King of Players: An Opposites Attract Romance (Billionaire Kings of New York Book 3)

5. Invasion

five

Kaira

The morning of the last Monday of each month marked the board meeting at the W.F. Bradley Foundation. Knowing that I was early—habitually the first one to arrive—I left my purse and laptop in the boardroom and went to the bathroom. While I checked my hair and makeup, I heard Tina, my assistant, usher someone in with unusual eagerness.

“Right this way,” her voice echoed. “Would you like something to drink?”

Furrowing my eyebrows as I looked at myself in the mirror, I wondered who it could be. The boardroom was frequented by the same people, and they all knew the way. They also knew how to handle the hot beverage and refreshment corner without help.

Barely able to contain my curiosity, I grabbed my small makeup pouch and rushed out of the bathroom. As soon as I arrived at the doorway of the board room, my eyes landed on none other but Chad Niles and two other people with him. He was sitting down, while one of the other two was making herself a cup of coffee. The other was completely consumed by something on his phone.

“A—Good morning?” I walked in, holding out my hand to shake his. “What a surprise, Mr. Niles.”

“Good morning, Ms. Bradley.” He stood up and took my hand. This time, his attire was utterly professional—a suit and tie—and his smile, courteous and humble. “This is Connor Plak, my agent and manager. And this is Zoya Malik from PR.”

“Very nice to meet you.” I shook their hands respectively before excusing us, pulling Chad by the arm and walking him out of the room. Glaring, I whispered, “I’m sorry. Did I invite you to this and somehow… forgot?”

His confident smile lit up his face. “You didn’t. But I guess when Tina heard Zoya’s proposal, she made the right decision of sending us an invitation.”

“Excuse me? What proposal?”

“The initiative for me to join the board.” He furrowed his eyebrows. “Hasn’t she informed you?”

“This is not how it works, Mr. Niles. I—”

“She said she emailed you.”

“Well, I’ve had a hectic weekend. I have a houseguest from abroad and—

“And you would’ve refused?”

“The board votes on these things,” I insisted.

“And that’s precisely why we’re here today. To pitch them our vision of contribution.”

“There’s an agenda for this meeting, Mr. Niles.”

“We’ll only take up ten minutes of your time, and then you can get to the next item on your agenda. I promise.”

Grinding my jaws, I knew I had all the right to berate Tina for what she did. But then again, I did notice an email from her yesterday and got distracted while Vera dragged me around a busy shopping street. I should have paid more attention to my work; it was on me. Sharply exhaling, I looked downward and slowly shook my head. “Fine. But please, please… if you’re willing to join us, you have to understand that there”s some due diligence.”

“Sounds like you run a tight ship around here.”

“Foundations are just like corporations, Mr. Niles. If you let things slide, soon, chaos will ensue.”

“Oh, and nobody wants that,” he said in a soft voice. I looked up, prompted to see the look on his face, since his tone was far too enticing. The look in his eyes was somewhat blank, but his smile was smooth and consoling.

Hearing the elevator doors part open, followed by footsteps and chatter, I turned to find that the rest of the board members had arrived. “Well, no. Please, go back inside and take your seat. I’ll take care of the introductions.”

“You’re the boss,” he said with a hint of sarcasm. I couldn’t help but give him a quick, subtle glare before he spun around and walked into the room.

After the mandatory greetings—mixed with curious looks as they walked in to see three new people—I cleared my throat and stood at the head of the table. “Good morning, everyone. Thanks for coming. Before our meeting can commence, I have to share a development with you all. Mr. Chadwick Niles—I’m sure you all know who he is—has decided to venture into our world. He’d like to help W.F. Bradley by joining the board. Together with Mr. Connor Plak, his manager, and Ms. Zoya Malik from PR, they will present their vision.”

The emotionless faces and concealed whispers didn’t concern me, since everyone on the board belonged to my grandmother’s social circle. They didn’t expect me to start adding new, young members so soon, nor did they think that it was going to be a Hollywood personality.

Zoya cleared her throat and stood up, smiling at me. “Thank you, Ms. Bradley. Hello everyone. Please, first allow me to introduce myself and what we can bring to the table.”

For ten minutes, Zoya essentially showed off her expertise, along with Chad’s film career, hinting at his wealth in money, popularity, and connections alike. On the outside, everything she said suggested that Chad would be an invaluable addition to our foundation. But I could read between the lines, and what she was really saying was: Chadwick Niles is in dire need of a social facelift, and he is going to pay us to perform it.

With his money, fame, and charm, Chad was promising a surge in monetary support and exposure. He could be a spokesperson, an ambassador, an influencer… and in return, we would make him look more human in the eyes of the cruel media that harshly judged his lifestyle.

Fully aware of the benefits that such a partnership would bring to our foundation, I had to listen and see what the others had to say. After all, only the largest, most established foundations could bring on board someone of Chad’s value—in terms of pop culture and relevance. It wasn’t easy, and here he was, landing right into our laps.

“Well, Mr. Niles,” one member started, as his eyebrows met in a wrinkle. “I’m sure you’d understand why some of us would have a few… reservations when it comes to you joining us.”

Chad coolly smiled, resting his temple in his hand. “Such as?”

“Well?” He gestured with both hands. “One of our platforms is… empowering women as a minority in the workplace—”

“Hollywood is swarming with women—”

“Whose darker stories are yet to be told,” he insisted. “We’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg here, and… I’m sure you understand that your… reputation…”

“You mean, the rumors about me.”

He shrugged, turning his lips upside down. “Rumors have to come from somewhere, Mr. Niles.”

“Yes. The minds of people who’d like to see me suffer.”

“And why is that?”

“Why don’t all people donate as much as they can afford, sir? Why does a teenage boy vandalize a bench in the park? Why does a drunken man piss on someone’s flower bed?” Chad shrugged. “I’m not responsible for people’s urges to take the beauty out of something beautiful, Mr.— ”

“Darwins.”

“Darwins. What I’m trying to do here is not only good for your foundation, but it’s good for society. They need to learn to get their heads out of the tabloid box and see people for who they really are—human beings who make mistakes sometimes, and do good at others. It’s not black and white, Mr. Darwins.” Pausing, he sat back, interlinking his fingers as a faint smile took over his face. “Half of the people in this room are old enough to have committed at least one thing they’re ashamed to admit. Am I right?” His eyes fiercely pierced through those staring back at him without shame. “Or am I in the presence of holy prophets and saints?”

At that point, I knew he was about to start alienating their senior minds. “Mr. Niles, nobody—

“No, no.” He stood up, grabbing his phone. “I’m done. One last thing you need to know; I’m pledging a monthly allowance out of my own pocket to this foundation, whether you want me in or not. But I’ll be damned if I didn’t let Zoya here sing its praises in the media with every full moon.”

“Mr. Niles!” I pleaded.

“Ms. Bradley.” His eyes regarded me with utter seriousness. “I have to admit that I knew nothing of you and your foundation until the party. And I spent the rest of the night researching what you do and how I can help. It’s impressive—noble, even. But nothing comes without a price, and if a little goodwill is what I want to get out of this… well, you can’t stop me.”

How was I supposed to turn down an offer like that? But more importantly, how could I persuade him to sit back down until we voted? “Mr. Niles, I apologize if anything that was said here today has offended you in any way,” I quickly said. “Please, sit down.” As I turned to the board members, I saw that Chad was still standing. “We’ve been doing things a certain way while my grandmother was alive. But times are changing, and I have to admit that resistance to change is as much my vice as it is yours. With that said, I’m certain that none of you can deny—deep down—the value that Mr. Niles’ participation would add. So, please. Let’s take the vote now. I trust your judgment.” And then I raised my hand. “All in agreement to Mr. Niles joining… please raise your hand.”

A part of me wanted the vote to come out negative. One side of my brain was livid at Chad and his attempt to benefit from what we were doing. His target felt like it was somehow tainting my purpose—polluting it. But the other part of me, the rational side, knew that a foundation like ours was never going to thrive and grow without some celebrity endorsement, something my grandmother had never even considered.

While I watched the hands rise—including Darwins’, much to my surprise—I knew that reality had won the race. A new era was presenting itself, one where marketing would take the upper hand in leading our mission. Perhaps it was time I accepted that even people like Chadwick Niles had merit, even if I didn’t agree with their methods.

“Well, I guess that’s settled,” I said, lowering my hand and turning to look at Chad’s face. His expression remained neutral, a harsh reminder that he was an actor and could conceal his true emotions better than most of us. Zoya, however, didn’t invest in hiding her excitement. Immediately, she pulled out her tablet device and launched something. “Fabulous. Ms. Bradley, I am now emailing Tina a request to put me in touch with your PR division. I’m copying you, of course.”

“Uh—I’m the PR department,” I quickly said. “We don’t have one per se.”

Her eyes widened. “Really?”

“Yes. Everything that’s to be communicated regarding this matter has to go through me.”

“Perfect.” She dropped the device back into her purse and extended her hand to shake mine. “Then you’ll be receiving a meeting invitation from me later today.”

“Looking forward to it.” I turned to Chad, who was now standing by the door with his manager, looking at something on his phone. “Mr. Niles. Thank you very much. We’re excited about this partnership.”

“Yeah.” He held the door knob and twisted it, and looking away, he said, “Thanks for your time. Have a fruitful meeting.”

And just like that, the three of them walked out, and the door was closed shut. As I took my seat at the head of the table, I placed my open palms flat on the table, pushing my chair forward and adjusting my position. “Alright… now that that’s out of the way. Let’s begin our meeting.”

The eyes on me held one accusation—one I knew all too well.

And I wished I could swear that Chadwick Niles and I were not what they thought.