Emilia was silent. She felt too out of place to say anything and be a part of the discussion run by men. She was completely unprepared and she was angry that Christopher put her in that position.
One of the people speaking throughout the meeting drew her interest. The man was a director of sustainability for Crimson Tech and his experience was closest to what Emilia was interested in.
Christopher watched her, as he expected, getting distracted by her soft features in the sunlight that managed to break into the modern room through the tall windows. Her round cheeks made her look a few years younger. But in this setting, she looked professional in her black and white attire. Her wrists were still bandaged but well hidden under the long sleeves of her white blouse. It didn't make much difference if he could see the damage to the level of guilt that he felt. He wanted to embrace her and tell her that she was safe now. It was unlikely that she would ever want that - want him. Her face changed as someone else spoke up. She didn't like what was being said. She squinted her eyes as she studied the words of the man speaking, analysing their meaning, examining them.
Christopher lifted his hand off the table signalling the man to be silent. A simple gesture was enough to silence the room.
"Emilia."
"Yes?" Emilia looked at Christopher with almost a fear written on her face.
"Something that he said made you think. Which part of it was a complete bullshit?"
"Excuse me?" Emilia almost whimpered. She didn't want to be put on the spot or contradict opinions with someone who had an experience equal to her age.
"You didn't like something that he said. What is it?"
"Well…" Emilia fidgeted with her hands under the table as she tried to collect her thoughts and put them into a comprehensive sentences. "I disagree with a few aspects of what was said. That's all."
"Go on." Christopher urged her as he leaned back in the chair. Somehow his relaxed posture made Emilia even more anxious.
"Sustainability shouldn't be a single part of the strategy but rather its foundation. Moreover, sustainable businesses have been shown to be more resilient in their long term operations. It is not hindering growth, it ensures continuation of the business. Studies showed already that companies with high ESG performance scores tend to have on average 3.7 times higher operating margins than the lower scoring counterparts. Lastly, we speak of sustainability as solely an environmental impact whereas it is so much more. It is also a socio-economic and business sustainability that should be taken into consideration." Emilia took a deep breath in. "You mentioned value-action gap. In my opinion, it is just a fancy excuse for when you are not actually meeting the consumer needs with the product that YOU think is right. Change a marketing strategy and work with the consumer to ensure their actual needs are met."
The man scowled at Emilia but said nothing to address her comments.
"Thank you, Emilia. I am sure your comments will be taken forward by Mr James." Christopher smiled at her encouragingly.
If she could she would have throttled him for putting her on the spot. Instead she bit her lip and listened to the remaining of the meeting attentively, while finishing her overly sweet coffee to conceal the nervous shaking of her hands.
At the end of the meeting, she followed Christopher out of the room. Her lips were pursed as she tried to contain her annoyance. They went into Christopher's office which was very similar in style to his home office - dark, heavy wooden decor and leather chairs.
Christopher sat down behind his desk and then he looked up. It wasn't difficult to notice Emilia's displeasure. He noticed the changes in her micro expressions throughout the meeting and he knew that she was angry about something, likely angry at him.
"What's the matter, Emilia?" He asked, anticipating the answer.
"This wasn't what I've agreed to." Emilia said sternly. "I wanted to help you out as an assistant."
"I know, but your talents would have been wasted if you were only sorting out my emails and calendar."
"You've made me sit in the board of directors meeting." She spoke through her gritted teeth, her small hands clenched around her handbag.
"Where else should a wife of the CEO be if not by his side?" Christopher tilted his head, fighting the smile that tried to break onto his face. Her little nose flared and her cheeks reddened. She looked extraordinarily appealing and cute.
"Christopher, this is serious. I am in no way qualified or adequately experienced to be sitting on the board of directors."
"You are just splendid."
"God, you're so… irritating." She grunted and stomped her feet. Christopher's gaze was fixated on her. He was surprised at her rather childish reaction which made him laugh. "And why did you put me on the spot? Mr James will hate me."
"You have a better idea of what you are talking about than my sustainability director." Christopher said calmly as he picked up a pen.
"I barely know anything in that area."
"What does it say about my sustainability director?" Christopher tilted his head. "I think this is where you might drive some proper change. What would you say for consulting Mr James tomorrow about the appropriate actions that should be taken and spend the next few weeks on ingraining what you have been presenting before into the department?"
"You cannot be serious?!" Emilia asked in a surprisingly high pitched voice full of despair. Christopher stood up and even across the desk he seemed to tower over her. She reminded herself that she wasn't scared of him. She couldn't be. He was the man that was so gentle and careful when he changed her bandages over the last few days. But right now, even Emilia felt his power.
"I am very serious. And you will be rewarded accordingly."
"I don't want your money, Christopher."
"Why are you so worried then?"
"Because I have a severe aversion to failure."
"You are going to be amazing, Emilia." Christopher walked around the desk and stood in front of her.
"I don't want to embarrass either myself or you. Or rather, I don't want to embarrass either of us any more than I already did."
"I am sure that it's going to be fine. Trust me." He placed his hands on Emilia's upper arm. "Calm down. It's going to be fine. Believe in yourself."
Emilia smiled at his encouragement unsure what to say. She couldn't speak. He was so close and his hands were so big and strong. And she felt safe.
She was still tired and now she felt this urge to just bury her face in his chest. She resisted it, burying her true feelings deeper.