"How do you mean Pops?"
"What is going on in your life?" His grandfather asked.
Mason blew out a breath, "I take it that you've already seen the post?"
"Who hasn't? My phone has been blowing up all day. The partners are worried, they want..."
"Worried? Why should they be worried? It was just some useless post that was written by some faceless and spineless nobody. You and I know what was written isn't the truth," Mason said.
"It's not about what I know, it's about what the people of the city see and thinks about you. It's about what you show them. You are a public figure."
Mason shrugged, "I'm sorry, but I can't control what people decide to think about me."
"Yes, you can. Give them something positive to talk about you."
"Pops, if this is about me getting married, then the answer is no."
"What do you have against marriage?" His grandfather asked him. "I know your parents' marriage wasn't such a great one, but that shouldn't make you hate marriage."
"That's not it Pops, I will get married when I feel like it, and not because I'm being forced into doing so."
"No one is forcing you into doing anything, all we are asking is for you to do this so that our business partners would be assured of who they are dealing with."
"And they need my marital status to do that? Ever since I took over, I have grown the company to a higher height than it used to be, I have given every investor a great return on their investments, none of them have ever incurred losses with us. If all these isn't enough to assure them that I'm competent enough, then I don't know what else will."
"This is about the image of the company, you need to understand that majority of our partners aren't millennials like you. They are what you call "old school" just like myself. There are certain values which this company was founded upon."
"Do you realize this is discrimination? I'm being discriminated against because I'm single."
His grandfather raised his hands in frustration, "what is it with this young generation? What has discrimination got to do with this? All I'm asking is for you to get married, so the partners would know you are a responsible individual, it is one of the rules of the company."
"And need I remind you that being married doesn't mean a man is responsible? At least your son-in-law is a living witness," Mason said, referring to his father.
His grandfather blew out a frustrated breath, "you are nothing like your father."
"And that's why I'm not getting married until I'm sure that it's what I want."
"If you don't get married, I'm afraid the board would vote for you to step down as CEO."
"Then, I will save them the stress and just resign."
His grandfather's jaw clenched in anger, "don't you ever say that again!"
"I'm sorry Pops, but if getting married is the only way for me to remain as CEO, then I would have to resign."
"I built that company from the scratch, for years I slaved and worked into making it what it is, and you want all of that to go to waste because you can't get married?" His grandfather sounded disappointed.
"This is a marriage we are talking about Pops, I need to be sure of who I'm getting married to, it's not like you are asking me to purchase a car or something. This is someone I might likely spend the rest of my life with."
"Then start dating, if you've been on the lookout for a wife for the past one year that you took over the company, I'm sure you would have found a wife by now."
"I will get married when I'm ready!"
"Why does everything with you have to be so difficult?!" Is grandfather shouted.
"What is it with the shouting?" Mason's grandmother asked as she walked into the study to see the two men staring at each other.
"Talk some sense into him, because he seems to have lost it!" His grandfather said in annoyance as he got up and angrily left the study.
Mason stood up to leave as well. "And where do you think you are going?" His grandmother asked him.
"I'm leaving Nana, I have..."
"Dinner is served, come with me," his Nana said as she walked away.
"Nana, I don't think I have an appetite, I..."
She turned to face him, and with a smile, she said, "I get it that you are angry, but you can't be too angry to reject your Nana's food, huh?" She took Mason's hand, "come eat, and we will talk about whatever it is, after dinner."
Not wanting to argue, Mason followed his Nana to the dining room.
After Mason had left, his grandmother decided to talk with her husband.
"Don't you think you are being too harsh on the boy?" She asked him.
"Do you think I like arguing with him? This is the only way out, if I don't do this, he isn't going to get the support of the rest board members. Pedro is already making moves to kick him out, he is going about making irresistible offers to the board members with small shares so he can buy them off."
"Is he trying to be the highest shareholder of the company?" His wife asked.
"Yes, that way he would be able to get the final say about Mason being the CEO. I won't be surprised if he is the one behind these articles that are being published about Mason."
"This is more serious than I thought."
"It is, you have to talk to Mason, getting married would soften the heart of the other board members and he would have their support."