"Well, since you all have no objections, let's conclude the meeting. Cindy, please stay back, but the rest of you may leave now." Jacob lowered his head and started sorting out the documents. Since the meeting was a success it mean that he would not have to deal with those troubling matters any longer.
Everyone left, leaving James, Jacob, and Cindy in the conference room. Cindy stretched her arms while making sure that everyone was gone. And once they were out of sight, she closed the door behind them.
"Do you remember everything they said during the meeting?" Jacob asked in a calm voice as he looked at Cindy. James sat down from across him.
"Yes, sir, but I wasn't sure if I would remember everyone's words correctly, so I recorded it. I will listen to the audio later and note down everything that each one of them has said,"
Cindy answered respectfully, even though she could not understand the reason behind Jacob's request. Although some of what the people said during the meeting was a bit unusual, they were only doing it to protect their interests. It was understandable for Cindy.
She just could not understand the CEO's actions, but she trusted him enough to believe that he must have had some reason behind it. Hence, she decided not to think too much of it.
"Okay, once you're done, give me all the materials that you've collected, including the audio tape. The sooner, the better. Do you understand?" Jacob asked, lifting his head and looking her in the eye.
"Yes, sir, I do. I will get started on sorting out the materials, then, Mr. Jacob." Saying that, Cindy gave him a nod and walked out of the conference room.
"What do you think, Uncle James?" Jacob looked at James blankly. His father's death had impacted him greatly, and he still had not moved on yet.
Perhaps, time was the only way to fix things for him. Jacob tried his best not to think about his father's death, but it had happened just a few days ago, and his memories of that terrible day were still fresh.
Since it was such a painful scar in his heart, he just could not let go that easily. He could not understand a lot of things that were going on in his life.
He would never have threatened people like he did during conference, unless he had no choice. In fact, he knew that he had offended everyone at the conference. Although most of them seemed to have understood him, he knew that it was all just temporary.
Hatred was always hiding deep within people's hearts. Hence, Jacob would have to be on guard at all times. After the conference that day, he already knew the kind of attitude that people had towards him taking charge. He decided to harden his defenses against those who were preparing to offend him.
However, some of them were masters in the art of manipulation, so Jacob had to appear intimidating to them and let them know the rules of the company. If not, then he had no way in which he could be successful as a CEO.
"Well, you did a good job, but I wasn't expecting you to announce a reward in the end. Anyway, your words are going to cost the company a fortune, right?"
James asked with a laugh, but he appreciated what Jacob did.
"Uncle James, people who are destined to achieve great success can't be bothering themselves with minor unimportant details. Now that they know that they would be rewarded, their contributions for the company's development are going to be huge... It might even be worth more than their bonuses. I take the money from them, and use it for their own good. You can't say that's wrong, can you?"
Jacob said with a shrug, pretending to be calm. Although things were still quite serious, he felt a strange sense of relief in his heart.
Negotiating with the board that day was not a failure, but a huge success.
"It might not be a good idea for you to be so relaxed about it," James advised. Looking at Jacob, he knew that his life was not smooth. However, he had faith in him and knew that he would find a way to get through the tough phase of life.
"I know, Uncle James. Besides, I can't do these things without your help, so I need you to stick around, okay?" Jacob said in a low voice, patting his uncle on the back.
Once Jacob was back in his office, he felt exhausted. It seemed as though he had used up all of his energy at the conference.
After several exerting days, anyone would be tired. When he was younger, he was able to work for three days without any rest, but now, that seemed impossible to him. Moreover, the moment anger surged in his heart, it ate up all of his energy.
"Okay. Noah has asked us to come over for dinner. He is going to call you, but I am telling you now. So give me a call when you're coming, okay?"
Sara said and looked at Bess. She could not help but blush.
"Okay." Jacob then disconnected the call and began to go through the company's new development plans.
Meanwhile, Bess sat in front of the mirror with hair rollers on her hair. She too was getting a perm done. "Sara, I can't believe that you've changed Jacob so much!"
"It wasn't me who changed him, and I realized that quite recently." Saying that, Sara tilted her head to the side, while she waited. There was no one there with her, except for Bess.
"Then what caused it?" Bess asked in a loud voice, while glancing at the clock. Noah had gone to the company, so they were alone.
"Love can make a childish person turn into an adult. When a man is in love with you, he will want to do everything for you, and thus, would turn into a responsible adult. But if he doesn't then he will remain childish. But it could end up making you feel exhausted."
Sara heaved a sigh and thought, 'Even Jacob used to act like a child, only a very bossy one. But now, he has grown into a man who loves me.'
"All right, I'm so jealous of you guys! As far as I know men can be pretty childish, regardless of how old they may be. Jacob has just learned to be sensible, but Noah has always been kind and sensible, so I don't need to worry about him,"
Bess said with a smile as she glanced at Sara through the mirror.
"You're mocking me because you're luckier than I am, right? I may not have luck on my side, but things are better now that Jacob loves me. I have moved on from our past."
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Ex-wife, Please Come Back