The Secret Marriage

Chapter 8: Preposterous!

Spotted Lana Sage several times near Lance Properties. Is she getting a free pass to employment after college?

- @Elly_gogogossip

Lana’s room was messy. Clothes were everywhere, she had been struggling to find the perfect combo for her first meeting as the shareholder. So far, the clothes combination that she got was not good enough. Money was not sufficient for her to go on a spending spree. The bank would release the inheritance only after the official wedding ceremony. 

She needed to look at her best after the condescending remarks from Cameron about her attire. Two hours after dreadful clothes-searching and she chanced upon a former college interview office wear. She wore a white blouse underneath a black blazer matching with a black pencil skirt, along with a pantyhose that matched her skin color and a black three-inch pair of heels. The blazer was a little loose on her. Living alone had taken a toll on her; she had been losing weight. 

Lana thought of the attire as her ‘lucky outfit’. Partly because it was bought when Charles brought Lana to the shopping mall himself for the first time. She recalled being nervous going into Charles’s alma mater. The outfits gave her the courage whilst being interviewed by the dean. It was tried and tested again when she had her internship placement interview. She hoped that the miracle would serve once more for the meeting.

She dabbed a generous load of concealer under her dark eye bag. Sleep does not get easy as she was concerned about her expressions and introductions all night. She applied a mauve colour lipstick to add some vibrancy on her olive skin. As she stood in front of a full-length mirror, Lana said to herself, “You can do this. Believe in yourself.” 

Lana left the house without having a sip of her coffee. She chose to be in the office earlier to calm her nerves. The receptionist led her to a convention room in the building. It had a massive desk in the middle with at least 15 chairs. There was a wide white screen in front and a projector across from it. Lana took a seat at the side of the table, forth from the first spot. Her emotions amplified; her breathing quickened. 

“The proposal needs some changes. Sara will provide you the details. I expect to have it on my table by five,” Cameron said whilst walking into the room. He was talking on his Bluetooth earpiece on his right ear. He liked to be the first for meetings to run through the agenda and queries that may arise; especially during board meetings when the old geezers liked to ask irrelevant questions. 

“You’re early, Sage,” he said when he noticed the fidgeting Lana. He took the first seat by the table. 

“Sit here,” he pulled a chair beside him. Lana followed his instructions. “This is the first time you're listening to me. No retort?”  Lana was nervous, and she couldn’t think straight. She stayed quiet and shook her head. “I like this part of you. Though, the outfit could be better,” Cameron lied. He loved how her white shirt hugged her ample chest, and her tight skirt was flaunting her curves. 

It surprised Lana; She spent two hours searching for the outfit. “I don’t care about your opinion. So, keep the comments to yourself,” she snapped. 

“Just when I thought you could be civil,” Cameron said. Before Lama could reply, a young man with a bright smile walked in. 

“Morning boss.” They did a ‘bro’ handshake. His blue eyes shifted their attention to Lana. 

“Good morning, gorgeous. You must be Lana Sage,” he stuck out his hand and Lana did the same. “You’re prettier than the rumor. I’m Henry Davies. Nice to finally make your acquaintance,” he said with an English accent. Lana thought he was going for a handshake, but he pulled her hand to his lips, kissing the back of her hand gently. Lana could feel her face get warmer instantly. 

In contrast to Cameron’s dark, devilish charm, Henry had a different appeal; he was more gentlemanly. The duo was the most good-looking guy in the company and caused the office to be divided into two teams: team Cameron and team Henry. 

“N-nice to meet you too,” Lana stuttered. "Smooth Lana," she thought to herself. Henry chuckled before taking a seat beside her. She was being awkward and kept on fidgeting with her fingers.

“i***t,” Cameron muttered. Only Lana could hear him. He was staring at her when she glanced at him. Intimidated by those eyes, Lana searched her purse, pretending to look for her phone. 

The door opened again. This time, several men and a woman entered the room. They didn't seem to notice Lana yet. After everyone had settled in, Cameron stood up. 

“Good morning, board of directors and shareholders. I will facilitate the meeting for today. The point of the session is to introduce our new shareholder, daughter of the late Charles Sage, our founding father.”

Everyone gave a round of applause, welcoming the biggest shareholder of the corporation. 

Lana stood up to introduce herself, “Hi, good morning. As introduced, my name is Lana Ruby Sage. A pleasure to meet all of you.” Lana’s legs were wobbly, and she thought she would faint. Never had she been in such a nerve-wracking environment.

Cameron picked up after the introductions. "Miss Sage is the sole beneficiary of Charles Sage's wealth which includes the business shares," he stated the obvious. The area buzzing with discussion.  There were about 13 people; each of them thinking how nice it was for Lana to have been born with a silver spoon. At her age, she would easily be one of the youngest billionaires. 

"Therefore, it makes sense for Miss Sage to hold a management position in Lance Properties due to her upcoming status and her majority amount of company shares," Cameron informed them of his decision. As expected, his statement gave way to a lot of questions. 

"Preposterous!" a man who sat beside Philip objected. He was a guy in his 60s. His wrinkles were visible, but that did not hide his stern face. "What would a young girl like herself know about business?" he asked. The sentence was too familiar. Everyone’s thoughts about Lana seemed the same. Lana thought her reputation definitely did not help with her case. 

“That’s sexist, Mr Davies,” the lady at the end of the table spoke. Lana glanced at Henry when the woman mentioned the mature man's last name. “If she is half as competent as her father, I don’t see the reason not to let her do it,” she continued. 

“That's not what I meant. She looks green and does not have any experience in running the business. I object to this arrangement. She should enjoy her profound wealth and attend the board meetings as a shareholder as and when needed. Who else is with me?” A group of people raised their hands. There were more in agreement than objection. Lana looked at Cameron, who had his hands down. She was glad that he didn't raise it.

Lana was furious. Sure, she was expecting some objections. However, it was more than she had anticipated. At this rate, she may lose the chance to work at Lance’s.  Lana has to control the crowd. She rose and slammed the solid desk, causing everybody to settled down. The room stood still in silence, and everyone's eyes were on her once again. 

"It is unnecessary to judge me before seeing my performance. I own a fairly large sum of dividends in this company. Why would I want to jeopardize the source of my income? I will do my best with the position given to me. I wish to uphold the legacy left by my late father. Do not look down on me just because I'm young and a woman," Lana said in a determined voice. 

Everyone was looking at her shocked by her outburst. They did not expect for that the party girl could have such an imposing presence. Cameron smiled, feeling slightly proud of his future wife. 

“I’m not judging you because of your gender! Don’t act as if you’re a saint. You assume I’m old and didn’t keep up with the news? You are a mess, and now you want a position here? Utterly absurd!”

“What does partying have anything to do with work? Stop trying to find excuses to reject me!”

“It says everything about your character: irresponsible and a rebel!”

Cameron tried to intervene between their back-and-forth argument. Both Lana and Mr Davies had a stubborn personalities. There would not be any conclusion if he ignored it. “Settle down, I understand both parties’ concerns. Notwithstanding out of respect for Mr Charles, I would want to give Ms Sage a chance and let her be on a year-long probation to determine if she is competent as she claimed. Do you agree, Mr Davies, Ms Sage?”

“One year. If she proves to be incapable, she will resign on her own terms,” compromised Mr Davies.  

“Yes, one year is more than sufficient for you to take back your words,” challenged Lana. She despised the humiliation Mr Davies had brought. She vowed to herself that she would work hard to earn her position.