The CEO's Kryptonite - S01 E28

5 months ago

The CEO's Kryptonite - S01 E28

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 28

Alex

"It's been a while John." Christian spoke as we entered the board room.

"Christian!" John Terry replied, ignoring Christian's handshake to pull him in for a hug. "God, it's been a while. It's good to see you, man."

I couldn't help but stare at John as he smiled. He reminded me of Chip Skylark from The Fairly Oddparents. Shiny teeth that sparkle...

"Look where college got you. I always thought you'd end up selling magazines door to door." Christian joked. John let out a laugh that made the dimples against the side of his cheek, deepen.

Of course he had dimples.

There wasn't a thing on this man that wasn't perfectly managed. I couldn't find a single stray hair on his head, or even an inkling of a wrinkle on anything he wore. He looked picture perfect, almost unreal.

"Man oh man, I thought you were going to end up in anger management." John replied. I started choking on a sip of water I had taken. I did not expect that.

John's eyes landed on me. "And this must be the assistant? He's a cutie."

I quickly went from choking to dying as his words had completely thrown me off. Before I could even think of a reply to that, another man walked into the board room.

"Well look what the hooker dragged in." The man spoke as he eyed Christian. This guy looked a little less professional, and a little more Armani Cologne Model. He wasn't wearing a blazer at all, but instead, just a dress shirt. It wasn't even buttoned up all the way, revealing the start of a chest tattoo.

My eyes shot from man to man to man, not sure who to look at first, or what to necessarily do. This was not what I was expecting.

"Alright, have a seat you bloody bastards and play nice for the rest of the board members." John spoke as he directed us to each seat around the conference table. "And Jack, button up that damn shirt. It's show time."

What the fuck was going on?

Jack rolled his eyes over at John, but got to buttoning. As Christian sat down besides me, I started to say something, but we were all cut off by new group of men and woman that entered the room. Immediately, everyone stood.

I guess... we were standing now? I thought to myself as I followed in suit.

"Good morning." John nodded. Whatever smiles and weird "bromance from the college days" vibes these men were giving off earlier, was completely gone. The atmosphere had drastically shifted in the span of mere seconds. I felt like I had entered the fucking twilight zone.

"Let's begin." One of the men said. I could almost barely tell anyone from the new group apart. They were all dressed in crisp suits, and had these expressionless faces going on. They must have been important considering how uptight Christian, John, and Jack suddenly looked.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW

"We're here to discuss the potential collaboration and future with Ivanov Corp. Joining us today is their CEO, Christian Ivanov. They deal with a variety of products, including travel and outdoor equipment. They are one of the largest organizations in the country that have worked with NASA equipment, and Military grade gear." John introduced.

I glanced over at Christian. When the fuck did we work with NASA?

God, there was a shit ton I never knew about this company.

"Mr. Ivanov has compiled data to be reviewed by our board members here. You'll find this under our shared documents." John instructed, as each board member pulled out a tablet. "I'll give you all some time to look over the data, then we'll have Mr. Ivanov run over the projected figures."

It took the board members a whole fucking hour to go over our portfolio. Throughout that entire time, all I could do was try to keep my palms from getting too sweaty.

They had asked Christian some standard questions which he seemed more than prepared to answer. Mostly questioned about our projected growth financially, and our current departments. The first thing that had caught him off guard, was the question that was asked by the man I had now presumed to be Jack Nickelson.

"Let's talk about the elephant in the room... The deal that went south with Larrington."

Christian visibly tensed.

"What happened there?" Jack asked.

Christian had taken a second to pause before he responded.

"Larrington and I had similar values, however, we were unable to reach a consensus." Christian replied. He started to hinge and unhinge his jaw.

"And why was that?" One of the board members asked.

"Larrington proposed a deal that was far less suitable for the company, on a percentage that couldn't be matched financially."

"He said you told him to go find some braces so he can straighten his life out." Jack noted. I saw Christians muscles flex. "Then you told him he was about as useful as an ashtray on a motorcycle?"

Well, this was going down hill very quickly.

"Lastly, you went into detail on why everything he was wearing was cheaper than the bandaids you use and you said, I quote, "your company is like a one ply generic brand of toilet paper... unreliable."

I could have sworn I saw John try to mask a grin. Shit, I was trying to myself. That shit was hilarious. I had no idea Christian could get this creative with insults.

Christian, however, looked like he was about to fucking explode at this point. He looked visibly tense, and the vein that flowed along his temple was pulsating. Without really thinking, I reached my hand out and underneath the table, and placed it on his thigh.

He flinched slightly, as soon as he felt the contact. His eyes caught mine, and I did my best to send him telepathic waves that said "calm the fuck down." His hand shifted from his lap, and he took mine in his. I was sure my palms were a sweaty mess but he didn't seem to mind.

"I acted out of anger." Christian admitted. "While there are many things I can tolerate-"

Mmm, I don't know about that one Christian...

"What I will not tolerate, however, is anything disrespectful said about my mother. She is the founder of Ivanov Corp."

The fuck did that lil bitch say about Anna?

"I did let my anger get the best of me, and I felt as if that was out of line. My mother would have been ashamed to hear I lost my temper, however, she would be proud to hear I maintained my integrity. I would not want to do business with someone who doesn't have my company in their best interest, because a partnership is having a mutually beneficial goal in mind.

"This company means the absolute most, not just to my family, but to myself. I plan to continue to do better, and be better, as I grow into this CEO position." Christian finished.

It was now Jack's turn to hinge, then unhinge his jaw.

"That was very well spoken, Mr. Ivanov." Another board member spoke. "And you have composed indisputable data which has lead us to believe that between Ivanov Corp And Mavericks Corp, both our companies have vast opportunity to grow. We are looking forward to these next few meetings today, and to learn more about those opportunities."

When this board member stood, so did everyone else.

Okay... I guess we were standing again? I stood as well. Each board member began to collect their things, but as they started to leave the room, they stopped to shake hands with Christian... and... me?

"Well done, Mr. Ivanov. Well done, Mr. Hamilton." Christian gave them a nod. I, however, was not as smooth.

"T-Thank you." I stuttered, confused by how they had known my name, let along why they were thanking me.

"Looks like the board was impressed. Hell, I'm impressed. Well done, Christian." John spoke, as he shook his hand. "And well done, Alexander." He added, stretch his hand out to me. I hesitatingly shook it.

"Christian's always been the best at building up, and crashing hard- we'll see how long this lasts." Jack cut in.

"Suck on my biggest toe, you bitch." Christian replied as he gave Jack an aggressive pat on the back, before leading us out of the board room.