"What the fuck do you mean when you say that you can't sign the contract?" Ryda sat up straighter, stomping her heels on the polished wooden floor. The sound reverberated around the room.

"Madam, Mr Banks refused to sign it, saying that the owner was calling off the deal with our company."

"But why?" Ryda got up from her seat, glaring angrily at Claire. Claire didn't even bat an eyelid. She was used to the eccentricities in the mood of her boss. Ryda put her hands on her hips, towering over Claire. Seeing her in that look would make a lot of employees wet their pants. When angry, Ryda was the most dangerous boss. Claire didn't seem the least interested in her antics. She was still flipping over the terms of the contract.

Finally, Ryda collapsed into her chair and placed her hands on the table, leaning forward. "Okay, I'm cool now. Tell me why."

This was an inside joke between them. Whenever Ryda got angry, Claire would go silent and let her fume for a while. Everyone noticed that Ryda's anger didn't last long. Once Ryda was done scolding someone, the next morning a white rose mysteriously appeared on their desk. Everyone knew without saying that was the boss telling them sorry for her behaviour. And thus her employees loved her.

"Because you aren't in a relationship..." Claire mumbled, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

"What?" Ryda was toying with a rolled-up paper ball that fell from her hands. She blinked twice, trying to register what Claire had just said.

"That's what Mr Banks said."

"What century are we living in?" Ryda's nose flared up red.

"The owner of the company is almost ancient, Ryda. He is sixty. Old school mentality..."

"That's called low-class mentality," Ryda cut her off.

"Why do we need to enter into a contract with such a sexist company, anyway?"

Ryda's phone rang just then. No fancy tunes. A practical good old tring tring.

"What?" She swiped the green icon and snapped at the person on the other end.

"Mr Whitlock is here to see you..."

Ryda looked at Claire and mouthed W-H-I-T-L-O-C-K.

"He's here to convince you to buy his company, remember? Wedding cards? You scheduled the meeting today," Claire supplied smoothly. She had Ryda's itinerary on the tip of her lips always, years of experience.

"Can't we cancel it?" Ryda frowned.

"You can't stop all other work because some company refused a deal." Claire shrugged. Ryda pursed her lips and exhaled slowly.

"Guide him to the conference room, Lyra," she instructed. "And arrange some refreshments," she added as an afterthought, and cut the call, turning back to Claire. She raised an eyebrow, which meant 'remind me what we were talking about'.

"Why do we need to enter into a pact with MatchMakers, anyway? Won't there be other app companies willing to make a deal with us? There are so many new dating apps out there, Finder and Tumble..."

"None that is as popular and big a business as MatchMakers," Ryda mused, getting up and pacing to the huge curved glass wall. She placed her hand on the glass, staring at her own reflection in a crisp white shirt rolled up to the sleeves and military green jeans. Beyond her reflection, the Toronto skyline came into view, the buildings around sparkling in the bright sunlit morning.

"But you could buy one of the smaller apps, like every other company you bought and integrated into your business. In that way, you will own the damn thing, instead of having to adjust to the whims and fancies of some patriarchal owner," Claire suggested.

"But Matchmakers have over ten million downloads on Google and Apple Play Stores combined. I need their market to further my sales. The collab will be good," Ryda tapped the glass impatiently. "The MatchMakers was originally a matrimonial website and from there they started this new dating app and it boomed because it was already popular..."

"Since the time internet happened. I know it. We've been through this discussion over and over again, but this company is not signing a deal with you, Ryda. Snap out of it." Claire stood up finally and joined her at the breathtaking viewpoint on the thirty-sixth floor of one of Toronto's tallest buildings, which housed their office.

Gone was the secretary mode. Claire had slipped into the advisor and best-friend mode. At that point, Ryda and Claire were equals. Anyone addressing Ryda by name would've heard a pep talk by now, but not Claire. They had known each other since their college days. Life had taken them apart after graduation, but somehow they found their way back to each other.

"I've seen you through everything, Ryda. This is a small blip. We can easily get over the loss of this opportunity." Claire placed a hand on the shoulder of her friend. "It's not for nothing that Ryda Enterprises is worth a billion dollars in the market now. You have taken it this far..."

"We have, Claire, we have," Ryda mumbled, still staring at the view.

"Then let's forget this stupid deal and..."

"No Claire, you were right. Ryda has never backed down and she won't give up now. We need this deal."

"But the relationship thing?"

"Oh, how hard is it to get a boyfriend?" Ryda chuckled at her own joke.

Claire's jaws dropped open. "Don't tell me you are going to hire an escort..."

"An actor Claire, an actor. What use do I have of an escort?" Ryda chided.

"We both know why people hire escorts," Claire laughed.

"With hundreds of guys practically dying after me, I don't need an escort for sex." A small smile was playing on Ryda's lips. The gears in her brain were turning fast. "Next time when I meet the MatchMakers, I would have my match with me to light the fire."

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