Chapter 6

Monday morning at GlowMira Corporation was buzzing with more chaos than usual. The air was so tense you could almost feel it as everyone ran around trying to get their work done in time for the new CEO’s big reveal. It was mandatory—a company-wide conference. Everybody, and I mean everybody, had to report to the main hall and see the guy who had already managed to upend the office without even showing his face.

I was running on two hours of sleep and sheer spite. The conversations around me were a blend of guesses and nerves.

“Do you think he’s going to be like his grandfather?” Marco mused aloud, balancing a precarious tower of paperwork on his desk.

“Let’s hope not,” Sasha muttered. “Howard Reynolds is terrifying. I’d rather not work under a younger, scarier version of him.”

“Maybe he’ll be a laid-back rich kid,” Marco suggested.

Sasha rolled her eyes. “In what world do laid-back rich kids take over companies like GlowMira? Get real.”

I didn’t chime in, too focused on suppressing the sense of dread building in my chest. The new CEO—whoever he was—had already turned our office into a pressure cooker without even showing his face.

The main hall was packed. Employees filled every seat, their conversations a mix of curiosity and nervous energy.

“I bet he’s handsome,” Sasha whispered as we settled into our chairs.

“Because that’s what matters,” I muttered under my breath, earning a smirk from Marco.

“He probably is,” Marco said. “You don’t get to his level without looking the part, and if he’s anything like his grandfather, he’s probably the kind of guy who walks into a room and scares everyone into silence.” Wonderful, I thought, slumping further in my chair.

The room suddenly fell silent as a man approached the stage, He was tall, dressed sharply, and carried himself with an air of quiet authority. For a split second, I thought he was the CEO, but then he approached the microphone, and the murmurs of confusion started.

“Who’s that?” Sasha whispered.

“No idea,” Marco replied, frowning.

The man adjusted the mic and smiled at the room politely. “Good morning,” he said, his voice quiet and steady. “I’m David, assistant to your CEO. He sends his apologies for not being able to attend this morning’s conference in person.”

A murmur of actual, audible disbelief washed through the crowd.

“I’m sure it’s a bit of a shock,” David said, undeterred. “But trust me, he believes in you all implicitly and asked me to pass on his thanks for your continued hard work. I will be sitting in on this meeting from now on and we’ll catch up with everything that needs doing.”

I stared at David, utterly baffled. The audacity of it all! Who skips their own introduction?

“He’s already acting like his grandfather,” Marco muttered beside me.

“More like a ghost,” Sasha replied. “What kind of CEO doesn’t show up for his own welcome meeting?”

Despite the initial shock, David handled the session with a kind of effortless confidence that commanded attention. He spoke, he answered questions, he outlined the CEO’s vision for the company and somehow managed to keep the audience engaged, even cracking a joke or two.

I had to admire it, I really did. The rich and powerful knew how to make an entrance.

Ethan’s POV

The rhythmic tapping of Howard’s cane was my only warning before the door to my office burst open.

“Some nerve you’ve got boy!” he barked, pointing the head of his cane at me like it was the business end of a weapon. “Good morning Grandpa.” I replied, not even bothering to look in his direction, “coffee?”

“Don’t ‘good morning’ me!” he bellowed, dropping into the chair across from my desk. “You sent that poor assistant of yours to face the wolves while you hide up here?”

I closed my laptop and leaned back in my chair, letting a small smirk tug at my lips. “David’s more than capable.”

Howard snorted, his usual gruff demeanor on full display. “The board’s going to think you’re some kind of hermit. You need to show your face once in a while, Ethan.”

“I own the company,” I replied, remaining calm. “I don’t need to prove anything to anyone.”

“That’s not how leadership works,” Howard shot back, his tone sharp. “You can’t just sit in your office and delegate. People need to see you, know you. Otherwise, they’ll think you’re just some—”

“Some spoiled kid who inherited the company?” I finished for him, raising an eyebrow. “I’ve heard it all before, Grandpa. Doesn’t bother me.”

Howard leaned forward further and put his hands on top of his cane. “I don’t care about what you think but, I still care a little about what they think. They got my name on this company just as much as yours and I’m not about to have you messin’ that up by goin’ all basement-dweller on us.”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “David did fine.”

The door opened before he could retort, and David walked in, a stack of papers in hand. He froze, clearly caught in the crossfire.

“Ah, the man of the hour,” Howard said, turning his attention to David. “How does it feel to be this one’s public face?”

David glanced at me, his expression unreadable, and replied smoothly, “It’s an honor, sir.”

Howard’s sharp eyes swung back to me. “You’re impossible, you know that? You should be out there, meeting your people.”

“Like the blind date you forced me to go on?” I countered, raising an eyebrow.

Howard’s grin was instantaneous. “By the way how did it go?  I see you have been in a suspiciously good mood."

“It was fine,” I said, keeping my tone neutral.

Howard raised an eyebrow. “Fine?”

David coughed lightly, drawing Howard’s sharp gaze.

“Well?” Howard’s eyes narrowed, locking onto David. “Spill it. Did my plan work?”

David hesitated, clearly torn, before finally admitting, “He liked her.”

Howard let out a booming laugh that echoed through the office. “I knew it! I knew you’d finally meet your match!”

“Grandpa, don’t—”

But he was already clapping his hands together like a man who’d just won the lottery. “This is excellent news! She must be something special to get under your skin.”

“It was just a date,” I said flatly, leaning back in my chair.

“Just a date, my foot,” Howard scoffed. “You’re smitten, boy. Admit it.”

I shot David a glare as Howard leaned on his cane, grinning like a Cheshire cat. “Well, this is the best thing I’ve heard all day. Carry on, gentlemen. I’ve got to go tell the board that my grandson isn’t a lost cause after all.”

The moment he left, I turned to David. “Traitor.”

David smirked. “Hey, at least he’s happy now.”