Chapter 4

The sun burned brightly into my highrise corner office of my company. Behind me I could hear the ringing of phones and murmur of voices as my empire rose to greater heights

I felt terrible. The blood had been hard to eat and left my stomach uncomfortable, bloated, and generally unwell. Not only that but I received my first hangover in years. One thing about vampires, is if they drink blood with a high alcohol content they tend to get drunk. Diseased blood was almost impossible to drink, but from a few vampires of my younger years had told of those who lived during the plague, many went insane instead of drinking fowl blood. It wasn't something I preferred, but even a starving man will eat rotten food to survive. So I just chalked myself as the starving man and drank it without too many shutters of disgust.

Now here I sit, my nails clicking on the industrial style glass and chrome desk thinking about last night. So the clanless were being rounded up, a war was about to begin among the Purebloods. I needed to get out of here, the further from the fighting the better.

Just then the glass door to my office swings in and Jerry is standing there. I give him a nod as I continue to drum my fingers on the desk in thought. He says, "Um, Nina I hate to be the bearer of bad news but the merger meeting started ten minutes ago. Berkawitz isn't one to be stood up."

My mind kept playing on what Dr. Fallon had said last night, a war was about to start, the clans were clamping down on us rogue vampire. But why? If they wanted to start a war, they had enough bomb fodder of rank C vampire to use. Why were they after those who wanted nothing to do with the vampire society. Then it finally clicked, Elrics weren't after all rogue vampire, they were after me. The Dracul Pureblood was seen with me and the Elrics Pureblood that had been at the club that night had saw me. They must think I had something to do with two nights ago.

'Crap...'

'Should I cancel today's merger?' Jerry asks nervously.

Quickly I look up at him and say quickly, 'Call my lawyer Wilson and Wilson, something has come up I need to take care of.'

'So cancel Berkawitz?' he says with a nod

'No, I'm going now, though at this point I own his company anyhow.'

Jerry seem confused as I stood and walked past him out into the bustling open concept room beyond. He turns to following asking, 'What do you mean?'

'It will take too much time to explain, go ahead and do what I ask, I'll handle the little potbelly Berkawitz myself.'

Jerry snorts a laugh and says, 'Sure thing boss.'

As I walk to the conference room I can feel the eyes of my employees following me, many had never seen me and I had tried to distance myself from it to prepare for my 'untimely' death, but now I would not have time for that. I had more important things on my mind, like survival.

Opening the door to the conference room, feeling the last vestige of the fowl blood in my system stir uncomfortably in me. I see Berkawitz and his seven lawyers waiting. My two excellent lawyers stood as I say, 'Mr. Berkawitz, such an honor. Sorry for keeping you waiting, something came up last minute of great importance.'

'Cut the bull Ms. Simmons, what could be more important than our brokerage companies merger. Sit,' he orders.

I smile softly, feeling the sudden urge to eat him. He would make a good meal for sure with his fieru blood boiling under his skin. Scraping that from my mind, I politely comply as he says, 'Listen I know you think you are buying out my firm, but you are sadly mistaken. I haven't gotten as high in the ladder without doing my research. This company may be old but you have only been the senior partner for seven years because your, what, great aunt died and left it to you. Please, I built mine from the ground up. You may think making me wait will make me sweat but your wrong.'

He slide a stack of papers towards me and says, 'I have bought out your brokerages overseas stocks and thus I pretty much own you now. So why don't you just sign over what's left of your company and you scuttle on out of here darlin'.'

The room was full of tensions as I smile up at him. He actually thought he was the cat with the cream. It was a good plan but I also knew him well and his tactics. Slowly I slide my hand to the papers and slide them back towards him. As I stand I chuckle and say, 'Its true I haven't been here for that long. But my aunt knew I was savvy with business and thus felt I deserved the position. You say you bought out my overse stocks. Well unfortunately for you O know your tactics in the stock game. I have already eaten your company long ago.'

Berkawitz's looked a little lost, as he asks softly, 'What do you mean?'

'The stocks offered through my company are nothing more than empty air. A rather nice little white lie, and tempting to my competitors. While your stocks as solid as gold. I have slowly and through small conglomerates been buying bits and pieces off your company. Kind of like a pack of orca, biting off a little at a time of a blue whale. Have you noticed the stall in your brokerages bottom line lately.'

Now he went pale. This small potbellied man looked like he just realized what was happening as I continue, 'I've been eating your firm for almost a year now. Similar to what you think you where doing to my own..'

This is when he finally sputtered to life, his face going red as he sprang from his chair and yelled, 'But I still hold the majority shares of my company so I have final say!'

'No, in fact you don't. Collin, hand Mr. Berkawitz the paperwork.'

My brokerage lawyer does with a sheepish grin of victory as I continue, 'Last week you sold a few too many stocks to balance your bottom line, which I bought, making me the majority shareholder of your firm. Thus I have a 52% say in your firm. This merger is just a formality of you passing me legal rights to it. In a year your firm will be fully absorbed by my own. So of you will sign the paperwork that Stan will now pass to you, we can finish this amicably.'

The fire had gone out of Berkawitz, him flopping into his chair knowing he had to give up the ghost, as he stared at the two stacks in front of him. Then his eyes flash to me as he growls, 'This isn't finished.'

I say with my wolf's grin, feeling that primal instinct of the hunter I was, 'I assure you, it is.'

With that I sweep from the room, hearing him call me something rather untasteful but choosing not to respond. It was pointless, he had lost, and I had won. Beside if I did stay he might end up being my next meal I was so hungry for fresh food. Jerry was outside the door and whisper, 'You are so cold it's scary.'

'Is Mr. Wilson in my office?'

Jerry nods and says quickly, 'Yes, but I'm curious as to why?'

'Jerry, I know you know pretty much every aspect of my life the past four years. But this isn't one of them. So please go on about your work, this I will handle alone.'

'Sure thing, sorry if I overstepped my bounds,' he said eith a wounded voice.

I knew I had been harsh, but I still felt terrible from the blood and it would have to be flushed out with fresh. So sighing I say softly, 'Sorry Jerry, Berkawitz is a jerk and got on my nerves. Being calm when you're literally taking down a man's life's work is hard, yet amazingly thrilling.'

Jerry laughs and says softly, 'Only you would say that.'

I nod to him and walk back to my office. Mr. Wilson Sr. stood from one of the soft leather couches as I step inside. I had much to do today and tonight I would have to hunt. It might have been years sincd I had tasted fresh blood, but I knew it would be vital. It would be a while before I would eat again.