Chapter 3: The Meeting

"The meetings can be a lot of fun or they can be frustrating."

-Bob Weir-

***

“This man is Ezra Stuart. He is the person who will be assisting you in the business. He used to work for your late husband when he was alive. Now he will work for you. You can trust him. He is one of the most reliable man in the business.” It was what the lawyer told her but meeting the man in person gave her an entirely different perception.

This man was as cold as an ice cube. He wore one of those posh square glasses and dressed in a gray suit that did not really suit his warm complexion. It was not the worst part.

There was something about his gaze that made Victoria felt uncomfortable when she saw him for the first time. He looked intimidating. He couldn’t intimidate her, of course.

Her previous life before she met Wilfred had allowed her to meet all kind of people, even the difficult ones. She was a pianist. She dealt with music but she also needed connections to broadcast her talent. Not all those who loved what she loved were her kind of people.

The moment she saw Ezra, she was not sure if the two of them would be getting along well.

“Mrs. Darlington. My name is Ezra Stuart. I am sorry for your loss. Wilfred was an amazing, competent boss and leader to me. Having him gone is a tragedy both for you and this company" He paused, pretending to be sad.

"Now he left this empire in your care. Hopefully you know what you are supposed to do.” He introduced himself, gave his condolences while threatening her at the same time. Yes, definitely a difficult man to deal with.

“I heard my husband left you to assist me with the business. I am looking forward to working with you.” She reached out her hand and the man took it, but with a disguised displeased face.

“Have you ever had any experience running a business before, Mrs. Darlington?”

“No, I’ve never had. But I’m sure I can learn and I am a fast learner. You just need to teach me once and I will be on my way.” She replied back with a firm voice.

“Great, that would surely assure me.” He made a sarcastic remark.

“Patience, Victoria. This is only the beginning. You’ll be fine.” She reminded herself. Soon after, they all went to the meeting room where she will be meeting several important people related to the business.

Victoria was not sure what to expect. She already had a brief earlier with Ezra and he explained everything about these people. Yet, meeting them in person would be an entirely different story.

The room was opened and five men entered the room. She was the only woman there. Victoria was not used to this kind of environment but she was trying her best at the moment.

She greeted each one of them before starting the meeting. It was during this time when she noticed one of the seat was empty. She turned to Ezra, asking him why there was six chairs instead of five.

The man did not answer and just stared at her for a few seconds until she decided to drop it off. It was better for her to figure things out herself than relying on this man.

“As you know, my former husband, Wilfred Darlington has passed away. As his wife and upon his request, I will be in charge of the business now. I know all of you, but I also know none of you know me yet. That’s why, I would like you to give me a chance to prove myself and maintain good relationship within our business.” She stated.

“Wilfred was a great man. He was one of the best magnate I have ever dealt with. Can you do the business like he does, Mrs. Darlington?” One of them raised question.

“No. I won’t do the business like him. I will do it better than him. If you would just give me some time to navigate everything within the company. You will not be disappointed.” She declared. It was a rather bold claim and the men exchanged gazes with each other as if they were thinking the same thing.

“Since this is our first meeting, I would like to give each of you a little gift.” A man walked into the room and handed each one of them a box.

“Now, please open it.” She told them. The men were curious of what was actually inside and when they did, they saw a watch on each box. Each of them could easily cost around ten thousand dollars.

They were startled by this move. It wasn’t something they expected. Not even Ezra was aware of this. She had taken money out of her own pocket for this business meeting since first impression was everything.

If Wilfred wanted her to meet these five people, they must be important and she wanted to be in a good term with them as much as possible.

“Consider it a small gift from my side. As long as you give me your help, I promise there will be more money coming to the company, which means increased share for all of you.” Her method was unconventional and unexpected coming from a female leader.

It scared them a little because they had previously thought she was just a good for nothing, spoilt trophy wife of Wilfred. Each of them nodded as they closed the box.

“I think I’m starting to like you, Mrs. Darlington. I have huge faith for the business now that’s it in your hand. Hopefully you won’t disappoint.” Another man spoke.

“It should be the same on your end, gentleman. So, are we good?” It was probably the shortest meeting they ever attended.

It was expected since it was just a meeting to introduce her as the new head of the company. She did not prepare any toast since she was still in the mourning period.

Besides, she wanted to remain sober during the meeting. She thought of ending it sooner since they no longer had anything to mention besides the report which will be handled later. However, as she was about to dismiss the group, the door suddenly burst open.

“Pardon me for being late. It seems like I have missed all the important part.” A familiar face walked inside the room and Victoria’s eyes widened in surprise.

It was none other than Octavian Carlson. The man she had met at his funeral.

“What is he doing here?” Victoria asked Ezra and this time she used a more intimidating tone. Ezra finally answered.

“One of the invitation given was to Mr. Carlson and I cannot give you his data in advance because I cannot find much information about him. However, I know he was working with Wilfred and he’s one of the six people he wanted you to meet.” Somehow, he sounded a bit more nervous than before.

“Mrs. Darlington. It is a pleasure to see you again.” Ian held out his hand for a handshake and Victoria had to took it even though she was a bit hesitant. His hold was firm and she could tell he was quite a confident man.

“Mr. Carlson. I wasn’t expecting you to be here but I guess since you’re here, might as well have a seat.”

She gestured at the empty seat and he took a seat. Ian took a moment to observe his surrounding and saw the watch in the men’s hands.

“Oh, I see you have prepared a little gift for the gentlemen here.”

“I didn’t know you were coming, so I didn’t prepare one for you. I’m sorry.” She apologized. Ian shook his head.

“No, no. There is no need for you to apologize. I am the man here. You should be the one receiving the gifts. In fact, I do have a little something for you. Consider it a gift for our newfound partnership.”

He pulled out a box from his bag and it was a watch. Only this time, it was not a ten-thousand dollars watch, It was worth forty thousand dollars.

“Who would have thought we would be moving in the same frequency, Mrs. Darlington. You have these men watches and I give you one. What a coincidence.” He remarked.

“Gentlemen. Thank you for coming here. If you don’t mind, I would like to have a private conversation with Mr. Carlson right here.” The men stared at each other again before rising from their seat and excused themselves. It was finally just Victoria, Ezra and him.

“Who are you, Mr. Carlson and what exactly are you doing here?”