CHAPTER 5
1598 Words
(PRESENT TIME)
Cyril's POV
I felt terrible and a bit embarrassed when I found out Iris could paint. I had no idea until Tatiana told me and showed me proof with her sketchbook. Apparently she had bought them for her, alongside poster colours and pencils.
How come she knows and I don't?
Does this make me a terrible dad?
Haven't I played my part by withdrawing her from school and providing her with a home-school teacher?
Is there more I could have done?
How come she was comfortable showing Tatiana she could paint, yet neither her mother nor I had the slightest clue?
Is Tatiana genuinely interested in my daughter's recovery? Or does she have an ulterior motive? What is her end game?
I hope she has no sinister plans, because if I find out, she will regret ever messing with my family.
But what if she was truly concerned about Iris? She did say she loved children, didn't she?
Maybe, just maybe, she has developed a soft spot for Iris.
If that is the case, how can I use that to my advantage?
Regardless of my skepticism, I was really marvelled by my daughter's incredible art. If I had discovered this early enough, I would have enrolled her in an arts school. Even though I don't consider it too late to do that, I would wish for her to recover her speech first.
I ordered Tatiana out because I didn't want her to see what I was going to do next. I decided to contact my interior designer and I asked him how his team could manoeuvre their way around keeping Iris's art a part of the design on the marbled floor in the balcony.
To be fair, I had never seen Iris paint, draw or even sketch. All I saw her do was write in her notebook, which she usually scribbled in.
Could it be that she was hiding it from me?
Well I doubt.
The team did an excellent job and, with their assistance, I got a picture frame of her painting. I must say, I couldn't express how impressed I was with her art. At that moment, I wanted to show her how much I loved her and cherished her work. I wanted her to feel appreciated. I didn't care that she nearly ruined my balcony. It no longer mattered.
I was eager to impress her. I wanted her smile to last for as long as it could. I hated seeing her moody and distant. If this was all it was going to take for her to recover, I was more than ever ready to do it. She meant the world to me and I hoped she knew that.
Who knows? Tatiana could be her saviour after all.
Who would have thought that she could pull that off?
I know it wasn't easy for her.
Though, she made it look so easy.
So easy that I was beginning to get jealous.
She really did have her way around Iris.
How dare she get so close to Iris?
Now I'm afraid of losing Iris to her.
Is this fear valid? I guess not.
I surprised Iris by carrying her to the balcony and I could tell how elated she was. I let her down, and she rushed for her notebook and scribbled “thanks a lot daddyyyy". I read it and almost shed a tear while hugging her.
I wish she had said that out loud to me.
I wish she could speak to me like she used to.
I miss her childish rants about school and her classmates.
I miss how things used to be.
I wish I could go back in time to make amends.
I would have given her more than enough attention than I did.
I wish things didn't end badly like they did for Emily and I.
I certainly should have handled the situation better.
Instead of handling it like the heartbroken wreck that I was.
How selfish and idiotic could I be?
Perhaps Iris would have never gone through this.
Why didn't I ever consider how everything was going to affect her?
Now no amount of wishes is going to change anything.
I may have to live with this pain forever.
I guess my punishment is to be broken for the rest of my life.
To live with the regret of my mistakes that I could have avoided.
***
“Mr.Walker, your meeting with the board members starts in the next 5 minutes." My secretary announced as I nodded in response and grabbed my mug to sip the last bit of my coffee. In no time, I got to the boardroom and took a seat at the far end of the desk which was always reserved for me as the CEO.
As I entered and took my seat, I realised everyone had a look of worry on their faces. The room was eerily quiet. I cleared my throat to cloud the suspense in the room immediately and watched intently as each member of the board exchanged glances at each other.
“Why is everyone...” before I could end, a tablet was placed before me. It displayed a graphical representation and analysis of my company's investment portfolio. I scrolled through it, trying to examine the data to make sense of what had been presented to me.
“Mr. Walker, our company is experiencing a downturn due to rising interest rates and economic uncertainty,” One of my board members, Enoch, stated as he pointed to his slides which he had projected before starting his presentation.
“Okay. So what is the plan? What do you suggest? ” I urged him to continue as I adjusted myself, leaning backwards on my seat with my arms relaxed on the armrest of my chair and my legs crossed under the table.
“The stock market is highly volatile, with many investors selling off their assets. This company's stock portfolio has taken a hit, with several of the company's holdings declining in value." Enoch adjusted his glasses as he continued.
“Upon further investigation, my team and I encountered a rival real estate development company, Greenwood Holdings. They are currently facing financial difficulties and are considering selling off some of their assets.” He continued, this time looking directly in my eyes.
“I presume your suggestion is to buy some of their assets to compensate for our undervalued assets, am I right?” I asked Enoch as his eyes scanned the other members in the room, looking for an answer, but nobody spoke.
“Not exactly sir. There are risks involved.” He replied with anxiety written all over his face.
I, on the other hand, remained as calm as possible and probed him further. “What risks are involved? Care to share them Mr. Enoch?”
“If our market continues to decline, Greenwood's stock could ultimately decline further, leading to a significant loss for our company. This could damage our reputation and relationships with other potential investors,” he concluded and took his seat, making it obvious the next step was for me to make a decision.
Of course, I knew the risks involved. I just wished he and the others had come up with a less risky plan or identified any loophole we could use to our advantage. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. What I heard was not good enough.
This decision was going to be a 50/50 deal. It was a do-or-die affair. Buying shares could either be good news or bad news, depending on the market volatility. I deliberated on possible outcomes of my decision.
If I buy Greenwood's stock, I could take advantage of the potential buying opportunity and add Greenwood's stock to my company's portfolio. But what are the odds? I could lose it all.
If I sell some of my company's current holdings, I could reduce our exposure to the volatile market and free up capital for future investments. But again, what are the odds? There was no guarantee. My company could equally run at a loss because of selling some of its shares.
Or I could maintain our current investment portfolio and wait for the market to stabilise. But what if it doesn't?
My company will lose a great deal of capital. Was I willing to take the risk? Was it going to be worth it? The only way to find out, is to take the risk.
“This is what we are going to do. Let us see what happens when we buy Greenwood's stock”. I came to a conclusion unsure of what that outcome may be.
They all exchanged glances at each other and, with a raised eyebrow and a look of shock, one of the board members gave a profound contribution. From her contribution, I deduced another potential risk.
Buying Greenwood's stock meant we took advantage of a struggling competitor's weakness. That could discourage other investors from partnering with us.
But again, what are the odds? We are not even sure if buying the shares will be profitable or not.
However, I had made my decision. Either way, there was going to be a loss or a gain.
“Fair point, but my decision still stands.” I announced and ended the meeting.
Enoch approached me afterward. “Mr. Walker, are you sure about this?”
“Of course,” I smirked while patting his back and left the boardroom immediately for my office.
Deep down I was scared.
What if the market crashes? Will I lose it all?
- Writer
