HIS ROOMMATE

I'M NOT MY FATHER

CHAPTER 18

ADRIAN'S POV

In another two months we will be done with college, so my schedule has become tighter. I go to school, then straight to the office to meet Mr. George for my training. After my parents’ death, as the only surviving child of my father, my grandmother asked me to pick one of my three uncles to manage my father’s company until I’m done with college.

I did not really trust my uncles. When my father was alive he wasn’t in good terms with them. Too many fights about money, power, who deserved what. So I decided to choose my father’s personal assistant Mr. George. He was the only one I could trust to take care of my father’s company. But for a few months he has been giving me training, getting me ready to take over as the next CEO.

The office is quiet at 7pm. Mr. George slides another folder across the desk. “Balance sheets. You need to know where every dollar goes before you sign off on anything, Adrian.”

I nod, rubbing my eyes. College finals, CEO training, and trying to keep my relationship with Valerie from falling apart again. Some days I feel like I’m 25, not 21.

My phone buzzes. Valerie: *Dinner at 9? I miss you.*

Then another buzz. Kai: *Saw your name on the dean’s list. Told you’d make it. Proud of you, CEO-in-training.*

I smile at both. Different people, different parts of my life, and somehow they’re both still in it.

Valerie still gets tense when Kai texts me. Kai still doesn’t trust Valerie fully. But no more fights. No more ultimatums. We’re all just... learning.

Mr. George clears his throat. “Focus, Adrian. Your father built this company with his hands. You’ll run it with your head.”

“Right,” I say, opening the folder. But my mind drifts to Kai’s apartment. To the way she held that ring like it was the last piece of her mom.

I didn’t ask for any of this. The company. The drama. The responsibility.

But I’m handling it. One day, one decision at a time.

Mr. George clears his throat again, louder this time. He taps the folder with his pen until I look up from my phone.

“Focus, Adrian,” he says, but his tone’s softer now. More like my dad used to get when I was distracted. “I know you’ve got a lot going on. Finals, Valerie, Kai, all of it. But you can’t let this slip.”

He slides a different folder across the desk. The cover says it in bold: **BOARD MEETING - THURSDAY 8:00 AM**.

My stomach drops. I’d almost forgotten.

Mr. George leans forward, eyes serious. “Your uncles will be there. All three of them. They’ve been asking questions about the new training schedule. About why I’m the one teaching you instead of them.” He pauses. “They don’t trust the decision you made. And Thursday, they’re going to test you.”

I exhale slowly. “Right. Thursday.”

“8:00 AM sharp,” Mr. George emphasizes, pointing at the time like I’m five. “Not 8:05. Not 8:10. Early. Your father was always the first one in that room, even before the janitors. You need to show up early too. Sit at the head of the table. Own it before they even start.”

He pushes the folder closer. “Inside are the quarterly reports, the expansion proposal for the Brooklyn development, and the notes I made for you. Read them. Twice. They’ll ask about numbers, Adrian. Not feelings. This is Manhattan, not a classroom. The board doesn’t care that you’re graduating in two months.”

I nod, already feeling the weight settling on my shoulders. CEO training is one thing. Facing my uncles across a board table with the Hudson River behind them is another.

My phone buzzes again. Valerie: *Don’t forget dinner. And don’t work too late, okay?*

I type back: *I won’t. Promise.*

Mr. George watches me, then sighs. “She’s good for you. But Thursday, you’re not Adrian the NYU student. You’re Adrian Reyes. Your father’s son. Act like it.”

“Yes, sir,” I say, and for once I mean it.

He stands, straightening his tie. “Go home. Get some sleep. Come early. And Adrian…” He stops at the door to the elevator bank. “Your father would be proud. Even if he’d never say it out loud.”

The office feels emptier after he leaves. Just me, the folder, and a board meeting that could decide everything.

Two months left of college. Then this becomes my life for real.

Thursday. 7:30 AM.

I’m standing in front of Manhattan Tower, coffee in one hand, Mr. George’s folder in the other. The building is all glass and steel, catching the early morning light. My father built this. And today I have to prove I’m not just his kid.

“Early,” Mr. George said. So I’m early.

The elevator to the 42nd floor feels slower than usual. My tie is too tight. My palms are sweating. Finals are next week, but this feels bigger.

The boardroom doors open. Long table, leather chairs, skyline behind the glass. And there they are. My three uncles.

Uncle Marco sits at the head of the table like he owns it. Uncle Luis is scrolling through his phone. Uncle Diego gives me a tight smile that doesn’t reach his eyes.

“Adrian,” Marco says, not standing. “You’re punctual. Your father would’ve been late on purpose just to make an entrance.”

“I’m not my father,” I say. And I take the seat at the head of the table. My seat.

Diego snorts. “You’re what, 21? Still in school? And Mr. George thinks he can train you to run Reyes Holdings?”

Mr. George, standing behind me, doesn’t say a word. That’s the deal. I lead this. Not him.

"I think he did a great job," I answer.

All three of them glance at each other, then back at me.

“So what report do you have, or do you come empty-handed?” Uncle Marco says. I know what he’s trying to do there...

I set the folder down and open it. “Quarterly reports. Q2 revenue is up 8% from last year. The Brooklyn development is on schedule. And the new training program I started with Mr. George has cut operational costs by 12%.”

Diego leans forward. “Numbers look good on paper. But you picked him.” He jerks his thumb at Mr. George. “Not family. Not us. A personal assistant. Why should we trust you to take over as CEO when you can’t even pick family?”

The room goes quiet. Outside, a siren wails somewhere down 5th Avenue.

“This is business, Uncle Diego, not a family inheritance hiring. I choose who I thought can protect this company. I picked the person I trust.” I pause. “That’s Mr. George.”

Marco slams his hand on the table. “You think this is about loyalty? This is about control, Adrian. You’re a college kid. You should let us run things until you’re ready.”

“I am ready,” I say, and my voice doesn’t shake. “Like you said it’s not about loyalty, so it shouldn’t be about family ties either.”

Marco and Diego exchange looks. Luis just stares at me like he’s seeing his brother.

Mr. George finally steps forward and sets another document on the table. “Mr. Reyes’ voting rights and interim authority. Signed by the board chairlady last month.”

Marco picks it up, reads it, then tosses it down. He stands. “Fine. But we’ll be watching. One mistake, Adrian. One. And we’ll push for a full vote to remove you.”

He walks out. Diego follows, but Luis remains seated. His eyes are fixed on me. He’s been awkwardly quiet.

“Your father must be proud of you,” he says after a long silence.

I frown. Isn’t he supposed to be against me?

“Thanks,” I say.

“We’re just looking out for you. The business world is not fair. A little advice from your uncle... Do not trust blindly no matter who they are. Use your brains, not your heart.”

After that, he gets on his feet and turns to the door, but pauses.

“I don’t want your position, Adrian. I just want your respect. I’ve got a lot of companies, so taking that seat means nothing.”

I’m shocked. Uncle Luis and I were never close, but Mom was a good friend of his wife. I wonder what he meant by that.

Mr. George clears his throat. “He’s right. In as much as I don’t trust him, Mr. Luis was right,” Mr. George says.

The room feels heavier now. Like there’s more going on beneath the surface.

TBC