When we collide

Nathaniel Ainsley

BEEP BEEP BEEP

As soon as my eyes opened, I aggressively slammed the snooze button of my digital alarm clock. I checked the time displayed on its interface: 5:45 a.m. I groaned, lifting my body into a sitting position. I grabbed the gray shirt lying beside me and covered my bare torso since the air had suddenly become colder, especially now that the clouds outside appeared gloomy. I got out of bed, fixed it, and headed straight to my daily routine, my mind a steel trap, focused solely on the day’s strategic assaults.

I went straight to my gym, worked out, and trained. Every rep was a deliberate act of control, ensuring my focus never strayed away from Ainsley Enterprises.

It’s not easy being the CEO of the entire business; upholding the reputation of my family’s entire business is a colossal task. As the eldest of three Ainsley brothers, I know my entire family counts on me. Any disturbance or preoccupation wouldn’t just risk me as a CEO, but also the company’s very foundation. Hence, I, Nathaniel Ainsley, have no time for distractions in life beyond my family’s legacy and our behemoth of an enterprise.

After training, I went straight into my bathroom for a warm shower and then got dressed. Today, I decided to wear a navy blue custom-tailored three-piece suit. I styled my hair into a side part, and after applying a small amount of perfume, I stepped out. Before I could open the front door of my penthouse, there was a knock. I opened the door to see my driver, George, waiting with a cup of strong, brewed coffee in his hand. “Good morning, sir. Shall we go?” He greeted me with a smile, handing me the coffee. I gave him a rare, faint smile back before stepping out of my penthouse and locking the door. “Good morning, George. Perfect timing.” George and I went down the elevator, chit-chatting about my schedule for the next few days and reminiscing about the time he first started working for our family.

George is only a few years younger than I am. I remember first seeing him when one of our maids brought him in at five years old. I was just eight then. George was first a young helper, then my playmate. He went to a decent university in his twenties but still decided to work for our family. Despite our differences, we’ve both earned and continue to respect each other. He was like our brother from another mother.

The car ride from my penthouse to the office was silent. I didn’t pay it any mind, knowing George usually enjoys driving either in silence or with soft piano music in the background. I’m the same. Enjoying the ride in silence while glancing out my car window, watching the view of Chicago’s busy streets. This is probably the only time I get to have peace of mind and silence. I knew that when I arrived on the floor of my office, my secretary, Isah, would be babbling nonstop until my eardrums began to bleed.

I snapped out of my thoughts as I heard George clear his throat and glance at me from the rearview mirror. “Sir, your mom told me to remind you about the welcoming party for your dad.” I stared at him through the rearview mirror, my eyes widening slightly. “Hmm. When will that be again?”

“Next week, the 25th. Friday.” I gave him a firm nod before returning my gaze to the cars passing by. “Alright. I’ll have my secretary clear my schedule for that day.”

The car came to a full stop, and one of the valet drivers waiting in front of Ainsley Corp opened the car door from the back seat. “Good morning, Mr. Ainsley.” I gave him a firm nod, muttering a small ‘good morning’. I checked my wristwatch once I passed through the revolving doors. 6:50 am. Just in time. I could still enjoy a few minutes of alone time in my office before Miss Isah bombarded me with today’s agenda.

I entered the elevator, pressing the top floor just before the other employees crowded in. I sighed in annoyance as the elevator door closed, just before we reached the capacity limit. I made a mental note to ask my new secretary later about the status of the two elevators being repaired. I can’t stand riding a compact elevator that stops on every floor. Fifteen minutes later, I finally arrived on my floor, being the only person left inside the elevator. Once the door opened, I was greeted by my secretary, Isah, with a huge smile.

“Good morning, Mr. Ainsley.”

Shit. She even got here earlier than I did.

“Good morning, Miss Smith. You can brief me on today’s agenda in my office.” She made a particular expression, one I noticed that showed she wanted to say something but couldn’t unless I permitted her to speak. Given her talkative nature, I was glad I had been able to establish a boundary with her ‘overfriendliness’ since her conversive nature had once led to an incident in which the company’s stakes were at risk. Sometimes I have to remind myself why I haven’t even fired this woman yet; apart from her being an efficient and hard-working assistant, it still doesn’t change the fact that she’s overly chatty.

“What is it, Isah?” She hesitated for a moment but then decided to speak. “Mr. Caleb Ainsley is waiting inside your office, sir.” I ran a hand through my hair before placing them inside my pockets. “You can brief me on my agenda later once my brother leaves,” I commanded and headed straight inside my office.

“Ahh, what a good morning, ey brother?” Caleb greeted me with a hug, and I looked at him in annoyance. “What are you here, Caleb?” I coolly said, my expression remaining unchanged, though a familiar weariness settled in my chest. “Wow. You’re so cold, Nathaniel Ainsley. No hug or good morning from your little brother?” For fuck’s sake. I’m so busy. I don’t have time for his childish antics.

“I don’t have all day, Caleb. So please, go straight to the point.” I removed my blazer, hanging it on the backrest of my executive chair. I sat down. Finally, after fifteen minutes of standing. Caleb stood up from one of my premium leather sofas, a folder in his hand. “I thought of giving you this personally. It’s Ainsley Tech’s sales report from last month.” I gladly took the folder from his grasp. “About damn time,” I sarcastically said.

“How’s Ainsley Tech? Shouldn’t be hard since you’re the techy one out of the three of us, so I suppose appointing you as the director of this department would be easy.” He rolled his eyes and groaned. “It’s terrible. Why did you even put me here? You could’ve given this to Elias since he’s the second eldest.”

“Be thankful that you even have an executive director position in one of Ainsley Corp’s departments. I had to beg our grandfather to assign you somewhere. And besides, Ainsley Tech is one of our most stable companies in all of Ainsley Corp.” Caleb remained silent, his expression blank, almost as if he was internally doubting if he was able to carry the weight of our tech business or if he just wanted to go back to his life as being the black sheep of the Ainsley family.

I sighed, crossing my arms. I knew I was going to regret this decision, but if it meant I had to ground my brother so he wouldn’t leave Ainsley Tech, then I must do it. “Look, Caleb. I’ll give you another month. If you can’t manage Ainsley Tech properly, then I’ll find someone who can fill in your position or co-manage this company with you. If you would agree with me.”

“Fine.” His grumbles. His stance looked like a little boy about to have a tantrum. I smiled mischievously. “Great. You have my word. Six months.” We both shook hands, solidifying the agreement.

“Alright. I’ll get out of here, given that you still have other business to attend to.” He said before turning his back on me. Finally, before he could open the door towards his exit, he turned back to me. “Oh, and I’ll just remind you, Mom said for you to come to Dad’s welcoming party next week. It’s on the 25th. Grandpa will be there, so you don’t have an excuse to say you’re busy.”

“Whatever. I’ll check my schedule for that day. Goodbye.” He rolled his eyes and shook his head in annoyance before leaving. A few seconds later, Isah entered my office with a tablet in her hand. “Should we proceed with the briefing, sir?” I nodded. “Go on ahead. I’ll just listen to you while I read on this report as well.”

She continued with the briefing, and I tried to listen throughout her discussion while reading the sales report of Ainsley Tech. I observed that Isah kept mixing a few personal details into her briefing. This was her typical move, so I just swallowed my annoyance and pretended to listen. “That would be all for today’s agenda, sir.” She said, which caught me off guard. Her morning briefing usually lasted for about thirty minutes. Today, it was half of the thirty-minute mark.

“Thank you, Miss Smith. One more question, have you asked the maintenance about the elevator repair? What is the progress of that? It’s already been almost a week since we had a functioning elevator.”

“They said it would take another three days for the repair. It wasn’t just minor damage.” I just nodded. “I see. You may go now.” Once the door closed, I sighed in relief. Finally, some alone time. I logged into my computer to check my schedule for this week, since I hadn’t paid any attention to my secretary’s briefing earlier.

Lunch with Matthias Enterprise’s President at noon.

A potential business proposal.

Meeting with Ainsley Jewelry at 2 pm.

Executive Meeting at 4 pm.

Dinner with Chairman Samuel Ainsley at 7 pm.

I let out a huff of air once I saw my schedule. My day was filled with meetings, while any free time I had would be focused on replying to company emails and reading monthly reports. I scrolled past my schedule for today, glancing at the schedule for tomorrow, looking forward to seeing if it wouldn’t be so hectic. My expression shattered in disappointment. It was no different from today.

Employee interview for the role of secretary at 8 am.

Lunch with the CEO of Luther Tech at 11 am.

Director meeting at 2 pm.

Business proposal meeting with the Executive Director of Ainsley Tech and the CEO of Hayward Tech at 5 pm.

Monthly sales meeting with the executive directors of Ainsley Corp at 7 pm.

I placed a hand on my temple, remembering that my secretary, Isah, had already filed for resignation. She only had until next week before leaving Ainsley Corp. Thank heavens for that. I closed the window where my schedule had been placed and opened up a new window for my company email, starting my day with reading and replying to emails, and company reports.

I scanned through my email, ignoring those that were spam or unimportant to me. When all of a sudden, a mysterious email popped up from the very top of my inbox, which caught my eye. It was labeled as important and marked with a star. The subject of the email is ‘Minutes of the Meeting: Project Luna’. I glanced at the sender, it was none other than Isah. I sighed in boredom before opening the entire message, scanning through the email. A long summary of yesterday’s meeting with Lex Technology about the Project Luna smartwatches.

It was an entire summary of the meeting; however, one word had specifically made my eyes widen in pure anger and my soul drain out of my body. It was Isah’s reply-all message.

Can you believe Nathaniel made me do another revision?! He’s so demanding! My weekend is ruined! Ugh!

I let out a sigh of disappointment. Surely she hadn’t sent this outside of our company. I quickly checked the recipients of this email. CEO, president, the executive directors, board members, and the creative managers of both Ainsley Corp and Lex Technology.

My blood began to boil, clenching the mouse until my knuckles turned white. I grit my teeth hard, a muscle in my jaw twitching. My green eyes narrowed into slits, colder than Chicago in winter. My breathing grew heavy.

“Unbelievable,” I muttered between my gritted teeth.

Memory from the past rushed back, remembering the moment she had first breached the contract of professionalism and privacy. It was a tough week for me at that time. Her ‘accidentally’ spilling it out to her friend about the Rose ruby project of Ainsley Jewelry had forced me to decide on canceling the entire project. Imagine the financial loss, the stain on the Ainsley name, and our client’s trust being broken because of what she did. This isn’t just an annoyance; it’s a security breach, a fundamental failure of trust. I should’ve fired her from the moment she made that very first mistake. If only her father weren’t my statistics professor back in college, then it would be much easier for me to dismiss her back then. Now she’s done it again. And in a much, much worse situation compared to last time.

My phone screen suddenly lit up, the name of my brother flashing on my lockscreen.

Caleb

Uh oh. Have you seen Isah’s email?? :/

“This cannot go on. She must leave. NOW.” The words cut through my internal calm. I lifted the office telephone from beside my desk, dialing the head of HR. “Good morning, Mr. Ainsley. This is HR.”

Despite my boiling anger, I tried my best to sound calm on the other end of the line. My voice was low, calm, and utterly devoid of warmth. “Isah Smith. Terminate her employment immediately. Arrange her immediate escort out of the building. And I need a replacement for a secretary. Interviews begin first thing tomorrow. Expedite the process.” I hung up before the receiver could even speak. I didn’t care. My secretary had just pissed me off to the point that my entire day—no, my entire week—was ruined.

I read through the email once more, saving the minutes of the meeting into another file before permanently deleting all trace of Isah’s mistake. I didn’t want to pass this responsibility down to the IT department, potentially worsening the situation. Once the email was deleted, I quickly composed an explanation and sent it to all the addresses that received the original email.

After cleaning up after my former secretary’s mess, I decided to check my phone. 10 am. Shit. I had to leave or else I’d be late for my lunch meeting. I stood up from my chair, quickly stepping out of my office. I glanced at the secretary’s desk. Empty. Finally, she’s gone.

However, it also felt empty to see that no one was sitting in front of that desk, working. I placed a hand on my temple once more, the feeling of responsibility setting in. I knew the nightmare of finding a suitable replacement had begun now. I’d have to deal with a parade of unqualified candidates. However, it’s a necessary evil. My phone vibrated inside my pocket as I slowly walked towards the elevator. “Yes. I’m on my way down, George. I just had to finish something important,” I bluntly stated, ending the call before he could even speak from the other end of the line.

I stepped inside the empty elevator, glancing at the empty desk one more time. The thought of potentially hiring someone as my new secretary stressed me out. What if I can’t find someone suitable for the role? I let out a sigh as soon as the elevator closed, leaving the problem and worry about tomorrow’s interviews alongside the empty desk.