Orlando Santos Suite

Chapter Six

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O R L A N D O

"How can we accept an incompetent delinquent like him to run a multi-million dollar company? This is preposterous!"

My expression is rigid as every member of the board is quick to agree with his statement.

I don't miss the vicious glare my mother throws me.

Her presence ignites my disdain.

I have no choice but to tolerate her for now seen as she's a shareholder of Santos International.

"It makes no sense whatsoever," another board member declares in hostility, "He has shown to lack responsibility with his past gambling activities, his uncontrollable attendance at nightclubs and not to mention he's freaking 21 years of age."

Each member of the board nods.

"What was Valentino thinking?!"

They all embark on their never-ending discussions about my incompetency.

I wish I could say their criticisms are enough to affect my mood but I'd be lying.

None of these worthless old hags know the first thing about me.

All that matters to me is what dad thinks of me.

And him putting his faith in me to run the company is all the boost I need to prove every single one of them wrong.

"Quite frankly, Valentino was not in his right mind when he entrusted Orlando to run the family company," my so-called mother addresses the board sharply, "Given my son's obvious inability to run his life much less an empire, I think it's obvious I'm the better candidate to run the job."

My blood boils with my gaze showcasing bellicose.

Given my current seat at the head of the conference table, I can't avoid the sight of her presence since her seat is on the opposite side of mine.

"This will never happen Mrs. Santos and you know that," Roger who's sat to my right, asserts, "As the executor of Valentino Santos' will, I must ensure all his wishes are respected."

He pauses to shift his determined gaze to some of the board of directors.

"And Valentino made it abundantly clear Orlando is the legitimate heir to Santos International,"

My mother snorts in disbelief as she shakes her head.

"Valentino clearly had a poor judgment—"

"Enough!" I roar.

Her eyes widen as silence settles.

I've had enough of them making me the topic of discussion like I'm not in the room.

They just made a huge mistake disrespecting me and my father's name.

And they'll regret it.

"Any acts I committed in the past is irrelevant to the topic at hand," I begin; my voice conveying full authority, "what I chose to do in my personal life in the past is quite frankly nobody's business because the decisions I made were done before I was named CEO.

"But now, I'm aware that running a business comes with a lot of responsibilities and is a task, I fully intend to fulfill. None of your opinions matter to me because only my father's opinion matters. If he had faith in me to carry out his legacy, that's exactly what I intend to do. Anybody else wants to contest me?"