NovelEnglish.
45. Taste of business world.
The forum is taking place on the East coast, in New York, no less. And I for one, had never been to New York. In fact, I have
never had the pleasure of leaving the west coast to visit anywhere else no matter how I wished, and my abysmal bad luck struck
whenever there was a field trip organized for my class whenever there was something exciting going on. And that was saying
something, considering how I rarely got sick.
But the few times I did, it was almost always on days when exciting field trips were scheduled. Which meant that I got the visit
some boring powdered milk and dairy product factory which was just a stone’s throw away from Clandestine city, but never got to
visit New York in the eighth-grade field trip because I apparently got food poisoning from some bad selfish after mom took me to
an all-you-can-eat buffet the night before at a newly opened seafood restaurant.
And I wasn’t even allergic to it. Those damn oysters had just not agreed with me.
So, I was as excited as a puppy just to embark on this trip. And that excitement was almost enough to drown the sheer nerves I
had regarding the forum.
The North American Business Forum was one of the biggest annual corporate events in this part of the world, and in order to
participate in it, you had to get an invitation. And in order to get an invite, your company should be noteworthy. Almost every
company in the country strived to get in, and only five hundred invites were sent per year.
I did not anticipate Zelt Tech getting an invite this year, and apparently, neither had Gerald. We thought we had years to go
before we became noteworthy in any kind.
The forum was a three-day event. On the first day, there was an introduction, followed by lunch and some panels. The second
day was entirely dedicated to various panels, events, sub-forums et Cetra. The third day had the final panels, followed by naming
the ten most successful businesses of the year, followed by a gala event.
Ten executives of our company were participating in the whole thing, and I was just glad that the whole thing started after the
dreaded finals. Otherwise, I would’ve been in such a mess.
Because of the perceived threat to Zelt Tech employees, we have hired a special security company to provide us with the
relevant bodyguards throughout our trip. At first, it was embarrassing, and when the idea was suggested, I really wanted to veto
it. But given the situation we found ourselves in, we did not know what will happen. While the shooting was mostly concentrated
in Clandestine city, and occasionally the Empire city, there is no saying what will happen once we were out of our comfort zone.
Better safe than sorry. And the bodyguards were pretty non-descript, it was easy to pretend like they were just another bunch of
executives in their sleep suits and casual manner. Had they been acting like the bodyguards often seen in movies, I would’ve
died from embarrassment.
When I told this to Coraline, she laughed for three minutes straight and declared that I was such a prissy drama queen.
We take a plane to New York, thankfully not together, and rendezvous at the hotel surrounded by bodyguards, where the forum
is taking place. It’s a giant fie star sot that looks too pristine to live in, even for three nights.
The steward at the reception table refers to me as Mr. Greyson as if she’s aware of my connection to my father. While we hang
around the lobby until our rooms are sorted, more and more businesspeople and representatives from corporate giants come to
meet us, and whenever I get introduced to them, I see the
widening of their eyes, followed by the question, “so, you’re Joseph Greyson’s son?” These questions are ringed with disbelief.
I popped up from, otherwise, I don’t think I’d ever be able to get out of the lobby.
Mostly, people cannot believe that my father had sired an heir. Some ask why I haven’t been in the public eye until now, because
apparently, no one had really been aware that I existed. All the introductions are always followed by a note of surprise, and when
we leave the lobby, finally, after our room keycards are given, I can feel more than forty pairs of eyes tracking me.
The whole experience is bizarre, and to be frank, surreal.
“You, sir, are now a celebrity,” Coraline announces gleefully as we enter an elevator, which seems to be made from gold and
marble. Seriously, everything was so bright in here.
I wonder if I look as lost as I feel, “what just happened?” I find myself asking.
“That is your first taste of being publicly introduced into your father’s world, young master,” Gerald clarifies, “so far, there had only
been rumors of your existence. Tales told by random business associates. who’ve met you for a meal or a meeting. Until now,
you’ve never been seen in public in a way that mattered.”
“But now you have been,” Coraline adds, “but this is informal. Your official intro comes later in the forum introduction. By the way,
with your assistance, I’m going to be managing your whole timetable while you are here, and I’ve taken the liberty of assigning
you to various panels that I believe will be beneficial for you. Also, I just got a message from the laundry room saying that your
suits for the stay have been. delivered to your room...”
Coraline lists off various things regarding the forum, I try to listen and keep track. It had not been even three hours since we
arrived here, and I already feel overwhelmed. And we still have to get started on this. damn thing.
“Gerald,” I murmur when Coraline pauses, “how am I going to do this? I...I know nothing about conducting myself in events like
these. I feel like I need to watch a YouTube instructional video or something.”
Gerald shoots me an amused look, and smiles, “Do not worry about it much, Jace. You can handle it the same way your father
did.”
“Oh?” And how’s that.”
“You simply fake it till you make it.”
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