4. Will
Feeling frustrated as things began to spiral out of control, I forced myself to read through the comments, curious about people’s opinions of me.
I knew it—Will George is gay! Oh, I wish I were a man right now!
“Ew!” I said out loud, unable to bring myself to read more. There were so many mixed emotions, with some people in support and some against. This had to be sorted out as soon as possible!
If my clients were to grasp the intensity of the situation, there would be a significant problem on my desk.
Letting out an exhausted breath, I dialed Anthony to come into my office. The moment I heard the knock on the door, I knew it was him instantly.
“You asked for me, sir.”
“What should we do about these articles? More of them seem to be pouring out on a daily basis. I thought it would have died down by now. Why am I still trending as one of the top ten topics on X?”
“I’m sorry, sir. The team is trying their best to revert the situation, but the articles just seem to keep spreading and pouring out.”
“Then how about you work toward taking them down from social media! Each and every one of the articles! Bring them down!” I said, slightly raising my voice before realizing I was a bit too harsh with Anthony.
He was only trying his best to manage the matter; it’s not like he was the one behind the articles.
“I apologize, sir. I would have it all sorted out as soon as possible, sir!”
“Please do so! We have no time! And you know I don’t want the clients finding out.”
“Yes, sir.”
“How is the stock market doing? I hope this has not affected our value on the market in any way?”
“Not at all.”
“Great. You may take your leave.”
“Thank you, sir, and a kind reminder of your meeting to hold in twenty minutes time.”
“Noted, thank you very much.”
I watched Anthony walk out of my office before I began brainstorming ideas on what to do.
At this point, I needed to find a girl to go on a fake date with me and put an end to the rumor.
Shaking off the pressure from myself, I ran through the details of my next meeting before being escorted into the boardroom by Anthony.
Upon entering, I noticed all the men and women who were already seated rising to their feet immediately.
I never get used to this feeling: seeing men and women old enough to be my parents showing me so much respect simply because of my wealth. Money can indeed make a man powerful.
I’m not saying I’m proud, as people perceive me to be, but it just felt good to hold such a level of power. That’s why I could not let just anybody into my life.
Given the wealth and empire I had built for myself, most people out there only attempted to form relationships with me for what they could gain. I had been bitten before. Naturally, I would learn from my past mistakes.
“We can take our seats,” I said to them as I settled into the chair in the room, scanning their expressions.
From the looks on their faces, I could tell they had something on their minds, and at that moment, I already had an idea of what it might be.
“Why don’t we start by addressing what’s bothering us before we proceed to the agenda of the day? What do we think?”
I watched as they all looked at one another with knowing faces and glances. After waiting for a few seconds, the room fell silent, as quiet as a graveyard.
“Well, does anyone want to go first?” I asked, getting impatient.
“Umm, yes . . . yes, sir.”
“Well, go on.”
I watched the man on my right look at everyone else before proceeding to speak.
“Not to insult you, sir, or question your preferences, but there are diverse rumors flying around about . . .”
“About?” I asked, feigning ignorance.
“About your . . . umm . . . sexual preferences, sir, and we respect your choices. However, we are concerned about the reputation of the company, sir.”
“I see. Is that all?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Great.” I wore a smile on my face, considering how to address them. “I assure you that all of the misconceptions will be cleared up soon, and the reputation of the company is in no way at stake. My legal and social media teams are working tirelessly to pursue legal actions against those who have publicly defamed me. Are we okay now?”
“Yes, sir,” they all said.
Then, one of the women seated at the far end of the board table commented, “But if you don’t mind, sir, I would suggest you release an official statement just to clarify things for the public.”
I smiled. “All right, I’ll consider it. Can we then proceed to the agenda of the meeting now?”
“Yes, sir, we can.”
I rolled my eyes internally at their attitude.
Each of them proved to be inconsistent as the weather, willing to stay when things were good but quick to turn their backs when things didn’t work out in their favor. Some might say I was being harsh, but it was the reality.
They say experience is the best teacher, and indeed, it is the best one there is. After the experiences I’ve had in past relationships, both business and personal, I’ve learned never to trust people—never to let them in and never to rely on men.
Human beings are frail and undependable, each out for what they can get to please their selfish desires. I remember the last relationship I had gotten myself into; it was the worst mistake of my life, by the way.
I’m sure at the end of my story, you’ll get to understand why I’m keen on never getting myself involved with a woman ever again. They are all the same! All of them!
My mother was like that; she married my father solely for his money and nothing more. Sometimes, I questioned why I referred to her as my mother because, to be honest, she did not deserve the title of a mother.
A woman who abandons her children can’t be regarded as a mother.
I never really understood why my father tolerated her behavior, but in the end, I suppose he came to his senses, just as I did in my relationship with Elena.
They say love is beautiful. Well, it felt that way in the beginning. It was “beautiful”—in quotes because, ultimately, I saw the truth. She was the first woman I ever let into my heart, and she did a good job of ruining the little hope I had left for love.
Now, I’ve reached a point where I see it’s all a facade. Love, the emotions, the joy, and happiness people claim to have—it’s all a facade.
Love entails pain, sacrifice, and compromise. How can that possibly be the best feeling ever, as people claim it to be?
The only true source of happiness, as far as I’m concerned, comes with wealth and power. Nothing more, nothing less. Both of which I have in abundance.
Pushing away my thoughts, I tried to listen to the point made by one of the board members regarding our new branch. With all hands on deck, the new branch could be the biggest cooperation building in the entire city.
Now imagine the kind of happiness and wealth that would bring. Nothing of its sort can be matched with some feeble feeling of love.