Accident Prone

Quentin is in the largest conference room, facing the shareholders and directors of Reynolds Publishing. His parents are also present.

Since he returned to work after their Christmas-argument, Quentin managed to convince his parents to give him the official title of the CEO of Reynolds Publishing, and Quentin knew that they agreed to that only to pacify him without giving him any actual power behind that title, but Quentin is about to change that. Actually, he is changing that with Max's help, and now is time for the final blow.

He sent a meeting invitation with an agenda that they will discuss the future direction of the company, and all directors and shareholders who are part of the board made sure to attend.

Quentin spoke about a number of upcoming collaborations and some changes in the focus of the company before he paused and allowed his audience to ask questions.

So far, everything went according to plan. Quentin could see that people loyal to him are supporting him and the majority of others have dollar signs in their eyes. The moment he mentioned lowering cost and increasing profit, he had their votes. But under that confident facade, Quentin is nervous. Soon, his fiery Goddess is going to make her appearance and even though he didn't want to put her on spot, he needs her help and Brianna said that she will be happy to do it.

Quentin's mother is a proud woman who can't stand when someone challenges her, and Brianna said that she will make great use of that trait.

Quentin knows that Brianna is eager to rub it in his parents' faces for the humiliation she endured during Christmas dinner and he supports her completely, but he is concerned about their possible retaliation. Actually, he has no idea what his parents are capable of, but he knows that they are power-hungry and that they are not going to like what is coming their way. 

Quentin glanced at the time and he knew that Brianna is in the building for more than fifteen minutes. She is waiting for him to give her a signal so that she can make her appearance at the right time.

People took turns in asking for clarifications, and Quentin provided them with answers. He was surprised that his parents are sitting quietly, especially since they were not aware of these changes in advance. Quentin was not sure if they are silent because they don't know what to say, or are they only accumulating rage and will blow up later.

"You want to cut down on paper prints? How will that bring us any value?", director Stabenow asked when his turn came. He is managing printing facilities and staff, and he is not happy about the cuts that Quentin is proposing because they are direct cuts into his budget.

Director Stabenow was not pleased with Quentin's response. "What makes you think that our readers will accept this change? Who sits in front of a computer to read a magazine?"

"Everyone has smartphones and tablets, and we will build apps that will feature our magazines and any content that we are currently providing on paper. That will cut the cost and our users will get not only text and images, but videos as well for a fraction of the cost…", Quentin explained. "Additional potential for income is that we partner with other publishing companies and for a fee, we can open up our app to their products."

"How is that different from current e-readers?", Mrs. Merkley asked. She is a shareholder with enough shares to attend these meetings.

"E-readers are generic, while our app will provide a custom experience. If you turn to page fourteen, you will see a list of features available…", Quentin responded and most of the people were flipping pages. "Our readers can do much more than just reading; they can watch videos and interact with models and photographers. Customers can upload their photos and our designers can advise them on how to match their clothes or how to organize their wardrobe. The potential for growth is unlimited, and this is only scratching the surface. We will connect to readers on a personal level."

Director Stabenow was not flipping anything because he was angry. Cutting his budget means that he has less power, and no one at this table will accept that calmly if their finances are on the line. "How are we going to deal with our printing facilities? What about the people?"

Quentin knew that this will be brought up, and he was ready. "Right now, I have a few ideas and I am open to listening to additional suggestions if you have any. The equipment and facilities are not important. If something is not used, it's easy to sell it. As for the employees, we can offer them an opportunity to learn relevant skills and transfer to other departments. There is also a market for printing books which is more lucrative than magazines. I have a plan to open a small editorial department and to hire a few agents for a trial of one year where we will see if printing books works for Reynolds Publishing. That is not in current plans because I wanted to sync up with you first, before sharing it with others." Quentin saw that director Stabenow nodded in approval and he stopped while he was ahead.

Quentin predicted that director Stabenow will back down at the mentioning of expanding his services and asking for his expertise. It is amazing how he can win over that many by stroking his ego. This was a move that Max suggested, and Quentin can't believe that it worked so well.

"Any more questions?", Quentin asked while eyeing the audience. "I encourage you to read this after the meeting and reach out to me with any questions by end of this week. If there is enough interest, we can have another meeting."

Just as he expected, Mrs. Durbin indicated that she wants to speak.

Mrs. Durbin is the Director of Finances, and she always comes forward when others run out of questions. Her reputation is that she spoils the fun for everyone when she brings up the point that some ideas can't be funded. Her question was predictable: "How are we going to finance this?"

Quentin's lips lifted into a smile. "I was about to address this as soon as there were no more questions related to future plans. We have a financial partner who is willing to invest in the company."

"Under what conditions?", Mrs. Durbin asked.

Quentin glanced at his phone and quickly sent one text. "They are here, so you can ask them yourself."

About ten seconds later, the door of the conference room opened, and Brianna entered with Mia trailing behind her.

Brianna was wearing a well-fitting dark red suit with a jacket that emphasized her waist and a pencil skirt that ended just above her knees. With her hair pulled up in a tight bun, she looked mesmerizing and Quentin was lost in a daze. Well even with her professional-looking clothes, her amble bosom was impossible to hide, and her hourglass figure drew the attention of men and women alike.

Quentin's mother thought that her eyes will pop out when she recognized Brianna. Before she could ask any questions, Quentin was talking.

"Representative from Harper Investments is here to discuss the collaboration and to answer your questions related to it."

"You made a deal already?", Mrs. Durbin asked with disapproval obvious in her voice.

"Of course not. But we touched main points and we got the drafts ready for you to review…" As Quentin said this, his secretary stepped forward and handed folders to the participants of the meeting.

Quentin continued talking to Mrs. Durbin: "I had to explain these deals first to our financial partners. How else can I get them to collaborate with us? These are only rough drafts and I expect that you will bring to my attention what all we missed."

Seeing that Mrs. Durbin nodded in approval, Quentin gestured toward Brianna, indicating to her that she can start addressing the people in the room.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen…", Brianna greeted everyone. "I am here on behalf of Harper Investments. I had a chance to hear from Mr. Reynolds about his vision for your company, and we at Harper Investments believe that it will be extremely profitable. That is why we decided to lend you a hand. Please, read the draft, and I will be happy to respond to your questions."

Quentin's father was flipping the documents and reading frantically, it was obvious that he didn't recognize Brianna. By his side, Mrs. Reynolds was scrutinizing Brianna.

"You are here on behalf of Harper Investments?", Mrs. Reynolds said suspiciously. "How can a clerk represent a financial institution?"

Everyone in the room paused and their eyes landed on Brianna whose lips curved up in slow motion.

"I apologize if I missed your introduction. Who are you?"

Mrs. Reynolds' face turned ugly. How dares this wench (aka Brianna) pretend not to know who she is?

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