7: I'LL DO IT
1455 Words
The Carter Enterprises building gleamed under the morning sun, all glass and steel. Shining with arrogance.
Kayla stood at the entrance, an employee badge clipped to her blazer, and she felt every eye on her.
“Family Relations Liaison.”
The title tasted like dust.
A made-up position. A fancy cage. Irene’s way of saying ‘know your place’ without saying it out loud.
"It'd get better Kayla
At least you've made your way in
I'm sure mom will be proud of you wherever she is."
She gave herself a little pep talk then took more determined and firm steps in.
The security guard at the door didn’t even look up when she swiped in.
“Visitor badge?” he asked flatly.
“I’m not a visitor,” Kayla said quietly.
He finally glanced up, saw her face, and his expression changed.
“Oh. You’re Mr. Carter’s daughter.”
He waved her through like she was a guest at a charity event. His gaze filled with pity
Kayla swallowed the lump in her throat and walked in.
The lobby was like a battlefield.
Employees whispered as she passed. Heads turned. Phones half hidden in hands. Treating her like she was a star from some show and obviously it wasn't a good one.
“That’s her.”
“The one who won’t let Lucas go?”
“Poor thing. Daddy’s keeping her on payroll so she doesn’t embarrass the family.” she heard whispers that weren't really whispers, her fists clenched, hard.
She knew it'd be bad but she didn't think it'd be this bad.
But she kept her head high. Let them look. Let them talk. They weren't the first and definitely they wouldn't be the last, she was already used to the bad gossip.
Her first stop was HR.
The HR manager, Mrs. Lim, greeted her with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“Miss Carter. So nice to meet you officially.”
She slid a folder across the desk. “You’ll be reporting to Mr. Benson Reed. He’s in Operations. He’ll show you the ropes.”
Benson Reed.
Irene’s brother.
Of course. Irene kept on giving different slaps to her face, she really dug her way deep into her mother's hard work. Keeping her people everywhere and roping more people in.
Kayla took the folder without a word. “Thank you, Mrs. Lim.”
When she walked into Benson’s office, he didn’t stand up.
He leaned back in his chair, feet on the desk, and sized her up like she was an intern who’d made a rookie mistake.
“So…, you’re the heiress,” he said, smirking, looking at her slowly from head to toe, condensing. “Welcome to Operations. We’ll see how long you last.”
Kayla smiled back, cold and polite.
“I’m sure you’ll make it educational, Uncle Benson.”
His smirk twitched. He hated being related to this ‘useless niece’
“Sit. You’ll be handling client complaints and office events. Small stuff. You won't touch anything important.”
Kayla sat. She didn’t argue. Now wasn't the time.
The day was hell.
She was given minor jobs enough to make her busy. It seemed Irene really wanted her to give up, which she wasn't going to do anytime soon.
Responding to angry emails about delayed shipments, fetching coffee for a meeting she wasn’t allowed to sit in.
Every time she asked a question about the company's important stuff, Benson shut her down.
“That’s above your pay grade, Kayla. Focus on what you were asked to do.” he warned
By lunch, her hands were shaking. Not from anger, but from restraint.
Then an email came.
*Subject: Emergency Board Meeting – 2:00 PM*
*Attendees: All Department Heads, Shareholders and Ms. Kayla Carter*
Kayla stared at the screen.
Emergency?
She hadn’t been in the company for 8 hours and already there was an emergency.
And she was supposed to be given minor jobs, why does she need to be there?
Is this her father's way of standing up for her?
She felt a little bit of joy at the thought.
At 2:00 PM, she walked into the boardroom and felt the temperature drop 10 degrees.
Her father sat at the head of the table, face grim. Irene sat to his right, looking innocent. Benson sat to her left, smug.
On the other side sat the old shareholders, men and women who’d worked with her mother to build this company from nothing.
And they were staring at her like she was a mistake.
“Thank you all for coming,” Dylan said without preamble. “We have a problem.
One of the senior shareholders spoke first.
“Mr. Carter, with all due respect, what is your daughter doing here? This is a board meeting.”
Kayla's jaw tightened.
“She has been appointed Family Relations Liaison. She has a right to be present.”
A second shareholder leaned forward.
“Right?” he scoffed. “Since when is lineage a qualification? Does she have experience? Negotiation background? Or is this just nepotism dressed as corporate decision-making?”
A murmur moved through the room.
Kayla felt every word like a slow burn under her skin.
Irene sighed softly, shaking her head as if she was disappointed for Kayla’s sake.
“Kayla is still learning,” she said gently trying to be the mediator.
“We shouldn’t make this harder for her than it needs to be. This deal is sensitive.”
Kayla knew Irene was sharp and calculative. She wasn't trying to help her, this was her way of telling and showing her she doesn't belong here.
Benson chuckled under his breath.
The sound was enough.
Kayla looked at her father to see if he'd make a move to help and was disappointed, he really didn't try to stand up for her, he gave her a look that told her to stand up for herself.
The look made Dylan tremble in guilt just for a while.
He cleared his throat after a while
“I'm the CEO and me bringing my daughter here has nothing to do with you” he dropped and sat up straighter. “That is besides the problem now.”
The room instantly grew tense.
One of the older shareholders adjusted his glasses.
“The Vance contract?” he asked carefully.
Dylan nodded grimly.
“The negotiations have stalled. Vance Industries is reconsidering the partnership.”
A murmur spread across the table immediately.
Everyone in the room knew what that meant.
If the Vance deal failed, Carter Enterprises would lose millions.
Maybe more.
One of the shareholders frowned deeply.
“We’ve already invested too much into this corporation.”
Another sighed.
“Andrian Vance is impossible to deal with. That man changes conditions every week.”
Benson scoffed under his breath.
“Rich people and power trips.”
Irene finally spoke, calm and elegant as always.
“Actually… Lucas Grey may be useful here.”
Kayla’s eyes shifted instantly.
Irene continued smoothly.
“Lucas works under Vance Industries. Junior analyst, if I remember correctly.”
A shareholder’s eyes brightened slightly.
“That’s right. The Grey family still has some relationship with the Vances.”
Irene nodded softly.
“Exactly. Lucas may be able to smooth things over.”
Then she smiled.
That fake gentle smile Kayla hated.
“And since Kayla is Lucas’ fiancée,” Irene added lightly, “perhaps she can finally contribute something meaningful.”
The room grew quiet for a second.
Then the comments started.
“Well, if she’s connected to Lucas, she should handle it.”
“Exactly. Isn’t this the perfect opportunity for her to prove herself?”
“She wants a seat at the table so badly. Let her earn it.”
Kayla’s fingers clenched beneath the table.
They were cornering her.
Not because they believed in her.
Because they expected her to fail.
Benson leaned back lazily.
“If she succeeds, great for the company.”
He smirked.
“And if she embarrasses herself… well, at least we’ll know where she stands.”
A few quiet chuckles followed.
Kayla looked toward her father.
Dylan said nothing and that? That hurt more than the mockery.
Irene sighed softly like a concerned mother.
“Of course, no one is forcing you, Kayla,” she said sweetly.
“This contract is simply just extremely important.”
Kayla almost laughed.
What a joke.
This wasn’t a choice.
It was a trap wrapped in politeness.
There's no way she's be able to convince Lucas. The only way she'd be able to get this contract is only If she had connections to Andrain Vance himself…
Kayla stood.
The room quieted instantly.
“I’ll do it.”
- Writer
