Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Meet Your Maker
LEILANI’S POV
I tucked the dark brown curl of my hair behind my ear as I waited for my father to get to his office. After our meeting yesterday, I dedicated my night to gathering notes of what I wanted to do with William Corp and converted them into a legible business plan. If I got this position, then I might just have to thank Alexa for changing his mind about women in the workplace.
The thought of thanking Alexa for anything left a lump of vomit in my throat, but regardless of how I felt the truth was I owed her. She could have suggested anyone, including herself, and despite my hate for the woman she had gotten my father to take me seriously.
The elevator doors opened, and my father exited, a packet in his hands as his dark green eyes scanned the form with precision. I probably should have called before showing up, but if I plan on becoming the next CEO then I needed to act like it. I didn’t need to call when I wanted a meeting, I showed up and demanded to be seen. I had to show him that I was serious, and I demand to be taken seriously.
“Father,” I said getting his attention.
He looked up briefly from the document and smiled as my face came into his vision. He walked toward me, his eyes still down on the document as he placed a kiss against my forehead. He often did that as a greeting when he didn’t have time to as he would say ‘entertain me’.
Instead of allowing my normal hot-headed nature to take over, I set the file that I had spent last night creating on his desk. I placed my hands behind my back waiting for his eyes to drift to the work that I had created.
I had taken serval ideas from what I planned for my own business and added them to this plan for Williams Corp. There was no need for me to create my own company when my hands would be full upgrading this one.
“What’s this?” he asked, pointing to the file.
“A business plan for Williams Corp. I made it last night and it’s a plan of what I want to do with the company when I take over,” I explained.
There was no need for me to beat around the bush, I was the best candidate for the job. Alexa had said so herself. Who better to control a company than someone whose family had been invested in the company? There was no need for either one of us to waste any more time. I was prepared to get started immediately and the sooner the better.
“When you take over? Lei, I said that I would consider it, not that you were my successor,” he said.
I could feel myself getting more irritated by the minute with him. Last night we had agreed that if I were nicer to Alexa then I would be considered, and I haven’t been my usual rude self when it comes to her. When I called my father last night and she answered, I didn’t insult her like normal. Besides, who could he possibly be thinking of letting have the company?
“Who is better fit to run the company than me?” I asked.
“Ares Bateman. He gave me an offer that’s nearly impossible to refuse. He’s willing to take over the company, pay for my retirement party and pay me for my early retirement. Does it get any better than that?” he said with a slight smile.
I didn’t know too much about Ares Bateman, but what I did know was that he had a reputation for buying companies and making them into an extension of his own. He wasn’t going to make Williams Corp better; he was going to gut it and make it another Bateman original. He didn’t care about the company, not like I did.
“Do you think that he cares about this company? Do you think he’ll make it better or just tear it down and build what he wants?” I asked.
“Regardless of his plans for Williams Corp, he’ll take this company to a level that I never could. Name one business he’s purchased that hasn’t become an immediate success.”
“Name one business he’s purchased that you remember its original owner. Dad, selling to him would be destroying everything that you and Grandpa built.”
He had to see the severity of his decision. Ares Bateman may be able to take Williams Corp to an entirely new level of success, but it wouldn’t be the same business that we knew today. He would change and make it his company and my family’s legacy would be a thing of the past. How could my father not see this? The man I knew would rather die working for something our family built than sell out and give anything to Ares Bateman.
“Dad, you don’t have to decide now, but just look at my proposal before you go making any rash decisions.”
My father finally placed the packet he had in his hands down. I could see why he was on Ares Bateman’s side, because from what I could see he was being a very generous man toward my father. If we weren’t as well off as we were I would’ve told my father selling would have been a no-brainer.
“I’ll give it a look, but don’t get your hopes up. If Bateman is serious about this offer then I’d be a fool to turn him down,” my father explained.
I couldn’t disagree with him. He was right, financially this was a good move. All the money that he saved for retirement could remain untouched and Bateman was also willing to add another lump sum of money on top of what my father already had.
I nodded and walked to the elevator, leaving before he could change his mind. I had other business to attend to anyway. I needed to find out whom the hell Ares Bateman thought he was trying to buy my father’s company. It was hard enough getting him to consider me as a contender and now with a proposition like Ares Bateman, he had my chances that much lower.
The elevator door made a ding sound as the doors opened onto the main floor. I had decided to ditch the chauffeur today and drive myself. What was the point of having a license if I never used it?
“Leaving so soon, Miss Williams?” Jeffery asked.
“Yeah, I had another obligation. Please see to it that my father takes a break today and tell him that it was an order from me,” I said.
Jeffery chuckled and nodded, agreeing to my terms. After my grandfather died, Jeffery had become that figure for us. He had been one of grandfather’s closest friends and it felt like having a little piece of him still around.
“Will do but promise me that you’ll stay out of trouble.”
When I was younger I used to think that Jeffery and my grandfather had a sixth sense where they knew just what I was up to without actually knowing. There had been too many instances where they had warned me about something that I was about to do when I had told no one of my plans.
“Don’t I always,” I simply replied.
He chuckled once more, and I exited the glass building. I walked to my car pressing the alarm to unlock the doors. I got in and leaned my back against the driver’s seat as I began my search on Ares Bateman.
I need to find out how to get him to back off from my father’s company. I had waited years for this opportunity, and I’ll be d*mned if some undeserving a*shole with a hefty bank account would take this from me.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone