A Very Corporate Affair Book 2 (The Corporate Series)

by D Latham

  "Anything you need me to do?"

  "Just stay at the back of the room. Keep out of her way. As soon as I have made the announcement, I will sign the contract giving her Conde Nast. I will then leave, and you and I meet back at my apartment."

  "Ok."

  At two minutes to ten, we travelled down to the ground floor. The meeting hall was crammed with press, and there was an air of anticipation in the room as to what was about to be revealed. Ivan didn’t often call press conferences. I tucked myself in at the side of the room. Close enough to get a good view, but unobtrusive, and out of Dascha's line of sight. Ivan arrived to a flurry of camera flashes, and smiled at everyone, before taking a seat at the table. "We are just waiting for Dascha Meranov to arrive before we begin," said Ivan, to groans from the photographers.

  "So we'll be waiting a couple of hours then," heckled someone at the back. Ivan just looked amused. He looked relaxed as he chatted to the press as they waited, giving nothing away until Dascha arrived. By quarter past, the press were getting edgy, as they had better things to do than wait for a spoilt woman to show up. The conference was interrupted by Nico bounding up to Ivan, and handing him a piece of paper. Ivan read it, his hand flying up to his face, and a look of horror written all over it. He conferred with Nico for a few minutes, before turning, white faced, to the press.

  "It's with great sadness that I have to announce the deaths of both Dascha and her father, Vladimir Meranov in a car accident this morning in Hammersmith. I have just found out myself this moment, so forgive me for not being able to furnish you with any detail, and please respect my privacy to grieve. He stood, and strode out of the room, leaving the press yelling out questions.

  I turned to my protection officers, "I guess I don't need you now, but would you drive me back to the docklands please?"

  I got texts through from both Oscar and Ivan on the way back. Oscar's just enquired as to whether or not I'd heard the news, and Ivan's instructed me to meet him at his apartment. I headed straight there, and was met at the ground floor by his security, and whisked up in the lift. Ivan came barrelling down the hallway as soon as I walked through the front door. He pulled me into a fierce hug, "Thank god you're alright," he breathed.

  "Why wouldn't I be? Is there something else you need to tell me?" I frowned.

  "No, nothing. They're dead. Nobody will want to harm you now. I'm just relieved it’s over." I pulled away from him.

  "Ivan, is this anything to do with you? I need to know. I won't judge, I just want you to tell me the truth."

  "Oh god, no, nothing to do with me. It doesn't even look like it was a hit. Apparently their driver lost control." He looked into my skeptical eyes, "Elle, you have to believe me. I had nothing to do with it. Besides, there were at least five contracts out on Vlad, as far as I know. If it was a Russian hit, they would have shot them getting out of the car, or poisoned them in Vogue house. The mafia are just henchmen, they wouldn't have the wherewithal or skill to stage a car crash."

  "So where does this leave you?"

  "Nowhere really. Nobody knows about the deal, apart from you, me and Oscar. I didn't even get that contract out of my pocket, so nobody saw it. Did you delete it from your computer after you wrote it?" I nodded.

  "Oscar's mum. She knows. She ordered my security."

  Ivan smirked. "She's quite a character, calls me Podunky. She's as sharp as a knife, and wouldn't drop Oscar in it. There is possibly another issue though."

  "Go on."

  "When we got engaged, Dascha and I both made wills, leaving our estates to each other. I changed mine when we split up. I don't know what she did with hers."

  "I see. Who drew it up?"

  "Pearson Hardwick. At the head office." Ivan led me into his study, and I sat down before pulling my phone out, and calling Lucy.

  "Hi Lucy, it's Elle. I have a strange one for you. Can you look up Dascha Meranov for me. Apparently we wrote her will a few years ago. Can you find out when it was last updated please?"

  "Hey babe! Sure, won't take a jiffy. I must come over and see you soon. I want to see if that hunky boyfriend of yours has a twin brother. Hang on.....yup....here it is......last updated 18th June 2011."

  "Brilliant," I wrote down the date on the desk pad, "now can you search Vladimir Meranov and see if we hold one for him as well please?"

  "Sure, won't be a mo......here we are.....yup, we have it.....dated 30th November 2012. Have they died then?" I wrote down the second date.

  "Yes. This morning in a car crash."

  "Oh dear, well I'll get them out of storage, and invite the relevant people in. Speak to you soon, ciao baby."

  "Bye Luce." I turned to Ivan, "you heard all that?" He nodded. "Have you found out any of the circumstances of their deaths yet? Who died first, that kind of thing?"

  "All we've been able to find out is that Vlad died at the scene, and Dascha died on the way to hospital."

  "Are you upset?" Ivan gave me a 'don't be stupid' look.

  "No. I'm relieved. Both for you, and the girls. Dascha was the only serious threat I really had. I tend to avoid doing business with Russian gangsters these days." He pulled me into a hug, holding me tight and burying his nose in my hair. "I was so scared Elle. Not much frightens me, but the thought of anything happening to you.....she tortured me, said she'd mutilate you...film you being raped, that kind of thing. I've not slept for a week. I worried you'd run back to Oscar, knowing he'd be able to keep you secure. He was worried about your safety too."

  "He was a good friend to me this weekend, apart from scaring me senseless on Friday night by telling me ghost stories during a thunderstorm."

  "Hmm, probably thought you'd be too scared to sleep alone, and would have to beg to get in with him. He's a sly devil. I never put anything past him. I'm glad he looked after you so well though. He's a great ally to have, especially in times of trouble."

  "So what are you going to do with Conde Nast?"

  "Carry on running it. I also have to find out if I'll be taking on any other companies. Depends on Vlad's will really. I may approach your firm about installing you on the board. It would be useful to have my eyes and ears on there."

  "I'll speak to Mr Carey when I get back to the office. Find out if that's allowed under my contract."

  "Otherwise resign, and I'll double the salary they were paying you."

  "No!! Ivan, I won't do it. I won't be beholden to you. I've not fully forgiven you for all this, and I need time to recover from it, and the shock I had with my mum, which you seemed to have forgotten about."

  "I'm sorry. I've been so caught up in this I've barely thought about much else. Listen, why don't I take you away somewhere nice this weekend? We can relax, play, and put all this behind us."

  "I'll give it some thought, and let you know." We were interrupted by a knock on the door. One of Ivan's security team opened it just enough to let the girls in, before closing it again. Bella and Tania raced over to Ivan, and jumped up at him.

  "How's my baby girls?" Ivan crooned, "did you miss daddy today? You did? Paws up who wants their tummy rubbed?" Both dogs immediately rolled onto their backs, and presented their rather fat little tummies to Ivan for fuss. He petted them for a few minutes with a tenderness that was at odds with the hardman gangster image of him that I'd built in my head over the previous few days. "You are the prettiest little girls in the world, yes you are," he cooed, as they both wriggled in delight.

  "I wish you talked to me like that." I said. Ivan stopped rubbing, and gaped at me.

  "You want your tummy rubbed too?"

  I sighed, "no, I just wish I was more sure of you. You dropped a bombshell on me yesterday, and it was only a surprise because most of the time you're either barking orders at me, or talking dirty. A bit like when you scared me by telling me we'd have wild sex, rather than just saying you wanted to make love."

  "Do I actually get anything right?" He looked annoyed.

  "Not lately." A thick silence spread between us. "I
'm gonna get back to work. I take it I won't need security anymore?"

  "Roger will pick you up. Just call him as you're leaving. Can I see you tonight?"

  "I'll let you know." I picked up my handbag and left, heading straight to the office.

  Lewis was surprised to see me back. "The job finished early. Their HR director was organised to the point of obsessive. She had it done by nine this morning. Did you see the news this morning?"

  "I did indeed. Quite a coincidence isn't it?" Lewis said.

  "What? Do you think I stuck pins in a doll or something?"

  Lewis laughed, "no, I mean she goes back to Porenski and dies in a car crash. Maybe a jealous ex of hers had his nose out of joint."

  "No idea. I did hear that her father had contracts on his head. Do they suspect foul play then?"

  "Apparently not. The police statement just says they are performing tests on the driver. Maybe they think he was drunk. Witnesses reported seeing him driving erratically for quite a distance before he lost control and crashed."

  "Wonder why they didn't ask him to stop the car then? I would if a driver was that bad." I said. Lewis nodded in agreement. "I'll be in my office if there's anything you need me for." I headed down the corridor. Laura smiled as I walked in. "Any problems?" I asked.

  "No, some calls for you to return, but that's all." She handed me a list of callers. "So what was Conde Nast like?"

  "Glamorous. All the staff seemed impossibly stylish. The department I was looking at was very well run though. It's why I'm back early."

  "Did you know about Ivan's girlfriend?"

  "Yes, I was there during his press conference when he found out. The poor man went white."

  "I thought it was you he was with, then she popped up. All very confusing."

  "Yeah, well, they went back a long way. I couldn't compete really. He was engaged to her at one point."

  "He might need you to console him Elle. Get back in there girl." Laura looked so hopeful that I had to laugh.

  She went off to make drinks, and I settled at my desk and switched on my screen. I read through the list of calls to return, and straightaway saw Lucy's name. I picked up the phone. "Hi Lucy, you called."

  "Yup. Opened those wills. The only person we need to call in is Ivan Porenski. I spoke to the police and hospital regarding the case, and we're assured that the father died first, daughter second. He left everything to her, she left everything to Porenski. Obviously as named executors, we need to ascertain the extent of the assets, and there will be inheritance tax to pay, but Mr Porenski will need to be told as soon as possible."

  "I'll contact him and call you back. It may be better for you to come over here, I'll let you know."

  "Ooh, I'd love to. See what you can arrange." We said our goodbyes, and I called Ivan.

  "Hi. Just had a call from our family law department. They need to speak to you urgently. Can you come to my office this afternoon? Or we come to yours?"

  "Yes of course. I can do three, that ok?"

  "Yes, fine. My office?"

  "Sure." He cut the call. Grrr

  I called Lucy straight back, who was delighted with the prospect of an afternoon out. I sat and did some work, emailing my time sheets over to the accounts department for my day and a half at Conde Nast, and replied to some other client queries. At half two, Lucy turned up.

  "Wow, your office is quite something," she said, looking around, "and the view is to die for. Bloody wish I'd been clever enough to do corporate. So apart from a swanky office, how's life?"

  "Up until last weekend, life's been great. James and I get on fantastic, I love the flat, my jobs busy, and I've been out to some fab places. What about you?"

  "Work’s fine. Nothing stellar like you though. I split up with Hugo a while back, which I was pleased about, and I've been just dating different people since. Went to Tuscany for a week in May, and moved into a new flat in Chelsea with my brother....what happened last weekend then?"

  "My mum died. Found dead on the Sunday morning by her partner. Aneurysm."

  "Oh babe, that's terrible. Such a shock for you. Were you very close?"

  "Yeah. She was the only family I had. We're a long line of only children, so no cousins, or anything." Lucy looked sympathetic. I changed the subject to ask about the others on our traineeship. Everyone seemed to be doing fine, although we were all working extremely hard.

  At three, Ivan appeared. Lucy reacted in the same way I'd seen countless women do. She pinked up, got a touch flustered, and I could almost see her brain short circuit. She stood and held her hand out, unable to take her eyes off him. Ivan smiled thinly, and shook her hand. I introduced them both, and we all sat down. Lucy pulled a folder from her bag. "Now Mr Porenski, we received word that two clients of ours were killed in an accident this morning. We hold their wills, and I have copies of both wills here. I have spoken to both the Metropolitan police, and Hammersmith General hospital to ascertain the circumstances, and am satisfied that the times of death on their certificates, plus witness statements show that Mr Meranov died first, with Miss Meranov, approximately half an hour later on board the air ambulance. Mr Meranov left his entire estate to his daughter, with no exceptions. You are the only beneficiary of Miss Meranov's will, and it is clearly stated that there are no exceptions. Now, Pearson Hardwick have been appointed as executors, and as such, we have to ascertain the assets of Mr Meranov, and Miss Meranov before we can advise the tax authorities of the inheritance tax position, and apply for probate."

  Ivan didn't react at all. "You'll find their business interests will all be registered as Russian, and their homes here were owned by their companies. I will send you all the paperwork as soon as I have it translated, and will deal with the notaries in Russia myself. It should all be quite straightforward for you."

  Lucy smiled, "Excellent, are there no other assets apart from company ones?"

  "Only a day to day bank account each, I don't know how much either would have held, but probably not too much. Vlad kept all his assets in Russia as much as possible as its much safer."

  "Safer? How come?" I asked.

  "He was a marked man, and he knew it. There is no inheritance tax in Russia between family members, and only 13% to non family. He wouldn't want the British government helping themselves to 40% of his wealth. He spoke about the subject a lot."

  "I see. Where did he live?"

  "Windsor. They both did. Dascha moved back there in December."

  Lucy pulled a business card out of her bag. "Here are my contact details. As soon as you can furnish me with details of their British assets, I can apply for probate. Now if you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact me." Was she flirting?

  "Thank you. My secretary will be in touch. Now, I need to speak with Elle about a different matter." He looked at Lucy expectantly. She took the hint, and said her goodbyes. "So, are you feeling better?" Ivan inquired.

  "I wasn't ill, just upset." I replied warily. "I'm happy to work with you Ivan, but I don't think I want a relationship with you. I just...." I trailed off.

  "Just what?" He barked. "Tell me Elle. Tell me what I have to do, because I don't understand you."

  I just stood there, trying not to react to his anger at me. I had the inexplicable urge to cry. "Ivan, I'm scared of you. That's the problem. You scare me, and in my work life, I can cope. In my home self, I can't. I'm sorry." A big, stupid tear rolled down my face, betraying me. I swiped it away angrily. I didn't do crying at work. "All I know Ivan, is that you like to fuck me, have me followed, and put my life in danger for a stupid deal. Hardly romance of the year is it?"

  "I don't do romance. I would have thought you were far too logical to do it either."

  "Maybe not. I can't be with someone I don't trust though. I was convinced you'd sacrifice me during that deal. Now, I know you didn't, but what I'm trying to say is that I thought you would. That's how unsure I am of you. So it's best you find someone else who doesn't care what sort of relationship
you have, as long as you buy her a red dress and some rubies."

  "So, you want to run back to Oscar? Is that what you're trying to tell me?"

  "No, I didn't say that. For all his issues, even Oscar sends flowers. I never doubted his integrity, or that he cared about me."

  "Cared enough to get Dascha killed? This has all the hallmarks of a British intelligence hit. Oscar is the establishment, he could have done it to keep you safe. Still think he's a man of integrity?" Ivan spat the words out with disdain. I shrugged.

  "I have no idea what he did or didn't do, and besides, this isn't about him, it's about you. Your assertion that you were in love with me was a complete shock. Don't you see? I didn't have a fucking clue, because you don't show it. No hearts, no flowers, and you can't even say goodbye on the phone, you just slam it down on me. Now, if you want to go through life not doing romance, that's absolutely fine, just be aware that it won't be with me."

  Ivan glared at me with his laser beam eyes. "Fine, if that's how you want it." With that, he stomped out. I sat back in my chair, and tried to compose myself in case any of my colleagues arrived. I was in turmoil inside, the fors and againsts of being with Ivan rattling around my head. He was beautiful, fun and sometimes so nice, yet there was that sinister undercurrent that led me to believe my own paranoia that he would have kidnapped me to stop that deal. I tried to sit and think rationally, but all the stress and worry of the last few days seemed to cloud my head. As it was gone five, I decided to head home, eat, and spend a quiet hour in the gym. Some exercise might help.

  I didn't bother to call Roger, as it was a beautiful summers evening, and I wanted to walk. I stopped off at the deli for some basics, and strolled along, lost in thought. The flat was fine. It didn't look as though anyone had tried to break in, and the solitude was a welcome novelty after having 24 hour security with me for the last few days. I made a latte, changed into workout clothes, and put a wash on. I was just about to leave for the gym, when there was a knock at the door. "Who is it?" I called out.