Alpha Nocturne’s Contracted Mate by A E Randell
Chapter 87 Rebuild The Reputation
Ann and Adam made their way to the front of the building to wait for Eva and Matteus.
Even when she glanced back over her shoulder, she still couldn’t believe that this building was now hers.
She wasn’t exactly sure how she was going to fill all the floors, as her staff team was only small, but at least now, she had room to expand and consider other avenues to explore. She had always had an entrepreneurial mindset, and Adam did nothing but encourage her to explore all of the possibilities.
“You’re going to have to think of a name for the company you know,” Adam said with a sly grin. “It would be better if you thought of a corporate name first so that when you expand in other areas, they can be listed under the same umbrella.”
Ann nodded thoughtfully as she squinted up at the dazzling sight of the building. It would make sense to make this the corporate headquarters, after all, it was big enough, and then each floor could be dedicated to various departments.
She would have to sort out an accountant and the HR department, but that could wait until she was more established.
“You’re right. I suppose being the CEO of my own corporation is a pretty big step up from management in an offshoot company.” She chuckled. “I’ll have to give it some thought though, I should probably brainstorm a little before I settle on anything.”
Adam nodded as he wrapped his arm around her with a grin.
“Take as much time as you need. Let’s get the f*uc*kery with your step-sister out of the way, and the Elder Council, then we can think about things seriously. How does that sound?”
“Sounds like a solid plan to me.” Ann grinned up at him. They stood in silence for a little while, watching the afternoon traffic of the surrounding business district as they waited for Eva and Matteus’s arrival.
A few cars slowed down as they passed them, and they were fairly sure that it was owners of the nearby buildings dropping by to see who had managed to afford such a prominent position in the city and perhaps try to work out if they were a threat to their own businesses.
Before long, a car pulled up and Eva jumped out of the passenger seat, closely followed by Matteus.
Eva waved exuberantly as she hurried over to them and passed them both a coffee out of the carton that she had been carrying.
“I couldn’t very well come here without coffee for you now, could I?” Eva grinned brightly.
“Honestly, there was no need, Eva.” Ann admonished light-heartedly as Adam stepped aside to talk quietly with Matteus.
“Nonsense, I’m treating this as our first business meeting or… crisis meeting I guess. We can’t do that without coffee now can we?”
“I guess not.” Ann chuckled.
“I won’t be continuing on at your father’s company if you aren’t there Ann, if and when you decide to rebrand, I’m kind of hoping that you’ll still have a position for me as your personal secretary,” Eva said, her voice trailing off a little at the end.
“Well, I don’t think you’ll have to wait too long, Eva, you’re looking at the new company offices.”
Ann smirked as Eva’s eyes widened as she took in the enormous glassbuilding in front of her.
“Seriously?! You’ve already managed to secure new premises?” she gasped in disbelief.
“Actually, Adam did. So now I just have to rebrand, come up with a new corporate brand, and decide which areas I want to branch out into.”
“Are you giving up on the specialized real estate then?” Eva asked curiously.
“I don’t think so. It’s a niche market for sure, but there’s always a constant demand.”
“Excellent. Well, if you want to brainstorm…”
“I will, but first I need to sort this issue out with Ada once and for all.” Ann said firmly as she gestured towards the building behind her. “We don’t have a huge amount set up in there yet, but there’s a few tables and chairs dotted about and I think one of the conference rooms should do for us to sit and talk privately.”
“First floor conference room should be a good spot. Matteus has filled me in on a few details and he’ll wait down here to make sure no one enters.” Adam said gruffly as he suddenly appeared at Ann’s side.
The three of them made their way up to the room and Adam closed the door behind them as they all took a seat.
Eva dug around in her pocket for a few moments and lifted the strap of the bag she had slung over her shoulder, placing it on the table.
It wasn’t long before she had the laptop set up and the USB stick plugged in, flicking expertly through the menu’s until she had the video of the incident playing on the screen before them.
They watched in silence as the scene played out, and Adam’s face became darker with each passing second. By the time it had finished, he was positively shaking with fury as he paced backward and forwards.
“I think you need to see what’s out there in the media already, Ann. It’s only been a few hours and already the news sites are picking it up and it’s spreading like wildfire.” Eva said quietly as she opened a long list of saved screenshots she had procured on the way over.
Ann read through the stories impassively, not even surprised at the level of vitriol that was being spewed within the articles.
She snorted loudly and smirked at Eva, who looked at her with a puzzled expression.
“Isn’t this bad though? We should at least say something… anything to try and put some doubt into these people’s minds.” Eva said hesitantly, but Ann just chuckled darkly.
“No, we’ll leave it for a little while longer. I know Ada, she won’t hesitate to appear on interviews to discuss this, and when she does, she’s just digging herself further and further into the mess she’s created.”
“But what about your reputation?”
“I can rebuild my reputation once she’s proven a liar. No… we’ll stay silent on the issue for now. You should know that I’ve been summoned by the Elder council, my father intends to s*tri*p me of my royal title and hand it to Ada.” Ann said nonchalantly as if the news no longer affected her.