CHAPTER 153

Kyle King

There was nothing like fulfilment. You know when you have been trying to accomplish a particular purpose and the obstacles keep coming up until you want to give up, then, suddenly, there is a light. You find a solution to that purpose, and you accomplish it. 

Tessa’s change of heart was the purpose that I had finally accomplished. It served a purpose, but it was worthy of my celebration. I hadn’t expected her coming to Nashville to bring good tidings, but it did. I replayed the conversation in my head as I scrolled through the documents. Xavier left my desk. Remembering Tessa’s voice made the task easier, and I couldn’t help but smile until a voice interrupted me. 

I looked up, staring at the bald executive who had the guts to interrupt my ‘alone’ moment. I had forgotten for a minute that I was in the middle of a meeting and they were awaiting my verdict on a project we expected to execute as the official project of Planet O for the quarter year. 

‘Is there something in the documents that you find funny, Mr. Kyle?’ The bald executive asked, peering closely at me. 

I shook my head, pushing down the anger rising in me. I blame the board for preventing me from sacking the man. What was his name again? Monroe or Monty. 

‘Mr. Monty, your project proposal is funny, and I can’t accept it. There are a lot of loopholes in there, and I am certain that you didn’t review it before pushing it to the CFO desk, right?’

He replied, confidence still written on his face. ‘Mr. Xavier didn’t complain about the proposal, so I believe there’s nothing wrong.’

I threw the documents in front of me. ‘Xavier didn’t review it because you refused to show up for the scheduled meetings. Your deadline for resubmission is tomorrow. Don’t be late.’

‘But my team and I spent months working on this project. We can’t come up with something between now and tomorrow, sir. You would have to make do with this, please.’ He replied that the confidence mask was down.

‘My decision is final. I need to return to other project proposals. You can leave, Mr. Monty.’

He cleared his throat, standing up. ‘If I can’t submit the proposal tomorrow, what happens?’

I smiled, taking out my phone. ‘You can forget you have a job here, Mr. Monty. I should have fired you a long time ago, but the board feels you are still useful to Planet O. I think you've outlived your usefulness.’

He started saying something and stormed off, closing the door with a bang. I had a sudden feeling that he was going to do something stupid, so I sent a text to the human resources manager to start a termination letter and be ready to send it to him once he fails to meet the deadline.

I returned to the documents, read through them, and then reviewed the financial statement to ensure no one was trying to play smart with me. After Avaline and my mom’s shenanigans in King’s company, I learned a tough lesson: never let your guard down. 

I opened the message, smiling as I read it. It was a reminder of my return ticket to London. Sharon had booked the ticket during the weekend and sent the confirmation mail.

I replied, I will be in London by tomorrow’s night. Prepare for my arrival, Tessa.

I waited for a few minutes for her response, but it didn’t come. I stood up, picked up my suit, and left the office. I had a business meeting with Xavier and a client who needed King’s services. I shouldn’t be in charge of these duties anymore, but Xavier would do anything to make me sit through a boring lunch meeting as punishment for making him work extra hours while I was in the hospital. 

Her message popped up as I took a cab to the restaurant for the scheduled meeting. Sometimes, I wanted to live a normal life and not have a chauffeur and a guard protecting me. I knew I should be careful after the incident, but I was tired of staying caged.

I returned my focus to the message as the cab stopped at the restaurant. I am prepared, Kyle. I have missed you. I can’t believe we saw it a it a few days ago; it feels like a year already.

Me: Just hold on for one more day, dear. I have missed you too. 

She sent a love emoji and promised to call later in the night. That was her way of saying, ‘Duty calls.’ I read through our messages again and returned my phone to my suit pocket. Tessa was my addiction. I never knew how much she controlled my feelings until I caught myself losing attention during meetings, just like earlier today with Mr. Monty.

I steadied my thoughts and walked into the restaurant. Everything about Tessa was suppressed as I noticed Xavier with the client. Someone I wasn’t expecting. Uncle David. The last time I saw him was last year, before he went behind my back and sold his shares to Tessa. I hadn’t forgiven him for the backstabbing.

‘I didn’t know we were having a meeting with the biggest backstabber of all time.’ I said, not minding the coldness in my tone. ‘When did you return home, Uncle? David, or do you prefer backstabber?’

He smiled, holding my gaze. ‘I take it that you didn’t appreciate what I did for our company. You were out of town, and there was a lot of chaos. The shareholders and top clients were complaining seriously about the company’s state. I had to do something, and Tessa’s money was too good to overlook.’

‘So, you decided to backstab your nephew, and you didn’t even have the balls to tell me before fleeing the country? I shouldn’t have trusted you. My mom has been right about you all along.’

‘She wasn’t right. I did what was best for you and me. I couldn’t lose my investment, Kyle. You know how much stake I had in the D&K company.’

I scoffed. ‘What about me? I lost everything, and I had to start from scratch. If not for Xavier’s helpful insights, I wouldn’t have recovered from your backstabbing.’

He sighed. ‘I am sorry, Kyle. Let’s forgive and forget the past. I am working on a project, but the FBI keeps jumping into my business. I need your connections to take them off my back, please. They have solid evidence to close down this project, and I can’t lose my investment.’

I stood up, looking at him. ‘I am not helping you with anything, Uncle David. Xavier, I am out.’ 

Xavier held my hands. ‘Kyle, let’s help him. The FBI has been on his neck, and you can’t turn your back on him now. Remember how he helped with King’s company?

I shoved his hands off. ‘Deal with him, then. I'm out of here.’

I tuned off Xavier’s calls as I stormed off. I'm not a person who forgives easily.