CHAPTER FIVE - THE COMPANY

By the time Amelia woke up the next morning. Nathaniel had already left for work. She quickly had a shower and prepared for her first day at the office.

She stood in front of her mirror, smoothing out her tailored black pantsuit. The crisp white blouse and pearl necklace added a touch of elegance. She chose this dress to give off the bossy vibe. She gazed at her reflection, her eyes burning with determination. The position in the company was more than just a job to her.

Arriving at the company, she found out that a lot of directors and shareholders had yet to resume. She had asked Mr. Thomas to schedule a meeting with them today, so she was perplexed as to why many of them had not yet shown up.

She made a mental note to address that in the meeting. She didn't have trouble locating her office, she had been to this place so many times as a child that the memory was etched into her brain.

As she stepped into the office she found out that it was almost the same as she remembered it, save for the change of furniture and the engrossed company logo on the wall.

No sooner had she entered the office, when a knock came on the door.

“Come in,” she said while settling down in her seat.

A young lady in her early twenties stepped in. She was short and had red hair. From the name tag, she could decipher that her name was Antoinette.

“Good morning ma'am. I'm Antoinette and I will be your personal assistant. I was asked by Mr. Thomas to give you the recent reports of the company”

Amelia collected the reports and placed them on her desk. She had asked for these documents upon her arrival to Los Angeles and she wondered why they were only being delivered now.

Of course, she had already studied the reports before coming to the office, but those were the ones published on the net. She wanted to confirm that the information was the same thing.

Fidgeting, Antoinette asked, “Is there anything else you need ma?”

Not looking up from the documents she had begun to study, Amelia paid no attention to the question she had been asked as she was busy flipping the documents for confirmation.

There was an awkward silence in the room as Amelia continued to check the documents. After what seemed like a long while she raised her head up to find Antoinette looking nervously at her.

“I'm so sorry, I thought I had dismissed you” she apologized.

“No ma, I asked if there was anything else you needed.

“No that will be all,” she said while turning her head back to the documents.

Stone Jade Palace which was the name of the company, was a business that dealt in the production and sales of luxury items such as wristwatches. Amelia had noticed that the profits of the company had not increased in the last two years.

She made a mental note to address this issue in the meeting that was to be held soon.

By 10 am, she was informed by Antoinette that the board members were already seated and waiting for her in the meeting room.

She stood up adjusting her suit and checking herself out in the mirror. She didn't want to leave any room for criticism from anyone. Going late was her style of being the boss in the company.

As she entered the room, she could hear some of the shareholders murmuring.

“This is a board meeting! Does she not care about it? She’s too much! Will Stone Jade Palace really be alright if we get such a lazy person to be the CEO?”

One of the shareholders Mr. Alex, heaved a sigh. “… Calm down, everyone. She’s just a young girl, after all, she’s not as rough and sturdy as us men.”

Amelia sneered. “This hypocritical way of talking…” She’d really just witnessed the male versions of a bitch!

It might seem like he was speaking up for her, but every word of his was aimed at sowing discord between her and the other shareholders.

The conference room quieted down the moment Amelia stepped inside.

Amelia took a deep breath and said” Very hypocritical of you all to throw a fuss when I arrived at the office before every one of you.”

“From now on, every shareholder and director are to arrive on or before 8 am.”

Some of the shareholders grumbled in their seats. They were disgruntled by the fact that a young person, more so a lady was giving them others.

“Amelia, don't be too calculative with us. We all have more experience in this company than you do. We would be happy to aid you in managing the company”, Mr. Alex said.

Amelia narrowed her eyes slightly. She did not respond to his statement and walked straight to the host’s chair. After sitting down, she said calmly, “I’m sorry I’m late. Let's begin the meeting”.

These short words inexplicably gave people a sense of security and calmness.

The other shareholders looked amongst themselves. At this moment, everyone adjusted themselves and the meeting started.

Alex’s heavy fists hit cotton and he instantly felt that it was meaningless. If he suggested helping her manage the company, it would seem that he had evil intentions.

Then, the people below reported their respective projects and reports to her so that she could understand the business quickly. Having studied the reports earlier she had no difficulty in going about the meeting.

The meeting progressed smoothly, and in two hours’ time, they were able to wrap up their activities for the day.

Exhausted from the meeting, Amelia proceeded to lie on the sofa in the office. The meeting surprisingly went better than she had expected. She was glad that she didn't have to deal with a lot of bullshit today.

Amelia had not laid down for more than twenty minutes when her assistant, Antoinette came knocking on the door.

“What do you want?” She asked grudgingly not wanting to get up from the sofa.

“I'm sorry ma, but there is a problem”

Amelia’s eyes sprang open at the mention.