Chapter 12
Thad no choice but to postpone the shareholders‘ meeting to the next day Yesterday’s incident had affected me too much to face
them with a clear head ⠀
I deliberately stayed away from the office, knowing that my emotions could turn the meeting into a disaster. But now, I was preparing to go back. Kate had rescheduled the meeting for nine in the moming, so I had to leave soon!
Just as I opened the door, I nearly jumped in surprise. Nathan stood in front of me, his hand mid air, about to press the doorbell “Morning” be greeted with his usual grin, one so infectious that I couldn’t help but return a small smile
“Morning You-“;
“Want to go together?” he cut in smoothly
I studied his appearance–a casual, almost lazy outfit, quite unusual for someone heading to work. A large black backpack slung over shoulder only added to my confusion. He looked more like a student than a working professional.
“You studying?” I asked, amusement lacing my voice.
Nathan chuckled. “Do Hook like a student?“|||
I gave him a once over “Yeah Like a sloppy student who skips class. Weird, and also
“Handsome,” he interrupted, flashing a smug smile “Ladmit it”
I burst into laughter. “Not the word I was going for
We stepped into the elevator together, the air between us comfortable. As we walked through the parking lot, silence stretched between us until Nathan spoke again, his voice casual)
“I work, by the way,” he said out of nowhere, clearly referring in my question from earlier
I chuckled. Did he really think I believed he was a student? Maybe teasing him a little would be fun
“Really? What company would hire someone as strange as you?” I teased. “I don’t buy it.”
Nathan clicked his tongue, shaking his head as if I had deeply disappointed him. “That’s not important. What’s important is that I’ve
your children.” decided to replace that guy from yesterday as the father of
Hrolled my eyes. “Bad luck, Nathan I don’t marry unemployed werdos. What would even get out of manying you?”
He tilted his head, his tongue pressing against his cheek in thought. Then, with full confidence, he said, “You’d get all my love. Charon
Larched an eyebrow, unimpressed!
Nathan quickly corrected himself “Wait–no. I mean, you two would get all my love.” He gestured vaguely, clarifying his point. “More than your ex–husband ever gave.“|||
I laughed. The more he spoke, the more ridiculous he sounded. But oddly enough, it was… entertaining.
At least I wasn’t spending my morning thinking about how to avoid Edgar
When we reached my car, I pressed the key fob to unlock it. Just before getting in, I glanced at Nathan, who was still standing there, watching me expectantly
“You’re wrong, Nathan,” I said, smirking X
He frowned. “About what?”
Heaned slightly toward him, lowering my w
“We’re not two”
voice just enough to keep him on edge
Nathan blinked, confusion flickering across his face!!
I climbed into the driver’s seat and rolled down the window “We’re three.“%
With that, I drove away, leaving him standing there, probably replaying my words in his head.
At the office, Kate greeted me as soon as I arrived, walking me toward the meeting room. The situation was tense. Because of yesterday’s issue, company shares had dropped, and several shareholders were considering pulling out.
I took a deep breath, stendying myself. This was my company–one I had built from the ground up. I wasn’t about to let it crumble. As I stepped into the meeting room, the shareholders were already seated, waiting.
“Good morning, everyone,” I greeted, making eye contact with each of them. “I understand the concern surrounding our current situation, but I want to assure you that we have taken the necessary steps to restore data security and protect our future.“%
One of the senior shareholders, Mr. Stewart leaned forward. “How can we be certain that our data is truly secure?“%
“I completely understand your concerns, Mr. Stewart,” I replied smoothly. “But I want to emphasize that we’ve implemented major secunty upgrades. We’ve strengthened our system, updated software, and conducted intensive employee training to prevent cyber. threats”
Another shareholder, Ms. Jollie, chimed in. “That’s reassuring, but what about the impact on our shares? What’s your plan to stabilize
them?
“I’m glad you asked,” I said, nodding. “We’ve developed a comprehensive recovery plan. We’re launching targeted marketing campaigns to rebuild consumer trust, enhancing our product quality, and initiating strategic promotions to boost engagement. We’re
…ll been pur chates hack on track “I
campaigns to rebuild consumer trust, enhancing our product quality, and initiating strategic promotions to boost engagement confident these measures will bring our shares back on track
The room filled with murmurs as shareholders exchanged glances, I could see the shift–the doubt slowly fading as they considered my words
After answering a few more questions, I could tell I had reassured them. The tension in the room eased.
As the meeting concluded, I stepped outside with Kate
“Great job in there, ma’am,” she said, offering a small smile. “I know that wasn’t easy, but it worked”
Texhaled, a sense of relief washing over me. 7 couldn’t have done it without all of you Thanks, Katr “You’re welcome, ma’am. Always happy to help”
acy exhaustion hit me the moment i
With my work finished for the day, I returned to my apartment in the late afternoon Pregnancy walked through the door
I punched in the security code and stepped inside–only to freeze at the unexpected sight in my living room I
My mom.
And Nathan
I blinked, glancing between them. They sat together talking like old friends.
What the hell?
It took me a second to realize–Nathan had somehow befriended my mother before even properly got to know him
“Sharon! You’re home! My mom beamed, standing up to greet me “How was work95%
I let out a tired sigh as she guided me toward the kitchen “Pretty good. Just exhausting”
“You need to take care of yourself” she scolded lightly, already rushing to get me a glass of water “Don’t push yourself too hard.”
I accepted the water gratefully, but my gaze remained on Nathan. He hadn’t said a word yet, but his expression screamed one thing: I already won over your mom
“Oh! I almost forgot,” my mom suddenly clapped her hands together, moving toward the bar counter. She picked up a plate of neatly sliced cake and placed it in front of me.X
“Nathan brought this over. His mother made it.”
I glanced at him He smirked.
“This is really good. We tried it already” my mom continued, nudging the plate toward me. Now it’s your turn
Skeptical but curious, I took a bite.X
Damn. It was good.!!
My mom excused herself, saying she’d prepare warm water for my bath, leaving me alone with Nathan in the kitchen.
He leaned back in his chair, resting his chin on his palm, watching me with a smug expression
“One point for me?” he asked.
I scoffed, rolling my eyes. “Not a chance
Nathan chuckled. “Alright then. Tell me what do I need to do to win your heart, Sharon?“.
I nearly choked on my cake.
Choosing to ignore him, I focused on eating
But my heart?
For some reason, it felt oddly tight.
