5| AN EMBARRASSMENT

AIDEN

Persy looked like she had seen a ghost, which was probably no different from how I looked at the moment, as well. What the hell did Pops mean by a proposal? He only said he needed Kassie around just to contribute to matters that would be discussed… he never said anything about a goddamn proposal.

"Father—"

"Be quiet, Aiden. You can say whatever is your problem later, allow her to proceed with the proposal first." He spoke in a warning tone, making sure to hold her gaze all the while.

Persy began to fan herself using her palm, occasionally sharing a look with me. For the first time in a long while, I did not have the slightest idea on how to salvage the situation… I could only watch, while drumming my fingers on my thigh and praying for some kind of miracle.

"Uh… the proposal! Of course, how could I forget that?" Persy cried out like the dramatic woman she was. Pops' eyes lit up with anticipation, so did the other men in the meeting.

Fuck. I wondered how they would take it when they finally realized that she had nothing to offer. Hopefully, they would not take it so badly.

"We are waiting…" One of the board members called out and she nodded, then cleared her throat and started,

"I do not really recall everything about the proposal, because I drafted the idea randomly. I have not really gone through the promotion yet." She lied, then glanced at me with those pleading eyes. This time, I did not leave her. I grabbed the opportunity instead, and spoke now,

"Oh yeah, that is true… she has been speaking about getting sone rest for a while now—"

"Surely, you remember the key points? It's all I need to hear…" Pops insisted.

I had already began to give up on the case when one of the board members, Zachary, interceded, "Can I speak on the proposal, Sir? I had been there when she suggested the proposal."

If this was a physical meeting, it would have been hard to keep my cool after what this man had just said. He deserved a raise for what he had just done, in fact.

Persy, on the other hand, understood the assignment as well, "Oh, really? Let us hear you talk about the little you know of, before I come in to summarize everything."

Pops looked like he was about to say something, but then, he sighed and nodded at the screen as his go-ahead for Zach to continue.

"Thank you, Sir." Zach made sure to formally appreciate Pops before speaking. He started by talking about how much Kassie influenced the business, though she never liked to be out in the open about it. He talked about how he could not wait to officially welcome her to the Bates’ family, too, and then, he began to speak on the proposal.

It was the first time I was hearing about the proposal, but I was not shocked by the details in any way. Kassie never failed to show how much of an asset she was, anywhere she entered. It was why I never argued concerning how I was betrothed to her… I never cared about a marriage built on emotions. I always said, a true marriage was based on connections and alliance.

We all broke into a round of applause, the moment he was done speaking. Everyone had smiles on their faces, especially Pops. He watched Persy with so much pride; one which she did not deserve.

She was clapping too, but nervously. She was not good at hiding emotions, and so I could clearly spot how fake her smile was. I could almost smell her fear from the device, as well.

"Summarize for us, Kassie. You look lost, makes me wonder if you were truly the one who made such a brilliant proposal…" It was another of the board members, Gary, and judging by the look on his face, he was not buying this whole charade.

I opened my mouth to counter what he had just said, but Persy beat me to it, "Unfortunately, we cannot tell how smart a person is by a simple look on the person's face. If that was the case, I could have concluded that you have absolutely nothing to offer in this meeting… you look like you belong to a mental asylum, rather than this esteemed gathering."

The silence was deafening after that.

Everyone's jaw had reached the ground, and Gary's face was now red with what I guessed was anger. I knew I had to say something to salvage this; Pops did not condone this manner of bad behavior…

"Kassie, why would you say such a thing about Mr Gary? I demand an apology on his behalf right away—" I was interrupted by Persy who shot back,

"If you want an apology for the truth which I have just offered, you will not be getting it from me. I will not sit back and watch anyone insult me. Now, that is all I have to contribute in this meeting. See you all in the next, if I would be invited." Then, with an annoying, cheeky smile, she left the meeting.

It had been a while since I saw Pops look this angry. He looked so pissed, that I wanted to personally deal with Persy for causing him to be like this.

"Father…"

"She will not be joining us for anymore meetings." He started with a solemn voice, and after a short pause, he continued, "I will not condone such rotten behavior, even from a future in-law. I will need a proper apology to be rendered to Gary before the end of today. I would like to see her too. Bring her to dinner, Aiden, whenever she is free to join us. That would be all."

The meeting ended earlier than usual, and the moment I shut my laptop, I was up on my feet.

I needed to speak some sense into that goddamn woman, before she ended up giving me a heart attack.