Chapter 0126
Billâs POV
I enter my office, feeling a rare bounce in my step.
Tomorrow, Serena and I are finally going on a date. Just the thought of it makes me smile.
It feels like ages since I got to take her somewhere after our divorce. I canât wait to spend some quality time with her.
As I walk through the hallway, I notice Sarah talking to a guy at her desk. Heâs dressed in an oversized suit and glasses, looking a bit out of place.
When she sees me, she waves and motions for the guy to follow along.
âHey, boss,â Sarah greets. âRemember when you said we can hire some help for me?â
I nod, smiling. âYeah, I remember. Did you find someone good?â
âI think so,â Sarah says. She covers her mouth to whisper, âBut between us, I think heâs maybe overqualified.â
Usually, Iâm super picky about choosing assistants and interns. But with work and taking care of Serena, I
let Sarah handle it this time.
After all sheâs done for me, I trust her completely.
I glance at the guy and nod. âWell, if you think heâs good, Iâm sure he is.â
Sarah turns to the guy and says, âBill, this is Kevin, my protégé.â
Kevin adjusts his glasses and extends his hand. âHi, Iâm Kevin. Nice to meet you.â
I shake his hand firmly. âNice to meet you too, Kevin.â
âAnd Kevin,â Sarah continues, âthis is Bill, our CEO.â
Kevinâs eyes widen a bit. âOh, itâs an honor to meet you, sir.â
âJust call me Bill,â I say with a smile. âWelcome to the team, Kevin.â
Sarah adds, âKevinâs got a solid background in project management. Heâll handle the admin tasks so I can focus on talking to stakeholders.â
âI see. You two will be great together,â I reply.
âOh, and Sarah⦠Can you book this place for tomorrow?â I ask, handing her a tiny piece of paper. âI donât want anyone else there. Pay whatever theyâre asking.â
Sarah nods. âGot it, boss. Iâll make sure the place will be all set up just for you.â
âThanks, Sarah. If anyone needs me, Iâll be in my officeâ I say, heading inside and closing the door behind
me:
I sit down at my desk and open my laptop, pulling up the presentation Iâm working on for the shareholdersâ
1/2
meeting next week.
+15 BONUS
The slides are a mix of financial forecasts, recent achievements, and future growth plans. I need to make sure everything is perfect â clear, concise, and compelling.
But Iâm moving slower than usual. Every few minutes, my mind drifts to Serena and our date tomorrow. What will she wear? How will it feel to be close to her again?
After a few moments, thereâs a knock at the door.
âBoss? Something just came up,â says Sarah from behind the door.
I look up from my laptop. âCome in, Sarah.â
She pushes the door open, her usual confident stride replaced by a quick, anxious step. Her brows are knitted together, and she keeps glancing back toward the hallway.
Somethingâs wrong.
âWeâve got a problem,â she says, her voice tight.
âIs it about the place I told you about? Is there an issue with the booking?â I ask, starting to worry about my plans with Serena.
âNo, actually, itâs all set for tomorrow,â she says quickly. âIâve taken care of everything you asked.â
âSo, whatâs the issue?â
Sarah sighs. âFrederick Hauser just called and he says heâs concerned about whatâs happening to the company,â she says. âHe says heâs thinking of selling his company shares.â
It canât be. Frederick was my dadâs closest business associate. If heâs losing trust in the company, others probably are too.
âWho is he planning to sell to?â I ask.
Sarah hesitates. âTo your uncle Calvin.â
My heart skips a beat, and a chill runs down my spine. If Frederick sells his shares to Calvin, my uncle would own the majority.
For the first time, my position as CEO of Richardson Global Enterprises is at risk.
Calvin is behind all this. He wants to take me down and make me lose everything that matters â my company, my son, and Serena.
I canât let him win. I need to do something quickly.
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