4 Leaf Clover - ᴹˣᴹˣᴹˣᴹ

40.

࿐࿐࿐

Today was the day. The sun was shining down on the large building, casting a warm glow over the entire structure. The enormous hall was fitted with floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing golden sunlight to flood the space and illuminate the faces of the assembled crowd. The massive hall was filled to the brim with rows of elegant chairs, each one meticulously adorned with plush, pristine white cushions and delicate decorations. Alongside the grand hall, a beautifully crafted long table stood, its surface draped with a luxurious white cloth that cascaded gracefully to the floor. Upon this table, an array of champagne flutes, each filled with the finest, most exquisite champagne.

Clover stood on the diminutive stage area beside his father. He glanced out beyond the guests, not only were all his employees here to attend, but his family was accumulated towards the front of the hall. Clover was apprehensive, he felt his hands sweat profusely and the collar of his suit strangle him each way his head twisted. He understood his reception and introduction as CEO would be a significant celebration but he never expected most of the building to squish into this one hall.

"Ready son?" His father spoke, "I'm going up now,"

Clover nodded and took a deep breath as his father approached a podium. On said platform, a microphone stood patiently waiting to be gossiped into. Martin coughed, spoiling the chatter in the hall and turning everyone's attention to him. Clover watched the change in his father, from a once abusive man to a charismatic guy. The smile on his father's face was once so easy to tell that it was fake, but now, Clover had no idea who his father was.

"Thank you, everyone who is gathered here today," Martin began, "Today's a beautiful day to celebrate something grand."

Clover looked out at the crowd, most of them were listening intently to the CEO, but Clover detected a few who were beaming. Chloe, her ginger hair was easy to spot a few rows back, but she wore a smile on her face as if she was enthusiastic about the change of CEO. Clover comprehended then, that this was something he was meant to do. No more uncertainty, no more doubt about his capabilities.

"As you know, my son Clover has been working incredibly hard for this company," Martin continued, "I think I should tell you more about him,"

The crowd listened, and Clover caught sight of his temperamental cousin Theo, and many of his younger cousins as well. His other Aunt, Marie, had almost 7 children since she was the oldest sister of three. They made eye contact, Theo sneered and Clover almost chuckled. He realised it was like dealing with an unmanageable child with a lot of physical power.

"My boy has always been headstrong," Clover started listening again, "Always questioned things and decided what was right for himself, and I have no doubt he would use his smart intuition for the better of the company,"

Clover nodded to himself, the words were nice, complementary even.

"I have watched him since he was younger since I must pick the next CEO in our family," Martin continued, "I always saw something in him, but there have been times where I have doubted, it's safe to say I have no doubts anymore,"

Some of the crowd let out soft awws, and Clover felt a red embarrassed flush on his cheeks.

"I want to bring you all here today, in celebration of the company's new CEO!" Martin finished his speech.

Clover knew his cue, so he straightened out his brand-new suit and made his way confidently to the podium beside his father. Suddenly, the extra height from the step made Clover see to the very end of the hall where most of the people were struggling to see over the large mass of chairs. It took a second to retrieve his composure, to put on a smile to seem as if he was playing off his dumbfounded expression.