Ayan's dream has always been to be a songwriter and singer, but he was forced to take over as the CEO of his mother's record company when she passed away. Now Ayan's dream had been reduced to singing in a bar a few times a week under the name Ray. A...
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AYAN
Walking into the office side by side, I could feel the intense stares and the hushed whispers. My knees are shaking and I fear I was going to topple over if not for Sand who kept his tight grip on my waist, not even flinching or faltering with the attention. Drawing strength from his determination, I made sure my CEO mask was in place before Sand and I opened the door to the meeting room.
The PR team and the marketing team are all in here with the heads of all other departments. Thua stood up, giving up the place he previously occupied to me and he stood by my side. His expression was grave but his eyes let me know he was going to be supportive of me. Sand took his seat beside his manager who had the same grim expression but no one dared to say the first words in my presence.
The day was long and I was terribly exhausted by the end of it. The press conference had been arranged and the PR team worked hard to try to dissuade the negative reactions as much as they could. Sand had taken it upon himself to order food and coffee for everyone and he tried to stay calm through it all, reviewing with the legal team all his subsisting contracts and coming up with possible solutions.
I've been fending off the disgruntled investors and have gritted my teeth and stopped myself from cursing at the old ones who used my age as a reason to blame for my chaotic personal life. The disapproval dripped from their tones but I managed to convince them to give us three days to do some damage control before they make hasty decisions. I'm not afraid for myself but I don't want the company that my mom had built to crumble because of my choices. There are hundreds of employees whose livelihood is at stake here.
"Talk to me Aye," Thua stood beside me in my office as I looked down, the employees still buzzing around despite it being after office hours.
"Maybe we have to prepare for the inevitable possibility that I have to step down Thua. Would you be willing to take over my position if that happens? I want someone I can trust to run my mother's company, not some stranger. I know you'd continue it the way I've always envisioned," I said softly.
"I will for you if you need me to Aye but are you sure this is the right choice for you? You still have a chance to change your mind. Is it worth it?" He gently queried.
I looked down at Sand sitting still with his manager in the meeting room listening intently to the lawyers. The glass walls allowed me a perfect view of the handsome but stoic face.
"He is worth it. I can't let him down, Thua. Look at him sitting through all this, not even caring what will happen to his career," I replied through the pain in my heart for the man who is throwing away his good life to stay by my side.
"So are you, Ayan. This is your mother's legacy. Whether you like to admit it or not, you are a talented businessman. You were meant to run this company. But you are willing to hand it to me just to stay by his side," Thua responded.
