I BEAM with pride as I wrap up my presentation for the magazine editorial team, earning me a standing ovation from the management team filling the white-themed boardroom.
I must say, part of the reason I receive this much love comes from the position I hold in this company, or that I may hold in the future, and I'd be lying if I said I don't like it—but I'd also be lying if I say I like it. It's a fifty-fifty kind of thing. Being the CEO's son and a successor to a billion-dollar company has its perks.
However, none of that is of concern as I sit next to my Dad at the tip of the black leaf crest-shaped table whilst facing the entire management team. Smiles radiate throughout the entire boardroom when my Dad stands to give his last speech before we part ways.
"Thank you all for the dedication you have shown towards this campaign," he begins in a softly spoken deep voice, a stark contrast from mine, "it means so much to me when I see you giving your all in this program." He pauses and the room is filled with a blissful silence.
" Now that we have concluded the last of our presentations, I'd like to let you know that you have my full support in the launch of this new program until the day of its completion. Let's all give our best for a fruitful result that promises more prosperity!"
Another echo of happy grunts and clapping fills the room as it comes to life.
" You can all go to your respective offices now. Thank you for your time," Dad adds before sitting as the team starts leaving the room one by one. I am about to leave too when he pulls me by the jacket.
" Can you stay a little longer?" He asks. I nod at him and remain seated, but only because it's hard to say no to him. If it were someone else I'd have found an excuse immediately since I have a pressing issue that keeps nibbling at my heart with each passing minute—the girl who I spilled coffee on a few hours ago.
"I hope she's okay," I mutter under my breath, oblivious to the now empty room and my Dad who is listening intently to me mumbling.
But all my focus soon turns to him when he asks directly in my ear, "Who do you mean?"
I shudder at the sudden impact and pull away from him. "Dad!" I shriek, but he ignores my childish retort and leans in further toward me.
"I thought I heard you say she. Who is she?"
"She is nobody, just a girl I bumped into whilst running here," I pause a little, letting him take in my words before I drop in the banger quickly, "I dumped my coffee on her."
There is a pause as my old man takes in what I just said, and when he does get it, Marcus jerks his body back to his chair whilst gripping the armrests. "Did you apologize?" He asks.
I press my lips together, which earns me a heavy sigh from my Dad. " So you didn't apologize," he says in a defeated voice, rubbing his nose bridge.
"I did!" I quip, "but she might not have heard it since it was hurried."
"Does she work here?"
I shrug, "I don't know. But her face didn't look familiar, so maybe not yet?"
"Oh no, what if she was having an interview? Go look for her and apologize properly, be a proper gentleman!" Dad quips before pausing all of a sudden and looking me straight in the eye. "This kind of behavior is exactly why you don't have a girlfriend at your age," he adds, slightly smirking at himself more than me.
I fight the urge to roll my eyes at him." Yes, Dad."
" Good. You may leave now." He gestures at the door, but I don't budge.
" You said you had something to discuss with me?"
As soon as the words leave my mouth, my dad sits properly in his chair and suddenly, the air around us changes from business-worthy to that of a parent facing their child.
" I just wanted to tell you that you're doing a great job with the editorial department. Your mother would be very proud of you right now."
Maybe it's his soft voice or the fact that he praised me, but his words tug at all the strings that connect to my heart. " Thanks, Dad, that means a lot coming from you," I reply, smiling happily at him.
Marcus pulls his chair closer to pat my shoulder, " If you keep this up, one day you will become a great CEO. I just know it."
My smile widens, and even though I constantly remind him that I'm not ready yet, I decide to remind him again."Thanks, Dad, I won't fail you. But first-"
" You will fulfill the promise you made to your mother," he finishes for me. " I don't know what the promise is but go for it. I'll be rooting for you. Just make it quick because I don't think I can wait any longer than I already have." I nod at him.
For two years now, Dad has been constantly reminding me that he and the board of directors would like for me to become the new CEO in the coming future. It's a very good opportunity to showcase my business skills, but I want to settle the magazine first before accepting the offer.
We sit in comfortable silence for a few minutes in the empty room, each with their thoughts when finally, my dad decides to break the silence. "Okay, that's enough gloominess for today," he says in a playful voice whilst standing and collecting his jacket, " why don't you go check on my daughter-in-law and see if she didn't get burnt by your coffee before it's too late?"
I scrunch my nose playfully at him, but before I can cook up a clever clap back, he is out of the room and I watch him leave through the glass exterior, with a playful smirk on his face. Dad's playful demeanor was one of the reasons why growing up without a mother seemed to flow more easily than I thought it would when she died ten years ago.
He somehow knew how to strike a balance between work and family, and he still does (even though I moved out of the house when I was twenty after noticing how he needed some privacy for you-know-what). It's one of the reasons why I respect the man, and I wish nothing more in this world than for him to find love again. The loneliness seems to be taking a toll on him with time, and growing up made me realize that no matter how much I love him, there are some things I can't give him.
A knock sounds on the see-through door, making me jerk away from my thoughts as I spot Kayla standing outside, fuming for some reason. I nod at her to come in, and the moment she does, I immediately regret it.
Kayla rounds the table (whilst not taking her eyes off me), then pulls my chair toward her and places her iPad on my lap all in a matter of seconds. I'm still confused as to what's going on, and my patience starts to deplete when I stare at the blank screen of the gadget on my lap.
"Unless you still want to keep your job here, I suggest you treat me with a little bit more respect Miss Muza," I growl. " Just because we knew each other back in high school doesn't mean you get to treat me differently than others at work unless we are outside."
Kayla's eyebrows shoot up in retort, but when she looks at her blank gadget sitting on my lap, she presses her lips together in embarrassment and takes it away, before unlocking the damn thing and throwing it back on my lap. Her attitude from before comes back in full force and she gives me an intense unblinking glare as her feminine African nature comes into play, like a mother communicating the consequences of their child's actions during a joyful event.
" I could be saying the same thing to you Mr Andrews," Kayla retorts as she flips her braided hair from her shoulders, "How do you explain that behavior of yours from a professional point of view?"
I take a look at the iPad, and suddenly it's my turn to press my lips into a tight line because right in front of me is the footage of me dumping coffee on a girl and seemingly running away.
" I can explain," I mumble softly.
" Please do. That is exactly the reason why I waited four hours in my office after getting that footage. To throw your words back at you, it seems you think that just because you're a friend of the HR manager or that you're the CEO's son you won't be punished for your errors."
Her words pierce deep somewhere in my fragile heart and I immediately realize the impact of my words from before.
" Sorry," I mumble.
"Don't apologize to me, if anything you should be doing that to Iris right now."
"Iris?"
Kayla shrugs, "The girl you poured coffee on?" She says it matter-of-factly.
" Oh. I will do so. "
" At least we're on the same page. Since you guys will be in the same department, you will get a chance to apologize-"
" Wait, hold on. What do you mean she'll be in the same department as me?" I cut her.
" I mean exactly what I say, Mr Andrews," Kayla shoots back at me.
"Okay, I know I'm in the wrong and I said sorry, but I object to her working in my department without me interviewing her," I quip. I don't doubt Kayla's interviewing skills at all because my dad chose her to be the HR manager for a reason, but in my department, I hold a second interview because I want nothing but the best.
It was a department my mother treasured dearly of all the teams that supported the making of the Adder magazine, and I vowed to her that I would make her efforts pay off no matter what. As of now, the magazine holds the second spot in the yearly bestselling list of Magazines around the world, and number one in Africa, and that was all because I chose the best candidates for my department.
I want to make it to number one internationally, then I'll drop out from being the HOD of the magazine department and I'll take up on Dad's offer.
"Then you will apologize to Iris when you meet with her for the second interview. Agreed?" Kayla asks in a rather gravelly voice and I nod.
" Good, just remember to be nice because we don't want to ruin the company's image at all costs, understand?"
I nod again, and Kayla turns on her heel. "That's all I wanted to hear. Have a nice day Lucas," she says, sauntering out of the room with the boss lady energy she exhibits on any given day that makes her very unique, enough to make my geek of a friend jittery every time he sees her.
She barely makes it out of the room when my phone chimes at the same moment Lynn sashays in, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and smiling at me cutely. Lynn works in the fashion department and is a bit much of a stalker since she follows me around all day asking if we can go out even though I turn her down every chance I get.
I'm not one to be ruthless to an employee and I love Lynn's enthusiasm whenever she sets her mind on something, but if she thinks persistence will work like portions on me then she is in for a cold and rough ride because I am not looking for love.
Not now at least.
It just has to happen that luck isn't on her side either because the notification I just received is a message from Jerald telling me to meet him at Lilies, a five-star restaurant that lies on the outskirts of Avondale. He told me a few days ago that he wanted to introduce me to a very talented editor who could fill in the vacant position in my team and since I want nothing but perfection, I had to meet this editor.
I send him a message notifying him that I'll be there in thirty minutes at the same time Lynn begins with her daily pledge of love.
"Lucas, I know you just finished work but I wanted to take-"
I cut her off before she's done, "I have somewhere to be right now Lynn, let's talk again tomorrow okay?" I say already making my way out of the boardroom, "and for the last time Lynn, I am not looking for a lover right now."
Thanks to the code of conduct that forbids touching other employees without consent, she doesn't pester me further, but her face drops. I feel bad for not liking her back, but after having gone through the same ordeal in college, I'd rather she hate me than agree to her demands and give her false hopes.
As promised, I arrive at the restaurant in thirty minutes and I spot Jerald waiting for me at the entrance of the building. He spots my car and immediately makes his way towards me, dressed in the gray suit I got for him after he opened up his second pub.
"You're here!" He exclaims happily whilst pulling me into a hug.
"As promised. Now let's go meet this talented editor before he gets bored," I reply, making Jerald pause.
"Oh, did I say the person was a guy?"
I shake my head, "No you didn't, I just took a guess. My bad. Now let's go meet this talented lady," I mumble sheepishly.
"That's more like it," Jerald beams again, "now follow me inside and prepare to be amazed," he says in a mysterious tone, animatedly moving his hands in the air.
I follow him inside the restaurant and I must say, I'm impressed with the inside. The crystal chandeliers and crimson ceiling are the first things to catch my sight when I enter before my eyes drift to the tables and the fancy silk covers that match the draping curtains with ornate lozenge designs adorning them.
It's a literal piece of art that makes one relax just by being inside, and I don't realize just how much I need that calmness until it's too late.
"We're sitting over there," Jerald says gesturing at the table. When my eyes look in the direction he's pointing at, all my senses dim for an instant and I freeze as my eyes meet with those familiar grey hues.
There's no mistaking it. It's her. . . the girl I poured coffee on earlier today. And looking at how she's the only one who I don't know sitting at the table, it seems she's the editor I'm supposed to meet with. How convenient.
★★★★★