Apollo's 11

by Anna Collins

  I swallowed hard as my face showed every single expression of panic.

  Danny and Diana were shooting daggers at me with their eyes.

  "He is the father of your child? And I was ready to kill Danny for no reason," I whispered in Emily's ear as she hugged me.

  "Danny? He was just a time-pass; how could you even think that I would be ready to carry his child?" Emily poked me as she broke the hug.

  "Freya, thank you so much for taking full charge of Wyatt telecommunications. Now I can get married and settle peacefully in London. Right baby?" Emily cooed.

  What? How? When? That was not true. Before I could protest Shawn came forward for a handshake. "Thanks, Freya, I am sure you will take Wyatt's telecommunications to a new height," he smiled.

  Why aren't you speaking? The voices in my head gave me a hard rebuke, "umm...I don't get it, who told you I'm taking over the business?" I asked, and why was I stammering? Shit! My voice was breaking too.

  Shawn smiled and tightened his grip on my hand. "Your hand is sweating, but don't worry I get it a lot. Some of my fans even faint at my sight," he smirked proudly.

  I looked at him in disbelief. Dude! I don’t have the word 'bimbo' written on my face.

  "It's not like that, in fact, I had no idea that you are a celebrity," I pouted. Ya, no one had the right to make me feel embarrassed. Wait...why was I doing that? I didn't need to prove anything.

  "Then why are your hands all sweaty?" He raised an eyebrow.

  "Because I'm nervous. I have no idea how to handle this big business empire; I had my hopes set on Emily. But now she is also showing her back to me," I frowned and turned to Emily and the others. They were near the cocktail booth, near the pool, chatting and smiling like they didn't have a single thing to worry about.

  "Ya, she told me how Mr. Wyatt literally forced you to be a part of this. But Emily can be pretty insensitive at times. And trust me, she will be of no help to you, she is not good at this business thingy. Maybe that's the main reason she is running away from all this. Mr. Wyatt always watched her back and now she wants me to do the same for her," he sighed.

  "I get it. Sometimes I also wished I had someone to whom I could run for help. Someone, who would protect me from all the troubles of the world," my eyes filled up with tears as I said those words and Robert's face appeared in front of my eyes.

  "Hey Girl, don't feel so bad. I bet you are strong enough to deal with everything. There must have been a reason for which Mr. Wyatt chose you to be his heir, instead of his own daughter." Shawn's eyes bored into mine as he tried to reassure me.

  He left my hand and patted on my shoulder, "now cheer up and give your best shot. I know you got this!" He smiled.

  I smiled back, "thanks for this prep talk. You are right, I can at least try this, and the rest is up to destiny".

  "Yep, that sounds more like it! "He raised his fists for a fist punch, and I returned it.

  "I am giving you my secret mantra. When you are nervous about something, just look into the mirror, raise your head and say, I got this! Trust me this will work as a confidence booster," he winked.

  I had no idea if it would work or not, but that guy surely had the power to convince anyone.

  "Are you done? God! You have just met, and you are already talking like bosom buddies. Sis, can we go home? We have a lot to do," he pointed out at Danny, who was staring at me with angry eyes.

  "Damn! How did I forget about this freshly created mess of mine?" I hit my head.

  "Something wrong?" Shawn asked in a voice filled with concern.

  "I knew my tendency of assuming things would get me into trouble," I frowned.

  "You will handle everything; you have that positive aura around you," Shawn stated.

  Rick pulled me by the arm, "sis, isn't he being too kind for a stranger? I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with him, and I am beginning to think that he is trying to hit on you." Rick furrowed his eyebrows.

  I laughed, "don't be silly, maybe he is just a nice guy."

  Rick wasn't satisfied.

  "Freya, it was lovely meeting you. I am hoping this will be the start of a new friendship?" He sounded as if he was unsure.

  Rick moved his head in 'no' to warn me.

  Ignoring Rick's silly warning, "sure Shawn," I said smiling.

  "Well, all the best and stay in touch," he urged.

  I nodded.

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  Freya

  On the way to Kate's apartment, in Rick's car…

  "Whoa! What an eventful day. Thankfully everything got settled. But Danny is still upset with us," Rick said while driving the car.

  "It was very generous of him to forgive us, we almost broke his relationship," I said.

  "Hey but it's not fully our fault. Danny is 'that' guy," Rick protested.

  "Trust me, I have seen what kind of guy he is. But he is a good friend," I said.

  "Hmm, but what about Kate?" Rick asked.

  "What about her?" I asked back.

  Rick was hesitating when he spoke, "after you left, she has been acting kinda weird. I mean she gets angry over silly things, and she seems kinda upset with everything".

  "She is mad at me for leaving her alone," I sighed.

  "Rick, you were right,” I continued. “We should totally head back to your place for now. I have a lot of things in my mind right now, and I am not in a state to deal with Kate," I sighed.

  "That will be good sis, forget all this for now and concentrate on your first board meeting that is going to be held tomorrow morning," Rick swallowed.

  "Yes, I kinda went numb when Mr. Robinson called me to inform about the board meeting. Apparently, he was Mr. Wyatt's personal assistant. He told me that the board and the staff of the company wanted me to take a decision about how things are going to work from now on. I am so stressed. How am I going to face them? What if I say something wrong?" And I buried my face in my hands.

  "Ahh sis, don't be a chicken. You are a damn journalist for God's sake. So go over there and face everything with confidence. I am sure there will be people around you to help you. Just chill, okay?" he suggested.

  It was easy for him to say. He was not the one facing all this. God! It felt like I was going to sit for an exam for which I hadn't studied at all. "I have a feeling that, things are going to be super bad," I sighed, leaning on the headrest of the car.

  It was 8:55 am, and I was standing right at the front gate of the main office of Wyatt telecommunications. I had been standing here for about 15 minutes, preparing myself to go inside. But truly speaking, I wasn't ready for it. The doorman had opened the door for me to enter, and now we were sharing an awkward moment where he didn't know if he should keep the door open, and I didn't know if I would enter or run away. We were exchanging an unsure smile between each other.

  No matter how much I settled my hair with my hands, I had this feeling that they were getting messier with each stroke. At that moment, my looks were the least of my concerns. I had dressed pretty classily, in my plain white dress that stopped below my knees. And I knew it was decent, because Robert had given me this dress as a gift, and it had the label of Versace on it. I was wearing a golden watch and golden pencil heel shoes with it. I so wished looking good would solve my problems.

  The clock now read 9:00 am and I already had two missed calls from Mr. Robinson. "Freya, you got this," I said to myself, and without thinking anything, I stepped into the office. I bet the doorman had breathed a sigh of relief as I did so.

  "Miss Lawrence, you are on time. Hi there, I am Chris Robinson, we spoke on the phone." Mr. Robinson greeted me with a warm smile as I approached the floor, following the skinny red-haired receptionist. Jeez! She looked like she hadn't eaten for ages and her skirt looked so tight. Anyways, why did I think about that?

  I shook my head, put up a fake smile and preceded towards Mr. Robinson.

  He is so young! This was the first thing which came to my mind as I saw him. The guy looked
slightly older than me and had a charming look. His skin color reminded me of melted chocolate.

  "Mam, the board members are already here, should we proceed directly for the meeting, or do you want to rest a bit?" He offered in a very professional tone.

  My throat went dry as I pictured myself standing in front of 10-12 men/women in business suits, who were laying their sharp gazes upon me. "Nooo," I yelped.

  "Mam, are you okay?" Chris asked with concern.

  I swallowed. "Chris, do you have any idea what they are going to talk to me about?" I asked nervously.

  "Mam, they just want to discuss. You have nothing to worry. Please come with me," he said.

  God! Save me! I prayed silently.

  The conference room was just as in my imagination. There were 10 people, 6 men, and 4 women, sitting around the long round table. And they all were much older than me. Their tough looks were almost making me trip on my heels.

  Chris led me to the bigger chair, which was supposed to be the chairperson's sitting place. Freya, are you even worthy of sitting here? The voices in my head asked me.

  I kept standing there, staring at the chair with an unsure look on my face. Chris cleared his throat, and that was my cue to sit down.

  As I sat there, I imagined that Robert was standing right behind me, looking dashing in a blue-colored business suit, maintaining his uptight look, but still there with that I-am-here-for-you smile on his face. He leaned down to kiss on my forehead. His voice sounded very clear when he said "don't give up. I know my Freya can do anything".

  As I blinked, he disappeared. I smiled sadly knowing that he would have said the exact same thing if he was here.

  Turn by turn, Chris introduced me to all the board members.

  I could clearly see in their eyes that they weren't very happy with my presence.

  I thought it was time for me to speak. "Hello, everyone. I can see it in your faces that you don't want me here. And it's cool, but before you guys start taking out any protest rally against me, I should get the chance to say something, shouldn't I?" I asked looking at all of them.

  And they gestured me to proceed. "Thank you. You guys must have concluded that a young girl cannot run such a big business industry as she has no knowledge about business. Am I right?" I demanded confidently.

  They started looking here and there.

  I smirked, "I may not have a business background, and I might be incapable of being the CEO. But I do have the brains, and with that, I will hire the best person for this job, and I will try my best to fulfill the responsibilities that uncle Ben has entrusted me with." I stated.

  Their faces seemed to have gone soft by now, and they were discussing something amongst themselves.

  "Sir, Mam, no one can win a battle alone. And I have just reached the battlefield. Don't declare me a loser already. Please trust me and help me, so that we can keep this company alive." I was on the verge of crying as I requested them in my broken voice.

  There was a moment of silence in the room. And I was trying my best not to cry in front of them. Actually, I was emotionally drained, Mr. Wyatt trusted me with this responsibility, he believed in me. That really touched my heart. All my life I have been hearing that I was a good for nothing girl, even my mom used to say that. Then there was uncle Ben, who actually thought I was more than capable. I wanted to prove him right; I wanted to save his company with everything I had.

  "That was a bang-on speech mam. Everyone was touched by your genuineness. Now they are all with you!" Chris informed me happily as we got out of the conference room.

  I sighed in relief, "my hands are still trembling. I can't believe they accepted me with open arms. And Mrs. Hopkins, the overseas distributor, she even came up to hug me. This totally looks like a miracle to me".

  "Mam, now it's time to get to work. We need to fulfill each and every promise that you made to them," he added.

  I smiled and rubbed my hands. "Yes, announce the job opening for the CEO post. I don't want to waste any more time," I ordered.

  "Right away, mam," he nodded.

  As he went away, the sound of clapping echoed in that spacious corridor. I turned back and was surprised to find Kate standing behind me.

  "You, here?" I asked in awe.

  Kate smirked and took a few bold steps towards me. She was looking very different, with her hair raised up in a high bun. Her purple crop top and jeans shorts were causing the passer-by employees to turn their heads to her. Women were looking with jealousy and men...obviously, they were attracted towards her.

  "You thought you can get rid of me, just like that? Not so easy Ms. Chairperson," she pouted. Why was she wearing such a bright shade of red lipstick?

  I looked away, feeling ashamed. I have been a bad friend. In these six months, it never occurred to me to call her. "I'm sorry," I murmured.

  "It's cool. I am not mad at you. And by the way, that was an awesome speech," she smiled.

  Was she really Kate? I mean it was so unusual; she never praised me for anything! Then again, a lot of things happened during this time, maybe she had changed.

  I smiled and hugged her, "oh Kate, I am so glad I am back." I uttered.

  She hugged me back and said, "no more than I am. Now everything will change! Everything!" She said in a deep voice.

  Why did she sound like that? Anyways, that didn't matter.

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  Freya

  For the next few weeks, I formed a selection team who helped me a lot in choosing the best CEO for our business. We took a lot of interviews and finally settled for the Harvard graduate, Tucker Dobbs. He had great records and seemed very enthusiastic about his work. The thirty-five-year-old, British guy took over his position on an immediate basis.

  To improve my knowledge in business, I started taking evening MBA classes. Mr. Dobbs treated me with respect and before taking any important decisions he used to consult me. That guy took all the criticisms positively and was never too proud of himself. I got to learn a great deal from him.

  Soon, the office became a friendly place, where there were lesser of rivalry, and everyone was trying their best to make the business stand on its feet again.

  A full year had passed since I became the chairperson of Wyatt telecommunications. And we all had gathered at the conference hall to take a look at our progress reports.

  Our CEO, Mr. Dobbs, showed us the statistics on the projector and we all were very much elated to know that the profit rate of the company had gone up to 24%. So much in such a little time. It was a pure blessing.

  Wow! That was like super cool.

  The board members gave all the credit to me and Mr. Dobbs for this success. Our thoughts and use of new technologies to deal with everything had actually made this possible.

  I was feeling so good about myself. Thank God, I didn't give up when I really wanted to, and I so wished my parents were there to see all this. Their good for nothing, ugly daughter was now the chairperson of one of leading industries of the country.

  "What are you saying?" my jaw fell open when Chris informed me that Hudson Industries were facing a huge loss. Their product quality had deteriorated since Caroline Hudson had taken charge of the business. After Robert’s death, the whole property passed over to the name of Liam Hudson, and as his official guardian, Caroline Hudson was the caretaker of everything.

  "Mam, not only this. Caroline Hudson is even planning to invest in weapons. She wants to earn fat profits by supplying war weapons," Chris informed.

  My insides shook as the sight of war became visible in front of my eyes. There was no way Robert would have wanted this to happen. Caroline was destroying his hard-earned goodwill, and there was no way I could let this happen.

  "Chris, please fix me an appointment with Mrs. Hudson, ASAP!" I ordered.

  "Miss Lawrence, what can I help you with?" Caroline asked in a mechanical tone as she sat across the table. We were sitting in Robert's office. The place brought back so many memories. I could st
ill smell his fragrance over there.

  Caroline's unfriendly expression told me that she only meant business.

  "You must have heard that Robert and I were about to get married, but then that unfortunate event occurred...and..." before I could speak anymore she stopped me.

  "See Miss, I really don't have much time, so can you get on point please?" She spoke rudely.

  Okay, now I was beginning to get angry. Chill Freya, don't lose your temper, she is much older than you. The voices in my head advised.

  Fine, maybe it was time to get my bitch mode on. I raised my head. "Excuse me, my time is more expensive than yours. And about getting on point, I heard that you are about to invest in weapons. Is this news correct?" I asked.

  She shook a bit by seeing my confident avatar and just nodded her head in yes.

  "Do you know how many people will die because of those weapons? Robert would have never agreed to this deal. And I think you should not invest Robert's hard earned money to make some weapons of death." I stated.

  She smirked, "and who are you to tell me what should or shouldn’t I do?"

  My face fell. She was right, my voice didn't matter there. I had no right to speak on the business matters of her company.

  I sighed, feeling defeated.

  Why did I even expect that she would listen to me? God! I was such a fool. It was so damn clear that this woman could do anything for money.

  I frowned and silently went out of the room.

  I am so sorry Robert; I wish I could do something to save your goodwill. I murmured to myself hoping that my message would reach Robert.

  "I can't believe this; how could she speak to you like this? You were an integral part of Robert's life; you should have more authority over his things than that mean woman!" Rick shouted over the phone.

  "My dear bro, this world of business is very practical. Here money is placed above everything. Now, you don't beat up your head over this." I suggested.