Chapter four: We need to talk

The next day...

“Not only do I have to worry about the fact that you embarrassed me in front of the CEO's of the company we are supposed to merge with... I also have to deal with this as well!” Mr. Beaumont slammed a tabloid onto Adrian’s office desk.

Not only was Adrian humiliated the day before at the café by a small, round, short woman whom, deep down, he found rather attractive... but he also had to deal with his father yelling at him the very moment he stepped into his office.

Unfortunately for Adrian, his father had been the first to see the magazine featuring a large picture of the woman pouring coffee over his head. Even as he sat down in his office chair and prepared to respond to his father, he already knew there was nothing he could say that would calm the old man down.

As if things could not get any worse, Adrian looked up just as his cousin, Alex walked into the office. This was the last person he wanted to see because, in truth, the two of them hated each other but were forced to work under the same company for the sake of family.

“Good evening, Uncle,” his cousin greeted Mr. Beaumont before pausing and turning his attention toward Adrian, who did not even acknowledge his existence. “And good morning to you too, Cousin.” His eyes drifted toward the tabloid lying on Adrian’s desk.

“It is times like this where I miss my son,” Mr. Beaumont replied.

Those words sent a sharp pain through Adrian’s chest. For years, he had been trying to fill the void his step-brother had left behind in their father’s heart, but it seemed as though no matter how hard he tried... no matter how many accolades and awards he won for making the company the best real estate company in Chicago... it was never enough for his father.

Not wanting to linger any longer on the subject, Adrian stood up from his seat and looked directly into his father’s eyes.

“Father, I assure you that I will get this merger rolling. Just give me some time,” Adrian pleaded, hoping his father would listen to him.

“Time is what we do not have. We need this merger to happen sooner rather than later. Now your cousin here told me that it is because of your behavior and your constant appearances in the media for the wrong reasons. And this tabloid from this morning is certainly not going to help matters,” Mr. Beaumont yelled.

“I promise you, Father, I will handle the situation and you will have your merger sooner than you expect,” Adrian replied.

Deep down, however, Adrian knew he was in serious trouble because he had no idea how to convince the elderly couple that he was the right man for the job.

“Good. I do not want to hear any more complaints from our future partners about you ending up in the tabloids because you will have me to deal with if this merger is unsuccessful,” his father added before storming out of Adrian’s office.

Once the doors were shut, Alex turned his attention toward him. Both men stared directly into each other’s eyes, neither willing to back down.

“I told your Father that you would not be able to pull off this merger. I just had an inkling,” his cousin mocked.

Over the years, Adrian had learned how to control his temper... especially around his cousin, Alex, who was also his father’s golden boy.

“I bet you dream of the day where I fail and you become CEO, right?” Adrian asked as he stared at his cousin. Just as a smug smile began to form on the man’s face, Adrian spoke again.

“Well, keep dreaming of such a day because it will never come. Now leave my office,” Adrian ordered angrily.

Seeing the irritated look on his cousin’s face brought Adrian a level of satisfaction he never thought possible... especially after being scolded by his father.

To Adrian’s surprise, his cousin closed the space between them and looked him directly in the eyes.

“You keep thinking that you’re such a hotshot. Well, let me remind you that you are nothing but the bastard son of this family... and once you fail, I will take over the position as CEO. Mark my words.”

With that, his cousin turned on his heel and walked out of Adrian’s office.

Ole Cafe

Evelina arrived at the cafe only to be stunned by the sight before her. There were so many people standing in line, all waiting for her to open the cafe. The moment they saw her, loud cheers erupted from the crowd, leaving her completely confused as to why there was such a long queue and why people were suddenly cheering her name.

Once inside the cafe, Evelina quickly shut the door behind her, only to be greeted by the two servers jumping up and down with excitement written all over their faces. One of them immediately grabbed Evelina by the arm and dragged her toward the back of the cafe.

"Oh my goodness... this is the first time I've seen the cafe this full in a long time!" one of the servers squealed excitedly while Evelina continued staring at them with a confused expression.

"What is going on? Why are there so many people standing outside the cafe and cheering my name?" she asked, visibly confused.

"It's because of this."

One of the servers grabbed a tabloid and handed it to Evelina. The moment she saw the front page, her eyes widened in shock. Printed boldly across the cover was a picture of her pouring espresso all over the arrogant man who had insulted her fellow server the previous day.

"Oh no... oh no... how did this get onto the front page of a tabloid?" Evelina complained while the two girls stared at the panic written all over her face.

"Why are you panicking? This is great publicity!" one of the servers exclaimed. "It turns out many people do not like Adrian Beaumont."

"Do you really think this is great publicity?" Evelina questioned nervously.

Both girls turned to look at one another before looking back at her and nodding in agreement, their smiles growing even wider.

"Well... the cafe definitely needs all the customers it can get. One of you please go open the door for the customers. It looks as though we're going to have a very busy morning," Evelina ordered while smiling faintly.

Hours had gone by and, for the first time since she had arrived, Evelina noticed that the register was overflowing with money. According to one of the servers who had been working at the cafe for the past five years, this was the most money the cafe had made in a very long time.

Just as Evelina was cleaning one of the tables, she suddenly felt a presence standing behind her. She quickly turned around only to find a woman dressed in elegant formal wear smiling at her.

"Oh! You scared me," Evelina said as she rested a hand against her chest, trying to calm her racing heart.

"I am so sorry for scaring you. I wanted to come earlier, but I saw that the cafe was busy," the woman explained gently. That alone was enough to put Evelina slightly at ease.

"I would love to serve you, but as you can see, we're closing up," Evelina explained politely.

"It's okay... no need to worry. I actually did not come here for a cup of coffee. I came to ask you about Mr. Adrian Beaumont," the woman responded.

Immediately, Evelina felt as though a cold chill had run down her spine.

"I am afraid I cannot tell you much about him because I do not know him that well," Evelina quickly explained. The last thing she wanted was trouble coming her way... especially from someone as powerful and influential as Adrian Beaumont.

The woman stared at Evelina silently for a few moments before smiling. She reached into her handbag and pulled out a business card before handing it over to her.

"Here. I know you might be afraid of speaking up because Adrian is an influential man, but I assure you that you can take him down a peg or two."

Evelina hesitated briefly before finally taking the business card and studying it carefully.

"Call me if you need me. Have a good evening," the woman said before stepping out of the cafe.

Evelina smiled faintly as she tucked the business card into her apron before continuing to clean the tables. Moments later, she heard the cafe door open once more.

Irritated and assuming it was the same woman who had handed her the business card returning again, Evelina turned around. To her surprise, it was none other than Adrian Beaumont himself.

He was not smiling. With his hands buried deep inside his trouser pockets, Adrian stared at Evelina as though she were a threat to him.

"We need to talk," his deep commanding voice rang throughout the cafe.