Accident Prone

Quentin giving Brianna stocks of Reynolds Media was not about the money or power. It was about treating her as his equal and about him sharing with her everything, good and bad, while exposing himself for the possibility of her retaliation in case things turn sour between them. It was his way of showing his sincerity.

Without Brianna realizing, Quentin managed to surround her with security she always craved for and she knew that he accepts her completely, flaws and all… and in Quentin's embrace, she feels at home.

Brianna felt her eyes stinging and she blinked a few times with hope to stop her tears from falling, but it didn't work. Brianna didn't know how to respond to everything that happened in the last few minutes, or maybe in the last six months during which Quentin turned her world upside down and Brianna found herself in a different reality... much better than she ever imagined.

Brianna got on her toes and kissed Quentin on the lips.

Quentin wrapped his arms around Brianna and gathered her against his body, and they kissed like no one is watching (or clapping).

Mia bobbed her head in approval. Quentin showed that he is serious about Brianna, big time. And thanks to them spacing out, the microphone was close enough so that everyone could hear Quentin's confession.

Liz was all smiles seeing how happy Brianna is. After many years of running away from relationships, Brianna bumped into a man who was pursuing her stubbornly until he managed to break down her defenses.

Hunter nudged Max and gestured toward the back where models were standing. "If my guess is correct, Kendra is the one at the far left."

Max glanced in the direction Hunter pointed at. He saw two rows made out of skinny young women (and a few guys) who were clapping with big smiles on their faces, and at the far left was a woman whose clothes were right for this fashionable occasion, but her expression was ugly.

"Yup.", Max confirmed that Hunter is correct.

"Do you think she will cause trouble?", Hunter asked.

Max shook his head. "After this public display of affection, whatever Kendra has in store, it will not work. And she will not dare make an open move against Bri, who is technically her boss now."

Hunter nodded in agreement and leaned closer to Max to avoid being overheard. "We worried if Q will be able to take care of one ex, and Q came up with a sleek move which took care of all of them."

Max gave another look-over to the models and he observed that all of them are young, probably none of them is more than twenty years old. Well, Quentin might have a reputation of bedding models, but he is not a pedophile. Most of the girls seem to be in their late teens and Max is not wrong with that estimation because girls start modeling young, some at sixteen years old.

Max concluded that Quentin played it safe, by not hiring his ex-hookups who are senior models compared to the batch of girls that is present on the stage.

'Smart move', Max praised Quentin silently.

A loud thud sounded when Quentin dropped the microphone, making the two newlyweds stop kissing.

Quentin chuckled and got the microphone.

"Sorry about that, but I am not sorry." Quentin's comment made (almost) everyone burst into laughter. "The show is over, and the social part can start. Thank you…"

"Waah! That was the biggest public display of affection ever!", Mia exclaimed when Quentin and Brianna joined them.

"Sorry Quentin…", Liz said apologetically. "I suspected that you are rushing into marriage, but your generous show of sincerity managed to convince me otherwise. You planned for this. I am touched. I believe that the two of you are an amazing match and I wish you many years of happiness."

Brianna hugged Liz and Mia joined, making it a three-girl hug.

Max understood that the 'generous show of sincerity' Liz mentioned was Quentin giving Brianna half of his stocks of Reynolds Media.

Max wondered if he should give Liz half of the stocks of the Alpha group he owns. Nah, that won't serve any purpose for several reasons. First, because Liz is confident in their relationship. Second, Liz wants to be a neurosurgeon and not a business owner. And third, because Williams Medical corp. has about the same evaluation as the Alpha group and it would be like giving her ice cream while she is already holding one, and she does not want to eat any.

Actually, when comparing two companies, Williams Medical corp. is in a better position compared to the Alpha group. Isaac is in the field of medicine which always has customers (people get sick and need preventive care), and that makes them more solid than the Alpha group who needs to pamper customers in order to prevent them from going to the competitors.

The Alpha group is spread through many areas, from real estate to construction, electronics, and they have a number of big contracts with the government. Why would Liz be interested in any of that?

Max's mind exploded: they should expand to medicine! And if the Alpha group and Williams Medical corp. merge (or at least enter a tight collaboration), that would be perfect because he and Liz will work together! Ah, how come he didn't think of that earlier? The Alpha group can focus on electronics in the medical field and partner with the Williams Medical corp. It can start from there and develop further.

Liz enjoys performing surgeries and experimenting in the lab. Max will build her the best lab ever!

With that collaboration in place, he does not need to worry about Liz moving back to New York or wherever.

Max took a mental note to brainstorm this with Hunter and Nathan when they get back to Seattle.

On the stage where the models are…

The models waited for the signal that they can get off the stage and mingle with guests.

"Ella, what do you think Miss Kendra will do?", one model (Mina) asked her friend in a whisper.

Ella smiled. "Nothing if she is mart, Mina."

"Something if we are lucky…", a girl from the second row (Jordin) chimed in, not trying to hide that she overheard them.

The three models giggled and enjoyed the sight of Kendra who was unable to conceal her sour face. And Kendra's hands that were balled into tight fists showed how upset Kendra is about big boss Reynolds introducing his wife.

From the first day of their casting, Kendra was present during lessons that included instructions on diet, exercise, facial expressions, and the catwalk (to name a few). Even the models with previous experience had to take the introductory lessons and pass the test before they were allowed to step in front of cameras.

Other than using models for their own shows and shootings, Reynolds Media collaborates with other designers and fashion houses, and that provides additional exposure to the models.

Reynolds Media is new as a brand, but the department for hiring and training models started working several weeks ago.

When Quentin made an appearance in the casting room and all the girls swooned at the sight of their handsome CEO, Kendra told them to behave, or they will be punished.

The girls didn't take Kendra's warnings in a bad way, after all, it's just a warning not to lust after the boss. However, they all got suspicious when they realized that Kendra is acting like she owns the place when Quentin is not around, and when he is present, Kendra is reduced to a sweet minion.

Only a blind person would miss that Kendra has hots for boss Quentin and the girls assumed Kendra has the boss's favor, but now things took an unexpected turn.

They are all eager to see what will happen and they hope that Kendra will be put in her place.

"Next time Miss Kendra says anything related to behaving in front of the CEO, I will make sure to mention the CEO's wife.", Ella said and snickered.

"Do you think that the CEO's wife knows about Kendra's behavior?", Mina asked. "We all heard CEO Reynolds telling his wife that he is devoted and that she is the only one. No man would be foolish enough to confess like that publicly and lie. And we saw Kendra's reaction. It all points to Kendra misleading us on purpose and abusing her position as CEO's assistant."

Ella smiled. "Good point. I don't think that Miss Kendra would be so brazen if the bosses knew what is happening in their absence."

"We should fix that. I have a camera that looks like a pen.", Jordin said. "Our lives will be so much better without Kendra in the way."

"Perfect!", Ella and Mina said in unison and laughed.

Neither of the three models cares about their CEO fooling around (or not), but the fact that Kendra is acting all high and mighty during their already harsh training, is rubbing the girls in the wrong way.

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