Contrary to its name, the Round Table dinner meeting was not as simple as sitting around a huge round table and talking while having dinner.
It was more complicated than that. There's the hierarchy that made the tension in the air palpable and nerve-wracking. As soon as they stepped in the dining hall on the top floor which was reserved for special occasions, Julien made note of two things.
One, the table isn't round. It was a long, rectangular table filled with mouth-watering dishes of all kinds. So, how can this be a meeting, if only those close to the CEO's seat can converse with him?
'It's not a meeting but a test of mental strength and tenacity', Julien thought dramatically.
This is where the second fact comes in, No one, absolutely no one wants to sit beside the CEO. Not an ordinary person at least. Rumors had circulated around the office that it was mostly his cousin Daemon, his best friend Aldrei, and the most dependable Kristoff who always sat near the CEO.
He confirmed the rumor as he saw some executives strode confidently to the middle part, their closest confidants to the other end of the table opposite Knox's who sat on the other end as if it had always been the norm.
Julien expected the dinner to be too silent and proper. Of course, for that to happen he made sure to pick a seat farthest from Knox's seat. He was already making a celebratory dance in his mind when Daemon grabbed his arm without a word and steered him in the opposite direction.
He could feel the curious gazes of all the others follow him.
Julien paled, cold sweat lined his brow and he desperately pleaded with Daemon using his gaze. But his tyrannical boss chose to ignore it and pushed him to the second seat, left of Knox's.
"Hey there Julien." Kristoff was opposite him, a tall, lanky man with green eyes and dirty blonde hair. Julien was reminded that Kristoff, was number nine on his ranking. He took a peek in Knox's direction and flushed when their eyes met. Right, even Knox knows of the ranking. What were his thoughts that his cousin Daemon ranked fourth while his friend Aldrei ranked third?
"Hello, Sir Kristoff." Julien forced a smile which he thought was more like a grimace.
"This is the first time that an employee voiced their opinions as honestly as you did!" It was Aldrei who spoke. Aldrei can only be described as beautiful even though he was a man. At times Julien thought he is more gorgeous than the women at the company.
Julien felt his cheeks burned in embarrassment as he felt the gazes of the other guests.
"You flatter me too much Sir Aldrei."
Daemon shook his head with a grin. "Julien had always been a timid person, you should always be as confident as you were this morning!"
"I agree! I like your passion! No wonder you were the top-performing employee this quarter!" Kristoff added fuel to the smoldering fire of praise that made Julien want to cower and hide under the table. He never liked being in the spotlight!
"Please, it's not a big deal! I'm sure everyone here is as passionate as I am." He gestured to the other employees like him but they all just gaze at him with blank expressions as if saying 'what the hell are you saying?' before muttering their agreement. Julien was sweating under his suit even with the air-conditioning on.
For some time Julien could focus on his food as Aldrei and Daemon talked to Knox about some issues. But the peace was short-lived as he suddenly became the topic again.
"Since you are the top-performing, why not give him a reward, Knox?" Daemon asked casually. If one doesn't know him it would look like a harmless suggestion but Julien knew better and he can only see mischief behind his words.
He opened his mouth to refute but Aldrei spoke excitedly, "That's right! He deserves it!'
"But there are already points given to the top-performing employee and they can use it in the company's rewards shop!" A top executive refuted for him and Julien felt his predicament lightened up a bit. He smiled brightly at the one who spoke.
"True, a 10000 point is awarded to the top performer which is equivalent to 500 dollars!" Another man voiced out their opinions and more followed.
"Let's not forget that the top performer is also awarded a three-day trip to the country of their choosing!"
"Yeah! And they even have free meals for a month on top of that!"
The usually silent dinner meeting exploded with the dismissal of Daemon's suggestion. Julien could almost feel relieved. Almost.
Kristoff leaned back in his seat. "It's true. There's already a lot of rewards for the top performers. So let's just ask the CEO what he thinks of giving a reward?"
Julien held his breath as all attention turned to the ever silent Knox who looked like he didn't even mind the debate. He leisurely drank from his wine and Julien followed the bob of his adam's apple and committed how sexy it looks to his memory.
He pinched his thigh under the table to get his attention back to the issue at hand.
"A reward." Knox murmured and his gaze met Julien's. "What reward would you like Mr. Alderean?"
All the attention snapped back to him and Julien almost felt suffocated by it. His mind had gone blank and his brain refused to function upon hearing Knox's question.
A loud throat cleaning broke the awkward atmosphere. Aldrei smiled. "Well, Julien's too shy to speak of his request out loud, so let's change seats so you can talk closer to Knox."
Before he even understood what was happening, Aldrei had already stood up and went over his side. Julien gaped at the man and thought that his smile was as mischievous as Daemon's. The whole table was quiet as they exchanged seats. Julien rigidly sat down. He was very aware of how close he was to Knox, he could even smell his perfume and it was making him dizzy!
"Well then, tell me what do you want Mr. Alderean?" Knox asked.