Chapter 4 4

This land deal meeting was dragging on longer than I wanted it to. I wanted to get my lunch and find a reason to eat it in the kitchen with Emerald. No such luck, Emerald came in and brought us our lunches. A few minutes later my cell vibrated in my pocket.

Em: Thank you.

A smile started forming at the corners of my mouth. I didn’t respond to Emerald’s text; I didn’t need to. I wanted to, but both Spinel and I were trying our hardest to keep everything professional between us and Emerald, and it was slowly driving both of us insane.

At this point in this meeting, I have no idea what we are even discussing anymore, we’ve hashed out these details multiple times.

“I’m tired of going around in circles. Let me be very clear, here are our terms and conditions, they are no longer negotiable.

Item #1- Peridot Industries will retain all legal rights to the land that your building will be built on.

Item #2- Peridot Industries will receive a lump sum payment of $2,500,000 before you break ground, and within twenty-one calendar days of this meeting.

Item #3- Peridot Industries will continue to receive a monthly payment of $75,000 for the land lease.

Item #4- Peridot Industries will offer one rental rider of 10 years, after the conclusion of the initial lease terms of 10 years, after the 20-year mark we will re-negotiate new rental terms, and/or a land sale.

This is it gentlemen, final offer. We don’t need you to rent that land and build that space, in fact I’m thinking about not doing this deal at all, as we need to expand our own offices. Do I make myself clear?” Spinel asks those in the room.

Heads start nodding in the affirmative. Spinel can be scary sometimes.

Hearing him lose his temper was good, at least now I know I am not the only one annoyed in this room.

A shooting pain hits my chest, causing me to take a deep breath and grab at my shirt. My head snaps over in Spinel’s direction. I look at Spinel and see his eyes wide, his pupils making his eyes look like black orbs.

“Something has come up, meeting adjourned!” Spinel growled at everyone in the conference room.

“Mr. Bloodstone we need to…”

“OUT! NOW!” Spinel hollered at those still sitting and not moving fast enough for his liking.

“My apologies Mr. Asher, a family emergency has come up, I’ll have our assistant email the documents over to you by the end of business tomorrow.” I said as calmly as I could, pain ripping through me in waves. It wasn’t just pain, I could feel anxiety, and helplessness.

The people from Asher Enterprises hurriedly packed up their laptops and cells phones, leaving the conference room in a hastily manner.

I watched as Spinel was trying to gain control, his nails elongating and embedding themselves in the back of the chair he is holding on to. I can feel my wolf, Onyx, wanting to take control and rip out of this room.

Something within me stands up and I throw open the door to the conference room, “Emerald?! Emerald, wait!” I bellow as I see the door to the stairwell close.

I turn my head to Maggie, the floor receptionist. Maggie was shaking her head back and forth, her gaze lingering at the kitchen area.

“Maggie, what the fuck?” I hissed, as another wave of pain, panic, and anxiety flowed through me.

“I don’t know, Mr. Obsidian. Emerald’s cell phone rang, and she tore out of here like a bat out of hell. Leaving everything but her phone and purse behind.”

“Did you hear anything, Maggie?” Spinel asked as he walked around me.

“No, not really. I try not to eavesdrop. I did hear her say “Thank you, nurse Ki. Tell the doctor I’ll be right over within 10 minutes.”

“Thank you, Maggie.” Spinel says before he turns to me, “10 minutes, nurse Ki, doctor, sounds like the hospital. Why is she dropping everything and running to the hospital? What the fuck is this pain, Jet?”

“It’s the bond, Spinel. I told you it was only going to get worse the longer we waited.”

“Not really in the mood for I-told-you-so’s right now, Jet.” Spinel directed his death gaze at me before turning to Maggie. “Maggie, can you please find everything, and I mean everything, you can on Emerald? I want a full workup, financials, banking records, family records, social media accounts, EVERYTHING.”

“Yes, Mr. Bloodstone.” Maggie said as she showed her neck in submission.

“Spin, this is a huge invasion of her privacy.”

“I don’t care, Jet. I. Don’t. Fucking. Care.” Spinel hissed as he walked back to his office and slammed the door.

After a few hours, the pain in my chest dulled from a sharp piercing pain to a low hum of pain. I waited a few more hours, and Emerald didn’t return from the hospital and Spinel still hadn’t left his office. I tried to mind-link him, but he shut me out. I tracked Emerald’s scent to the hospital, her wonderful scent of lavender and vanilla, that wasn’t far from our building. As I was entering the hospital, I noticed Emerald getting off the elevator.

I tried to reach out to her as she walked by me, but she moved to the side, just out of my reach. She looked a mess, her eyes red and swollen from crying, glazed over not really focusing on anything, her scent tinged with despair and sadness. I wanted to grab her and pull her into me, protect her from whatever was going on.

I turned on my heels to leave and crashed into Spinel.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, annoyed.

“I’m pretty certain I’m doing the same thing here as you. Did she say anything to you?” Spinel asked, his voice cracking.

“Nope. She walked right past me. I don’t think she registered that it was me.”

“I’m going to discreetly follow her; she won’t notice me. You go back to the office. Maggie found some interesting stuff.” Spinel said as he turned around and walked out of the hospital doors in the direction of the garden and Emerald. My heart was pounding in my chest as I watched my mate of over 300 years follow after our other mate who doesn’t know she is our mate.