“As you can see from the graph, the numbers show a steady increase from month to month in the hotel and casino revenue. This shows that there is a need for expansion because we can’t keep up with the demand.”
I continue talking, uninterrupted, for thirty minutes, explaining every reason that we should do the expansion and why it is in the best interest of the entire company. I feel good about my presentation. It seems to be going well, and everyone is giving me their undivided attention. I even glance over at Killian a couple of times, and he seems to be nodding his head in approval.
I click the computer to get it to move to the last slide, the one where I give my recommendation. I feel good throughout my speech. Maybe I can really do this. Maybe this is where I belong. “After looking at all the data, it is my recommendation that we increase the expansion to one thousand rooms. That would also allow us to increase the number of slots and the high-roller rooms by fifty percent. It…” I don’t continue though. As I glance around the room, there are about a hundred hands in the air. At least, that’s what it looks like.
“Yes,” I say, pointing to the closest gentleman at the center table.
“I’m sorry, but it would be ridiculous to spend that amount of money on an expansion where we will never get our money back out of it. If we put those kind of resources behind the Felton Grand, we aren’t going to have enough resources to keep the others from failing.”
I freeze at his question. “I, um…I’m not sure.”
I point to the next man, hoping he will say something positive to save me.
“The data you used doesn’t make sense with the data we already have. I just went through the numbers again. They don’t line up. Can you explain why we have different numbers?”
“I don’t know.”
“What metrics did you use?” another man says.
“I…I’m not sure.” I have no idea what he is talking about, and I can feel my face getting redder. I try to gather myself. “If you would just turn your attention to this slide, I can better explain to give you more confidence in the plan.”
“Wouldn’t expanding to just five hundred give us the same amount of profit in just a month longer with less risk?”
“Maybe, but—”
“Then, why don’t we just do the five-hundred-room expansion?”
“I—”
“Killian why have the plans changed?” a man sitting less than five seat from me asks.
Shit, now, they are addressing Killian instead of me.
“Killian, I think you’d better finish the presentation,” Granddad says.
I didn’t even realize he was in the room. I’d thought if he heard how great of a job I did from others, he would believe I could do this. Instead, I’ve just fucked up, proving him right.
I swallow before nodding at Killian to finish. He seems reluctant to get up, but he does. I brush past him as I walk. I walk past all the stares. I walk past all the embarrassing murmurs. I walk out of the room until I find my father’s office.
I fall onto my father’s couch, and then I cry. I’ve failed. I can’t do this. I was wrong to even try. Killian knew that. My grandfather knew that. Even my father knew that. They all knew I wasn’t strong enough to handle this.
I should just marry Killian. Or be
tter yet, I should just let him have the company. I could go back to modeling where nobody ever asked me any questions that were difficult. Instead, I got praise daily for how beautiful I was. I felt important. Now, I just feel broken.
“What were you thinking?” Granddad says.
I sit up and wipe my tears. “I just wanted to prove that I could do it, that I could be a part of the company and not just sit on the sidelines while Killian runs it. I just want to be more than a trophy wife.”
He sighs before walking over to me and taking a seat next to me. “I know you do, but you have to know your strengths. That doesn’t include giving big speeches or making decisions. Your beauty is your strength. If you want to help and be a part of the company, then agree to do some modeling for our ads. Be the face of the company, not the voice.”
“But I want more. I want to be more than just a pretty face.”
“You don’t need to be though. You’re beautiful. You have a perfect life. There is no need to throw that all away just to try to feel more useful. If you’re not careful, Killian won’t even want to marry you, and then you’ll be out of luck. I’m afraid I’ll have to make that man CEO whether he marries you or not. He’s too good at his job to let him go to our competition.”
He stands. “If you were smart, you would be focusing on getting him to fall for you instead of thinking of how you can be more useful to the company. You are most useful as Killian’s wife. You need him to fall in love with you before he figures out that I will promote him whether he marries you or not.”
I watch my grandfather as he walks out of my father’s office without saying another word. Killian already knows that he’s invaluable to the company. He already knows that he will become CEO whether or not he marries me. That’s why he proposed what he proposed.