~Now~
Surely Andreas would gather supporters without having to beg. That’s exactly what he did.
Jonas’ departure during the meeting break drew complaints from one meeting participant. Angry and disappointed faces expressed frustration and displeasure.
“Nothing is good today. From the chaotic presentation to the upcoming proposals.
Surely, anyone in the room could draw conclusions from even a cursory glance. The meeting was going badly, and it wasn’t surprising that people were pointing fingers at one person.
Bryan reacted. His back straightened; he wasn’t going to let people corner his beloved son. But Andreas spoke first.
“I’m sure that’s not what Jonas meant. After all, what CEO would want to ruin his own presentation? I don’t think so.”
Andreas succeeded in getting the attention he wanted. All eyes shifted to him, including Bryan, Noelle and Amanda, who collectively couldn’t believe what he had just said.
Wait a minute. This isn’t Andreas defending Jonas, is it? Or…
“Weren’t you the one who was accused earlier?”
Andreas smiled. “Everyone knows that our sibling history has never been harmonious. So, it seems human that he accuses me.”
“Or the other way around? Did you plan all this? Did you set up a scenario to make yourself look like a hero and actually corner Jonas?”
Unexpectedly, Bryan interjected with a sensitive argument. Noelle was provoked.
“Andreas is the son of an educated woman. Accusing someone like that is clearly not the education he received.”
Uncomfortable sighs immediately filled the room. The meeting participants exchanged uneasy glances. It seemed that the tension of the meeting was about to ignite family problems.
“Never make accusations without evidence. It’s the same as accusing Andreas.”
Noelle’s words inspired the meeting participants. Despite the family strife, they wanted to know the real story.
“I’m sure there’s one or two things that can prove whether or not Andreas really sabotaged Jonas’ laptop.”
“Besides, as Jonas said, Andreas had the opportunity to sabotage his laptop.”
Andreas remained calm. He let the meeting participants continue to speculate without saying anything.
That’s right. Continue.
“Given the rivalry between them, it makes sense that Andreas did it.”
Andreas nodded. Now was the time.
“It makes sense, but there’s still the possibility that I didn’t sabotage Jonas’ laptop. After all, no one saw me do it, right?”
Ah! Of course. There wass one thing that can make a difference here.
“CCTV.”
Andreas smiled as he nodded. “Maybe we need to check the CCTV footage right now. It’s not hard to do.”
It took no more than fifteen minutes for the technician to play the recording on the projection screen. All eyes watched without blinking, and for a moment the room was silent.
The recording showed Andreas leaning back in a chair. He appeared relaxed and whistled occasionally. He even waved at the surveillance camera.
Typical Andreas. Not surprisingly, some people laughed.
“Unless I can damage the laptop with telekinetic powers…”
The recording ended. Andreas proved that he hadn’t touched Jonas’ laptop at all.
“… then everything makes sense.”
At least Andreas’ joke managed to lighten the mood a bit. A few cute smiles appeared on faces that had been frowning.
“But it seems better if we stop all this here. I’m sure Jonas didn’t mean to accuse me. He’s just worried about Progun’s situation and doesn’t want me to mess up the company.”
“Stop? After he tried to defame you like that?”
Andreas smiled with a sympathetic face. “I think he was just emotional, so he did the wrong thing. Besides, wouldn’t it be wiser for us to think about the next steps instead of looking for a scapegoat?”
The meeting participants nodded. Andreas’ words were indeed correct.
“I just want Progun to succeed again, no matter who the leader is,” Andreas continued as he looked around. He glanced at each of the meeting participants, then concluded, “I’m sure everyone in this room is intelligent enough to determine that.
Like a magician’s spell, Andreas’ words penetrated the minds of each meeting participant. Like hypnosis, he subtly hypnotized people.
Andreas took a breath. Not to forget, he reminded himself.
Don’t overdo it, Reas. You can already see their reaction. That’s enough.
Andreas paused for a moment. Then he stood up and took Vlora’s hand.
“It looks like it’s time for us to go. I apologize, but I must accompany my wife back to her office.”
A pleasant change of subject. Especially with Andreas’ romantic gesture, which seemed so genuine.
“I remember well. I was like you, Reas, when I was a newlywed.”
“Even to the toilet, right?”
Laughter erupted. What made it even more amusing was that Vlora greeted the remark with delight.
“Believe me, sir. With Andreas, I really want to experience marriage again and again.”
Andreas was stunned by Vlora’s agility in responding to the tease. It was also her natural reaction as a woman when someone echoed her words earlier.
“So, you can be a newlywed again and again?”
The little chuckle, accompanied by a hint of blush, looked incredibly adorable. It took a lot of self-control for Andreas to lead Vlora away instead of planting a kiss on her cheek.
A moment after the couple left, Jonas and Alex entered. He immediately noticed Andreas’ absence and exclaimed.
“After sabotaging my laptop and acting like a hero, he just ran away?”
The atmosphere, which had regained control at first, became uncomfortable again. Silence fell, and no one responded to Jonas’ words.
Jonas was surprised to see Bryan close his eyes. An uncomfortable feeling slowly crept over him.
“Seriously, Jon? Do you know what you’re saying?”
“How can you accuse your own brother like that?”
“Tsk! While Andreas is thinking about the next steps to make Progun successful again, its leader does something like this?”
“It’s very unreasonable. A CEO accusing without evidence.”
“Besides, today’s meeting will undoubtedly fail without Andreas’ wife.”
“Wait! What do you think, was the presentation successful?”
“Ah, you’re right. Whether there was a presentation or not, it’s completely unimportant. It’s useless at all.”
Jonas refused to hear all the insults directed at him. He just wanted to save face without any shame, but how could he? The situation was really not in his favor at that moment.
Another story with Andreas and Vlora on their way to Greatech. They seemed excited. They embraced and held each other. Then their touches created a heat that ignited each other.
No longer sitting in the passenger seat, Vlora, thanks to the installed partition, had no hesitation in moving to Andreas’ lap. She snuggled in and their lips locked in a passionate kiss.
Intensely passionate. Intensely passionate. Intensely yearning.
As if they were about to make love. It seemed as if they couldn’t contain the passion that swept over them. After all, they had just gone through the most stimulating foreplay of their lives.
*