A Gust of Christmas Peril

Chapter Four - A Christmas Miracle

It pours and pours and pours
And then it breezes

Anticipation filled Ingrid’s heart as she waited for the new year. And although she wanted so badly for this terrible year to end, that would also mean an end to the company.

She needed information, but who would give her the compendium of the happenings at the company when her uncle always kept her at arms length. He did this so subtly that it would be difficult to notice by a less observant person.

Joel Johnson had weaseled his way from being a cog in the machine to the Acting Chief Executive Officer. Originally, he was supposed to assist Ingrid until she was mature enough to handle the business. With the company on the brink of collapse however, redemption seemed close to impossible.

As the gears in her head started moving however, she found a solution which could potentially land her in trouble.

“What is my line up for today Mary?” Ingrid asked the jittery secretary in front of her.

“You have a meeting with one of the investors. There is also the papers of the consignment which need to be approved.”

“This investor, is he anyone I know?”

“Well, he said to be a bureaucrat abroad. Not much is known about him, except that he is a resource personnel who wants to know the extent of the loses.”

“Could you re-schedule that meeting? It is enough that I have to go over these consignment papers.”

In essence, she had only said that to prepare for the discourse. Her father had informed her he would extend his help . This investor was well versed in the field of business and was willing to help the corporation. Of course, business deals like these were always looked appealing on the surface but most of the time, it was a decoy at taking undue advantage of the victim.

Barely five minutes later, she received a call from her uncle. “Ingrid come to my office this minute.” The singular sentence left a few strands of her hair standing. It was rare for her to receive a call from her uncle, and when she did; it was usually serious.

Her stomach churned at the thought that he may have discovered the little device that she planted a week before when curiosity got the best of her. She was quite surprised to see the back of an unfamiliar man when she stood before  the plain glass door in front of her uncle’s office. She instinctively knocked and her uncle beckoned her in.

Ingrid felt her breath hitch in her throat when the man turned around. He had slick jet black hair which stood out from his harmonious face. The leathery coat on his blouse screamed nothing short of money; old money perhaps. He couldn’t have been from this place. He was just ethereal and so surreal.

“Ing…” She heard the distant voice of his uncle who was obviously seething with anger.

The truth in fact was that the man had offered his hand to Ingrid for a handshake, but she being too occupied by her inspection failed to reciprocate the gesture.

When he drew near to offer his hand a second time, the perfumed cologne of he wore breezed through her nostrils and she could have forgotten her problems right there.

“Cleopas.” She heard him say. “I suppose that you are Ingrid?”

“Yes.” Her name on his lips sounded euphonious.

“Your secretary called to cancel the meeting with Mr. McKenzie?”

“Not to cancel but to postpone. Is he the investor?” She asked innocently.

When her uncle told her about the investor, she thought that she would be in a meeting with one balded-gray haired man whose teeth were nearly falling out.

“Actually, he is the son of Mr. McKenzie who also happens to be a Brigadier General. Mr. McKenzie junior would be giving you legal advice from now. He is well versed in the area of business and would be aiding our ailing company.”

“And what does the gentleman expect in return?” Ingrid asks looking closely at Cleopas.

“Let’s get this business out of this mess and then we would talk more about the disbursement.” He replies.

“Fair enough.” Mutters Ingrid.

“Dear, why don’t you give him a tour of the whole building?”

“Sure uncle.”