“He’s not rude to me,” I said, and looked around the house, specifically towards the kitchen. Pizza sounded like a dream right now. “But he’s not doing too well, I think. I know I just joined the company, and I’ve not been in contact with him for over a decade now, but…” I paused and briefly recollected his unpleasant mood earlier that day. “Could I be overthinking it?”
“You are not overthinking anything, Fiona.” Allison began, “ Christian is naturally never like that. He’s just having issues with Aurora, his ex-girlfriend. She’s shameless; she won’t stop disturbing him with calls. I don’t know. I have long since advised Christian to change his number, but he hasn’t listened to me. I have let it go for now; I won’t press it further.”
Well, that wasn’t the information I thought I’d get that easily, but crumbs about Christian were like Easter eggs at this point.
“His ex-girlfriend is giving him trouble?”
“I haven’t mentioned it? It’s the worst thing, Fiona. It’s been like that for a while now. I’m afraid our parents will soon intervene, and it’s not gonna be good.”
I nodded and cleared my throat. “Why did they break up?”
I tried to sound nonchalant, and if Allison noticed that I was genuinely curious, she didn’t mention it. And I was only asking because Christian was my boss, and a happy boss meant I had a lower chance of losing my job.
I’m basically protecting my interests.
“I don’t truly know myself, but from what I know, Aurora is not too good for Christian. She’s demanding like crazy!”
This made me even more curious about who she was. I subconsciously admitted that I wanted to know the kind of woman Christian had fallen for.
“I don’t think she’s actually Christian’s type of woman. They were more or less matched by our parents. You know, business-oriented relationships and the like. It’s just so annoying that she’s not relenting on trying to win him back.”
“Who are her parents, if I may ask?”
“You should know them; they are close business buddies of the company. Kelvin and Quinn Williams of K and Q Enterprise.”
“Oh! The same K and Q Enterprise?” I was absolutely astounded.
“Yes. The same K and Q Enterprise.”
“That’s… wow.”
“I know that, but that doesn’t give Christian the right to be rude to you.”
“He’s not rude to me.”
“You say that now.”
“I do mean it. He’s been really patient. And have I mentioned how much I love you for getting me this job? I finally get what it’s like to have friends with connections.”
Allison laughed at this, and I grinned at the sound. I had no idea if she knew how grateful I was that she did this for me, but I was going to keep bringing it up until she got it into her head.
When the call ended, I decided to go down the rabbit hole, which was my curiosity about Aurora, her parents, and K and Q Enterprise.
And boy, were they influential.
K and Q Enterprise was named after her proprietors, Kevin and Quinn Williams. The company was in its twentieth year and was still as influential as it can be. Especially after it developed the first fully functioning robot. Well, the only one since no re-creation has managed to come close.
It made sense that there was a relationship between both families. K and Q Enterprise needed to improve their robot, and in the long run, Robust Technology would need a body to put Susan, the self-learning AI, into. K and Q could build that body, and Susan could be the consciousness that brought it to life.
Aurora Williams was the only heir to the empire. She was pretty, but I could say her fashion sense enhanced her beauty by a hundred percent. It wasn’t more than that.
She had a smooth forehead, a thin nose bridge, thin pinkish lips, and a sharp, angular face. Her red lipstick, a staple in her everyday look, made her pale skin stand out. And her blonde hair made her into something right out of a fashion magazine.
As I stared down at her picture, I felt a tinge of jealousy in me. I had a lot of questions regarding her relationship with Christian.
How had their relationship been before their breakup? Did he love her? Was that why he was unsettled? Why was he bothered by her calls?
I swallowed.
Could it be that he was still heartbroken?
Oh, Fiona! I held my head. Why was I thinking so much? It was normal to be heartbroken after a break-up, wasn’t it?
I had forgotten to ask when they separated. However, that didn’t matter so much now. What mattered now was helping Christian through this phase. I was determined to try my best to relieve him of every burden his past relationship had put on him.
For no reason other than my boss needed to be happy to ensure that I kept this job.
*****
It was my first time present at a board meeting. The boardroom was a pretty large space, and the members sat around a long, polished table in their finest suits and ties.
Christian was at the head of the table, and I stood behind him. Initially, the focus was on genially discussing the items on the set agenda and decision-making; however, it soon segued to a clash of ideas.
I could not say the meeting went well, though Christian whispered something of the sort to the President, a tall, lanky man who always looked at me suspiciously.
“It’s almost lunch,” I mentioned as we headed back to his office. “What would you like to have?”
Christian thought about it for a while. “You could order something for the both of us. What do you usually eat?”
