Every eye turned towards Seraphina. Her voice was the least expected to be heard.
"Sit down, Seraphina. This is not the time for jokes," Ariana retorted, causing the entire hall to burst into murmurs.
Ariana's words chipped away part of Seraphina's confidence, but she remained firm.She cleared her throat and said,
"I am very much aware of that, Ariana, but as Grandma said, the Lockwood family needs this contract, and unlike the spineless wimp that you are, I am willing to do what it takes to help us get it."
Alexander smirked excitedly at his wife's witty and snarky response.
"How dare you talk to my wife that way?" Ezekiel, Ariana's husband, rose to his feet and yelled.
Ezekiel, too, was a son-in-law of the Lockwoods, but he was the complete opposite of Alexander. He was valued and respected by the Lockwood family because he came from a relatively wealthy background. Although not nearly as wealthy as the Lockwoods, but wealthy enough to raise his voice in their meetings.
"Your wife's words weren't decent either," Alexander retorted, seated with his legs crossed, like he owned the place.
"And who gave you the right to speak?" another Lockwood stood.
"Alexander is my husband, and he deserves as much right to speak as any other son-in-law," Seraphina defended him.
Now the entire hall was divided into two factions: one consisting of Seraphina and Alexander, and the other included everyone else.
"Come on now, you don't actually believe that, do you?" another person said with condescension and mockery.
"Way more than the fake hair extensions you use to hide your bald head," Alexander said in a low voice, but loud enough to be heard by everyone listening.
Seraphina smiled mischievously; if there was one thing she had come to love and hate about Alexander, it was his sometimes loose and radical tongue.
"What? How dare you!"
"Yes, Jerry, your bald head isn't fooling anybody, so why don't you just sit back down?" Seraphina joined in.
The original conversation had strayed, and no one seemed to care enough to notice, or maybe they did but preferred this was a far better discussion, over deciding who would be the next scapegoat handed over to the Maverick Corporation. Suddenly:
"SILENCE!" Lady Lockwood's voice roared through the hall.
The entire hall fell into pin-drop silence; no one dared to say another word.
"Everyone be seated," she ordered, and everyone obeyed. "Not you, Seraphina. Remain on your feet."
"Yes, Grandma."
"Are you one hundred percent certain you can land us this deal?" Lady Lockwood asked.
Seraphina swallowed hard. "No, ma'am, but I am certain I will do my best to get it," she replied.
"Don't play word games with me, young lady. Answer me at once, are you up to the task or not?"
Seraphina remained silent with her head bowed. She couldn't bring herself to promise the certainty of getting the job done.
The chances of her making it past the front door of the Maverick Corporation were way below fifty percent, and the odds of actually getting the contract were one in three hundred and sixty-seven. Promising Lady Lockwood a hundred percent certainty was essentially shooting herself in the foot.
"What a waste. Why would you stand and make such a declaration knowing you couldn't accomplish the task?"
Seraphina remained bowed, but her mind raced. How is this happening? She stood to prove she was better than everyone gave her credit for. She wanted to help the family. She was ready to sacrifice herself, so why was she being ridiculed?
"I guess I expected too much from you. Your father would be disappointed."
Alexander rolled his eyes. For the short time Alexander knew Luther Lockwood, Seraphina's father, she was all he could talk about. He loved her with every fiber of his being, so Alexander knew Luther could never be disappointed in her. But Seraphina did not.
She shut her eyes, clamped her teeth, and clenched her fists to suppress the tears welling up in her eyes.
"Does anyone else have something reasonable to say?" Lady Lockwood said, moving on from Seraphina like she was nothing. Suddenly:
"What happens if she is able to seal the contract?" Alexander spoke aloud, out of the blue.
All eyes turned to him.
"Excuse me, who allowed this church rat into my meeting?" Lady Lockwood retorted.
"Lady Lockwood, you and I can agree that is irrelevant at the moment. What is relevant is how much you want the Maverick Corporation's multimillion-dollar contract. So if I may ask once more, what happens if my wife is able to seal the contract?" he asked authoritatively.
"How dare you speak to Lady Lockwood in such a manner!" Daniel rose to his feet and yelled at Alexander.
But Ezekiel, on the other hand, was a firm believer in the phrase "actions speak louder than words."He launched swiftly towards Alexander, his fist in the air, attempting to land a solid punch. But to Alexander, his attack was slow as a scooter. Alexander dodged the attack with little effort, sending Ezekiel flying hard into the ground.
The scene happened so fast, it could have easily been missed if your eyes were away for five seconds, but it was too iconic for anyone to have missed it.
"I have already made my offer. Whoever seals the deal automatically becomes the manager of the corporation, and I believe everyone would agree that is a generous and fair reward," Lady Lockwood said.
Something about sending a man flying so hard made her give Alexander a more receptive audience.
"Fair enough," Alexander replied.
"Grandma, are you really buying into his nonsense?" Daniel challenged.
"But if she fails me, I will kick not just you, but both of you, out of the Lockwood family," she said to Alexander.
Seraphina, who had remained silent through all this, marveled at how Alexander was handling the situation. But now, with her position in the Lockwood family hanging on the line, she opened her mouth to speak, but someone else's voice was louder.
Ezekiel burst into laughter, picking himself up from the floor. 'There was no way in hell Seraphina could seal the contract, not when even Daniel Lockwood couldn't.' he thought to himself.
"Get ready to change your surname, Seraphina, because I am so sure you will fail that I would gladly offer myself up to leave the Lockwood family if you succeed," he said.
'Did he fall so hard his neural system got banged, or had he always been this stupid?' Alexander asked himself.
Either way, Alexander let out a smirk; he had the fool exactly where he wanted him. Ezekiel had dug his own grave with his mouth as his shovel.
"Lady Lockwood, my wife and I agree to your conditions," Alexander said, to which Seraphina pinched his thigh so hard it spelled, 'What are you doing?!'
Alexander looked at her; his face was settled and firm, his eyes unwavering like those of her father's. They held a million words but spoke a single phrase: TRUST ME. That was all she needed as she let go of Alexander.
Turning back to face Lady Lockwood, "But if I may," he continued ever so politely.
She gave him a nod of approval to continue.
"This man just swore to leave the Lockwood family when my wife succeeds. I believe it is in order that you make it so when the time comes."
Lady Lockwood paused, not because she cared for Ezekiel, but because the way Alexander spoke was unlike any other of her subjects. She was a brilliant and intuitive woman, which is how she got to where she was, so she could sense that something was going on, but it was far too subtle for her to place her finger on it.
"Very well. If Seraphina fails, both of you shall be banished from the Lockwood family. And if she succeeds, Ezekiel shall be banished from the Lockwood family." she said
"Then it is settled," Ezekiel said gleefully. He had no worries because he was certain that no miracle could change what had been engraved in stone: Seraphina's failure.