, are we? That’s all right; you think you can get away by projecting your crimes onto me, but I will not let you get away so easily, Brenton…”

“It’s Mr. Maslow to you,” he snapped.

“Respect is earned, Brenton. You might use fear to get respect from people, but that’s not going to work with me. You have committed a crime, and unless you agree to give me my bakery back, I will go to the police and tell them everything you did,” I told him.

These powerful people thought they owned the world, but I would not let them trample me.

“Really?” He took another step forward, our noses almost touching. “Go ahead, firecracker, go to whoever you think can help you. But if you think you can win against me, then you are mistaken.”

“I am not going anywhere until you give me what I want. I don’t care if you have to cut your meeting short in order to agree to my demands. You will do as I say because I can crush your reputation in two seconds.”

That was an exaggeration, but I was hoping he was a shallow snob who only cared about his image in front of the world.

I gasped when he grabbed my neck with his hand and pushed me against the wall.

“Like I said, I don’t waste my time talking to people who are beneath me. So get the fuck out of my office. Save the bit of respect that you do have and go get a job. People like you are good for nothing except serving others. You should be grateful that I saved you from the hassle of running a business.”

He let go of me and wiped his hand with a handkerchief as if he had touched a piece of dirt.

“I worked hard for that bakery. I took on numerous jobs in order to get my business started. You can’t take that away from me, Brenton,” I snarled.

In response, he grabbed my wrist tightly and dragged me out of his office. He was surprisingly strong, because I tried to resist by digging my heels in the carpet, but it was useless.

As soon as we were out of his office, he shoved me hard, causing me to fall on the floor.

“I told you, you are good for nothing except serving others. That is your place in this world—on the floor. And I wanted that land so I took it. I don’t care an iota for whoever became a casualty. I own this world; so everything I do, every piece of land I buy is legal. Because at the end of the day, I will win and everything will be mine. Now get the fuck out of here, and don’t you dare show me your face again,” he stated before striding back inside, and this time he made sure to lock the door of his office.

Brenton’s words were harsh and would’ve made a normal person cry. But I was not a regular person.

I knew such people existed; I had worked with a few of them when I was working jobs for my bakery. So his words were nothing that I hadn’t heard before.

And I also knew that whatever he said was nothing but false. I was not meant for serving others. Everybody had a purpose in this world, and I knew mine was not to serve.

The reason I’d started a business was so I could become a kind and just boss, and that was exactly what I would do.

I didn’t care what he said about me; he would have to give me my bakery back, even if I had to destroy his family for it.

Taking a deep breath, I stood up and gave one last look to the double doors.

I will be back, Brenton. You can’t get rid of me that easily, I thought before taking the elevator down.

I would go and do my errands, and after that, I would come to visit him again. I would not leave him until he gave me what I wanted, even if he insulted me in the worst way possible.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, I was greeted by two bulky policemen. What kind of business was he running when his security guards were so slow?

And he said I was not fit to own a business? Brenton really was projecting his insecurities onto me.

But that was all right; at least I knew what his defense mechanism was; maybe I could use it to my advantage in the future.

“Don’t bother arresting me; I am leaving,” I said to the guards as I walked out of the building.

But at the last moment, I felt sorry that they were working for such a lousy man, so I decided to give them some advice.

“And by the way, there are better companies you men can go work for. Companies that pay well and treat you well. Goodbye,” I said before finally making my exit.

For some people, getting such a response would’ve been the end. But not for me.

For me, it was just the beginning.

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