Return of the war god

Chapter 8

Luna gulped nervously as she walked into the imposing building before her with Arthur and Anthony by her side.

Since after her accident, she hadn’t explored the world as much as she wished to. Most of her visits outside were restricted to where her foster mother, Clara Byrne, wished for her to go and the occasional visit to the hospital.

And even after her recovery, Luna had spent most of her time in the Gallagher villa, after all she was turned into a bargaining chip between her only family, Arthur and Alexander Gallagher.

But that didn’t mean she wasn’t well versed with business interactions. A majority of her errands given to her by her foster mother, Clara Byrne, were centred around business deals and meetings.

As they arrived at the front desk, the secretary looked up from her laptop. “How can I help you?”

“We’re from the Gallagher’s. We’re here to make a business deal with the company.” Arthur explained, ignoring the look that Anthony gave him.

“Is that so,” she stared at her computer for a while before replying, “Well, the general manager is free at the moment, so I can let him know you’re here.”

After making a call to the general manager with the landline, she was given the instruction to bring them to the office.

Nodding and responding to his instruction, she rose and led them to the elevator.

Doing a double take at Luna, the secretary asked, “Luna? Is that you?”

“I’m sorry, who are you?” Luna asked, slightly confused.

“Mia, we went to school together.”

Luna’s eyes widened in realisation before she caught up with her old classmate. Mia had heard of Luna’s accident so seeing her walking about without issue was a surprise to her. So at first she didn’t believe that it was her, especially since not only was Luna not using a wheelchair, she appeared more beautiful than before.

They entered the office and were greeted by the general manager.

But just before they could begin discussing, the office door swung open and a young man in a corporate uniform walked inside the office.

“Oh, are these the ones who had a business proposal for my father?” He asked, scanning the office.

“Sir, it’s no problem, I can handle this.” The manager said nervously.

“No, no, come with me, the both of you.” Liam’s son pointed at Anthony and Luna, turning to Arthur afterwards, “You can stay here.”

Giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, Arthur gave the go ahead for Thea and Anthony to follow him.

Leading them into his personal office that reflected his status in the company, he turned around and introduced himself, “I am James McHenry, you’ve probably guessed but my father is the CEO of the company, Liam McHenry. I know, it’s an honour for you to meet me.”

“It is.I am Anthony Gallagher and this here is Luna Byrne, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Anthony offered a handshake, one that was ignored by James.

Taking their seats, they began discussing. Anthony did most of the talking but occasionally, Luna spoke up and when she did, she did so wonderfully well.

After looking through the documents Arthur had given Anthony to hand in, James interlocked his fingers and leaned forward.

“This is good, but I can’t guarantee a contract with such a proposal. I mean the McHenry Pharmaceuticals gets a ton of good deals like this everyday. So I’m sorry.”

Luna sank in her seat disappointed, a tired sigh escaping Anthony afterwards.

“But, I have a solution, one that will definitely make sure that you get the contract.” James stated, leaning forward while eyeing Luna suggestively.

“What do we need to do? Just say it and we’ll make it happen.” Luna leaned forward eagerly.

She understood that Arthur was going through all this for her sake, to finally free her from the shackles of her foster mother, Clara Byrne and the Gallagher’s.

So as she was given an opportunity to help him, Luna wanted to do her very best to let Arthur know he did the right thing by entrusting her.

But she was about to be amazed by what would be asked of her.

James had set his eyes on Luna from the moment she had walked inside the building. As the second son of the owner of the McHenry Pharmaceuticals, there was nothing he had done that he couldn’t get away with.

Women had basically thrown themselves at him in order to be rewarded or promoted. And the ones that dared to reject him, they didn’t last long in the company. Most of them were harrassed so badly, they had to resign.

And now before him was a woman more beautiful than any he had set his eyes on. James knew he had to get her for himself.

“How about we continue our discussion in the five star hotel nearby, I’ve heard they have really good services. And you don’t have to worry one bit about the contract, because I’ll personally pitch it to my father, heck I’ll even ask for a favour from him if necessary.” James explained with a wolfish smirk.

Luna recoiled in disgust, never in her wildest imagination had she thought that this would be the request James had in mind.

She turned to Anthony expecting him to react in some way but she was shocked by his blank stare.

“If that is what is necessary, then so be it. It’s a small price to pay after all.” Anthony leaned back in his seat, sighing tiredly.

“I like the way you think!” James exclaimed excitedly, ignoring the look of horror Luna had.

“How could you say such a thing, Anthony? And I will not be doing such Mr McHenry,” Luna said firmly, clenching her fists in anger at the betrayal.

Grabbing a hold of her arm, James explained, “Don’t you get it, Luna Byrne. In a world like this, sacrifices have to be made to achieve your goal. If you don’t do so, you can forget about making it anywhere in the business world.” Ending his statement, he tossed her hand back and watched her trip and fall.

Luna’s tears stained her glasses as she stared at the ground. The feeling of being treated like she was worth little was something she thought she had finally gotten rid of ever since Arthur came back.

“Please help me, Arthur.” She muttered between sobs.

The door suddenly swung open and Arthur walked in, ignoring the complaints of the secretary.

Looking from the translucent system window that read; [Save Luna Rhyfel] to James who stood over Luna’s prone form, his icy tone cut through the silence.

“If you want to keep breathing, step back.”