Chaebol Topaz: Bastard Son (Book 2)

4장 (AMBW)

Topaz sat in the lady's restroom for what seemed like an eternity, even though it was only about ten minutes. The entire time she was in hiding, she prayed to disappear. Once she regained her composure, Topaz pulled herself together and headed straight for the meeting. Franklin stood in the front, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hiya, everyone. I'm so glad I'll be able to share some exciting changes with you today. As many of you know, we were preparing to work with Choi Technologies International or CTI on our "Mother Earth" campaign. Three weeks ago, I received a call from Mr. Choi requesting to head the campaign and buy out Distributing Online Retail Merchants, Linc. After careful negotiations, as of 12:01 AM this morning, Mr. Jae-hyun Choi is the new owner of DORMlinc.com, Distributing Online Retail Merchants Linc., and all of the company's subsidiaries. Finally, my wife and I can retire peacefully. We wanted to express our sincere gratitude to you for your years of service and the many tireless days you invested in the company. Please join me in giving a warm welcome to your new boss, Mr. Choi." Franklin asked while guiding the team in a round of clapping. He relinquished the meeting over to Jae-hyun as he sat down with tears in his eyes.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I know this may come as a surprise, but I want all of you to know that I have done my research. This team is full of superstars. Because your performance is phenomenal, I can assure you that there is no reason to worry. I understand if there are concerns regarding the change in ownership of the company. Please continue to do the fantastic job for which you are known. I feel confident we will make a smooth transition, and you will all see that any future changes will bolster the company's already high standard of excellence. I thank each of you for coming to the meeting. If you have any questions, please feel free to visit with me, and I will do my best to provide you with an answer." His speech was flawless. Even though there was a noticeable foreign accent, his English was perfect. Everyone in the room seemed somewhat impressed, and a bit soothed. Since the new boss was personable and displayed the characteristics of a genuine leader, the group spoke in cheerful yet hushed tones.

Topaz noticed that he always came back to her no matter where he moved his head during his speech. She also saw every time he looked at her, her heart would skip a beat. Why was he affecting her like this? He stood before the group, looking more like a model than a businessman. He wore a black suit and a black button-up shirt. His watch, belt, and shoes were a dark maroon color.

His hair was parted on the right side and combed to the other side in deep black waves. Topaz moved her gaze down to his face. The perfection of his features stole her breath away. With eyes set wide apart, a delicate nose ideally situated above his plump lips, and cheekbones set high and well-defined, Topaz's struggled to maintain her focus on his speech. His porcelain skin was too perfect for a man, in her opinion. It was the first time she had a chance to examine him without the full attention of other people's eyes watching her every response. What she observed was overwhelming. Jae-hyun was breathtaking. For some reason, she lost the ability to breathe as she followed his every step. She was mesmerized by the tall, muscular man who had to be a high-end fashion model in another life.

Her emotions reeled out of control from shock. Because of the changes in her place of employment and the knowledge that her baby daddy was now her boss, Topaz stumbled a little, feeling light-headed from shock. As she followed the crowd out of the meeting, she lost her balance. Before anyone could prevent her from falling, the floor raced up to meet her. Topaz let out a little yelp the moment a pair of firm hands rescued her from the fall.

She leaned against the security of the noticeable male frames for a moment as she collected herself. Then, still shaken by the experience, Topaz pressed her eyes closed. It wasn't long before her body reminded her of the scent and touch of the man who had taken up residence in her dreams. She knew it was him. With the realization, her nipples instantly went hard, filling her with the sting of embarrassment at her response to him.