Allea

ten

In the evening, Jackson also joined us for the dinner. And right now, sitting in front of us, he's trying to scold Kai. Jackson and Kai rarely interact, one can say he's not good with kids, he's always stern & upright with me but awkward with Kai, like he lacks any idea on how to treat him.

"Kai, I heard what you did in school, I don't want it to repeat."

"But if someone bullied me again, then?"

"Well...then," Jackson paused, stared at the child acting cute in front of him, then looked at me, them back at Kai, and hesitantly uttered with a slight helpless one-shoulder shrug, "Then, I guess you may."

This is Jackson's scolding.

Shaking my head, I kept myself out of it and continued eating my food.

When Kai heard Jackson's stiff response, he looked at me with a huge grin showing me his tongue & resumed eating his food. From the way his smile faded, I guess he remembered that his food only consists of vegetables. He stared at Jackson with pouty lips but he ignored the child and proceeded to eat looking anywhere but Kai. With one last glare toward me, he with a disgusting look ate his vegetables. As long as his suspension continues, he can't eat anything including meat, only veggies along with no electronics, when I told him this an hour ago his face was priceless!

...

From the next day, I took responsibility for our biggest project with Ming Technologies, and with that busy days continued to pass on. I selected my team who cooperated with me without any question and the increase in workload tripled. With advancing days, the difference between days and night dissolved, but I still somehow always managed to have dinner with Kai. Jackson was also busy but not much, he continued to look in other projects and investments, which he also one way or other pushed on me. Even during the weekends, I could hardly make time for school, and the longest I went without sleep was four days. When I woke up the next day on the living room's couch where I passed out of exhaustion, someone has covered me with the blanket, and I could guess who it belonged to from the superheroes design on it.

In this project with Ming Technologies, they came up with the plane of 'city' in which all things could be found in one place. Especially for gamers and people of technology, it will be heaven, where Ming's role is software managing, controlling, and tracking the whole 'city', and ours to plan its construction and investment and how it will work. The main purpose could be considered to lessen the human labor and give a fully other-worldly experience.

In the past, we rejected this project because Jackson had already too much on his plate so Ming Technologies did it with another company, it was a huge success. With the technology changing the world every day this project only continued to expand in the future, any investment paid off tremendous profits and was one of the most successful projects of both companies that took them on the road of the top in the coming years.

How could I let such an opportunity pass this time so I did everything to make it even glorious than the past, exterminating any error it could face and putting as much effort as I could. The whole company witnessed the hell I put my team members through, I could feel them giving me sour eyes when I continued to reject their work and made them do it again & again.

After three months of tedious hard work, we managed to finally conclude the project.

" ...with this gentlemen, I would like to conclude my presentation."

With my finishing words, I turned to face the people staring at me, once again I stood in front of them in the meeting room, the round table of shareholders and board directors along with Ming Technologies representatives. Behind me was the projector where I explained the whole sample of the project and how after construction, the 'city' would look like. For a few minutes, the influential people just sat there staring at me, confused at their silence I looked at Jackson. His lips were curved in a huge grin and proudly held his head high. He gave me a nod, that's when I knew I did it.

As a relieved sigh escaped my lips, at the same time the representative of Ming Technologies stood up and started clapping, "It's way better than what we had imagined, we are so glad to choose Allgaier Industries and work with you, Miss Ciarve." And soon the whole room started clapping and parsing, the doubts which I saw in their eyes when Jackson announced to make me CEO four months ago, turned into admiration.

"This was truly better than what everyone imagined, no doubt it will take both companies to new heights!" The people who last time questioned Jackson's decision were now praising me, and for the first time, I saw Jackson smiling. I'm also satisfied but the work doesn't end here, it will take a further seven months for our idea to form a shape, that's when all the hard work will truly pay off.

"Miss. Ciarve, I must say I'm finding words hard to appreciate your work, this was beyond expectations, great work."

I looked at the middle-aged man who stood in front of me, his posture vigilant, but I could also see kindness and calmness. He's none other than Nicholas Salvadge, the most respected, wealthiest, and famed businessman in real estate and hotel chains throughout the world, also the richest man among people in this room. And how could I forget him, he was the man who -when the whole world turned its back on me- at my request agreed to help me.

"Coming from you Mr. Salvadge it's nothing less than the biggest honor for me."

He smiled like satisfied with my words, "Kids nowadays doing things which we did in our thirties or forties. It's always a pleasure to work with such talented minds!"

"Thank you."

With one last smile, and exchanging some words with Jackson he too left as well as others.

"When will the construction start?" asked Jackson as he was going back to his office.

"Next month and around seven months to complete."

He nodded, and for a second just stared at me, I raised a brow at him, "You did well," it's his first compliment to me in all this time. I gave him a slight smile and with that, we both went on our ways.