DINNER AND BUSINESS

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

DINNER AND BUSINESS

When I go downstairs, everyone is already seated. Even mom is already dressed in a royal blue long sleeved evening gown, with a diamond sapphire necklace on her bare neck. She looked beautiful beside Dad, who was wearing a white Lacoste shirt and blue jean shorts. Kieran’s dad is in brown Khaki shorts with a nude colored Polo shirt. Aunt Stella is in a beige self-portrait, off-shoulder cloque midi dress.

I walked to the only empty seat. It was the one opposite Kieran. Great.

“I greet our guests with cheek kisses and they shower me with praises of how good I look. I drink it all in. Happy that Kieran’s parents were fawning over me. I chanced a quick glance at him but he was on his phone, not even annoyed.

Ugh

“We already exchanged greetings earlier.” I said to him as I took my seat opposite him. Because there’s no way I’m going to be cheek kissing Kieran in greeting.

Especially after our encounter in that class today. I don’t know what would have happened if Andrew and the police hadn’t arrived when he did. Would it have changed things between us? I looked up at him, but his eyes were already on me. I think he had the same look from earlier in that class for a quick second and heat rose up my cheeks. He rolls his eyes at me and his poker face is back, so I’m not sure if it was all in my mind.

If I didn’t stop blushing, the make-up blush I applied might become too red and ruin my appearance. I fill my glass with some cold water and gulp it down.

I join everyone eating as our parents begin discussing a business project they want to do with a foreign company. They wanted to build new luxury malls in the desert countries. Like Egypt, Sudan, Namibia, Peru, Botswana, etc.. There was a monopolistic company already having malls there. So they were discussing if they should acquire his company or build ours and then make a merger with them in the long-run instead.

“I think we should make an acquisition instead of merging.” I shrugged as I sipped my glass of my Vielle vigne wine. It was found in a certain shipwreck that was supposed to be important or something in the Nineteenth century and auctioned in Europe. My dad had gotten it during a business trip. And we were sharing it with the Castles.

“Why is that?” Dad asked.

“Well, I think merging would be a costly disaster waiting to happen. They don’t have the same culture, core-value, management style that we have and would prefer. They are not open to innovation and change and other organizational intangibles.

“Aren’t you being stereotypical right now?” Kieran suddenly cuts in. Great, just when I decide to give them my two pennies, he butts in.

“How is this stereotypical, Castles? Or are you trying to say I’m racist?” I glared at him.

“No, you’re definitely not racist. Just shallow in your thinking.”

Mom snickers and I glare at him and she gives me an apologetic smile.

“What proof do you have that they don’t have similar organizational goals? International businesses would not exist if this was true. We can still find middle ground with them. I’m sure everyone wants to provide customer satisfaction and make a profit in the long-run, no matter the paths and methods they use. Buying them off or acquiring them is unlikely to work since they are monopolistic and are quite confident in themselves. We can only make an acquisition if we make our own malls and compete with them and then compile enough information to make us confident enough to do so. Plus, locals might be hostile if we keep trying to acquire them and they are reluctant,” Kieran continues.

“So you’re basically saying we should wait for the right moment? Do you even understand business if you say that? ” I laughed and Mr Castles nodded in agreement. I drink in the validation, smirking at Kieran, but it's either he’s not phased in the little bit or he’s just now showing that I’m winning this argument.

“Of course not. You’ve made a great point, Aaiyah.” He raised his glass towards me and I clicked it with mine smugly.

“But I’m saying we shouldn’t take stupid risks. If you chose this route, you’d be out of business in less than a year and in the hood doing drugs or dating some dealer named Andrew or Marin or something.” He laughs and our parents snicker and giggle, not getting that he was being personal.

My hands squeeze the glass tighter.

“You have to take risks after you have done research and built strategies for any obstacle that might arise. Going into something without planning thoroughly first just means you're planning to thoroughly fail, my dear.”

Heat rose up my cheeks in both embarrassment and his choice of endearment words.

“You’re right son, I think we should start our own malls first and decide if we want a merger or acquisition after all.” Kieran’s dad says.

“Yeah, we might even do better than them. People always like to try new things. Let’s not stereotype them.” Dad says and looks at me as he finishes his sentence.

“I wasn’t steoreotyping. Kieran twisted my words. I said it based on facts in previous statistics. The desserts just love to stick to their culture and stay conservative. Plus, they would trust and support their people more than foreigners. So fuck Kieran’s bullshit. He was just painting reality in rainbows and didn’t know shit.” I want to yell and say that. But I don’t. They won’t believe me anyway. He’d argued it so well that even I was having doubts.

Fine, OK, so maybe I have lost this one. I huff

My phone pings and it’s a message from Kieran. I scowled at him for a minute as he wore his shit-eating grin that I would rather crawl on glass than ever admit was attractive. I sighed and opened the message.

Kieran Castles: “Enjoying dinner? You wanted to attend it so badly, I thought I’d make it more fun for you.”

I changed his name first. Before replying.

Aaliyah Waters: No, actually it's quite boring but I have the perfect idea. Want to do something more fun. Like watch a movie..?

Evil jerk from Hell: And what movie might that be, Sweetheart?

I got up from my seat suddenly and burst into tears, leaving everyone shocked at the table. Kieran jerks up looking at me like he wanted to comfort me for a second, but stops himself.

“Kie…Kieran was the one who leaked the false screenshots and fake pictures and videos of me online. He had my phone at that time. I can’t be at this table with him. I.. I’m trying to bear it but it’s just too much for me. I don’t want to make a scene and upset anyone but..” I sat on the floor and sobbed harder, doing exactly that.