An (Un)Suspected Visitor -6-
Gah. I have no idea what to say right now. Hopefully some of you are still reading this ;D
I tried to make this chapter somewhat about Kayla. About her and about all she had going of her. Hopefully, I succeeded [:
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I sat on a large, black chair inside a long conference room trying hard to resist swirling in the chair. I mean, it was a SWIVEL chair for crying out loud! Who puts a girl who's already using all her self-control to NOT look bored in a swivel chair and expect her not to play with it?!
Jace and I arrived late just as I predicted. My dad had given me a look divided between disappointment, anger, and relief when I had stepped through the doors of the conference room and hurriedly told me to take a seat as he continued with the opening rites of the meeting. That pretty much meant that we were going to have a "talk" later. Jace was told to stay outside and wait with the rest of the bodyguards in the adjacent room. That happened about an hour ago.
I sighed under my breath for the millionth time and stared at the white board across the room from me. Currently, I was sitting to the right of my dad who was (as usual) seated at the head of the loooooong table. The white board currently had a projection screen pulled over it and a man that was probably hoping to a land a deal with the company was pitching his idea. I tried my hardest to pay attention to what he was saying, but, after only a few minutes, he already had me uninterested in his pitch. Honestly, his presentation was not put together nicely and seemed a bit messy. Definitely a good way to win over a group of board members. Plus, his pitch was completely all over the place. I also found that in the few minutes that I really payed attention to what he was saying, he contradicted himself twice. Did he really think he was going to land this deal?
I watched as the man wrapped up his proposition and looked towards the board members. This guy's pitch wasn't on the schedule for today's meeting, but he was squeezed in. He looked fairly pleased with what he had done. The members of the board gave a light applause like they always do with these kind of things. I merely nodded. This guy didn't deserve my applause.
The board members started discussing the presentation and the man's pitch. They started getting into technicals. The kind of things that would go into the contract agreement that would be written IF this man won his deal. While my dad was asked what he thought about the man and his deal, my father turned his head towards me and gave me a curious look.
"What do you think about Mr. Finn's proposition, Kayla?" my father asked as he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms across him chest.
I pursed my lips and sat up a little straighter in my chair. "Uhhh...honestly?" I asked as I looked around the room. Almost all the board members' faces were filled with curiosity, anticipation, and enthusiasm.
I turned back to my dad. "Sure. Why not?" he said with a shrug and a casual smile.
I cleared my throat. "Ummm...okay. Honestly, if this was up to me, I'd have to say sorry, Mr. Finn, but I'd have to turn down your offer. I'm not gonna go technical or anything because I'd have to make things up since I really didn't pay attention to what you said for most of the time. Plus, I really haven't grasped the technical stuff when it comes to company merges and affiliations yet, I'm still working on it," I said with a wink.
The board members chuckled.
"With that said, I'm completely basing my decision on turning down your offer on what you did say within the few minutes that I listened to what you had to say and the PowerPoint presentation that you gave in which I actually payed attention to," I paused for a few seconds and copied my father's stance. I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms. I saw my dad grin at me and I grinned back.
"Firstly, you didn't win me over with your words. I'm sorry. Just a little more eloquence would have won me over. That is...if you hadn't contradicted yourself so much. Yeah, I noticed you subtly go back and correct your words. Don't think that I let that pass my by," I told Mr. Finn smiling. "Also, your PowerPoint presentation was really messily done. It wasn't well put together. It seemed a bit rushed and not very well edited."
"I only payed attention for a few minutes. Like I said I didn't pay attention to all of it," I sat up and picked up my pen from the table. I say Mr. Finn looking nervous. "But hey, all I said could be taken as constructive criticism. And the decision isn't up to me. You've still got a chance."
Mr. Finn really looked nervous. Well, my dad asked for my opinion. I wasn't going to disappoint him. Yes, I may know a decent amount about business. However, when it came to selling anything to a crowd-whether it be public speaking or the performing arts-I knew a whole lot more. I really appreciated a person's performance whether it be for entertainment or a business pitch.
My father sat up and pulled himself closer to the table. "Well, Mr. Finn, if my daughter were to decline your offer, I think you would have guessed as much that I would decline it also. I'm sorry, but all she said about your pitch was true and there was also so much more. I'm sorry, but I need to turn down your deal."
The rest of the board members nodded with my father.
My father then dismissed the meeting and left the room, leaving me and the rest of the board bustling around trying to get our stuff and leave as soon as we can. Just as the last board member left the room, I saw Jace enter and lean casually on the doorframe.
"Wow...that was harsh," he said, hissing a bit.
"What are you talking about?" I asked as I stuffed the last of my junk in my bag.
"All that business stuff. You sounded really harsh when you criticized that man's work," he explained.
I walked towards him and shrugged when I met him at the doorway. I started walking to my dad's private office and he followed.
"I was just being honest. Plus, it was all business. I had to say the truth or some of us will lose our well-earned money," I told him, joking around a bit.
He grabbed the handle to my dad's office and opened the door for me.
"If you say so," he said as he smirked.
"Well, hello Kayla and Jace," my dad said as we entered his office.
"Hi, dad. Okayyyy," I said as I clapped my hands. "Let's get this over with. Jace and I are REALLY sorry that we came to the meeting late, he also pretty much sucks as a bodyguard. He doesn't seem to know much about all the protocols and stuff. How long has he done this as his job anyway?" I asked my dad out of curiosity.
Jace and I were both standing in front of my dad's desk. I really didn't want to sit down in case my dad didn't get the message that I didn't want to stay here for long.
"I never said he was a bodyguard, Kayla. I said he was head of your security," my dad said smiling.
I was utterly confused. "No, I think you did. You told me he was my personal bodyguard," I told my dad.
"That's how I want you to think of him, but I never said it was his profession," my father explained.
"Wha-what?!" I screamed out in shock. "What the hell is he then?"
"He's someone like you," my dad stated.
"Yeah...I'm going to need more than that. Because see...I thought he was following me around because you paid him to. I thought I was stuck with him because of my stupid security. I thought he was just another person that signed a contract saying that he would jump in front of a bullet for me if the need arises," I said sarcastically, stressing every single one of the "I"'s while I spoke.
My father shrugged. "Well, all that just means that you thought wrong. Jace is exactly like you."
My dad's words left me more confused that anything I've ever heard before.
