On His Orders (The Billionaire's Way 1)

Mr. Peak leans over and looks at one of the trader’s Bloomberg stations. “I want everyone to be prepared to exit the gold position when we hit a five percent profit from the morning buy,” Mr. Peak orders.

Everyone is either looking at their trading stations or at the TV. The CNBC anchor goes back to the scene in Kuva. Another news flash appears on screen. “Unconfirmed Reports: President Molidak Killed.”

“Sell the gold positions,” Mr. Peak barks. Everyone obeys. My boss walks off of the trading floor. I follow him. A couple of the Hedge Fund’s employees also follow him. We head to an opulent office complete with oriental vases, Picassos, and sculptures that, I am sure, are worth more than most homes.

Mr. Peak lights up a cigar and barks to one of the men, “How much have we made this morning?”

A senior looking employee checks his iPad. “Final trades are now confirmed. The Fund has made a profit of $350 million dollars.”

My boss takes a puff out of his cigar and nods his head. “Good,” he says.

That senior employee looks at me. I can tell he is annoyed. He has no idea who I am. All he knows is that I am overly dressed to be standing in the middle of a Hedge Fund in New York.

Mr. Peak notices that people are staring at me. My boss snaps his fingers and motions for me to come to him. Like a dutiful little pet, I skip over to his side. He doesn’t introduce me to the men. Nor does he even acknowledge me by name. However, the body language is clear. I am the woman close to the biggest alpha male in the room.I am special.

No one stares at me oddly anymore. Mr. Peak barks some more orders before everyone else leaves the room. My boss turns on the TV and continues to monitor the activities in Odostan. I relax my shoulders and catch my breath. As much as I would like to plop myself down on a sofa, I don’t want to risk taking such liberties in my boss’s office.

Mr. Peak looks at the TV with fire in his eyes. He sees the thousands upon thousands of Odostan citizens screaming for blood. He looks at the tanks on the street and the jet fighters in the air. Mr. Peak made this happen. He has true power only few men will ever know.

As my boss watches the action unfold, he walks up to me. He grabs me by the hi**ps. “You see that,” he whispers into my ear. “That is how you become a true master in this world. A big bank account can come and go. The power to control entire nations is the key to becoming untouchable by governments, by dictators and by Kings.”

“I am learning so much from you, Sir.”

Mr. Peak places his forearm across my neck. “Let me ask you a question,” he says as he slowly cuts off the oxygen to my neck. “Would you ever betray me?”

“No,” I say as I struggle to breathe.

“Would you ever sell me out to protect yourself?”

“No sir!” I squeak out as he tightens his grip.

“Would you sell me out for money!”

“No. Please!” I beg as he chokes the life out of me.

“I don’t believe you. I knew that you were gifted in the art of deceit. You used deceit to get your foot into my door. You used deceit to gain information from Sir Gerald and Sergey. You are not a student. You are a f**king master. You are a master of deceit and I know that you would eventually turn on me, Sarah. You tell me that you would be loyal? I can see deceit in your eyes,” he says as he lets me go.

I fall to the ground. My body feels weak. I struggle to breathe. The room spins as I try to focus my eyes. I look around the room for my boss. He is standing next to the window, looking out over the park.

As I regain my vision, I see him standing there confused and perplexed. What could be bothering him. This is a man who does not seem to be afraid of anything. This is the first time I have seen my boss be truly conflicted.

I am too weak to stand up. I crawl to Mr. Peak. I have to know what I have done to displease my master. “Mr. Peak,” I beg. “Please understand that I would do anything for you. I would never betray you. I would never hurt you.”

Nothing. No reaction. It’s as though I am not even in the room. Oh God. I have never felt so abandoned in my life. Out of all of the things Mr. Peak has done to me, this hurts the most. This is not a pleasurable pain. This is real pain. This is neglect.

“Mr. Peak!” I yell at the top of my voice. I grab onto his pants and struggle to pull myself up.He won’t even look me in the eye.“Please look at me. Please. Please, Sir. Look at me,” I yell as my lower lip quivers.

Seconds go by. A full minute goes by. My boss walks away from me. He walks to the table and presses the intercom. “Mary, bring in the suitcase,” my boss orders. I lean up against the window. I bang my head against it. Dammit. Mr. Peak doesn’t want anything to do with me anymore.