Inheritance

Chapter 22

"Yes, I had an unexpected opening in my schedule." He replied curtly.

"Ok. Well, as I was saying, I think that it would be a great idea for the company to start making public appearances with representatives from both Milton Co. and Kirks & Marsh. You know, get ahead of the media. Control the narrative of how the business is doing." Alyssa continued from where she left off. 

The team of developers sitting across the table hummed in agreement. I also nodded my head at the suggestion.

"Also, as you all know, the mayor electoral campaigns are about to begin. It may be in our best interest to release an endorsement statement for our favored candidate, Gregory Connor." She elaborated, observing the singular reactions in the room.

Most remained quiet, but I found myself visibly turned off by the idea of promoting such a vile man.

"I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with that. I just don't think that endorsing Gregory Connor is a smart move in the long run." I refused to hold back on my concerns about the notion of supporting Gregory Connor. He was far from the likes of people I'd ever choose to align myself with. And, from what I'd heard, he was a very dangerous and conniving man.

A few employees also agreed.

"And care to list your reasons why, Miss Milton?" Alyssa glowered down at me, impatiently waiting for a response.

"Well, I personally think that he's not the kind of man we'd want to bring with us as we work on rebranding ourselves. He's old news, someone linked to Milton Co.'s very origins. If anything, any lingering attachments to him could risk holding us back from a fresh start. Also, it doesn't help that several allegations have come out about his past affiliations in illegal crime and SA against women." I spoke with much more candor, as I observed many others nod their heads as an illustration of their support.

"Well, good thing our decisions aren't based solely on personal opinion." Alyssa dismissed.

"She's right." Kendall's deep voice sliced through the air. He stood from his chair, hands stuffed casually into his pockets, as he proceeded to advance towards the front of the room.

"Um, okay. So, we'll hold off on announcing our political affiliations for now. But, we still need to work on building a new foundation. No offense, Mr. Fine, but all the public knows about you is that you're ridiculously wealthy, handsome, and have had a plethora of supermodel girlfriends. We have to make you personable, only question is how?" The look on Kendall's face made Alyssa's presumptuous attitude falter, but she admirably remained firm on her stance. Although her straightforwardness was a bit off-putting, she had been right in her convictions.

"How about an Instagram? Creating a social media account where he posts about his hobbies, dogs, family, friends, or whatever he does on the side. We can curate it to fit our brand, which would be a good start. In the meantime, we'll work on scheduling some interviews." I said, as the team unanimously agreed and various staff members began to take lead on different assignments.

"What do you think, Mr. Fine?" Alyssa finally asked, after an hour of planning had gone by.

"This should work for now. Schedule my interviews alongside Miss Milton." He replied, turning to leave the room with his assistant trailing behind. The look on Alyssa's face was noteworthy, as she was not amused to hear that he had chosen me to accompany him.

"You did a damn good job." Sebastian complimented, while we packed up our things.

"You really think so?" I asked, still feeling odd from the unsettled tension exuding between Kendall and I. It was a bit confusing how he'd refused to even look my way for the entirety of the meeting, but still possessed the audacity to request my presence for his upcoming interviews with the media.