For the first time since Clarke had taken over the company I wasn't dreading going into work. I was just hoping what Clarke said to me on Monday was real. If he really was just scared and he just needed help, and I'll admit I had been pulling back as far as helping him because of his attitude, but maybe we were just as bad as each other. As much as I used to think I wasn't in the wrong, maybe I was a bit. We both had to work together at the end of the day.
I was greeted by a smiling Tina at the front desk on the Friday morning and I was surprised but just smiled back and continuing walking to my office. At first I noticed nothing different as I put my bag down and my coat away as I normally did when I got there, so when I heard of voice over the intercom of my phone I jumped.
"Rory, could you come into my office, please?"
I completely jumped in surprise, turning around immediately to look into Clarke's office. Sure enough, there was, sitting on his chair, looking out at me. I couldn't believe my eyes, so much so that I checked my watch to make sure I was on time, and I was.
As confused as I was, I made my way into Clarke's office anyway, even cautiously. The office itself seemed a lot more organised then I was used to. There was actual paper work on his desk that he seemed to be working on, rather than just clutter and an unfinished work.
"You're on time," I noted before he could speak.
He smiled slightly at himself mostly. "Yes, thought I might give it a go, see what it was like for a change."
"Why?" I frowned at him.
"I won't be the one response for destroying my father's company," Clarke told me calmly. "I would never forgive himself. I know this wasn't the plan, it should've been a few more years before I was here, but I'm here now and if I don't use it to keep the company the way he made It, I'll regret it, forever."
I paused for a moment, crossing my arms over my chest as I judged his expression. It wasn't a face I used to seeing on Clarke, in fact I don't think I had heard him say one sincere thing since I had met him, but this rang true. I found myself believing him, but I decided to always remain cautious when it came to Clarke.
"Okay, fine," I said eventually. "So, what exactly did you need help with?'
"Well, as it turns out, my position here isn't exactly secured," Clarke said slowly, putting his hands in the middle of the desk and leaning towards me.
"Well, I can't say I'm surprised," I shrugged, stepping forward and sitting in the chair in front of his desk.
He rolled his eyes a little at me. "The board want me to...well for lack of a better phrase, prove myself."
"They want you to prove you're capable of actually running the company, right?" I guessed.
"Well, it's fair enough I guess," Clarke muttered slightly. "That meeting I had yesterday with them. Basically they gave me a task, a chance. I need to present them a company in the next couple of months that I want to purchase and support."
"And how are you meant do that?" I frowned. "I mean, from what I can tell you understand how this business works, but that doesn't mean you pick the right company straight off the bat. They going to want one that can show finical growth, which you can get a good percentage out."
"They'll want a company that will essentially become successful on it's own and that we could sell for a profit, yes," Clarke agreed with a nod.
"But that is going to be hard to do in a few months. I mean, I remember your father telling me it was at least a year before he made the right deal," I told him. "He said, the companies can look promising but it doesn't mean they're right."
"I know," Clarke nodded, leaning back in his chair, "and with that being said I do have a general idea of what I'm looking for, but there is where you come in."
"I don't understand," I frowned at him again.
"You would've seen every company my father purchased, checked the numbers, seen the stats," Clarke explained.
"So?" I said, still confused.
"Are you telling me you couldn't tell a good company from a bad? One that would make the money I'm after?" Clarke asked me.
I sat back in my chair, crossing my arms again. Clark was probably right, I had gone through enough files to know when a company wasn't going to work out. Once I had joined Henry he only purchased companies that were successful. Was Clarke that desperate to keep his job he could really turn to me?
"I mean, sure," I said slowly. "I can't grantee I'd be right though."
"Well, I'd do most of the work," he promised. "I just need you to always look it over, check I'm on the right track."
"Why do you think you need me?" I asked him. "I mean, you obviously kind of know what you're doing, isn't that enough?"
He put his head down, looking away from me and shaking it slightly.
"I don't think it would be," Clarke admitted, then looking back up at me. "I think...the board wants me gone. I think they only reason they've asked for this is because they want me to fail."
"Why do you say that?" I said, shifting slightly in the chair.
"The way the talk down to me, the way they converse amongst themselves like I'm not there to make the decisions either," Clarke recounted for me.
"Well, the way you started off couldn't have helped," I pointed out.
"I know, but any shred of me trying now they ignore, and I think even if I had been present the same result would've happened," Clarke shrugged.
"You really want to keep your job, don't you?" I asked him, leaning forward.
"Yes," he answered firmly. "This is the only way to do it."
I sighed slightly as I sat back again. Helping Clarke would mean I support him, it would mean I would have work closer with him than just planning his day and giving him instructions. It would mean I really would want him to be CEO. I realised though it wasn't about what I wanted, it would be about what Henry wanted. Henry wanted this company to stay in the same family so badly that Clarke was the only person he would want at be CEO. So really I had to try...for Henry.
"Okay, fine, I'll help," I finally caved.
Clarke breathed a sigh a relief. "Thank you. Honestly, if you didn't say yes I would have try Karen and she hates me more than you do."
I laughed him slightly, as I could just imagine how much Clarke would annoy Karen. "Yeah, she probably would've said no."
"Oh, I know," he agreed.
"So...how you going to find this company?" I asked him. "I mean, you can't just pick one at random, and interviewing and find the right one could take months in itself."
"I know," Clarke nodded. "So I was thinking about Paris. You said my father always found someone to invest in there, and there will be hundreds of business men at this party looking for finical support. All in one night I could interview as many companies as possible."
"Hmmm, it's risky," I mused, "but feasible. I can't help you in Paris though."
"Well, I was just thinking I'll email you, keep in contact of what I find and then work on it when I get back?" he suggested.
"Well, you know what, Clarke, I think it's you're best plan."
We spent a little while going after the type of company we'd be looking and what Clarke should look for when he speaks to the heads of the companies at the function. He had a good business head about it, understanding numbers seemed to work for me. Something told me could achieve this task the board had given him, as long as he concentrated and really buckled down, unlike how he had been for the past couple of weeks.
It was relief to get home tonight though, as all that work did exhaust me. Ava was working night shift at the hotel, as she had to at least one Friday and Saturday night every now again, so Kieran and I often used this as our time. Kieran loved to cook, he was rather good at it too, and I often wondered why he didn't purse it as a career, but he would always tell me it'd be too hard to get into and he was happy with his job, and his college degree, even if he didn't know what he would end up doing with it.
So Kieran came over and started cooking some elaborate dish I had never heard of, and I sat on the stool in the kitchen with a glass of wine and just observed while we gossiped.
"So, Henry actually left you a shit tonne of money?" Kieran asked, whilst standing in front of the stove and stirring whatever he had in the pot.
"As it turns out, yes," I nodded at him. "He left it with Clarke though, so he could pay it all off and keep it for me. I think Henry knew if he gave it to me I'd donate it, or let it sit in an account or something."
"Well, you probably would've," Kieran pointed out.
"Yes, well I don't like taking people's money," I moaned slightly. "Even if he's rich like I know you're thinking. I could've paid my own way eventually."
"Yes, but now you don't have to worry about it," Kieran shrugged. "That must be nice at least."
I sighed because he was right. It was nice knowing I didn't have to worry about debt for once, but it still didn't mean I liked the way it came about.
"Clarke telling me about the will though seemed to help," I explained to Kieran. "Well, I mean we had a proper talk and I think I got through him. Well, I know actually because he showed up before me today and then asked for my help."
"No way," Kieran said surprised. "He actually asked you for help instead of complaining?"
I nodded at him, sipping my red wine. "He doesn't want to lose the company. I think he realised it was something Henry left behind and that was important. He's already lost his father, he couldn't deal with losing his company too."
"Well, it's good," Kieran declared. "Maybe you two will finally get along."
I rolled my eyes as I drank my wine again. I doubted Clarke and I could ever truly get on. We could work together of course, it was my job after all and I was professional.
"So, what are you up to tomorrow night?" Kieran asked me slowly.
"Nothing, why?" I said the same cautious tone Kieran used.
"Well, there's this guy from work-," Kieran started to say.
"No," I groaned immediately. "You have tried to set me up with guy from work before and every time is sucks. No offense, but you're good and finding nice gay men, but not so much the straight ones."
"Well, I wonder why," Kieran rolled his eyes slightly. "I promise though. This is different. This guy is nice, he likes basketball, which I know is the only sport you watch, and knows way too much about Harry Potter, like you, which is why I told him about you in the first place. I'm telling you, Rory, he's not like the other guys."
"If he is I literally can't handle it again," I sighed, putting my elbow to the bench that putting my head in my hands. "The first thing the last guy said to me was 'you're not blonde' and then literally complained about the size of my boobs."
"Okay, so I misjudged him. I'll own that," Kieran shrugged. "I swear he's not like that. It's one date, and it's dinner tomorrow night at a nice restaurant, and he's the type that pays."
"I think you're going to have to bargain with me for me to say yes," I told him.
He groaned at me. "I'll buy you new shoes."
"Oh, I'm listening," I said, sitting up.
"You pick and I'll buy them, okay?"
"You my friend have got yourself a deal."
We sat down for dinner maybe thirty minutes later. I don't know what Kieran made but it was literally delicious. I was pretty sure I was full at one stage but I kept eating because it tasted that good.
"Hmm, you know what I've wanted to do since the day you told me Clarke was going to be your boss?" Kieran asked, leaning back, a sign he was full too.
"What is that?" I frowned at him, pouring myself some more wine.
"I've always wanted to google him," Kieran admitted.
I rolled my eyes at him. "I'm sure you've heard enough in the news before."
"Kind of," Kieran shrugged. "I've never really paid attention to what he did. Are you telling me you know everything? Have you ever googled him?"
"No...well once, but not for me. I set up google alerts for Henry once because he was worried about him," I told him. "I never read any of it myself, felt a bit invasive to look into my boss' son."
Kieran paused as he looked at me and then glanced to my right where I noticed I had left my laptop from when I had been studying earlier. Before I could move and grab it myself, Kieran grabbed it and pulled it onto his lap and started typing.
"Seriously, Kieran? I already know enough bad things about him, I don't need really know what he's done," I groaned slightly. "I'm just starting to hate him that little bit less."
"Well, you don't have to read it any of it, I'll read it myself," he said calmly.
I paused this time, watching Kieran as he stopped typing and started to click instead. I wasn't sure what to do honestly. I knew little things about Clarke, like that he had been arrested, I didn't know what for though, hadn't looked that far. I knew he got publicly drunk, well by publicly it meant the paparazzi found him and filmed a lot of it, and then there was thegirls, he always had a girl when it came to one of those nights. It felt invasive to read about him now when I knew him, but at the same time I wanted to know about some of it. I didn't know a lot about him, maybe it would be a good idea.
"Okay fine," I sighed. "Turn it around, show me."
Kieran smiled and then moved the laptop in my view. The first story he'd come across was the one I remembered seeing on TV. The headline read 'rich white boy parties so hard he gets arrested.' It showed a picture of Clarke in handcuffs being escorted out of a club. He looked younger in it, his hair was longer, his muscles smaller too.
"I knew he was arrested, but I didn't know it was for assault," I muttered, reading it slowly.
"Yeah, aggravated assault," Kieran said. "Shit, that's serious, right?"
I nodded slowly. "Means there was intent, it says he was drunk but witness say he knew the guy, and they were arguing before he hit him."
"He wasn't charged though, unsurprisingly," Kieran said with an eye roll. "He had a six month good behaviour bond?"
"Means he can't get in trouble with the law at all, for six months, otherwise charges and possibly jail time can be laid," I explained. "Which I don't think he broke."
"Hmm, well all the rich boys get arrested at least once," Kieran shrugged, changing to another article.
This one's title was very different and showed Clarke with his friend from the club, Parker. They were at a fashion show, and it was looked like Parker was checking someone out. The headline this time was a little more vulgar. 'Which international model did Watson bag?' It was referring to Clarke obviously sleeping with one of them and the article talked about him going to the after party and then sources saying they saw him with one of the girls. It was this article that made me realise I really didn't want to know everything about him because reading some of this might make it hard for me to even look at him.
"Okay, that's quite enough," I told Kieran shutting the lid on the laptop. "We get it he's a rich white boy who parties a lot."
"And gets with supermodels it seems," Kieran suggested.
I rolled my eyes grabbing my wine. "I'm finally in a place where I can work with this guy. Whatever past he has, that's where is should stay."
"Okay fine, I get it, you want a working relationship," Kieran shrugged. "You don't want to know anything about the guy at all though, other than what you know?
"No," I told him firmly. "I just want to do my job."