Edie decided that instead of going home, she would go to the L. N. Group and see Stuart. Learning a lesson from the last time she went to visit Stuart, Edie called Ivan in advance. "Hello, Ivan. Iām going to stop and see Stuart. Is he still working?"
"Yes, Mrs. Yates. He is still in a meeting. Itās been going on now for three hours, and it doesnāt seem like he will be finished anytime soon!" Ivan felt a little guilty because Stuart hadnāt seen Edie all day.
"Okay, thanks, Ivan. I may stop by and see him. If heās still in a meeting, I will wait for him in the VIP lounge," Edie said and hung up the phone.
Edie looked at the time, and it was almost ten oāclock. Since Stuart was still in a meeting, Edie wondered if he had anything for dinner. So she changed her plans and asked the driver to turn around and go to Stuartās favorite Japanese restaurant. Edie got rice with sushi, a cake and made sure she had extras for the staff.
Ivan informed the receptionist that Edie might be coming to see Mr. Yates. As soon as she arrived, she went straight to the elevator. When the door opened, Ivan was standing inside. He quickly looked at the food that she was holding in her hands and said, "Mrs. Yates, Iām surprised to see you. I didnāt expect to see you where itās so late."
Apologetically he said, "Mrs. Yates, I have to apologize. I have been so busy this evening, and I forgot that you said you might be dropping by to see Mr. Yates."
Edie laughed, "Thatās okay! I know youāre busy. I just wanted to pick Stuart up something for dinner."
Edie wanted to tell Ivan about her dinner with Donald, but she felt a little guilty as she hadnāt even told Stuart. Ivan took her to the VIP room and poured her a glass of lemonade. He passed it to her and said, "Mrs. Yates, I donāt know how much longer Mr. Yates is going to be. It might be better if you went home."
Edie patted the couch with her hand and said, "This couch is rather comfy, so if I get tired, I can sleep here while I wait. I donāt want to interrupt Stuartās meeting. Please donāt tell him Iām here until after heās finished?"
Ivan admired Edie for being so gentle and kind. "Mrs. Yates, this is so generous of you. I am also working overtime, and my girlfriend hasnāt even called me."
Edie jokingly replies, "So I guess I made your day then?"
She carefully takes the food out of the bag and places it on the table. As soon as Ivan sees it, it made his mouth water. "I apologize, Mrs. Yates. Forgive me, but this food looks delicious."
Edie was amused and said, "I brought extras, so take some for yourself and the rest of the staff in the building."
Ivan thanked her and left. Edie sat on the sofa and read a magazine. A little while later, Ivan peeked on Edie and saw her starting to fall asleep. He wasnāt sure how much longer Stuart was going to be, so Ivan went into the meeting room.
Today was Stuartās quarterly meeting. Inside the room was the board of directors. They were responsible for helping the corporation set broad goals, supporting executive duties, and ensuring the company had adequate, well-managed resources at their disposal.
The chairman was Madame Madge, Stuartās mother. She had given her power to Stuart, and now he was to attend the board meetings alone. Stuart had passed the family test and would be subjected to more accurate examinations to determine his ability to become a successor.
When Ivan walked in, they were discussing the planning of an area by the L.N. Group. Some of the directors thought it should be developed as soon as possible. Their intentions were to strive for profits regardless of the competitive price.
There was a debate going on as the other directors thought there was plenty of time to negotiate based on offers from other firms. The atmosphere in the room was extremely tense, as the issues became confrontational.
"The best time for the people to visit the Golden city is from August to October. If we buy it now, then within a year, we will be able to build the scenic spot and make a profit by August next year," one of the directors said.
"We will have to put millions of dollars into it, and in the meantime, there will be no profit!" Someone else spoke out in the room.
Each of the directors held their own opinions and argued endlessly. Ivan only listened and wondered what was going through Stuartās mind. Ivan passed Stuart the documents he needed and then whispered in Stuartās ear, "Mrs. Yates is here. She is waiting in the VIP lounge."
Stuart immediately stopped looking through the documents and looked at the time. It was ten-thirty. He slightly frowned because he had no idea how late it was and thought to himself, āItās so late, and all they have been doing is arguing. I really didnāt even need to be here as nothing seems to be resolved.ā
Stuart quickly scanned the quotation file in front of him, then glanced at the people in the room and said with a chill in his voice, "Have the directors come to an agreement yet?"
"Not yet, Mr. CEO. Am I right or is he right?"
"Mr. CEO, I donāt know what heās talking about, but yes, we have come to an agreement."
Then there was another unstoppable dispute. Stuart stood up and told Ivan, "Send this market review directly to the directors and ask them to negotiate and send the final plan to me."
Stuart was getting ready to leave. One of the directors was angry. His name was Mike, and he was one of the oldest board members. He saw Stuart getting ready to leave and tapped the table with his fingers.
"Why are you leaving? Madame Madge gave you the power, and this is how you treat the directors? Are you leaving before the meeting is over? You are supposed to be courteous! Where are your manners?"
Mr. Mikeās angry voice echoed throughout the conference room. Stuart turned around and looked at him with his cold eyes. You could tell by the expression on his face that he wasnāt pleased.
He walked over to his desk and looked Mike right in the eyes and said, "I am not going to waste any more of my time. This issue is still not resolved, and tomorrow, during my working hours, you can give me the final report. Otherwise, the losses will be shared by the directors. I should have left four hours ago, and if it wasnāt because of you not being able to come to an agreement, we wouldnāt have wasted so much time. I advise you in the future not to waste my personal time."
Then Stuart ignored the glances of the directors, turned around, and walked out of the room. For the first time in many years, Mr. Mike was confronted with such a rebuttal and by a younger generation, which, to him, was unforgivable. He never said a word, but subconsciously accepted the kingās orders to his subjects.