《The Freshman Tease ✓》Bonus Chapter - Desperation
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Hey there! Thank you for reading TFT! I wanted to share a fun bonus chapter that takes place after the main story (From the spinoff book, Wrapped Around her Finger) :)
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"Mr. Hayle, there's someone here to see you," my assistant knocks on my door and peeks in.
"Send them in," I look up from my computer as Jason comes in through the large frosted glass doors and shuts them behind him. "Hey Jason, what's up?"
He sits down on the brown leather chair in front of my desk. The sleeves of his dress shirt are rolled up unevenly, and his tie is loose at the neck. He seems to look more and more tired every time I've seen him lately. By the look on his face, something is really wrong. He sighs and rubs his palm against his jaw. "Larsen Realty isn't doing so well."
Jason hasn't spoken much about the company since he took over last year, which I was surprised about. He's always been very prideful and enjoyed flaunting his success. I assumed something might've been up, but he denied it every time I asked. "How so?"
"Our stocks have gone down significantly since I took over. Most of the properties I've invested in have dropped in value," he sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "Fewer and fewer people are renting our buildings too. I just don't know what I'm doing man."
We became friends twenty two years ago when we were eleven. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've seen Jason this sad and vulnerable. "Don't you have people helping you? What about your parents?"
He groans. "The old COO and secretary retired at the same time as my parents. I've hired and fired several new ones, they've all been clueless." His normally dark and determined chestnut brown eyes seem dull and exhausted. "And you know what my parents are like, they don't have a sympathy bone in their bodies. I can't admit I've failed after all the preparation and pressure they've given me since I was a kid."
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"Jason, you haven't failed," I say sternly.
"Not completely at least," he grumbles before sighing sadly again. "I'm at risk of ruining my family's legacy - my grandparents started this company thirty years ago. Plus, Vanessa and I have a two year old to raise. Her salary on its own wouldn't be able to cover everything, what kind of parent would I be if I couldn't even help support my family?!" He buries his face in his hands. I barely recognize the tone of desperation in his voice.
I quickly get up from my desk and walk around to sit on the chair next to him. I pat his back. "Jason, everything will be alright. You've never been one to give up, you're the guy who excelled in every leadership position he's ever been in." I guess there was that incident in university, but that's not important right now.
He chokes out a laugh. "Thanks Lincoln. You're almost as good as Ray at encouraging people, I spoke on the phone with him yesterday."
I can't help but laugh. I miss that guy, he moved to Ottawa with Stephanie a couple years after they graduated nearly six years ago and we only get to see them once or twice a year. "Did he give you any advice?"
Jason looks at me sheepishly. "Yes, and it involves you," he looks very nervous. "Would you join the company as the COO?"
My eyes widen. "Oh wow. Well...I don't know Jason," I take a moment to think. "You know I'd love to support you, but I've spent nearly nine years here, it took four years to work up to my senior financial advisor position. It pays...very well."
"I understand. It's just that I've seen how well you excel when working with other people. My team doesn't work together very cohesively, it feels like we're a car driving with three wheels, but I think you're that missing piece that would complete us. Plus, I think my Master's of business management and your Master's of Economics combined together would be really useful."
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I sigh. "I see your point, but it's still a huge risk Jason. I'll talk to Katie about this tonight."
"Don't psychologists have six figure salaries? Are finances a concern for you two?"
"Generally yes, but Katie is still only in her first year of working. Plus, she was in school for over a decade, she's still paying off some student loans from grad school," I explain. "Come back tomorrow, and we'll talk again."
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I'm surprised to see Katie is already home, she normally gets back from work at least an hour after I do. She's sitting on the sofa in our bedroom. "Hey honey, you're home early" I say, kissing her cheek. "There's something we need to talk about, by the way."
"Hey. I wasn't feeling well so I headed home early."
"Are you alright?" I ask, sitting down next to her. Something seems off about her behaviour.
"Yes. Well no. Sort of?" she stammers.
I can't remember the last time I've seen her nervous like this. Probably the first time we met back in university. "What's wrong?" I ask softly, pulling her closer to me.
She clears her throat and takes in a deep breath. She begins speaking very quickly, the way she always does when she's nervous, "I know we had a general plan of how we wanted the next few years to go like, but things might be about to take a sudden detour off that plan. Please don't be upset."
"I...don't understand." I'm very confused right now. "You don't have to be nervous Katie, just tell me." I gently stroke her cheek and she relaxes a bit.
"I'm pregnant," she whispers.
My eyes widen and my stomach does a flip. "Oh my god! Really?!" She barely finishes her nod before I pull her into a tight hug. "Of course I'm not upset, I'm so excited. A mini version of us!"
"To think I was scared," she laughs, muffled into my shoulder. "I wonder how it happened though."
"Well you see Katie, when a man and a woman love each other," I begin.
She shoves me playfully. "Come on, you know what I meant."
I think for a moment. "The night of Tina's birthday maybe? We drank way too much, I don't even remember whether or not we used a condom." It was fun at least.
She chuckles and rests against my side. "Oh, so what was it you wanted to talk about?"
My mood suddenly drops. I explain everything to her about Jason, and his offer. She looks very concerned by the time I finish. "I thought more about the possibility of it on my way home, and I was really considering it, but things are different now. There's going to be a baby we need to support," I say nervously. The stakes are so much higher.
"Well, do you think you can do it? Help fix the company?" she asks quietly.
"Honestly, yeah I think so. He emailed me a couple documents and records, I saw a bunch of mistakes that I know how to fix. I have connections that would help a lot too," I say confidently. "Plus, I trust Jason to be able to do everything he can to help get things rolling."
Katie rests her soft hands on mine. She looks up at me with her warm hazel eyes and smiles her sweet smile. "I'll always believe in you, no matter what. If you think this is what's best for our family, I trust you."
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Thanks for reading! There's more like this in the spinoff if you're interested! :)
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