“Thank you, Suzie.” I smiled before pulling her into a hug in an attempt to comfort her. “It’s not your fault. Stop blaming it on yourself.”
She laughed softly before meeting my eyes. “How did you know?” she asked with a grin.
I winked. “That’s for me to know and you to dot, dot, dot.”
She laughed and shook her head at my reply, before handing over the files and leaving the room. I placed my bag underneath my desk before leaving my office and locking it behind me, before briefly scanning the files given to me on the way to the conference room.
Once I had set up the table for the meeting, I sat down in my seat and continued to read over the files. From what I was reading, the meeting wasn’t a crucial thing that needed to be running, and the topic was brief and wouldn’t impact on the company as much as other things would have.
“Oh good, you’ve done something right for once in your life,” Adrian comment sarcastically as he entered the room.
I looked up from the paperwork in front of me and glared at him as fiercely as I could. “If you’re going to be a sarcastic asshole the entire time you and I are in the same room together,” I replied smugly, knowing I was going to hit a nerve, “I’ll just get Suzie to take my place here while I go continue my lunch date with Allen.”
And I did. “What did you say?” he asked through gnashed teeth, glaring down at me.
“You heard me,” I shot back, keeping my expression neutral.
“You and Allen were on a date?” Adrian asked, and I watched as his jaw visibly clenched from anger at the statement.
I hesitated before nodding. Mentally, I scolded myself for bringing Allen into this. I didn’t want him getting hurt – again – and I most certainly didn’t want to come in between their friendship. I made a mental note to text Allen a long apology text after this meeting was over.
“Why the fuck are you hanging around him, Emily?” Adrian growled after he saw me nod, and I tried to shrug casually.
“I do what I want,” I replied.
He opened his mouth to speak just as two men and three women in suits entered the room, and he shot me a warning look.
“We’ll continue this discussion later, Ms. Johnson,” he muttered coldly, keeping his glare on me while the others took their seats around their table.
“There’s nothing to discuss, Mr. Kingston,” I replied, giving him an innocent look while slightly cocking my head to the side to feign confusion.
I watched as Adrian’s nostrils flared out in anger and tried to keep my smirk buried deep within me as four more people walked into the conference room and took their seats. Adrian walked up to the front of the room and instantly switched into business mode – launching into a factor within the Kingston Corp Real Estate department that needed fixing due to low publicity and demands in that area, and the suggested ways to improve it efficiently and at a rapid pace to get it moving again.
“I don’t like any of the suggestions or offers I am getting in regards to the department, so I have called you all here today to come up with a suggestion that will help boost buyers,” Adrian explained. “Our target audience are families looking for bigger homes to buy and newlyweds. I want an informal proposal from you lot at the moment, and whoever I believe has the best suggestion will need to write up a plan and submit it over to the marketing department immediately.” After reclaiming his seat at the head of the table, he opened his palms up at everyone and said simply, “Go.”
“Why don’t we use sex appeal?” one of the women suggested, tossing a pointed look at Adrian. “Newlyweds would be thinking of that a lot.”
I threw a look of disbelief in her direction before my eyes trailed over to Adrian, who was staring at me.
Once he realised that I had caught him in the act, he snapped out of his haze and threw a smug smile in my direction before turning over to the woman.
“Mmmm. That sounds like a good idea, Ms. Cooper,” Adrian said in a low voice, making her go red in the face. He briefly glanced back in my direction and raised an eyebrow, as if to say ‘Jealous?’
I rolled my eyes at his immature behaviour before a man seated across from me spoke up. “That’s nonsense,” he said. “Not everyone thinks about sex. Look at it in a practical perspective. You want to show the consumer that they’re buying something efficient and will last long throughout their entire marriage.”
The woman who spoke up scoffed. “It’s a house, Greg. Of course it’s going to last long.”
“Why are we only focusing on the newlyweds?” another woman, this one with blond highlights, spoke up, gaining everyone’s attention. “What about the families that are looking to buy bigger homes? I think we should advertise how spacious it is.”
I nodded briefly in agreement before another man spoke up. “Sara’s right. We have to look at a broad picture that will target both buyers.”
“That’s right,” I found myself chiming in. I blushed a little with embarrassment, but I’ve come too far to back down now. I went on, “I think all your suggestions can be put to use within one advertisement. Show the large space and quality of the houses that we offer to attract both the attention of the newlyweds who are looking for something big and shiny, and also parents who want to ensure the safety and comfort of their growing family. We can show a family with a puppy in one house, and then right next door, have a newly wedded couple moving in to a similar house with the neighbours giving them a hand with their things.”
The man who spoke up before I did looked over at me and grinned broadly. “That’s a really good idea. Why aren’t you managing the marketing department?” he joked, leaning forward slightly to get a better view of me.
I laughed and felt my face redden even more, before shrugging. “I’m still waiting for the promotion,” I replied, before turning over to Adrian.
“Ms. Johnson, you are out of line,” Adrian snapped, making my smile drop instantly.
“W-What? It was a joke!” I exclaimed, looking over at him with wide eyes.
“I apologise, Mr. Kingston, I am the one who began the unprofessional comments. You don’t need to put the blame on Ms. Johnson,” the man said, looking over at Adrian with fear.
Adrian glared straight at him before speaking up. “Do you have something going on with her?” he asked through clenched teeth.
“What? No! I’ve never seen her before today – which is unfortunate, on my part,” he added, casting a lopsided grin in my direction. I gave a small smile in reply, still unsure of how to react in the situation.