Today was the day.
Well, monday is going to be the day but today is the party at the company and I was beyond nervous.
I always thought I would be excited and happy when this day finally came but I didn't feel anything even close. In fact, I felt like shit.
Harry hasn't spoken even one word to me after he found out I was going to be the new CEO and basically lied to him about who I was. Even though we weren't really in a relationship or even dating it still felt like a minor heart break.
I hated that we were on square one again and back to him hating me or whatever but I also know it was entirely my fault. I was selfish and ignorant for keeping this a secret for that long. The worst thing however, is that he didn't find out from me but rather from a stranger by accident.
As I arrived at my parents house to get ready I tried my best to pretend I was feeling fine and thankfully no one had noticed due to everyone being stressed and running around finishing up some thing until it was time to leave.
"There you are. Are you excited?" My mom asked as she dragged me to a chair so people could do my hair & make up.
"Yea." I lied, fiddling with the rings on my fingers.
She raised her eyebrow a little as if she was not convinced so I plastered a huge smile on my face, hoping to ease her mind at least for now.
I sighed in relief as she nodded and got ready herself.
After hair & make up I changed into the dress we had picked out and it was even more beautiful than I had remembered.
"Wow. You two look absolutely stunning." My dad complimented mom & I as he entered the room in a black suit.
"Thanks, dad." I smiled at him and grabbed my purse that was matching the dress.
"Are you ladies ready?" Dad asked and both my mom & I nodded before following him out the door to the cars.
I was riding separately from my parents so all the way to the company I felt extremely anxious and on the verge of throwing up.
As we arrived and got out of the car there was no going back now. Not that there even would've been a way out of this. Contracts were signed weeks ago and everything was ready and planned for this very day.
As my dad greeted some people before we were even inside the building I suddenly saw Wes standing by the door, waving at me.
I quickly walked over to him and embraced him.
"Thank god you're here." I whispered so no one else could hear.
"Well, not to burst your bubble but this was basically mandatory." Wes joked as we pulled away from each other.
"I'm gonna throw up." I panicked as I brushed strands of hair from my face.
"Hey hey hey, calm down. You'll be amazing. There is nothing to worry about. I'll be right here...well not here by the door obviously but inside and it'll all be fine. You got this."
"Thanks, Wes." I smiled lightly as suddenly my mom appeared beside me.
"It's time to go inside, honey. Who's your friend?" She asked and looked over at Wes.
"I'm Wes. We shared an office when she was here as an intern." Wes explained and shook her hand.
"He's my best friend." I added.
"Nice to meet you, Wes." My mom said politely.
"Are you coming?" I asked Wes as my mom was already following my dad inside.
"I'm just waiting for Harry he should be here any second now. See you soon." He said and I nodded awkwardly before walking inside and catching up to my parents.
The place was crowded and a whole floor was cleared just for this. There was a tiny stage all the way at the front and huge round tables everywhere for people to sit.
There was also music playing but as soon as my dad stood by the stage the music stopped and he walked up to hold his speech.
"Good evening everyone and welcome. As some of you know I have build this company many many years ago with my beautiful wife by my side. Never once have a imagined all the success this company was going to endure and I'm so very proud of everything that we achieved together."
I looked around and saw so many employees just listening to what my dad had to say. They looked so content and with no hatred or anything. My dad was very much liked by his employees and to fill his shoes was going to be so hard.
Suddenly I noticed Wes & Harry hurrying to their seats and my heart started pumping ten times faster.
Harry hasn't noticed me yet which was a relief because I wouldn't know how he was going to react.
The moment he found out will forever be the worst thing to ever happen to me. He stepped back and looked me in the eyes as if trying to wait for me to deny it and that it was just a misunderstanding.
"I'm sorry." Was all I could say in that moment and I tried to reach out to him but he shook his head and was gone in no time, leaving me.
I cried a lot when I got home and had to cancel Wes who I originally had plans to eat lunch with that day.
"So today I figured it is finally time to announce my retirement." I suddenly snapped out of my thought as I heard the gasps from almost everyone in the room.
"Don't worry I have the perfect replacement and I won't be gone forever. I will still be checking in occasionally but the company will be in good hands. Some of you may actually know my replacement. My daughter Anastasia Clarens or some of you may know her as Ana Griffin."
My dad waved his hands, signaling that I should join him on stage.
Some people gasped and the majority clapped as I stood beside my father.
"Hello everyone." I said and took a deep breath, trying to focuse on the little speech I wanted to hold.
"I know this may be a shock for some of you."
I saw Macy in the crowd with her mouth hung open in surprise.
"I have been preparing to take over the company basically the day I was born. When I started college I worked for the company from home and I'm very familiar with everything. The last step my dad had prepared for me was the internship that I did here for a couple months. He wanted me to know what it's like working here and getting to know some of you instead of just jumping into this new position and not knowing the way things work around here. I'm very excited and happy to be the new CEO and I promise I won't let you down."
I stepped away from the mic and let my dad take over again. When I scanned the crowd people were clapping and no one seemed to come across as unhappy.
Except for one person.
Harry had his head down and his hands were wrapped around a glass. He looked anything but happy and all I wanted was to talk to him.
Later that evening I had finally a couple minutes to myself as I went to the bathroom. People were trying to talk to me non stop and everytime I thought I could just breath for a second there was someone else who either congratulated me or just wanted to ask questions.
"Quite the bomb you dropped." I heard someone say from beside me. I turned and saw Macy washing her hands.
"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you earlier. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I didn't want anything to change between us." I explained, hoping that at least she wouldn't be mad at me.
"I get it. It's all good." She smiled and I did too.
"So if I invite you over for a girls day you'd still come?" I asked and the both of us laughed as Macy nodded her head.
"Why did you hide in here anyways?" She asked referring to the bathroom.
"Just needed to breath for a second." I told her and she nodded before we talked a bit more about random stuff and not about the current situation.
Suddenly my phone started vibrating and I took it out of my purse to see that Wes was calling me.
I quickly excused myself and picked up the phone.
"What's up?" I asked, walking out the bathroom to get to a more private place.
"Just wanted to let you know that I'm leaving. Harry's a bit too drunk and I'm just going to drive him home." He explained quickly.
"Oh. Uhm, do you need my help?"
"Nah I got this. Go back to your party. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Bye!" He said and before I could say anything else he had already hung up on me.
I sighed as I made my way back inside and before I knew it my dad waved me over to meet even more people.
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hmm interesting