Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Chapter 12: CSK?
“Hello, Catrina,” Kate greeted, entering the door of the CEO‘s office. She extended her hand, giving Catrina a copy of her marketing proposal. “This is the marketing plan my tea m and I have devised. I also sent you a soft copy of the entire outline as well.”
“I understand that Carlos‘ endorsement contract with Rolex ends in two months, so my suggestion included for him to wear the watches even before our offic ial launch – ” Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.
“Carlos?” Catrina raised a brow and said, “You are on a first–name basis now with Mister Ronaldo?”
“Kate, I don‘t mind that we call ourselves on first name bases, but our boss remains to be our boss. Unl ess he says otherwise, you will address him as Mister Ronaldo, ” Catrina directed. “Is that clear?”
Kate fell silent. She gulped, realizing how the entire office was not yet aware of her connection with Carlos. Her father, Ethan, had specifically reminded her to keep it to herself, given Carlos ‘involvement in an undercover police operation. In response to Catrina, Kate forced a smile, saying, “Right. I – I‘m a fan, and I call him by his first name all the time. Apologies for that, Catrina.”
“No worries. I understand. I just wanted to remind you.” Catrina accepted the folder and said,” Thank you for your diligent work. You really surprised me, Kate. To be honest, I though t you were one of those spoiled heiresses who did not know how to work.”
While Catrina‘s words stung her ego, Kate somehow appreciated her honesty. She answered, referring to her older brother, Kyle, the CEO of The Wright Diamond Corporation, “Trust me, there are no free pa sses to working under a tyrant, boss brother.”
“He is that scary, huh? I‘ve heard stories about Kyle Wright. It must be a lot of pressure working under your older brother. He is known to be a very cold person,” Catrina remarked.
It was true. Many feared Kate‘s brother. Apart from his success in expanding the biggest company in th e city, he was known for his savage glares. Kate‘s older brother was handsome, but to others, he was frightening at the sam e time. Reacting to Catrina, Kate smiled. She suggested, “He isn‘t really that bad. He is just… a little choosy as to with whom he speaks to.”
“Anyway, Kate. Thanks for this,” Catrina said.
Kate knew that was her signal to leave, but she remained in front of Catrina, itching to ask a question. It had been almost a week since Carlos left Braeton, and she had not heard a word from him since. Eve n her father had not heard from Carlos. Ethan, however, confirmed through his dispatched men in Paris that Carlos was constantly practicing for the upcoming matches with Alexander.
A few days back, Kate realized that the company name was very familiar. She speculated on what CSK stood for, but to confirm it, Kate had to get the information from either Catrina, the stand– in CEO, or Arman, the HR director.
“Anything else you need, Kate?” Catrina asked.
“Um… I‘m just curious. What does CSK stand for?” Kate probed. “I‘ve gone through the company profil e. I don‘t also believe Arman gave me the meaning during my orientation. I just
Cape 12 CSK
thought that perhaps, if there is a deeper meaning to the company name, I could also add that to the m arketing campaign.” Kate shrugged and
hinted, her eyes rounded as she said, “You know if this is about a love story, perhaps? A story of a long –lost love? Or maybe friendship?”
Biting her lip, Kate waited anxiously for Catrina‘s reply.
“Well, I tell you this? Some of the company‘s information is still a secret. Even I don‘t know. Last week, I honestly thought the third shareholder was Hailey Mckenzie, but now that you mentioned it.” Ca trina thought deeply. Then, she suggested, “I also contemplated about Mister Ronaldo‘s relationship wit h the top female tennis player, you know, the Irish player, Savannah Knight?”
“Didn‘t they model for the swimwear, Speedo, two years back?” Catrina fanned herself with one hand, s aying, “I honestly thought those photos were hot, hot, hot! They look good together!”
Leaning forward to her table, Catrina suggested, “Who knows, Savannah might be… the third sharehol der of the company – Shhhh. Don‘t say I suggested that. We don‘t want to spoil it for everybody.”
Kate‘s full name was Sarah Kate Wright. However, her family was used to calling her Kate, since Sarah was her maternal grandmother‘s name. Now that she knew Carlos owned CSK Apparel, she speculate d about the company‘s name. A big part of her wished it meant Carlos‘ and her name, Sarah Kate.
However, hearing Catrina‘s suggestion, she glowered. While Catrina returned to her work, Kate‘s head quickly became fill ed with doubts. Yet again, she left the CEO‘s office, reluctant about where she stood in Carlos‘ heart.
***
Later that evening. Entering her twin brother‘s penthouse, Kate awkwardly said hello to a new caregiver . Instead of the usual youthful nanny her nephew had, she was looking at an older woman who seemed to be in her fifties.
Kaleb was a single dad to Liam. He has had three nannies in the past. Two of them tried to seduce Kaleb, including the recent one. The previous nanny was dismi ssed on the spot. Finding her brother in the dining area, Kate asked, “How is the new nanny?” “She seems decent. My assistant got her from a reputable agency, so I hope this one lasts… What brings you here?” Kaleb inquired before chowing down a piece of his steak. “I want your t wo cents,” Kate admitted. She sat next to her brother and revealed, “CSK Apparel, the company I work for and the same one owned by Carlos. Rings a bell? Carlos and Sarah Kate? Right?” Kate‘s blue eyes gleamed in the hopes her twin brother would have the same idea, but Kaleb quickly crushed her hopes when he replied, “SK. Should it only be Sarah Kate? How many SKS are there in the world?” Raising his shoulders, Kaleb suggested, “Possible, Kate, but isn‘t he close to that Irish tennis player? What‘s he r name, Savannah Knight? In fact, they had an exhibition game today. It was
Chapter 12. CSK?
all over the internet.” Kate’s face turned red, angered by Kaleb‘s suggestion. As she frantically searche d on her phone, she mumbled, “Which side are you on? I can‘t believe you!”
“You asked me a question, and I answered it honestly,” Kaleb claimed. “It could also be Sarah Kate, but it could also be… Savannah Knight. Geez, don‘t be so uptight. Besides, didn‘t you just… reconnect? A nd for only a few hours?”
When Kate found the videos that circulated the internet, she grimaced, seeing how the top tennis playe rs from both the female and male singles categories were having fun, playing doubles. Her eyes narrowed, recognizing how Carlos and Savannah were on the same team, often giving each other high fives after winning points.
Kate even went far enough, searching for the old modeling pictures between Carlos and Savannah. The
The second picture definitely irked Kate to the core. Carlos was smiling down on Savanah while the latte seductively looking up at Carlos, her hand on his bare abs. Kate scoffed and said, “She isn‘t even that sexy!” Kaleb laughed at her, saying, “Sour graping?”
***
After returning home for the rest of the night, Kate went through online for any potential link between Ca herself for having missed it. Kate was so focused on Hailey that she did not realize the other competition
There were many pictures of Carlos and Savannah together, but then again, it was the same with the other players. tennis gatherings. After tiring herself for two long hours, she fell asleep at one in the morning, her mobile settled next to her in bed.
***
At four in the morning, Kate awoke to the sound of her phone buzzing. She frowned at the sight of an un
Kate was determined to cancel the call, but decided otherwise. She groaned as she picked up her mobi
“It‘s nearly noon here in Paris, ” Kate‘s eyes widened at the sound of a familiar voice. It was deep and sexy, resulting in her he galloping as she jerked up in her bed.
She responded, “Carlos?”
“Kate, I miss you,” Carlos said on the other line, and Kate found herself grinning like a teenage girl. ‘Oh,