Page 15 of Caffeine & Chaos

Markus Brown was the Vice President at System Seven Marketing. Although he was a genius in business, he was a screw up in everything else. He came from a family with deep pockets, where any problem of his could be magicked away with a swipe of a credit card. After Markus lost his parents in that crash, Ryan took him under his wing. It was a bit of a gamble, but Markus had this undeniable charm, like that lovable troublemaker in the family who always manages to worm his way into the heart. Plus, his savvy when it came to digital marketing strategies was untouchable in their field.

“Is he here?” Ryan strode over to his secretary’s desk still buttoning up the dress shirt he’d hastily changed into. He always kept a few extra suits in the office for emergencies like this.

“No, he is still at MPD headquarters.” Theresa appeared a bit frazzled, but she had that unmistakable aura of someone who’s seen it all and can handle anything thrown her way. She brushed a strand of grey hair from her face before reaching into a drawer and retrieving a navy-blue tie. Stepping around the desk, she deftly slipped it over Ryan’s head.

“Jesus. What now?” Ryan groaned, running a hand over his face in exasperation. Markus had never screwed up bad enough to be held at the police station before.

“Solicitation of prostitution, possession of cocaine, aggravated assault.” Theresa rattled off his charges as she straightened his tie and held up his jacket so he could slide his arms inside.

“Holy shit. Any sign of the press catching wind yet?” Ryan’s blood was boiling. He knew Markus had a penchant for prostitutes but had hoped that arranging for him to use a reputable escort agency would put an end to his street-side pick-ups. The cocaine didn’t come as much of a shock—Markus had a long-standing history of drug abuse issues.

“Not yet. Mr. Weinstein and Paula are in the boardroom waiting for you, George Sanders is at the precinct with Markus.” Bernie Weinstein and George Sanders were the firm’s heavy-hitting attorneys, known for their legal prowess. Their rates were steep, but they consistently delivered results, earning their reputation as sharks in the courtroom.

“Who else knows about this?” Ryan hoped to god the answer was no one. Theresa knew the protocol for an event like this and wouldn’t have contacted anyone who wasn’t in the ‘need to know’ category.

“As far as I know just MPD, and us,” Theresa said, straightening her pencil skirt and sighing heavily.

Ryan was already running through worst-case scenarios in his head. This was really bad. How many accounts would they lose once word got out on this? For Christ’s sake they were a company built upon developing and selling the reputation of other companies.

“Thank-you Theresa.” Ryan gave her a curt nod and walked towards his office. The sound of his shoes striking the marble floor seemed louder than usual. Or maybe it was the sound of his heart pounding in his ears.

He pulled open the frosted glass door to his office and stepped inside. Bernie and his publicist Paula were huddled over top of Paula’s laptop talking in hushed tones, already planning. Ryan silently thanked the universe for the good people he was surrounded with. They had some serious damage control to do.

Under the pressure of time, Ryan’s PR team hurriedly drafted a legal document to release Markus from the company. With hours ticking away, they balanced precision and diplomacy, striving for a clean break. After presenting the document to Ryan for approval, they sent it off to George at the precinct. Now the waiting game began.

It was nearly midnight when Bernie got the call from George Sanders. “Hallelujah, he got him to agree to sign it.”

Paula pulled the pen she was gnawing at out of her mouth and asked, “he’s agreed to everything?”

“Yes, he’ll corroborate our story that he was actually let go from his position yesterday due to the company’s concerns about his declining mental state. He’s agreed to sign the non-disclosure agreement in return for the generous severance package Ryan has offered, and his testimony regarding his concerns for his mental state at his hearing.” Bernie looked at Ryan, waiting for his response.

Ryan stood up from his desk and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows that made up the East wall of his office. The view of the city was breathtaking from this vantage point, especially at night. The neon signs and bright lights showcasing Miami’s night life made Ryan long for a simpler life in that moment, one that was free from the stresses that came with running a high-profile company. He imagined himself out in a small pub taking in some live music with Nadia at his side.

“Ryan?” Paula gently tugged at his elbow.

“Make the deal,” Ryan said.

Her.

“So let me get this straight,” Mandy mumbled through a mouth full of popcorn, “he stopped, in the heat of the moment, and prevented you from taking off his pants?”

“Yeah. I was so confused at first.” Nadia shook her head as she spoke, “and pissed. I was sitting on the deck with my boobs still hanging out, feeling like an idiot.”

“So, you kicked him in the nuts and called it a day? That is the only sensible thing any self-respecting woman could do.” She shot Nadia a knowing grin as she got up and strolled over to the kitchen island. With its modern open-concept layout, Nadia’s apartment was the ideal space for hosting gatherings with friends.

“You know I didn’t do that. I was going to, but he can be very persuasive.” Nadia joined Mandy at the island for another glass of wine. “It was like a scene from a movie. I was yelling at him, ready to tell him to get lost and then he pulled me into his arms and kissed me, magically fixing everything!”

“It sounds to me like he’s messed up. Probably grew up rich with parents that gave him everything, and he thinks he can just treat other people however he wants,” Mandy said, throwing back the bottom half of the glass of wine she just poured.

“No, I really don’t think that he’s messed up. Plus, his Wikipedia page says he grew up as a ranch kid in Eastern Montana. His issue was that we were still floating in the middle of the bay in broad daylight.” Nadia grabbed a handful of chocolate covered almonds out of the dish on the island and sauntered back over to the couch.

“Oh, so he has no sense of adventure then. Screwing in broad daylight a little too risqué for him?” She flopped down onto the couch next to Nadia. “Move on anyway, he’s clearly a bore.”

“Ha! You better hold off on that judgement until the end of the story. He was actually worried about someone snapping a picture of him and selling it to the tabloids. I get that. He’s worth a lot of money, and his reputation is his company’s reputation.”

“Ok, I never thought of that. Now skip the rest of the boring stuff and get to the good parts!” Mandy made an obscene gesture, using her hands to imply oral sex.

Nadia laughed before continuing, “so we get to Boca Chita, and there is this picnic table all set up with lunch for us. Cute and romantic, but it gets kind of weird. Sitting on the table was a plate of Little Debbie’s Swiss Rolls! He somehow found out they are my favourite.”

---