Chapter 33: Committed to Me

Katy Point of View

I frowned as the minutes passed and my boss still had not returned to his office. I had gone away for a moment to refill my coffee and when I came back, it was gone. And he was still outside when in a few minutes he had a video call scheduled with a European distributor. It wasn't like him to be late or do last minute things. Ronny Hush was a man focused and meticulous about his work. So what had he gotten out of his office, especially right before such an important meeting?

Andi, the assistant to the matriarch and boss of Hush Incorporated, Margaret Hush, walked into my work area.

-“What happen? " she asked.

"We have an important call in a few minutes and my boss is away. “He has to close this business today,” I said, reviewing my files for the umpteenth time so that when he arrived, I would be ready to meet with him. You've seen?

"Margaret called a last-minute meeting, so she's in the conference room with her brothers. At least, the brothers who work. “She” rolled her eyes and I knew she was thinking about Noé, the only brother who didn't seem to care about the business. She is preparing to retire and wanted to tell you about his plans and expectations.

"Will Ronny be the general director? "As far as I'm concerned, he was the best suited for the role. Although Hamilton and Carter were great assets, in my opinion Ronny was more capable of keeping his eye on the big picture and commanding the respect and attention of others inside and outside the company.

-Director of operations. He doesn't want a CEO. They have to manage it together equally. The brothers seemed to get along well, but it still seemed like there must be someone in charge. “By the way,” he added, resting his hip on the corner of my desk. I told them he was retiring to spend more time with his surfer boyfriend.

I laughed.

"It's impossible for them to have believed it. "She shrugged her shoulders.

"They didn't rule it out."

Ronny hurried toward his office, shaking his head at her as he passed me.

"I think they're claiming you," Andi said. I collected the files.

"It's an important call.

"Do you think he ever relaxes?" I have a theory that he needs to get laid. "Andi stood up to get out of my way.

"You think everyone needs to get laid

I said, picking up my pen.

-It's true. But Ronny in particular. He's a handsome guy. Rich. Intelligent. He should have plenty of girlfriends, but instead he works like crazy. When do you think the last time he had sex was?

-Don't know. And don't put ideas like that in my head. I don't need to come in and be thinking about my boss in bed. She smiled.

"I don't know, he could be a nice image. "I walked around my desk to go into Ronny's office.

-See you later.

-Yeah. " Andi went to her office."

I entered Ronny's office and went to his desk. He already had his notes and files ready. I placed mine next to his, ready to offer help in providing any data or information he needed.

"Are we ready for the call? "She," she asked as she glanced at the files she had placed in front of her.

-Yes sir. "I checked my watch". You should call in two minutes or so.

"Do we have data on the market share of each EU country? "She," she asked.

-Yes sir. Right here. I have them ordered alphabetically by country or in this list, by potential sales. "I handed him the papers and he scanned them quickly. I also have information on our competitors there and had Hamilton put together a list of advantages of our products over theirs. "I gave him the information". If she knows that Hush is going to come to Europe no matter what and that he is going to dominate the market, she may influence him. MAP and all that.

Ronny looked at me.

"MAP?"

"Afraid of losing? "I shrugged my shoulders". The point is to entice you to accept the deal so that no one else can offer it to you.

He studied me for a moment with those deep blue eyes. Andi was right. He was pretty. He had all the earmarks of being a billionaire playboy, but he wasn't. He was too focused on the company.

"You are excellent at your job, Mrs. Nichols.

How I liked that he recognized my work.

"Thank you, Mr. Hush.

"I need to close this deal today. I will do almost anything to make that happen. The window of opportunity is closing if we want to be ready for distribution in the fall.

As his assistant, I felt the pressure I was under as much as he did. He knew that today was, clearly, a key day for the agreement.

"I will do everything I can to help. "The computer on his desk rang.

“Show time,” he said, clicking the mouse to answer the video call.

Mr. LaMont appeared on the screen. He wasn't much older than Ronny and, like Ronny, he worked in his family's business, which he took over when his father retired. Unlike Ronny, he seemed like a man who enjoyed life. Or maybe it was just the European aspect of him. While Ronny's tie was tight, Mr. LaMont didn't bother to wear one and instead wore his shirt with the top buttons undone. His dark hair was combed back, but he had a windswept look, as if he had just stepped out of a convertible after driving along the Côte d'Azur.

"Mr. Hush, how are you? Mr. LaMont's French accent came from the computer.

"Please call me Ronny. He suits me well. And you?

-Very good. Very good. I'm looking forward to celebrating a deal with some wine and maybe a little love with my wife tonight.

Ronny's cheeks turned pink. That was another characteristic of the French, or maybe it was just the lord. LaMont, but he was quite frank about the many sensual aspects of life, including sex. I wondered if she had ever asked Ronny if he had sex.

"Well, then, let's get to the point," Ronny said. I think my assistant sent you all the details of our last call. Did you have time to review them?

-Yes Yes. And they seem quite favorable.

"So, are you ready to sign? "Ronny extended his hand and I handed him the contract we had drawn up. He had one and Mr. LaMont had another.

"I have to be honest, Mr. Hush...er...Ronny." My concerns are not about the terms of the agreement.

"Is there something that worries you? "Ronny kept his face impassive, but I could see the tension building in his broad shoulders.

"Not about the conditions, but about Hush Incorporated.

Ronny clenched his jaw.

-Already. The company's profits have increased by eight percent this year. Ronny launched into talking about the company's financial strength, but as he did so, I noticed Mr. LaMont's eyes begin to shine. Having done my research on LaMont, I wondered if his concern was less about the stability of the company. LaMont inherited the business from his father, who inherited it from hers, and so on for almost one hundred and fifty years. He was a man steeped in family history. I also learned that he seemed to prefer doing business with other companies that had a long family tradition.

I decided to help Ronny.

"Don't forget that Hush Incorporated was founded fifty years ago by Margaret Hush, Mr. Hush's grandmother. Even as she prepares to retire, her four grandchildren are already deeply involved in the business and committed to continuing her legacy.

Ronny didn't look at me, and he worried me that maybe he had overstepped me. Mr. LaMont smiled.

"I am aware of the history of your company. It is one of the reasons why I am negotiating with you. Perhaps you should know that we prefer to work with family businesses. They offer stability and a legacy that each generation wants to protect. However, none of Mrs. Hush's grandchildren are married or engaged. They have no children to continue the business.

"They're still young," I said. After all, Ronny was only twenty-eight years old and the oldest.

"I've been focusing on my family's business," Ronny added.

-Yes of course. However, when your grandmother retires, what is she going to stop the four brothers from dissolving the company or selling it? “They could each go her way and we would be left with a deal we don't want,” Mr. LaMont said.

In my opinion, they could also separate or sell if they were married, but I assumed he was thinking that with wives and families the Hush brothers would have a greater sense of duty to pass the business on to their children.

Ronny sat up straight. Standing next to him, and watching him, I wondered what was going through his head. Neither he nor his brothers had any prospects for marriage, as far as I knew. His father was a widower, but he had not been involved with the company for many years. Since long before I started, even.

"You don't have to worry about family ownership of the company ending with my generation. I have every intention of having my children participate in it.

Mr. LaMont smiled.

"Yes, but you don't have children, unless I don't know them.

"I don't have them yet," Ronny admitted.

"Not a wife either. In fact, my research suggests that you don't go out much.

Investigating potential business partners was commonplace, but I imagined it was still creepy for Ronny to know that Mr. LaMont had looked into his life. His jaw tightened again.

-I work. I am married to my company. That should count for something.

Mr. LaMont's expression suggested that he was not convinced. Ronny looked at me. I smiled, hoping to cheer him up. He looked back at the screen.

"The truth is that I've been seeing someone and well... we recently got engaged, but we've kept it a secret.

It was strange the tangle of jealousy he felt over that. I knew everything about this man, how did I not know he was seeing someone? And that he had gotten engaged? Why would he hide that from his brothers and his grandmother?