Chapter 40: CIVILIZED RIOT
Ace drove into his private parking lot with just two minutes to spare.
He hurriedly stepped out of the car, and found Grant already waiting for him.
"Good afternoon sir," he saluted, stepping beside him.
"That’s exactly the problem. Who the hell fixes an important eting in the afternoon?" He hissed, throwing his briefcase at him.
The Stuart man stumbled back, but successfully caught the briefcase. "You di—" his voice trailed when Ace sent him a cold stare behind his shoulders.
Shutting his mouth, he followed a few paces behind Ace, as they walked into the lobby of SPADES.
The crowded lobby suddenly spaced out, as everyone scrambled back to their positions, at the re whiff of his presence.
"Good afternoon sir!"
"Welco sir!"
"Good to see you sir!"
These words echoed around him, as he made his way to his personal elevator. He nudged his head in response to their greetings.
The elevator slid open, and he went in. Before it closed, Grant quickly weaved his way in.
Ace spared him a look, but didn’t say anything.
"Control room said they’re working on the other three elevators," he explained, even without being told to. When he was done speaking, he sent his gaze to the walls of the elevator. Making sure to look everywhere else, but at his boss.
"I don’t rember asking you, but since you’ve put it up on yourself to explain, I have another question. Why the hell are the three elevators all being worked on at the sa ti?"
"They said—"
"Don’t answer that. Tell the head engineer to see
after the stakeholders eting."
"Yes Sir."
"And Grant?" He called, as the elevator stopped, and opened up for him to step out.
"Sir?" He hastily answered, trailing behind him.
"We have a problem."
"We do? What kind of problem is that, and how can I help in solving it?"
"That’s for you to figure out. When I get into that boardroom, you’ll go out, and call Cam. You know Cam right?"
"What kind of ridiculous question is that?" He asked in his mind, but outwardly, he smiled and nodded his head.
"Please speak from your mouth."
"Yes sir, I know Cam."
"Great. You call Cam and tell him to give you the details. I want a solution the mont I step out of that boardroom. Is it feasible?" He asked, stopping in front of the room where stakeholders were already seated, waiting for him.
"Absolutely sir! Totally feasible." He nodded, with much more confidence than he felt. You couldn’t tell sir Ace Atticus his request was impossible. No matter how, well, impossible it was, you simply found a way to fix it.
"Good."
Grant opened the doors for him, and he walked in with his hands shoved into his pockets.
Everyone’s head turned to see him co in.
Ignoring the stern glares from the older guys, he stopped in front of his seat, and created enough space for Grant to drop his briefcase on the table.
"I want results, Grant," he whispered to the man who was bent over, to drop the case.
"Yes sir," he whispered back. Straightening, he bowed, and excused himself from the room.
Ace didn’t sit imdiately, instead, he looked around, making certain to stare directly into everyone’s eyes. That way, he already knew who was going to pose a problem, even before the eting began.
After making the rounds, his eyes laid to rest on the man sitting beside him. He had a no good grin on his face, and a pen stuck in his hand.
"Landon," he called casually.
"Ace. You finally decided to join us. We thought we’d have to wait forever."
"I know right? He thinks he can just waltz into the room anyti he likes. What’d you think you are, son? A princess?" He didn’t need to turn his head to know that it ca from Tyler Baxter, his aunt’s right hand man.
His presence ant that his Aunt wasn’t coming in today. He wondered what the witch was up to now.
Lifting his arm, he checked the ti. He was exactly five minutes late.
"Five minutes late?" His brow lifted. "You can deduct it from my paycheck," he directed at the secretary who was taking the minutes of the eting, before taking his seat.
"Can we just begin? I’m bored already." Deep red lipstick, pencil nails painted red, brunette hair, and wrinkled lines not even Botox could improve.
Ace looked at Lynette Darius, and smiled.
"You’re always bored," Landon beat him to it.
"And you grow handso by the second. Tell
baby, what’d you learn from Amsterdam this ti around? I an aside from the inner workings of the won, of course?" She bit her shark lip, and threw him a wink.
"Decorum Mrs, Lynette! There are people around. Rember, this is a professional eting."
"Oh please," she rolled her eyes. "Tyler’s here to make trouble on behalf of Celine. Manny won’t stop staring at his phone. Perhaps, his sugar baby is close to maxing out his card. Dennis just wants to bring up the agenda of refreshnts at every stakeholder eting. Theresa can’t wait to be done here so she can go to her pastor for private counseling. Clinton is missing, you’re eye candy, and Ace is—-" her voice trailed, as a flirtatious glint filled her eyes. "Ace is Ace."
"You heard that Ace? I’m hot, and you’re Ace," Landon teased with a mocking laughter.
"There’s nothing professional about your tones. I think we should begin this eting, and end it at the stipulated ti," Prudy Theresa said.
"So you can go to your pastor? Tell
Tessy, who rocks your boat more? Your husband, or your pastor?"
"I rebuke you by the holy spirit, Lynette!"
"Yeah, you take things too far, Lynette," Manny pulled his eyes off his phone, long enough to say.
"And shouldn’t we have refreshnts? We stayed in this boring room for three hours, talking figures. It’s enough to make anyone starve," Dennis defended his habits.
"My na wasn’t ntioned," Fin, who was taking the minutes for the eting, raised his hand.
"Shut up Fin!" Tyler silenced him. "The adults are talking. I’d love Lynette to explain why she said I’m here on behalf of Celine, as if I’m not a stakeholder myself."
"Barely," she mocked.
"You bitch!"
Whilst all this was happening, Ace brought out his MacBook, and began sorting out the order for the eting. With everything that happened to Fay, he didn’t have the ti to highlight the important discussions.
He never interrupted their bickering. The only thing he was remotely interested in was the day he’d finally be able to buy them off, and return the company to sole ownership. That was his grandfather’s desire, and that was what he was going to do.
"Okay, ladies and gentlen, I think that’s enough! Don’t we want this eting to be done at the stipulated ti? Why the argunts?" Landon sought to broker peace, since he was fully aware Ace would never.
"Tell Lynette to apologize to all of us. She’s been so rude, when we’ve all been nothing but respectful to her!" Tyler demanded.
"Respectful?" She scoffed. "You called
a hag."
"And you called
an ogre!"
"What? Now you want
to apologize for speaking the truth?" She snorted.
Another round of back and forth ensued. Curse words were thrown about. Fists banged on the table. Butts clenched, as spiteful mouths pushed to have the last words. It beca a rowdy market, instead of the civil eting it was ant to be. Up until Ace rose to his feet.
It was like a horn of peace sounded. Everyone at the sa ti went silent. Their eyes trailed on him, as he walked over to the projected screen.
He had finished setting up everything needed, and the agenda for the eting was projected on the screen.
Clearing his throat, he began. "Now that I have all of your attention, we’ll begin the eting in earnest."
Landon smiled proudly. If there was one thing no one could take from Ace, it was his ability to command a room even without saying a thing. His aura was unmatched. Probably the reason he flares up the strongest reaction from people. They either loved him to death, or totally abhorred him. But what no one could ever succeed in doing, was ignoring him
"I’d like to start by thanking everyone that made it today. For the others not around, per our law, they’ll be sanctioned."
"You will be sanctioned too, for coming late," Tyler, who hated how it seed everyone worshiped the young man, interrupted.
"Thanks for that input no one asked for. Is there more? Or should we carry on?" He asked in a steady voice, while sending him a direct stare, which doubled as a dare.
Tyler wanted to hold it. To show him that he wasn’t scared of him. But barely two seconds in, he wavered, and sent his head down.
"Atta boy," Lynette muttered under her breath, catching the subtle battle.
"Like I was saying before we were unnecessarily interrupted," Ace continued.
"Oh shit!" Manny suddenly exclaid.
"What’s that?" They all turned to the robust man, who was obsessed with his phone.
"Ace? Are you married, Ace?" He asked, and Ace instantly went cold.
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