Chapter two: No Merger

Adrian walked into the building in his designer suit confidently, oozing authority with every step he took.

“Good morning, Mr. Beaumont,” multiple employees greeted him as each of them quickly cleared a path for him to pass. Adrian did not allow room for kindness within these walls. He knew exactly who he was... the CEO of Beaumont Urban Estates and everyone feared him.

Today was a big day... a day where his company was supposed to merge with another real estate company, a deal that would make them the biggest real estate company in the entire Chicago district. Adrian could barely contain his excitement, though he would never show it publicly. Adrian was not the type of man to celebrate openly. Only when the deal was finalized would he reward himself with a bottle of strong liquor and drink alone in silence because that was how he worked. He believed success only came through hard work and finally, he would prove to his father that he was good enough.

On his way to the boardroom, Adrian suddenly paused. Not far from him stood two employees chatting in the corner. The moment they noticed him, everything went silent. They immediately straightened their postures, fear flashing across their faces as Adrian stared at them with a cold expression.

He watched their mouths open and close as they struggled to explain why they were not working.

With one hand holding his briefcase while the other rested inside his trouser pocket, Adrian approached them. Standing at six foot eight, he towered over both the male and female employees as they lowered their heads, too afraid to meet his eyes.

“It seems as though I’m paying you both to stand around and gossip instead of work,” he said calmly.

He paused, watching both employees shake like leaves in the wind. The corners of Adrian’s lips slowly curled into a smile... not a welcoming one.

“Pack your bags... both of you are fired,” he ordered immediately.

Both employees lifted their heads sharply, shock spreading across their faces. Even as they pleaded with him, Adrian did not care in the slightest. If there was one thing he hated, it was employees who failed to give one hundred percent.

Ignoring their desperate voices behind him, Adrian continued walking down the hallway of the large building toward the boardroom.

The Boardroom

“This is insane!”

Adrian slammed both hands onto the glass table inside the boardroom. For the past twenty minutes, he had been listening to the board members of the company they were about to merge with, and he could not believe what he was hearing. Even in that moment, his anger rose dangerously, but seeing the cautious expressions on their faces, Adrian knew he needed to calm down.

“That is exactly what we fear... your temper,” one of the older men replied calmly. “We are well aware that your company has a great reputation for building exceptional properties and selling them successfully. However, we have heard too much and we cannot risk merging with you.”

“What does my temper have to do with this?” Adrian asked sharply. “You have already admitted that our company is the best. By merging with us, we would make billions of dollars.”

Over the last few years, ever since taking over the company after his older brother’s death, Adrian had transformed Beaumont Urban Estates into one of the most successful real estate companies in Chicago. He had tripled the company’s profits in only a few years, yet this was what the opposing company was suggesting.

“I don’t understand,” Adrian said as he narrowed his eyes at them. “So you’re saying that for your company to merge with ours... I have to prove that I’m a good person?”

Both the old man and his wife, who were the joint CEO's of the company, turned to look at one another briefly before shifting their attention back to Adrian, whose anger continued boiling beneath the surface while his own board members watched silently.

“Yes... that is exactly what we are saying,” the old woman said sharply before pausing. “Our company was built on love and understanding people and providing them with the best services. But you, Adrian Beaumont, have had nothing but bad publicity following you around... often for abusing people and treating them as lesser than you.” The disgust on her face was impossible to miss.

“Not to mention that we would prefer someone who is responsible,” the old man added, leaving the question hanging heavily in the air.

“And what exactly do you mean by responsible?” Adrian snapped. “Am I not responsible enough? I run this company pretty well. I make this company a good amount of profit and...”

“Then maybe that’s the problem,” the old woman interjected. “When you think of responsibility, you think about money and how much profit you can make off people. We’re thinking more along the lines of family... a family man who shows he has a heart.”

Family.

Those words stung Adrian deeply. Family was one thing he had spent most of his life without and even as an adult he stayed far away from it for fear that it might cause him too much pain. In his world, having a family meant weakness... a responsibility far heavier than carrying a multi-million dollar company on his shoulders.

“That is ridiculous,” Adrian snapped again.

This time he stood from his seat, digging his hands into his trouser pockets before pacing around the boardroom while everyone watched him display his anger.

Seeing Adrian’s disrespectful behavior, both CEO's stood up from their seats along with the other investors and stared at him coldly.

“If this is how you’re going to act, then I’m afraid we cannot have this merger,” the old woman responded firmly. “We cannot trust our company in your hands when you are so power-hungry and only care about profits.”

“Please... we beg of you. You both know that you need this merger just as much as we do,” Alex, Adrian’s cousin quickly said as he stood from his seat. “I humbly apologize for my cousin’s erratic behavior, but I’m sure we can still come to a conclusion.”

Both husband and wife stared at one another silently, as though communicating without words while wondering whether to give the company another chance.

“All right... if that’s the case, then we’ll give you another chance,” the old man finally said. “But Adrian Beaumont has to prove to us that he is a family man... that he’s not all about profits.” he added. Alex looked nervous upon hearing those words.

Adrian could practically feel the opportunity slipping through his fingers. He needed this deal signed. Otherwise, he would have to face his father and the disappointment that would surely be written all over his face... something Adrian could not afford to see.

“What if I already have a fiancée?” he suddenly blurted out. The words shocked even Adrian himself. Everyone in the boardroom stared at him with stunned expressions.

“Oh really?” the old woman asked, raising a questioning eyebrow in Adrian’s direction.

Adrian nervously swallowed the lump in his throat. His heartbeat was faster than it had ever been before, but he knew he had to continue now that he had started the lie. Confidently, he straightened his posture and smirked.

“Yes, I do have a fiancée. She’s a very lovely woman... it’s just that she prefers to stay out of the spotlight.” he added.

“We would love to meet her someday,” the old man replied. “But for now, we’ll be monitoring you. Make sure you’re not in the tabloids again for something as stupid as scolding someone who earns less than you... then maybe we might reconsider.”

With that, the old man said his goodbyes and left alongside his investors. Once everyone was gone, only Adrian and Alex remained in the boardroom.

His cousin stared at him with disappointment written clearly across his face.

“Your father will be very disappointed to hear about this,” Alex said coldly before exiting the boardroom, leaving Adrian standing there alone.