Chapter 33 An impromptu meeting
NOVA
I tried all I could to get Brion to speak with me, but each time, he found something else to do, so we wouldn't talk about it. Though he gave me the cold shoulder, it didn't extend to my babies. He still took care of them, like always. I was the only one he hardly spoke to unless it was necessary. It had been going on for four days now, and it was telling on me. This was the longest we had gone without speaking to each other ever since I met him five years ago. His silent treatment was hurting me more than I thought possible, but he didn't seem ready to break it.
"Good morning." Smiling, Dashiell walked over to my desk with a bouquet. He didn't bother to knock on the door. "How are you doing?"
I ignored him, keeping my focus on my laptop. I had important things to do, and none of them were about him. I had gotten used to seeing him each morning and, most times, it didn't matter anymore. What mattered at the moment was to get Brion to speak to me. That was all I wanted.
Sighing, I got up from my chair and took my desktop after I checked the time on my wristwatch. "Excuse me." I walked past a bewildered Dashiell and towards the door.
"Nova." He ran after me, and blocked my path, spreading his arms to obstruct my movement. "Can you listen to me?"
"Move. I have a meeting to get to." My voice was neutral. I wasn't in the mood for a confrontation with him.
"So
I, yet I'm here with you."
"Because you chose to," I sidestepped him, and opened my door to leave, but he wedged it, placing his hand on the doorknob, to close it.
"I need to speak to you," he stated once more, his gaze intense as he stared hard at me. "Can't you allow me this?"
"I have nothing to say to you. Like I said, if you want to have a civil conversation with me, let's meet in the courtroom."
Pushing him out of the way, I opened my door and stepped out, slamming it shut before he could race after me. To avoid him, I had to take the elevator close to my office, avoiding the one near his. The elevator had just closed when he raced out of my office. Smiling, I relaxed, letting my mind drift to Brion as the elevator went down.
I got to the boardroom before him, and sat on my designated chair, grateful, not for the first time, that I was two seats away from him.
"Good morning," I greeted everyone, smiling at the few who nodded their heads in greeting. The others acted like they were hard in the ears. Those were the ones that tagged me as a proud woman because of how I isolated myself from a few of them. None of them knew I was only avoiding gossip.
Dashiell arrived a few minutes later, and his eyes immediately went to me. A small smile played on his lips, letting me know he had something up on his sleeves.
Nodding his head at the greetings from the employees, he walked over to his chair and sat down, his gaze settling on my face once more. The smirk hadn't left.
All around, there was shuffling as the workers tried to make themselves more presentable. As if. The females touched their hair, while the men adjusted their neckties, each acting like they were about to have a conference with the president.
Clearing his throat, Dashiell tapped his pen on the table, his gaze still at me. He didn't seem concerned with the stares he got from the others.
I averted my gaze when I realized he would not do that. He seemed ready to hold my stare until I spoke to him, something I wasn't ready to do.
"I trust you've all had a chance to review the latest perfume brand design proposal. I'd like to hear your initial impressions and discuss how we can ensure it aligns with our brand identity and complements our jewellery project," he said, his voice carrying all over the boardroom. "I would love to know your opinions, and your opinions on it. You are free to give some suggestions."
I returned my gaze to him when I heard him speak, confused. None of them gave me any head up about the proposal. I was just told about the meeting the minute I arrived for work, which was an hour ago. No one told me what to expect or even what we were discussing. Hearing him say those words and seeing the smirk on his face, I could tell whatever he aimed would not be something good. Has he ever proposed anything beneficial to me?
The moment he sat down, Evans, the production manager, raised his hand to speak, but before he could, Dashiell interrupted him, his gaze serious. "Today's agenda is to review and refine the perfume brand design that will launch alongside our new jewellery collection. Let's start with a walk-through of the design elements and discuss any areas for improvement. I trust we should let our head designer start it. What do you think?" He gestured over to me, his lips still up in a smirk, and a slight tilt to his head.
I knew it. The moment he started smiling at me, I could tell he was planning something coy. One would think he would wish to do something to make me like him, instead of pissing me off. Not likely would appreciate it should he do anything good for me. I would only bite him on the head.
"Miss Nova?" He called, mocking me with his smile as he gestured for me to proceed. "Do you need time to get ready or..." he trailed off, the taunting smile still on his lips. "I can give you -" "It's alright." Clearing my throat, I got up from the chair, ready to show him I wasn't about to be bullied.