When We Meet Again
Chapter 53

"Aren't you hungry?" Charlotte asked. She has suddenly begun to crave pizza; she thought it would be nice to have one. "Should we order some pizza?" Bella furrowed her brows. "Pizza? When we get home?"

"Of course not. I mean now," Charlotte replied.

"It's working hours, remember?"

Charlotte chuckled. "Whose work, if I may ask? Isn't it ours?"

"It's ours but that doesn't mean we should break the rule, don't you think?". Bella smiled. "Pizza is not a bad idea though."

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Who is breaking the rules now?"

Bella shrugged. "I do not know." She stared at her wristwatch. "But can we do that after you pick up that call. I mean can we get the pizza after..."

Charlotte furrowed her brows. "What call are you talking about? The one Gina talked about?"

Bella nodded. "Yes."

"You're picking that call not me."

"Come on, Charlotte. I still think you should be the one to pick the call."

Charlotte shook her head. "Nah. I won't be doing that."

Bella sighed. "Fine, I will pick the call up. You're so stone hearted." Charlotte rolled her eyes but said nothing. "We have less than twenty minutes until the call. We should not order the pizza yet." "But the call should not stop us from ordering the pizza, don't you think? We can order the pizza while you wait for the call."

Bella shook her head. "Nah. I don't think it's a good idea. The pizza will get here during my call and I do not want to be distracted"

Charlotte smiled.. "Fine, I will order the pizza after the call ends. I do not want you to blame me for being distracted."

"You know I won't do that. But I will blame the pizza though and the one who ordered it."

Charlotte scoffed. "I knew it."

"You knew what?"

"That you will blame me for distracting you," Charlotte said and Bella chuckled but said nothing. "I still do not think that the call is worth it though. Do you think it is?" Charlotte asked. Bella shrugged. "Well, I can't say but we can't ignore any calls right now. So we don't miss out on the important call we have been waiting for."

Charlotte sighed. Bella is right. If she keeps ignoring this call, she might miss out on important ones and she can't afford to do that; her company is just coming up. Offending investors will not be good for her and her company.

She sighed. "You are right though. But I don't...". The telephone began to ring, cutting Charlotte short. "You should pick the call up."

"You should, Charlotte. We don't know who is calling yet."

Charlotte nodded, picking the phone up. "Hello?"

"Ma'am, I will connect you to him now," Gina said.

Charlotte handed over the phone to Bella. She began to go through the files she had gone through before, while listening carefully to Bella's conversation, but there wasn't much to listen to. Charlotte lost interest in their conversation until Bella poked her.

Charlotte stared at her. "What?" She whispered.

Bella moved the phone away from her ear. "The company I told you about."

Charlotte eyes brightened up. "Are you serious?"

Bella nodded. She placed the phone back to her ear. "I will put her on the call now,". She said, passing the phone to Charlotte. Charlotte sucked in some air. "Hello, Charlotte..."

"You don't have to introduce yourself," the man on the other side of the phone answered and Charlotte sighed.

"I..."

"Do you always ignore people's calls?" He said, cutting Charlotte short.

Charlotte furrowed her brow. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Do you purposely ignore my company's call?"

Charlotte could not understand what the man was saying; she wondered who he was and why he was speaking to her like that.

"I do not understand what you are saying, Sir."

She tried to sound as polite as she could though she was already getting pissed off.

"I asked my manager to speak to you, the CEO, and all you could do is make him speak to your assistant?"

Charlotte sighed. She could get it now but she doesn't understand why he is making a deal out of nothing. "It is right that he speaks to my assistant or my General manager, first before he speaks to me." He scoffed. "And after speaking to your assistant. Why did you refuse to speak to my manager?"

"Your manager did not give me a reason to speak to him."

Bella stared at Charlotte. What is going on? Why is she speaking to him like that?

"Are you trying to say that you are not wrong?" The man asked.

"Of course, I am not wrong and I am not saying I am right either. He should have been more precise. There are also protocols and rules to follow in every company and industry. And I am sure you know that." The man laughed and Charlotte frowned. What's funny? Why is he laughing?

"Then you must be right," he answered.

Charlotte could sense the sarcasm in his voice and she could also tell that he was trying to piss her off. Something felt familiar about him too but she could not say what.

She shrugged. "Can we go straight to the reason you called?"

"There won't be a need for that. Because I won't be partnering with a rude woman like you," he said and ended the call.

Charlotte stared at the phone and blinked rapidly. "D-did he just cut the call on me?" She asked no one. "Who does he think he is?" She laughed in anger.

"What is going on?" Bella asked.

"He ended the call, just like that". Charlotte brushed her hair backward and groaned slightly.

"He did? Maybe he has an important meeting to attend?" Bella said.

"I don't think so. He doesn't sound like he has a meeting to attend. He is surprisingly rude."

Bella chuckled. "Is he? That sounds like someone I know." She winked at Charlotte who scoffed.

"Why are you giving me that look? What does that have to do with me?" Charlotte asked.

Bella shrugged. "You've been surprisingly cold-hearted. Don't you think?"

Charlotte frowned. "Are you trying to say that the fault is mine?"

"I do not dare to say that," Bella answered. "I just thought that you should be a bit nice to him. He might be partnering with us?"

Charlotte scoffed. "Who said he will? He won't, Bella. And even if he wants to, I won't either."

Bella stared at Charlotte. "Is there something I need to know?"

Charlotte furrowed her brows. "No? Why do you think there is something you need to know?" Bela smiled. "Why don't you want to partner with him?"

"He said he doesn't want to partner with a rude woman like me. He called me rude when he was actually, the rude one.". Bella nodded. "So, there is no way I am partnering with a rude jerk like him." Vella chuckled. "Do I sense love that is about to bloom?"

Charlotte frowned. "Did you say, love? You must be dreaming."

"I have never seen you so worked up over a conversation as little as this before."

Charlotte furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"

Bella shrugged. "I don't know. But if my instinct is right..." she smiled. "Can you order the pizza now?"

"What were you about to say?"

Bella furrowed her brows. "That I am hungry? Am I supposed to say something else?"

"About your instinct being right about something."

Bella chuckled. "My instinct is right that I am hungry. Please order the pizza already."

Charlotte scoffed. "I won't do that until you tell me what your instinct is right about. It is past lunchtime already and eating during work hours is..."

"Is punishable. But if I tell you what my instinct is right about, I won't get punished."

Charlotte sighed. "You won't say it. Is that it?"

Bella nodded. "Feed me pizza and I will tell you what my instinct is right about."

**

Charlotte stared at the phone in her hand and groaned slightly. There was no way she would be calling that rude jerk as Bella suggested. She dropped the phone on the table and shook her head in a negative response. "I won't do that. I am not doing it," she told Bella who groaned.

"We can't miss this opportunity, you know that. Can't you just put your pride aside and call him? All you need to do is apologize and everything will be fine."

Charlotte scoffed. "Why should I apologize for doing nothing wrong?"

Bella sighed. "Ok, you did nothing wrong and you don't need to apologize. But for the sake of our company, can you pretend to be the one who is wrong and place a call to him to apologize? It took me a lot of effort to get his office number from his manager. Please."

Charlotte groaned. "I am not changing my mind, please."