Billionaire Blaze, page 40
“Well, now that we’re all present, shall we begin?” Sarai asked. Again there were looks of surprise, many of the investors looking at Henry like they wanted to ask where Lukas was. None of them got a chance to comment on it as Sarai took it on herself to introduce everyone in the room swiftly.
She didn’t give titles or reasons why anyone was there, simply giving first names on the off chance people hadn’t met yet. I recognized about half of the investors from the showcase, and Daniel was clearly on good terms with a couple more. The final two, a lady named Kate and a guy named Merrik, had been the most surprised that Lukas wasn’t present.
Sarai spent the best part of the next hour going over the plans. In the two weeks I had been gone, a few pieces of land and a struggling vacation park near New York had all been found as potential sites. On top of that, some of the drawings from the previous project had been modified to give a rough idea of how all three could be adapted.
It was impressive but no one else appeared to be fazed by it at all. I looked around the table at the investors multiple times, and they were almost not paying attention at all. I wasn’t sure how Sarai continued to talk to people who weren’t engaged.
“This is all well and good, but we believed Lukas would be joining us and making his part in this project more clear,” one of them said when Sarai took a breath.
“I’m here to represent him,” Henry replied without missing a beat. “I assure you he will be involved and take an interest personally in your interests. Everything from today’s meeting will be passed on to him and he will be taking the entire process on from start to finish.”
This seemed to satisfy them for the moment, but I got the impression this was far from over. They wanted Lukas, and no doubt I was the only reason why he wasn’t present.
CHAPTER NINETY-SEVEN
Lukas
With Henry at the meeting with the investors and no one left to keep me calm, I couldn’t help but pace. I was in an office nearby, Sarai wanting me close. Partially in case Kit changed her mind and let me attend the meeting, and partially in case I was needed right after.
Sarai had been a little worried that the investors wouldn’t be happy without me, but I’d promised Kit I wouldn’t be anywhere she didn’t want me, and everyone had agreed not to tell Kit how much it mattered for me to be there. I knew it added pressure and stress, but I didn’t want this to fail.
I’d already considered what I would do on the small chance they would refuse to have the meeting without me, but I was fairly confident it wasn’t necessary. Not if the investors had any sense. I had given them my word that I would handle this project. This should just be a passing of information on what the investors could expect from their money.
None of that was what I was thinking about. I had learned Kit knew I was behind everything and hadn’t asked anything other than about Jennifer and my past. After all that, I had hoped she would understand and forgive me for everything.
Instead she had spent two weeks in England, came back and said nothing at all. I was desperate for her to forgive me, but I knew I had to wait for the right moment. At least, I hoped there would be a right time to get her back and show her I was sorry and had misunderstood a situation.
No matter how much I thought about it, I knew there was nothing I could do right now. I just hoped she was okay and the rest of the team could handle the meeting for me.
A buzz from my phone made me jump. I’d put it down on Sarai’s desk in the hope that I wouldn’t keep checking the time and making myself more anxious. Now, I hurried back to it and checked what I was being told. There was a message from Henry.
They aren’t happy you’re not here. Even Kit is picking up on it. We might need you.
I frowned. Sarai had feared this, but the rest of us had reassured her. I hated the idea of being wrong on this one.
Are you sure? What are they worried about? Would Kit mind if I came in?
Although I wanted the answer to be yes, I had to assume it would be a no and try to figure out how to fix this another way. I’d keep my promise to Kit if I needed to. I had to try, at least.
As I considered the problem, I pulled a piece of paper toward myself and jotted down thoughts, as I always did in this sort of predicament. If the investors were worried, then I needed to reassure them somehow. And I had to put it into words the investors would understand.
I was still working on my proposal when I received another message from Henry.
They think you’re not taking this seriously. That you won’t be as involved as they want, and other minor concerns. They’re also not being very polite to Kit. Like they think she’s an amateur. I don’t know if she’d want you to be here. I think you might want to get in here, but I know you want to keep your promise. We were all wrong.
It was more information for me to go on in wording my proposal, but it was also a sign we were losing control. I knew I couldn’t break my promise, however. If Kit didn’t want to bring me in, then I was going to rescue it as best as I could from somewhere else.
I was most of the way through an email to Henry that would hopefully clear up why I wasn’t there, even if it was a lie, reiterate that I didn’t want to miss the meeting but I felt the people in the meeting presently were all very good at what they did and could be trusted to carry my voice.
As I thought about how to phrase a particular section and try to convince the investors not to pull out after all the effort we had put in, I was disturbed by yet another buzz.
We need you. Kit agrees. Even she is asking if we can get you in the meeting.
For a fraction of a second I couldn’t process what Henry was telling me. I was losing the project that would keep Kit in the US, and she was finally letting me into the room with her? I didn’t know whether to be happy or upset but I grabbed my notes and took a glance at myself in a mirror Sarai had by her door before I hurried through.
I wasn’t the most presentable I had ever been, but it would suffice. I could appear a little distressed and as if I had rushed. I wasn’t planning on letting the investors push anyone around and sometimes, even when they knew their money was needed, they had to be reminded this was our dream, and if they chose not to be onboard, they would only delay us, not stop us.
It wasn’t a huge threat. Some of them might be happy with leaving the project alone and not being involved, but given the press on the last project and Richard’s early figures, we were showing a good track record. They truly were getting their panties in a bundle simply because I wasn’t there.
Although I had hurried to get there, I slowed before I opened the door and walked into the room.
“My apologies for not being here sooner. I had an important matter to attend to with another client and assumed when Henry told you he was capable of speaking for me you would understand it to be true. I trust all the people in this room to do their jobs or I wouldn’t be working with them.”
“We understand you’re a busy man, but we believe this project deserves your time and dedication as well,” one of the women replied, crossing her arms.
“You misunderstand me. Sending Henry here rather than using him elsewhere was giving you the best of my time that I could in the moment. This project will get everything it needs from me and the best of them. Either you trust my faith in them or you don’t. If the latter is true, then I suggest you leave now.” I also crossed my arms, making it clear their doubt angered me.
For a few seconds no one spoke, until Sarai stepped forward. “If no one else wants to complain about Lukas, perhaps we can get on with talking about how this will be handled. There are several stages we want to make happen at the same time to cut down on the length of the project and make sure we are delivering your returns as swiftly as we can.”
Sarai kept the investors’ attention for the next few minutes, but it was clear they were still upset about me not being here at the beginning and the way they had been spoken to. I tried not to worry about it, and let Sarai continue her talk. I had no seat, however, and I knew Kit was in the room.
I wasn’t sure I dared to look at her, but when I finally did, I met her gaze. She gave me a half smile before she looked away again. It was a much kinder reaction to my presence than I had been expecting, and I relaxed a little more. I took it as a good sign and leaned against the wall, out of the way.
I had hoped just being in the room and present would have been enough to deter any more trouble from the investors, but when Sarai began talking about the interior design and how well it had gone with the previous project, she was interrupted.
“This is another matter we all have concerns about,” the same investor who had shown her anger at me spoke up. “We don’t understand why you would choose to use an inexperienced amateur from another country when there are many good interior designers we all know and trust. We’ve made a list of alternatives we’d like you to consider.”
Silence fell in the room, and even I didn’t know what to say. Sarai’s mouth fell open. No one had expected them to be so rude about Kit while she was present.
CHAPTER NINETY-EIGHT
Kit
Being insulted during the investors’ meeting hadn’t been something I had expected. While I knew I had the least experience of everyone present, I’d felt like I had done a good job.
“Excuse me?” Sarai said. “You’ve brought a list of alternatives, at this stage in the process and to this meeting?”
“We have. We think it’s important that this concern is addressed right now, especially as we understand you’ve opted to give a continuous cut of the profits to ensure you get a good performance from whoever takes this role.”
Lukas stepped forward. “I’ve given some of my usual profit share. No more is being taken from any of you than you would normally be asked.”
“Be that as it may, our opinion still stands. We will all make more money if every element of this project is handled with the same level of care and attention you give us.”
I wasn’t sure what to do or say. I’d begun shaking, both angry and humiliated that this conversation was going on right in front of me. Daniel reached across and patted my hand.
“I think you should probably hear how Kit has been handling this before you write her off.” Daniel looked only at me as he spoke. “She’s more than capable of speaking for herself.”
There were a few frowns and confused faces, but Sarai immediately nodded. “Yes, before you interrupted me, I was about to hand over to Kit herself to have her tell you of the research and the items she’s already managed to source in preparation. Unlike the last project, she will be involved with us the whole way through.”
As soon as Sarai finished speaking, I got to my feet. Two of the men gasped and the woman who had made the comments put her hand over her mouth.
“I’d like to introduce Kit, our interior designer,” Lukas said, also moving closer to me. “It seems some of you weren’t aware she was in the room and doing everything she could to also reassure you about this project.”
“I apologize for saying such negative things in front of you.” The woman got up as everyone else tried to compose themselves. “That said, before you continue trying to tell us about your involvement, our concerns still stand. As much as you have done a good job with one project, you have no track record.”
Before I could respond, Lukas opened the door to the room.
“Then leave. Because Kit is our interior designer. I won’t do this project without her. In a few months she has already shown me she is one of the most capable people I know at her craft. She’s hard working, skilled, and as far as I am concerned worth more than every single one of you are put together. If you don’t like that, get out.”
Even I was surprised by the anger in Lukas’ demeanor and voice. No one moved, but the investors looked between each other like they couldn’t quite believe how they had been spoken to.
“I personally invited every single one of you into this project, and each of you gave me your word you would invest and trust me with whatever I felt was worth my time. I haven’t steered one of you wrong. Kit will be our interior designer. I chose her myself, and I’ll choose her again and again, until you have that track record you think you need.”
Slowly, the woman who had spoken sat back down again. I wasn’t sure how I was going to carry on, but Lukas also shut the door and Sarai gave me a nod. Somehow I managed to talk about everything I had done so far, keeping succinct, but making it clear I was taking all my experience, the feedback and criticism I’d already received and was going to ensure this project was better.
As soon as I sat down, Sarai took back over again and moved on to the rest of the project. Daniel was next to talk about why he was involved, what he brought to the table. To my surprise, he was also investing his money and he expected no other return than that gained him. He was lending his expertise and fame simply to ensure the return was as high as possible.
Henry went next, doing his part for Lukas, even though Lukas was now present. It was almost like Lukas refused to do more than be present for the investors and ensure the rest of the meeting went well. Slowly, I calmed, but I felt on edge.
Every time I glanced at Lukas, he was staring at me. The first few times, I had smiled, but I was more nervous and self-conscious with each subsequent look. It seemed he couldn’t take his eyes off me. I had appreciated that he had done everything to stand up for me and make sure I was still involved, but was there more to this?
I couldn’t wait for the meeting to end, not least of all because I wanted to be somewhere other than under the gaze of everyone while in a room with my ex, but the investors were also awkward.
By the end of the meeting, I knew Sarai was supposed to be collecting the rest of the funds from the investors and securing the next part of the project. When we had come into this meeting it had been assumed that none of them would say no or be awkward. Now, I wasn’t so sure.
Despite my fear, Sarai pulled out the contract and the bank details for the rest of the money to be transferred into. Once this meeting was over, it would be very difficult for any of them to object to anything unless it was in direct contradiction to something in the contract.
To my surprise, several of the investors quickly took the contract, flicked through it and signed. The rest took a little more time, but only because they appeared to be reading it to be sure. The only person who didn’t simply get on with it was the most vocal of them. It made me fear that she intended to pull out.
Again, Daniel was given a contract, and he quickly read through it and signed his money over. He was then the first to actually transfer the funds as well.
Although I wasn’t sure I was needed for the rest of this meeting, I didn’t leave my seat again. Henry and the others were still here as well, and I appreciated having them around.
Sarai collected up the documents once signed, and her assistant helped people transfer funds. Finally, Lukas opened the door as the first of the investors decided they were done. At this point everyone else got up and I followed suit, trusting there was some sort of significance to this.
The investors shook all our hands before leaving and I finally understood. Several of them apologized to me before they went to Lukas last. He had longer conversations with each investor, but it seemed to clear the air and they all left far happier than they had been in the meeting.
At last, there was only one woman left, and she had gained Sarai’s attention already, our project leader taking it on herself to tackle the awkward investor. As soon as I looked over at them, Sarai beckoned me over.
Although I didn’t want to go, I knew my alternative was to stand around looking like an idiot or go past Lukas to leave the room. Neither option seemed to be particularly appealing.
I went over to them and Sarai immediately walked away. Not having any idea what to say to this woman, I simply didn’t, waiting for her to speak.
“It seems I owe you an apology. While I shouldn’t lose sight of making sure my money is well invested, Lukas was right about one thing. I have always trusted him in the past. He seems to think incredibly highly of you. And he worked with you most recently. If he trusts you, then I will as well. Assuming you can forgive me and allow me to still work on this with you.”
Although part of me wanted to be childish about this and tell her to go shove her money where the sun didn’t shine, I knew I couldn’t.
“Apology accepted. If Lukas also came to you to ask you to be involved, I trust him.” This time I reached out to offer her my hand. She took it and smiled.
Without much more hesitation, she signed the contract and finally worked on getting her money transferred over. I backed off again, considering how this meeting had gone from almost entirely awful to a positive end. If it hadn’t been for Lukas, this whole deal might have fallen apart. I owed him for the whole project in so many ways.
CHAPTER NINETY-NINE
Lukas
It took all my self-control to stay in the room with everyone and wait to see what Kit would do. She had been polite, said goodbye to the majority of the investors, but now just Anna was left and Kit had walked away from her to stand elsewhere.
Henry and Daniel were both deep in conversation, and the other two PAs were talking to each other out of the way, leaving Sarai to close the final piece of business again. There was only Kit and I who were not talking to anyone, but I had made her a promise and I knew it was time I left.
Although I wanted to wait to say goodbye to Anna, I also knew I had no real reason to stay. I slipped out of the room, not even daring to look at Kit before I did.
I’d only walked a few yards down the corridor when I heard footsteps behind me.
“Lukas, wait,” Kit called.
I didn’t need her to ask twice. She came right up to me, a familiar blush on her cheeks and her hands wringing together in a way that made me want to reach out and take them in mine.
