Ultimatum
1213 Words
Lawrence’s POV
Time. A cautious yet dangerous entity known to mankind. People say time is sacred. Time is valuable. Yet I believe Time is a fool. We rush through time to meet the bus or arrive early to a meeting, yet it laughs in our faces at how foolish we are. An entity known yet unknown to us humans.
I adjusted my glasses slightly and glanced at the tablet in front of me, containing the details of the meeting being held.
“Our current target is above our estimated target, which shows a great increase in sales and customer interaction.”, a member of my staff said as he went over the PowerPoint slides.
I reached for my bottle of water stationed to my right, took a sip, set it back down and asked, “And is there any plan to boost the product?”
“Not yet. We’re working on using the same strategy currently being used to keep customers engaged with the product.”
I shook my head and straightened my position, interlocking my fingers. I looked straight at him, “People get bored with the same thing over and over again. With time, they’ll understand the logic behind everything, and they move on to a different news story or the latest trend. If they do that, interaction decreases, sales drop, and we lose profit and our client. People value their time, meaning the same old trick won’t work twice. So tell me, how will you fix this?”
At that moment, he looked pale and shaken as I bluntly asked, questioning his capabilities to do the job right. I sighed and stood up from my seat, “I’m beginning to doubt your qualifications in this field.” I looked over at the other members involved in the meeting and added, “I’ll be expecting a new pitch by the end of the week. Impress me or your seat at this company ends.”
I walked out, stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the 20th floor. Stepping out of the elevator, I headed straight to my office and sat down on my ergonomic chair.
I reached out to the telephone and pressed 1.
“Mia, cancel all other meetings. I’m done for the day,” I told my assistant.
“Sure thing, sir.”
I ended the call and reached into my pocket. I pulled out the worn-out wallet and opened it, looking at the ID. I planned on giving it back to her after work, but I didn’t know how I’d locate her, but I’d figure something out.
My phone vibrated on my desk, leaning forward to see who it was, I picked it up.
“What?” I said, feeling frustrated.
“Is that how to speak to your father?” I rolled my eyes at his statement and didn’t reply until he sighed and spoke again.
“Meet me at my house, we need to talk.”
Knowing he was a man who never took no for an answer, I told him I’d be there by 2 pm and hung up.
The iron gates opened automatically, and I drove into my father’s estate, parking in an open space. Stepping out, I breathed in a familiar air, one I hated and turned my stomach into a twisted disgust.
I walked up the front steps and towards the brown doors. The doors opened, and I was greeted by a familiar butler.
“Greetings, young master, right this way.”
I acknowledged his greeting and followed him to the dining area, where a lavish amount of food was displayed on the table. At the far end corner was my father, the owner of the estate and a brutal man. I took a seat to his left, far away from him and took a bite of the grape on the fruit platter.
“You’re late”, he started, his eyes not looking into mine but to the newspaper in front of him.
“I still made it, didn’t I?” I retarded, not in the mood to keep up with his attitude.
A few moments passed by, none of us saying anything and then he broke the silence, “You’re reaching your prime age. You need a partner by your side.”
I laughed a little, “You must be joking.”
I looked at him to see if he was actually joking. No, this old man was being serious.
“You know I don’t value such activities,” I stated
“And you’re at the risk of losing my company’s support if you don’t agree to finding a woman to be by your side.”
My company, Law’s & Co., is a marketing company backed by my father’s agency. When I began my company, he invested a hefty amount of money and became an important member of the board despite my being displeased with his involvement.
“I never wanted your support,” I said through gritted teeth, my fist clenching tightly.
“And you’d be homeless without my support.” He finally folded his newspaper and looked at me, then continued, “An important merger is coming up. Secure the merger, and you won’t have my intervention. But you cannot successfully secure it while going against me. Find someone, or I’ll find someone for you.”
“Like your parents did with you and mom?” I retort, anger seeping in.
He slammed his newspaper on the table and pointed at me, “Watch your mouth, boy. Your company strives under my influence, remember that. I give you a week to bring a fiancée, or I’ll bring one for you. Get out!”
I didn’t waste time and stormed out of his house, entered my car and drove far away from him as I possibly could.
I hated that man and his arrogance.
I stopped by a red traffic light and took a deep breath, releasing as much anger as I could. I knew him, and I knew he was not lying when he said he’d find someone for me. That didn’t sit right with me.
I shook my head and drove when the light turned green.
I arrived at my destination, Ryland Nursing Institute. Stepping out, I pulled out the wallet, thinking of ways to give this back to her.
I noticed a blonde girl walking by and waved at her. She jogged towards me, “Hi!” She said with a smile on her face.
“Do you know who this is?” I ignored her greetings and showed her the ID in the wallet.
Her face curled up a bit in thought before she nodded a yes.
“Yeah, I do, we’re in the same department.”
“Give this to her”, I hesitated before handing over the wallet to the girl.
I studied the building a little longer, the thought of her studying here made my stomach turn a bit in excitement and curiosity about her interests.
I got into my car and drove away from the building, the thought of whether I’d see her again lingered in my mind, which made my heart ache a bit.
Time. If only I knew what it had in store for me.
- Writer
