The Hot Topic
1090 Words
Vince imagined he had painstakingly questioned.
“Are you okay Mr Finn?” The garrulous man beside Vince whispered.
Vince regained his grip on his subconscious mind. He hadn’t spoken at all. He had stood up, like a total i***t and watched Bernard fit the ring into Amber’s finger. The couple had ignored noticing him while they hugged, and Amber kissed Bernard lovingly.
Vince felt his knees wobble and he gently lowered himself back to his seat hiding his embarrassment.
That moment, he desperately wished his actions were mere acts but they weren’t. He hadn’t expected the duo to consider publicizing their secret affair or consider ending it in a marriage.
He picked up a bottle of drink as applause rained heavily in the air. Entertainers rushed into the room and the room lit up. Everyone kept sending pitiful glances towards Vince but they were more engrossed in enjoying their evening.
Vince felt his phone rang, he checked it and it was his grandmother. She sent him the written agreement to be signed by Jake Darius. For some unknown reason, Vince felt more at ease seeing that.
He texted her on a few clauses that he felt needed adjustment.
With this distraction, he was able to survive the blow the night had thrown on his face.
Amber kept glancing nervously his way but when she noticed he was busy texting someone, a part of her felt jealous, thinking probably he had another woman already.
“Well, it doesn’t matter what low class woman ends up with that loser.” She thought inwardly and focused on enjoying her engagement party. The night ended eventually and the weekend followed. Everyone had the chance to recuperate from their drunken merriment.
The next week started really fast. Vince rushed over to the office dragging over his old suitcase. Thankfully, he got to the office right in time before Bernard showed up at his office. He dropped a bunch of files for him to sort out.
Vince faced his work diligently, as if he hadn’t witnessed his ex-wife’s proposal a few days earlier, he responded curtly to his boss Bernard.
When it was lunch, he closed up the file he was working on and made for the cafeteria. He walked into the descending elevator when he overheard some of the staff talking about the meeting of the board of directors and major shareholders.
Vince was perplexed, he had totally forgotten about it.
His grandmother told him she needed to make the public announcement of his existence. The elevator came to an abrupt stop and he walked out of it. He ran into her again, his grandmother. The fox of Peak Law Firm.
They pretended like they were complete strangers and she walked past him. He bowed slightly to greet her just as the rest of the staff and made for the cafeteria.
Vince was munching on some hamburger and chatting with the head chef when his phone rang.
He picked up the number without a second thought. It was a contact he had ingrained in his heart, Amber’s number. Her angry voice screamed out of the speaker.
“Where the hell are you Vince?”
“What is it?” Vince responded confused, he hadn’t done anything to warrant her wrath.
“I said…where the hell are you Vince Finn!” She yelled.
“I am having my lunch in the cafeteria.”
“You need to get back in here, thirty seconds!.”
She dropped the call before he could question her.
Vince excused himself and bid the chef goodbye. He hurriedly made for the elevator leading to his office but it was all filled up.
He couldn’t wait for the next batch, so he rushed over to the stairs. He climbed hurriedly up till he felt his knees almost collapse under him.
He managed to climb more till he got to the top and he was panting hard and sweating profusely.
When he got to his office, he met Amber pacing endlessly. When she noticed his arrival, she rushed over to him.
“You are supposed to always be available Vince.” She said irritably.
“Sorry but I need food to survive too.” She ran her fingers through her hair making it slightly messy. Her new engagement ring shone bright and the bold shimmering stone on it intrigued Vince’s attention.
“There is a board meeting ongoing now!”
“Okay.” Vince said casually waiting for her to connect the puzzle.
“The new CEO will be unveiled, rumor says.”
“So?”
“So? Really, Vince! You should be worried. What if they decide that you have no usefulness here anymore? Well, I do not really care, but you need to follow me...now!”
“Why Miss Reed?”
“Because the founding mother requests that each department provide a desk clerk and the supervisor to show up there.”
“And?”
“And you have to go there with me now because we are damn late!”
“Why did you pick me Miss Reed?”
Amber scoffed loudly. “As if we have another desk clerk in this department.” She said, rolling her eyes.
“Oh! That’s right!”
Without another word, Vince obediently followed Amber closely behind. He smiled inwardly at the genius way his grandmother had handled it without raising suspicion.
When they got to the front of the giant doors of the boardroom, Amber let out a long breath she had obviously been holding. She was anxious, Vince noticed that.
Amber had always been anxious to face a large crowd from the onset. He had always held her hand and walked out with her just as he did on her first presentation in high school. But today, he was right behind her and she had to face her anxiety alone.
“Give me a few seconds.” She said slowly.
“Okay Miss Reed.” Vince responded enthusiastically.
After practicing the breathing technique Vince taught her in the past, she turned around and faced him.
“You have to go first, I will follow you behind.”
“Miss Reed but you are my superior and….”
“No argument Vince, just f*****g follow my instruction!”
“Yes Miss Reed.”
Vince closed his eyes for a split second to collect his thoughts before he pushed open the gigantic glass door in front of him.
“I hereby announce the next CEO of Peak Law Firm.
My grandson.....Vince Finn.”
- Writer
