The Heir's Masquerade

Chapter 6: Hello Rebecca

Still in the car, Jackson found a parking spot reserved for the CEO. He parked and went inside the colossal building. Inside people instantly recognized him as Blake Starkwood a quite known figure.

Before he entered there were those performing their daily duties such as the receptionists directing guests in the building and answering numerous calls. Jackson noticed something peculiar about the receptionists, they were young and attractive. He didn’t realize that would be a requirement to work in the company, they might as well be a supermodel. Women in their twenties having the bodies of supermodels wearing these white shirts and pencil skirts did seem pleasing in Jackson's eyes, maybe It was a good strategy.

“Welcome Mr. Starkwood”, a voice said. Turning around Jackson noticed a man in his thirties rising up from a cubicle, with baggy eyes, and messed hair. ‘Was he working here all night, that must be brutal Jackson thought ’. Jackson smiled and waved to the man. After a moment of silence, they all got back to work it seemed only the man earlier was the only one with the courtesy of greeting.

Everyone else though seemed too busy receptionists answering calls, papers being passed to everyone,  people moving from the elevator to come back with a specific item only to return to the elevator again and again. ‘What’s there a crisis I was unaware of or perhaps this is just the everyday work life of the company’.

Jackson had to admit this was not what he had expected, he expected everyone to be calm and everywhere to seem kinda godly, having the atmosphere of a temple. Looking back it was a ridiculous thought, this was Starkwood Motors of course the work environment would be hectic.

Going inside the elevator he taps the button labeled 100. ‘Go to the hundredth floor that was reserved just for your father’ a voice rang in his head. It was Adrian’s, such a helpful man he was, without him, Jackson wouldn’t come close to pulling off this charade. He felt a mix of guilt and gratitude towards Adrian.

On one hand, Adrian was a big help to Jackson, assisting him with things he claimed not to remember about the Starkwoods. Adrian never complained; he explained everything to Jackson and trained him to pretend to be who he was. Jackson had thought of this while lying in the hospital bed, but the past few days had really shown it: Adrian cared deeply for Blake, and Jackson always felt a heaviness in his heart using the man’s love against him.

The elevator opening revealed a large lobby with a huge office separated from a glass wall. Entering the lobby before the elevator closed he noticed something else to the side. Another receptionist probably around Jackson’s age, either that or she just looked that way. Blonde curly hair passed her waist, a big bust not too huge chess, a perfectly slender waist, and long legs.

Jackson had seen a lot of attractive receptionists in the ground floor, but she … she was something else. He went forward and saw a plaque on her table saying ‘Rebecca, seems she even has a pretty name’. “Hello.. ”, Jackson was saying “No!”, Rebecca said not letting him finish.

“You didn’t even let me finish”, Jackson retorted. “I don’t have to and I don’t care that your parents died, that’s not an excuse for you to try and flirt with me in the disgusting, sexist way you always do. Sit in your Dad’s office and I’ll inform you If anyone wants to see you which is my job so just let me do that.”, Rebecca said in a harsh tone.

‘Damn, she might hate Blake more than I do. I never could stand up to him, I always feared losing my job but it seems she doesn’t face that same fear’. Jackson had a grin when thinking about this, he wasn’t offended by her attitude why would he? Those worlds weren’t referring to him but to Blake, a man Jackson despised and was glad was no longer on this earth, and this beauty of beauties shared the same resentment which made her more attractive in his eyes.

“I’ll let you get right to it then”, Jackson said leaving her desk. ‘That was a first, no nasty comments, no threats, and no trying to get physical. Maybe his parents dying had a silver lining’. Rebecca thought this but brushed it aside almost ashamed of thinking that way.

Entering the office through a glass door that was easy to miss. Jackson had a better look in the office than he did looking through it from the outside. Marble floors, expensive wood, animal skins laid on the floors and the wall that wasn’t made of glass, a booze cabinet, and a shelf of  records, these were all things that were found in the late Daniel Starwood's office

But Jackson didn’t care about all that, was caught his eye was what was behind the the desk. A view of the entire city. It was magnificent everything seemed so small and so vast. The thought of coming to this view every day was a bad thought to have.

He sat down in the office chair and looked out in the view. ‘So what now?’. He had come to the building not really knowing what to expect, so far everything was going smoothly nothing too eventful except for him meeting Rebecca now he was just sitting and looking at the view of the city. ‘If this is what being a billionaire CEO is all about then this is going to be a piece of cake’, Jackson thought with a soft smile appearing on his face.

In the middle of his thoughts, he heard a phone ring. He checked in his pockets for the phones Adrian had given him but none of them was going off. He found it was a telephone with wires that was making the noise. ‘Oh didn’t know this still existed’. “Yes?”, Jackson asked

“Mr. Weston is here to see you”. Jackson recognized the voice. It was Rebecca, looking in front of him he could see her on the phone and a man in his fifties, having a streak of grey hair, a goatee, and a pot belly. Looking at her once more she had a slight frown on her face when looking at him and the voice she used to call him had a hint of disdain in it. ‘What a woman’.

“Send him in”, Jackson said. Entering the glass door Mr Weston put on a smile upon seeing Jackson. “Blake my boy it’s been too long. So glad you survived the accident”, Mr Weston said. Jackson knew Mr Weston not personally but heard stories of him, he was the father of Brian Weston one of Jackson’s tormentors, and was forced to merge his company with Starkwood's losing the majority of his riches in the process. He went for a handshake, which Jackson sluggishly gave him.

“Look at you, you’re father would be so proud and that speech you gave at the funeral I’m sure they were watching from heaven and were deeply touched by it.”, Mr Weston stated. “Get to the point”, Jackson said. He saw this kind of behavior at the funeral, ‘Desperation’  it was written on many faces at the funeral and it was written on this man’s face as well as he was trying to kiss his ass as much as he possibly could.

“Very well”, Mr Weston said as he sat gown in a chair ahead of him. “At the funeral, you stated your claim as CEO to the company while it looks good on paper. The sole heir taking over the company that belongs to his family. I don’t think you’re quite ready for such a huge responsibility”, Mr Weston said.

“Oh is that so?”, Jackson asked with a bit of sarcasm. Mr Weston noticed this but decided to continue. “I’m afraid so and I’m not the only one who feels that way many of the board members do as well. But worry not I have a way to get you out of this predicament”, Mr Weston said.

Jackson had as feeling he knew where this was going but allowed Mr Weston to continue. “You taking over the company is a good look. Having a legacy passed down from generation to generation can be inspiring but let me run things. I have been in this business for quite some time, I know things you don’t, you keep your title as CEO while I do all the important stuff. You’d basically be earning money without lifting a finger, so what do you say son”, Mr Weston finished.

Jackson was right on the money, this man was trying to get some power back in the company and he figured Blake who he knew quite well would avoid responsibility at all costs. He wasn’t wrong, if he was indeed talking to Blake, he would have gotten a deal but he wasn’t

Blake may have taken the deal but the question was, would Jackson?