Page 12 of King of Players

Furrowing my eyebrows as I looked at myself in the mirror, I wondered who it could be. The boardroom was frequented by the same people, and they all knew the way. They also knew how to handle the hot beverage and refreshment corner without help.

Barely able to contain my curiosity, I grabbed my small makeup pouch and rushed out of the bathroom. As soon as I arrived at the doorway of the board room, my eyes landed on none other but Chad Niles and two other people with him. He was sitting down, while one of the other two was making herself a cup of coffee. The other was completely consumed by something on his phone.

“A—Good morning?” I walked in, holding out my hand to shake his. “What a surprise, Mr. Niles.”

“Good morning, Ms. Bradley.” He stood up and took my hand. This time, his attire was utterly professional—a suit and tie—and his smile, courteous and humble. “This is Connor Plak, my agent and manager. And this is Zoya Malik from PR.”

“Very nice to meet you.” I shook their hands respectively before excusing us, pulling Chad by the arm and walking him out of the room. Glaring, I whispered, “I’m sorry. Did I invite you to this and somehow… forgot?”

His confident smile lit up his face. “You didn’t. But I guess when Tina heard Zoya’s proposal, she made the right decision of sending us an invitation.”

“Excuse me? What proposal?”

“The initiative for me to join the board.” He furrowed his eyebrows. “Hasn’t she informed you?”

“This is not how it works, Mr. Niles. I—”

“She said she emailed you.”

“Well, I’ve had a hectic weekend. I have a houseguest from abroad and—

“And you would’ve refused?”

“The board votes on these things,” I insisted.

“And that’s precisely why we’re here today. To pitch them our vision of contribution.”

“There’s an agenda for this meeting, Mr. Niles.”

“We’ll only take up ten minutes of your time, and then you can get to the next item on your agenda. I promise.”

Grinding my jaws, I knew I had all the right to berate Tina for what she did. But then again, I did notice an email from her yesterday and got distracted while Vera dragged me around a busy shopping street. I should have paid more attention to my work; it was on me. Sharply exhaling, I looked downward and slowly shook my head. “Fine. But please, please… if you’re willing to join us, you have to understand that there's some due diligence.”

“Sounds like you run a tight ship around here.”

“Foundations are just like corporations, Mr. Niles. If you let things slide, soon, chaos will ensue.”

“Oh, and nobody wants that,” he said in a soft voice. I looked up, prompted to see the look on his face, since his tone was far too enticing. The look in his eyes was somewhat blank, but his smile was smooth and consoling.

Hearing the elevator doors part open, followed by footsteps and chatter, I turned to find that the rest of the board members had arrived. “Well, no. Please, go back inside and take your seat. I’ll take care of the introductions.”

“You’re the boss,” he said with a hint of sarcasm. I couldn’t help but give him a quick, subtle glare before he spun around and walked into the room.

After the mandatory greetings—mixed with curious looks as they walked in to see three new people—I cleared my throat and stood at the head of the table. “Good morning, everyone. Thanks for coming. Before our meeting can commence, I have to share a development with you all. Mr. Chadwick Niles—I’m sure you all know who he is—has decided to venture into our world. He’d like to help W.F. Bradley by joining the board. Together with Mr. Connor Plak, his manager, and Ms. Zoya Malik from PR, they will present their vision.”

The emotionless faces and concealed whispers didn’t concern me, since everyone on the board belonged to my grandmother’s social circle. They didn’t expect me to start adding new, young members so soon, nor did they think that it was going to be a Hollywood personality.

Zoya cleared her throat and stood up, smiling at me. “Thank you, Ms. Bradley. Hello everyone. Please, first allow me to introduce myself and what we can bring to the table.”

For ten minutes, Zoya essentially showed off her expertise, along with Chad’s film career, hinting at his wealth in money, popularity, and connections alike. On the outside, everything she said suggested that Chad would be an invaluable addition to our foundation. But I could read between the lines, and what she was really saying was: Chadwick Niles is in dire need of a social facelift, and he is going to pay us to perform it.

With his money, fame, and charm, Chad was promising a surge in monetary support and exposure. He could be a spokesperson, an ambassador, an influencer… and in return, we would make him look more human in the eyes of the cruel media that harshly judged his lifestyle.

Fully aware of the benefits that such a partnership would bring to our foundation, I had to listen and see what the others had to say. After all, only the largest, most established foundations could bring on board someone of Chad’s value—in terms of pop culture and relevance. It wasn’t easy, and here he was, landing right into our laps.

“Well, Mr. Niles,” one member started, as his eyebrows met in a wrinkle. “I’m sure you’d understand why some of us would have a few… reservations when it comes to you joining us.”

Chad coolly smiled, resting his temple in his hand. “Such as?”

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