Author: Ted Evans
Category: Young Adult
Go to read content：https://readnovelfree.com/p/47814_20
Mrs. Cove, a woman in her mid-forties with her brunette hair pulled back in a severe bun and dressed in a skirt suit, walked in. She was currently acting as my secretary at the company.
“Sir, your meeting with the department heads is in half an hour. Should I go and make preparations now?”
“What room are we meeting in?”
“The third conference room on this floor, sir.”
I nodded slowly. “Thank you, Mrs. Cove. And yes, please start the preparations, I’ll be done before the meeting.”
“Of course, sir,” she said.
With a short, bowing nod, she turned and left the room, closing the door behind her. I frowned down at the documents in front of me, wondering if I could finish this before the meeting, or if I could postpone it until afterward.
I glanced at my phone beside my computer keyboard and picked it up. I unlocked the screen and paused for a second, before slowly putting it back down. I leaned back in my seat, deciding I could postpone looking over the documents. The meeting wouldn’t take so long that I couldn’t deal with it before I had to clock out for the day.
“Fuck,” I cursed quietly with a sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose.
I never in a million years thought I would find myself in this position. Working at the family company, and right at the helm of it. The place was supposed to belong to my Trent, and I would have gotten a managerial position at best, or been shipped out to one of the branches to head if Dad didn’t mind me going far away.
Even for just that, I wouldn’t have asked for it. But in the end, life never went the way we wanted it to.
Before he could even get married, my brother died in a plane crash not long after we’d returned from the trip to Vegas. Some issue had come up with his bride to be, and the wedding was pushed forward, and he lost his life before it could happen.
Both Dad and I were broken hearted. My brother and I had had our differences, but I didn’t hate him. As long as he kept his mouth shut at certain times, I could even grudgingly admit I loved him. But now he was gone, and I couldn’t help remembering from time to time that the last time we properly talked was that argument in Vegas.
It’s just because it’s fresh, I tried to reassure myself. Time will pass, and you’ll forget it all.
Seeing my screensaver didn’t help matters, but I couldn’t bring myself to change it, either. It was a picture of the whole family, Mom, and Dad, and me and Trent when the two of us were still young, in the happier days before I knew what responsibility meant and started rebelling.
In the end, Dad didn’t even have to give me the talk again. I stepped up to be a man and filled the position that was originally meant for my brother.
Of course, it wasn’t as easy as that. For one thing, I wasn’t qualified for the position, and even as the owner’s kid, there were rules. I didn’t go back to college; Dad feared I’d join a frat house and waste time there, going back instead of moving forward, so I just piled up a lot of classes on top of what I’d done before.
It was a long two years, but in the end, with the kind of hard work and determination I hadn't had toward schooling before, I made it through. My qualifications still weren’t top notch, but I was good enough to enter the company, though I still had to take several classes alongside work for a while after.
When it was time for the meeting, my secretary called to meet me. I was young, definitely younger than any of the other people in the higher positions in the company, so no matter what, outside of my office, I couldn’t show any weaknesses. After steeling my expression, I left my office, my secretary following behind me and to my right at a brisk pace. Everyone was already seated and waiting in the conference room, and I went to stand at the head of the table.
“Good afternoon, everyone. Let’s proceed with today’s meeting.”
Some people didn’t think I suited my position because of my age, especially since my Trent was the one groomed for the position and had been appearing at the office since he was in high school. Not only was I younger by four years, I hadn't put my all into the company until two years ago when Dad stepped back in temporarily before fully retiring.
I felt like I’d made my old man proud. There were times when I wondered if my brother would feel the same way if he were to look at me now.
At the end of the meeting, I was the first to rise, followed by everyone else.
I excused myself. The meeting had run longer than I thought, but I still had time to finish what I’d been working on before, as long as I stayed a little late in the office. This wasn’t something new to me, either, so it would hardly be a problem.
“Mrs. Cove,” I said, pausing after unlocking my office door and turning.
She had come to a stop at her desk, waiting for me to enter before she sat down. Seeing that I was addressing her, she gave me her full attention, hands folded in front of her.
“Yes, sir?” she said.
“I’ll be staying late, so when your time’s up feels free to go ahead first. Let me know if there’s any urgent business before you do, though.”
She nodded. “Of course, sir.”
I walked into my office and closed the door behind me, then I went around my desk and sat down. I picked up the documents and turned my computer on, logging into the company’s database.