CHAPTER 56

Kyle King

 

‘I am sorry, sir, but we can’t allow your wife in. She isn’t on the invitation list,’ the secretary said, looking through the list again.

We were at the Tech Seminar 1.0, but the secretary had refused to give Ava a tag that would allow access into the hall. I called one of the facilitators of the seminar, but all he could tell me was that I should pay a ticket if I wanted Ava to attend. They didn’t invite her, but just me, my mom, and Uncle David.

‘Let’s go home, then. They can’t disrespect us and still expect you to speak at their annoying seminar, Ava yelled, attracting people’s attention.

‘Calm down, babe. I will pay for your ticket, and we can go in.’ I said, bringing out my card.’

She smiled and said, ‘Thank you. I thought you were done spending lavishly on me.’ 

‘No, I can’t be done,’ I said, swiping my card against the payment machine to pay the ridiculous price of five thousand dollars. 

The machine screamed red immediately, with written words staring boldly at me: Account is blocked.

What? Who blocked the company’s account? I swore inwardly as I called Christine’s number.

 

‘Who authorized that the company’s account be blocked?’I yelled, not caring that people were watching us now.

Christine mumbled, ‘Good evening, sir. It was one of the executives that you gave full access to. David Logan. He said you authorized him to do it, so I gave him the passcode. I hope I didn’t do the wrong thing.’ 

‘Damn! Christine, why didn’t you call me? I didn’t authorize anything, and right now, I am at one of the biggest events in my life, and instead of him being settled inside enjoying the seminar, I am here trying to fix your stupidity. You’re on suspension until further notice. Don’t call me.’

She whimpered, pleading, ‘I am sorry, sir. He sounded genuine, and I thought you knew about it; that was why I gave it to him. Please forgive me,’ 

I cut the line. She wasn’t worth the agreement. I had to speak to Uncle David to understand why he did what he did, but first, I needed to sort out the ticket issue.

‘Ava, do you have the money? If yes, please pay for the ticket. A

As you overheard, there is an issue with my account. I promise to reimburse you as soon as I fix the issue.’ 

She sighed. Can we call your mom to help out? I don’t have that kind of money to pay for a boring seminar ticket. You know I only came here because there will be fashion icons who might want to connect with me. Also for the trends, but not to be embarrassed!’

I couldn’t argue with her at this point. It would soon be my turn to speak, and I couldn’t leave because Mom was in already. This was also an opportunity to talk about the tech industry we were building and get clients. Ava didn't understand, but being here was very important. I stared at her once again, wondering why she was reluctant to spare five thousand dollars. It wasn’t even up to a quarter of the allowance I gave her. It won’t even leave a dent in her account balance! 

I couldn’t complain, though. I had convinced her to come because of the attention her beauty drew to us. Also, being the latest couple, it will help spread word of mouth about the new company.

An idea suddenly popped up. I couldn’t access my personal account either, but I had someone who could pay for me. Xavier. I sent a text to him that contained the seminar’s account number. He made the transfer immediately, without any questions. I knew he would be expecting an explanation later.

I shoved my phone in front of the secretary. ‘Your organizers should be grateful; I am a patient man! They invited us here, and according to the law of hospitality, I am not supposed to pay for my fiancee’s ticket.’

The secretary smiled, ignoring my heated tone. ‘I apologize for the inconvenience, sir. I am just following the policies of the seminar. If you would like to complain, I can give you the organizer's help desk number.’

Ava hissed. ‘You must be silly! After we have made payment, do you want us to complain? I don’t blame you, fool, but Kyle! I don’t know what is so important about speaking at a foolish seminar that just embarrassed his fiancee!’

She grabbed the tag from the secretary and walked into the hall. Everyone who just witnessed her was talking already. I knew speaking about the new company to these people would be a waste of time. Ava had ruined it with her utterances. 

I mumbled, ‘I am sorry about my fiancee’s outburst. She’s just stressed due to our wedding plans and the turn of events.’

The secretary swallowed, managing to smile. ‘It’s alright, Mr. Kyle. Please enjoy the seminar and have a great evening.’ 

I picked up my tag and walked into the hall. Mom was addressing the crowd. She was also a key speaker, even though they knew she had little to say about technology and its family, but due to her influence in society, it was right that she spoke.  

I settled in the reserved area for guest speakers and waited for my turn while I watched Uncle David. I was beginning to wonder what his plans for the company were.

A few hours later, the seminar was over. Ava seemed to be in a better mood, but nobody paid attention to her or her outfit. I tried to be her best friend by introducing her to some connections. Although they were pleased to meet her, it was obvious that they were reluctant to have a conversation with her. They kept on asking about Tessa and if we had plans on getting back together.

I heaved a sigh when I saw Uncle David and excused myself. There were more important things to take care of than listening to Ava try to blame me for my connections.