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“Nope. She’s going to publish it as Roxanne Feng and even go on a book signing tour.”
It’s clear she’s flabbergasted, even over the phone, and when Elise finally gains the ability to speak again, she sounds shell-shocked. “You know what this means, right? What it’s going to do to our family?”
Unfortunately, I do know, and it makes me feel ridiculously conflicted. At this point, Roxanne is just a secondary character in the Karl Townsend scandal. If she releases this book, though, she’ll be catapulted into the limelight and become the main character, whether she likes it or not.
With this memoir, Roxanne and Andries’s relationship will feed the news cycle to no end.
5
Amsterdam, April 25, 2022
Elise
I tossand turn all night after Dan revealed that info about Roxanne’s memoir to me. It makes me feel sick, especially since I’m so on the fence about where I stand with everyone. I want Dad to think I’m the perfect fit for the job…in fact, I crave it, but then again I still want my brother in my life, and throwing his future wife to the wolves would assure that he never spoke to me again.
So what do I do? I want it all and I can’t have it, but as of right now, it feels impossible to choose.
I spend Sunday in my flat, between getting my homework ready for school and ruminating about what to do next.
Monday is a work day, which is a blessing and a curse. It means I can’t mope around campus all day, conflicted about my next course of action, but it also means I’m basically lying to Dad the entire time we are at the office together. He’d expect me to tell him immediately about things like Roxanne’s memoir, andevery minute that passes that I hide the information just makes me look worse and worse.
My thoughts are still all tied up in knots when I make it to the office, my hair pulled back in a slick bun to hide how unkempt it really is and only the bare minimum amount of makeup gracing my face.
I greet everyone, walk toward the open layout, and when I’m finally about to reach my desk, the office secretary walks over and informs me that there is a PR meeting starting in less than thirty minutes that I’m expected to attend. Groaning, I continue to my small office space, setting my bags down and sinking into my chair.
A PR meeting first thing in the morning. What an awful way to start the day…
In my emails is the message explaining the PR meeting, and what will be discussed. I skim through it a few times, knowing that I never really get the chance to talk anyway since I’m just an intern. But if everything goes right, I’ll eventually be the CEO, so I need to be beside my dad for all the important events like this and get familiar with the key players at the company. The best way to learn is by doing, apparently.
I’ve got about twenty minutes left, so I flee to the break room, down a shot of espresso, check my face in the mirror, and at that point it’s time.
“Elise,” I hear my dad’s deep baritone voice from the break-room door. “Are you ready for the meeting?”
I’m fairly surprised to see him here, but I just discreetly pull a mint from the ceramic dish near the espresso machine, pop it into my mouth, and nod. “Yes. Let’s go.”
Dad is in a rather good mood this morning, all things considered, which makes me want to keep the memoir secret to myself even more.
“How was your weekend, darling?” he asks as we walk together down the hallway. “Did you have some fun?”
“It was alright,” I reply with a shrug. “Just stayed at home, chilling and doing some homework. And you?”
“Good.” We walk beside each other, the boardroom located just a few more steps in front of us. “I spent the weekend with your mom. Took her on a little hiking trip to get some fresh air.”
“Oh, Mom went hiking? That’s a first.”
“It is… but we both need to exercise more. She actually rather enjoyed it.”
He’s chatty and jovial with me, and I glow from parental approval. It wasn’t just that I was the best suited of my dad's children to take over for him, I was also the one who enjoyed being around him the most.
While the main portion of the office is all sleek metal and has huge, clear windows, the meeting room we walk into feels more intimate, even if it’s larger than it appears. The room is dominated by a long, dark oak table that is shiny from decades of use, no doubt another piece carried over from when my grandfather ran the company. A relic and reminder of time and successes gone by. Pieces like this are all over the headquarters in unexpected places: a red lamp with gold filigree on my Dad’s desk, a heavy framed painting in the hallway leading to the restroom, a priceless Persian rug on my dad’s office floor, and more. I think it helps Dad stay connected to the past.
Modern leather chairs surround the table, but the detailing is the same color oak as the table, pulling the place together. There’s a huge projection screen on one end of the room and a bottle of chilled water in front of each chair.
Dad takes his seat and I take the one next to him as we watch and greet the people that filter in. Across from Dad, the Director of Public Relations, Greg, sits after he and my dad shake hands.The other office higher-ups find their seats, and once everyone is settled in, the meeting begins.
“Very well, good morning everyone. I hope the weekend has been rather pleasant for you all,” my dad begins, before giving a glance down at his paperwork. “As you know, the subject of today’s meeting is the upcoming annual shareholders meeting for Van den Bosch industries that will be hosted at The Taets Art and Event Park, next Monday…” While my dad speaks, Greg’s assistant passes out trial scripts of topics and things to avoid talking about when we attend. I skim it, noting that there is nothing out of the ordinary that would make me nervous. I should be able to handle my portion of the shareholder’s meeting with no problems.
Just as I begin to feel comfortable with everything on the horizon, the meeting room door opens, a shaft of bright light cutting across the floor and table and dimming the slide that is currently being projected on the screen.
