Jason's POV
The silence in the room was starting to get more unbearable. I checked my watch again for the second time and gently closed my eyes in frustration when I saw that it was almost eleven thirty already and Chase is now more than late. I usually handle all the meetings by myself but when he suddenly called me earlier today to inform me that he's coming back to work in time for today's meeting, I was curious about the reason why. Firstly, Chase always find meetings boring even though he's my business partner and plays an important role in our company he will always have an excuse to skip important meetings like this one. Second, I know Chase better than anyone else since he's also my best friend, and I also know how much he despise his older brother Matthew Evans who's also present in the room today as one of the shareholders. So if he's suddenly interested in coming in today, than Matthew must be the reason because he loathes how much Matthew contributes in the business.
If he doesn't show up after ten minutes, I'm afraid I might have to get started without him.
"Well, looks like he's going to be late today. Jason, shall we begin?" Matthew asked, finally breaking the silence in the air.
"Um, let's just wait for another five minutes. I'm sure Chase will be here."
He chuckled and rolled his eyes.
"Another five minutes? We have been waiting for thirty minutes already and I'm sure everyone in this room are growing impatient. We all know my little brother has interest in other things rather than showing up for meetings."
The board members all mumbled in agreement, suddenly living me in a tight spot to decide. Before I had the chance to speak again, the door opens and Chase walks in with a smug look on his face.
"Apologies ladies and gentlemen for being late. Traffic was horrible, which is the first thing I hate here in San Francisco."
He took his seat at the other end of the long glass rectangular table and quickly smirked at me when our eyes met.
"Okay let's begin." I nodded once and the lights in the room were dimmed and a PowerPoint presentation shows up.
The presentation went on for about 35 minutes till the lights went back on and it finally ends. I flipped through the pages in the file in front of me, my eyes focused on the plan and investment process highlighted in every page and my frown deepens after I finished reading.
"This is the new marina project isn't it?" Chase asked without looking up from the file.
"Indeed it is Mr. Evans." One of the men sitting next to him, answered.
"To some extent, I agree with the number for the investment, but I'm afraid that the outcome will not meet our expectations."
All eyes turned to me and Chase raised a questioning brow at me.
"You don't like the plan?" I shook my head once and point my finger down on the file in front of me.
"I don't like the method."
"The method is stable. We can't make any other changes because we need to start working on this project straight away." Matthew suddenly stated.
"I agree with Mr. Cartwright. We can check out all the methods and see which one is suitable enough and we can make other changes with the construction plan so we can avoid any problems in the future." Chase said. His eyes already pinned on Matthew with a hint of challenge in his expression.
"We can't delay this any longer." Matt continues to say.
"We're not delaying anything. We're just making sure that everything will go according to plan." Chase replied smoothly.
Anyone could tell that Matt was fuming with anger at Chase. Their relationship wasn't that perfect from the beginning and they tend to show that without realizing, during moments of disagreement like this. I on the hand, is very glad that Chase knows how to run the business his own way without letting his brother tell him what to do and what not to do.
It's a good thing I'm an only child.
*******
"So, did you manage to meet that New York client?" He nods his head and turns around and leaned on the glass railings behind him.
Straight after the meeting, Chase and I decided to hang around the rooftop and talk for a while before getting back to our work. I had a few things to talk about with him and that New York client he went to New York to meet a week ago is one of them.
"I did. Quite the sweet talker but no problem, that deal is closed." I smiled in satisfaction and clapped his shoulder.
"Nice. Now we can finally get started on that one."
"Yeah. But honestly, I still think it's not enough." I turned to the side and looked at him in confusion.
"What do you mean?" He turns back around and lean his arms on the railing while looking down at the busy streets down below.
"We need a bigger connection Jason. The profits are not gonna rise by themselves and if we need international clients, then first we need to work with someone who has them."
I processed everything he just said in my mind and glanced at him to the side.
"What are you suggesting we should do?" He sighs heavily and stared at his hands for a minute too long in silence.
"I say we finally make peace with the Falcon Group." My eyes narrowed when I heard the name ring in my ears, bringing memories of worst encounters with the people that work for that company, including the CEO himself.
"Not happening."
"Oh c'mon Jason, we need them on board for this plan to work." I quickly shook my head in disagreement.
"We can get our own clients without them, in our own ways."
"Look, Matt is already forming plans with my father behind my back. Plans as in, taking over the company and running things his own way and we both know we won't let that happen. I know I have major slip ups and he will be using that against me. C'mon Jason, the only way to prove him and my father wrong, is approaching the Falcon Group with a contract deal that they won't be able to refuse, and we can do this together by ourselves. So, what do you say?"
I remained silent for a while, thinking everything through once again and finally sighed in defeat.
"Okay, let's do it than. But if they reject the whole proposal, that will be my moment to tell you 'I told you so." He smiles and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Don't worry man, I have a plan." He replied with a smirk.
"What plan?" He glanced back at me and stood upright.
"I'm going to meet his youngest daughter this afternoon. It's a date, and if this whole thing goes well, then I'll ask her to marry me."
I burst out laughing. The joke was so ridiculous that I couldn't even imagine Chase getting married. Not saying this in a bad way, but, Chase is actually a womanizer. A women's dream man. I lost count the number of different women and girls leaving his apartment every morning, some crying and some storming out in anger after a good time with him. When I realized that he was actually serious, I stopped immediately and stared at him in shock.
"No way." He nods his head at me.
"Yes way. Her mother actually approves of the idea of me marrying her daughter." I looked at him in disbelief.
"You're seriously taking it this far just for a partnership contract with them?"
"Yes. I'm not letting Matt take over everything I've build for years. Everything we've created. Everything here belongs to us and I'm not gonna let Matt or anyone else take it from us. It's a little sacrifice, so no big deal."
I stared at him for a moment, trying my best to accept that he's actually going to do this for real. But out of all the companies he could pick, he decided to go with Falcon Group, the one I despise the most.
"You sure you're ready for this? I mean, marriage is no joke man." He looks away and stared off at a distance.
"Trust me, I'm ready. Besides, I'm husband material. Just wanted to make sure that she's wifey material too which is why I arranged a background check on her." My eyes widened in surprise.
"You did what?"
He took out his phone and looks at it. "The guy should have the results by now. I'm heading there to meet him. See you later."
I stared after him and chuckled to myself. Well if he says he's ready, than let him do what he wants. I just hope that his plan won't backfire on him.
Shay's POVBlind dates are the death of me. No matter how many I went to and how many guys my mother set me up with, I still don't have a likeable reason to go meet the guy on a stupid blind date. The guys are not the problem, I'll admit that some of the guys I've meet on a blind date are actually good looking and fun to talk to but I'm just not into any of them. It's not that my standards are that high it's just that, I just haven't met the right one yet. But that is not part of my long term plan right now, to be in a relationship. Maybe once I moved out from home and start living my life than maybe I'll consider seeing someone that loves me for who I really am rather than the background I have.As soon as the car stopped in front of the salon, my phone started ringing inside my purse. I took my phone out and sighed when I saw 'mom' flashing on the screen."Hello mom.""Are you at the salon yet?" I rolled my eyes and glanced out the window.Of course she would call just to make sure
Jason's POVJogging every morning is like a daily routine for me and Chase. He would always show up at my apartment every 6am on the dot as my morning alarm and we would jog down the streets and follow the familiar trail to the park and run a few more laps before we circle back to my place. Chase is usually the chatty one, always talking about any random things that includes girls just to slow me down. But this morning was an exception. He had a serious look on his face that I've rarely seen a few times, and he was actually focused on jogging that he's suddenly running a few paces ahead of me. I caught up to him and shot him a curious glance while trying to keep up my pace with him."You okay dude?" His jaw tightened as he quickly glanced back at me."Yeah, why?" He replied with a hint of rage in his tone."Just asking. So how was that date with Falcon's daughter yesterday?"As soon as the question left my mouth, he immediately slows down and stopped running while placing his hands on
Shay's POVAround noon, I checked the time on my phone and saw that it was almost 4pm. Since boredom is my only friend, I texted Sylvia to let her know that I'm on my way to meet her at work so we can go to her place together and hang out. I quickly changed into some casual jeans and a light top and called a cab to come pick me up cos I don't feel like taking my car or in the mood to drive. Ten minutes later the taxi pulled up in front of the company's building and I paid the driver and stepped out of the vehicle with the cool afternoon breeze blowing through my hair.I texted Sylvia again to let her know that I'm waiting for her outside and she texted me back a minute later, saying that she's almost done and she'll be down in a while. For that reason, I went into the café nearby and bought myself an iced Americano and came back out front and waited again. It was almost half past five when she finally texted back that she's on her way down now and I've almost finished my third drink f
Shay's POVEvery morning is like the same routine repeating itself every day. I get ready for work and left home in my casual clothes and then later change in my car in a suitable work outfit. My mother always leaves home every morning just to meet up with her friends and have breakfast at a fancy restaurant. Sometimes I wonder whether her friends have a life or has other things to do rather than meeting up with my mom every day and talk about their boring lifestyle. My father and Shawn are the only two people who would take their time having breakfast at home first before leaving together for work. They would usually spend that time in talking about what they'll be doing for today, who will they be meeting, business things and whatsoever.I know Shelby is always having breakfast at her favorite restaurant before going straight to work. I even saw her once drinking coffee with some guy, it could be her secret boyfriend or some guy she's just seeing but honestly I highly doubt that she
Jason's POV"Well this is just the beginning. It is a pleasure to work with you Mr. Cartwright."I couldn't help myself smiling at the deal he just proposed. The benefits are good, the plan is brilliant, and they agree with my idea.It's perfect.Mr. Russo stood up and starts to shake Matt's hand and Chase's as well, I stood up from my seat and shook his hand politely and to the rest of his team advisors and lawyer. Matt starts to escort them out of the room and my eyes quickly snapped back to Chase who slumped back in his seat with a heavy sigh. What bothers me about him was that, he was wearing his dark shades the whole time and never bothered to take them off during the meeting. I cleared my throat to get his attention and he stood up again and faced me."You were late again today." He just nods his head and stared at the portrait hanging on the wall near the door."I had to meet up with someone first. Thought it was important but I guess I was wrong."With his shades on I couldn't
Shay's POV"He has that cool, boss like demeanor you know? Sometimes I get shocked of how intimidating he can be, like he has this on and off switch that he can press anytime to become scary while dealing with work and switched back to the kind and cool guy he really is. That's like one of the things that I like about him, he surely knows how to handle himself really well without any help from anyone."The whole time Sylvia was going on and on about Jason, my eyes were fixated on her expression the whole time. It's only a matter of time till she realizes that she could be in love with him. I don't know him that well but she sure does, and it's probably not that hard to like a guy like Jason. He's good looking, has that hint of an aussie accent in his voice, very professional at work and I can tell that he's actually a nice guy even without Sylvia telling me that he really is.Sylvia and I are more like best friends than cousins. I know her better than anyone and I also know the last t
Shay's POV"I think the lawyers can handle this part." I placed my pen down on the table and intertwine my fingers together in front of me before looking across the table at Mr. Morris, the director of the company.As much as I like the way he easily comes up with ways of running the business, it is still my job to help him make the better decision by the end of the day. Right now, I'm starting to feel unsettled about all the other confusing details of the profiting process that I just can't seem to come up with a solution that we both can agree on. I glanced back at Mr. Morris and focus my attention back on him."Yes, okay, but perhaps we should consider letting one of the board members know about this so we can also consider their opinions about this matter. What do you say?"He stares down at the table and rubs his white beard with his hand, obviously thinking about my suggestion. He suddenly looks up again and then closed the file in front of him."I agree. But first things first,
Jason's POVMistakes happens all the time. Even if we realized it later on, it's too late. The damage is already done. I always knew that I've made a mistake somewhere when the feeling starts to bother me. The feeling of being unsettled, losing focus, and trying to figure out what could I have possibly done wrong?The exact same thing happened to me right after those words left my mouth;"You're fired."It rings even louder in my head and it makes me feel agitated that what I had done was a big mistake. Although on from one point of view, I was only doing what a normal boss would do when his employee disrespected a friend of his in an unfriendly manner. I'll admit that I was kinda interested in her from the beginning and when she asked me out in the elevator the other day, I was surprised that she made the first move but I hid my disappointment in time when I realized the real reason behind her question.I swear to god, this pandemic is changing the female population in this world to