The door was pushed open, and the quiet steps followed in the conference room. Allea raised her eyes and met with the sight of familiar faces of one young and old man. Robert Smith sat on the other end of the table, on his left side was his son, Liam Brown, along with one assistant, and on the right side was his two subordinates. Allea proceeded toward the head-end of the table, her both assistants on her heel.

Seeing their awaited guest arrive, the co-CEOs, Robert Smith along with his son, stood hastily and cordially enunciated their greetings. In the pretense of professional delight, Allea too followed along with the formal greeting and gestured them to take their seats again, as she too got comfortable on the chair. As Allea sat down, the eyes of both Co-CEOs glanced at each other with incertitude as leaving the head position empty, she sat on its right side, while one assistant sat along with her and the other on the opposite side.

A minute or two passed and there was no formal proclamation of commencing the meeting from the Allgaier's CEO, before they could further dwell in the uncertainty of things, the conference room's door once again opened and a man stepped inside. His momentous steps advanced and giving one glance to Allea, who was now subtly smiling toward him, Jackson took the head potion and sat down. His eyes narrowed toward the man sat opposite to him, brows frowned and his cold gaze felt like penetrating through its receiver.

Coughing awkwardly, in confusion Robert Smith avoided the stare he got at the new man's appearance, but soon the whispers of his son reached his ears and he understood the man's position. So, he hurriedly formalized himself again, but only got an inconspicuous nod from Jackson in return.

With no intention of wasting another second, Allea's indifferent voice resonated through the room, "Please start the meeting."

At her words, Liam Brown gestured toward the subordinates sitting opposite him to start the description of their project. And soon, the words started following out of their mouths, presenting the ideas on the files in front of them. Allea was impassively leaning against her chair, listening to their proposal, so was the attitude of Jackson and Nayla. But as their plan continued to proceed, it became difficult for Ben to hide his curved lips and his pretended coughs interrupted a few times.

Impatiently Allea's eyes moved toward the wristwatch, and only one thought passed through her mind, such minutes wasted in which she could have done way important things. Not bearing to hear any further, she interrupted the presenter's speech and directly told him to hand over the file. With the file in her hands, she pretended to go over it in mere seconds and threw it on the table.

"Pathetic."

Before Allea could utter any words, in front of the eyes looking toward her expectantly, the man beside her spoke in his stern tone. Her eyes moved toward Jackson, and noted instead of looking at the file, he was staring at the executive in front of him.

The people to whom Jackson's word was directed lost the color of their faces, and a moment of silence fell at Jackson's direct insult.

Jackson's gaze flickered toward Allea, who was now looking at the visitors, and soon he heard her assertive voice breaking the silence, "Mr. Smith, I'm afraid I have to reject your proposal right here."

Before they could have taken in the insult thrown at them, Allea declared her decision, leaving them baffled at now her undeviating decline. The young boys' agitation-filled eyes moved toward his father, who had the same look of disquietude but somehow controlling his nerves Mr. Smith spoke, "Please state the reason, we'll improve things at your suggestion."

If there was someone else besides Allea, his expressions would have broken at the audacious words, and a tantalizing laugh would have resonated in response. But Allea's face was blank, devoid of any flicker of any emotions because all the ridicule could be felt in her words, but even her tone lacked any of it, "Seems like Mr. Smith put his effort in scheduling the meeting instead of looking over the files once."

Some people do have a habit of assuming things on their own, so lost in the world of their thoughts that when reality seems the opposite to it, things get hard to accept. Getting a chance to the meeting so effortlessly, Robert Smith assumed a lot of things. Not caring to consider why among the many companies he got a chance like this, he instead of utilizing it to its maximum, thought of this as an act of easily approachable generosity. If he has scored a meeting then getting the project will be no hassle, why would a big company like Allgaier's mind spending some millions. Their illogical assumptions might be the reason for the pit, Xit corporation has fallen in.

Thinking of convincing the young girl would not be hard, the Xit's older CEO tried again, "Miss Ciarve, um...this project has been prepared under the supervision of our great managers, how could it..."

Quiet calmly Allea heard him, shocking her both assistants, as far as they have the experience, saying her rejection so directly, Allea would have stood and left the room long by now, not wasting another second. But, for the first time, she was willing to hear such an illogical and nonsensical business deal.

"Yeah, we can see that you're quite proud of throwing your work on others," Jackson snickered, the coldness was evident is voice as he added, "No wonder Xit is where it is."

Mr. Smith's face turned with shame, and so did his son's but Jackson didn't care, and instead of responding to Jackson, they looked toward Allea, the CEO, and the one whose words matter.

Allea's gaze flickered toward the subordinates sitting beside the man, their faces pale and alarmed --how could she not know that for CEO's deficiencies, the employees have to pay. But what can one do if they have such an executive, it's also their choice to work for Xit. A choice that's maybe made under the need of money, give one's family a good life or there could be many other reasons behind it still, in the end, it all their decisions.

Once again startling the people beside her, Allea coolly stated the paucities of the project, "There's no cohesion between the marketing strategies and the finances revenue involving in it," She paused, pointing toward the file, she raised a brow and resumed, "and you're asking the investment 10% exceeding the average spending on the project, where I might add no additions from your side."

The subordinates' faces eased hearing Allea summarizing the mistakes that require an executive's supervision to rectify.

[Disclaimer: This work is only published on watt/pad under profile: itsrujihere. The complete rights of the work: Allea belongs under this profile and Ruji. If you're reading [Allea] on some platform other than watt/pad(Unless I, Ruji, say so) then, I'm pretty sure they are stealing my work (i.e, a site that starts with novel), please don't support the thief.]

When Allea halted in her words, a light smile appeared on her lips as she waited for the men to take in the overview of mistakes she gave them, and after a minute or two of utter silence, where the people in front of her looked embarrassed as their hands hastily moved to check their files again, but there was no use in it. They had four months to redo the conditions again and again but the biggest hurdle was the negligence and lack of ability in the company's representatives.

She spoke again, her voice held the same tranquility, not impatience or anger, her gaze moved between the father and son duo, "So, Mr. Smith and Mr. Brown, how exactly were you two planning to make our profit and have me agree on this project?"

At her questions, the room once again fell into utter stillness, and to whom her words were directed had no answer to it. Their tongues were tied and the reason, just because Allgaier's could help them because they have the ability and money, was on the tip of the tongue of the presumptuous old CEO, but the girl's calmest gaze staring straight at him made him apprehensive, not to add the silent raged filled gaze he was getting from the man beside her.

"W-we can improve as per Miss. Ciarve says."

Allea's silent gaze moved toward Liam Brown, who with a little bit of determination and haughtiness repeatedly asserted his father's prior words.

"You, yourself know, the chance I have given you, how many companies would have lined for it."

Allea's calm response once again made not only him shut his mouth, but Ben and Nayla were also staring at Allea, with puzzlement clear on their faces. Whenever they thought their Boss will just stand up and leave, she just kept sitting quietly hearing their brazen word and giving them a reason. Although they have seen her rejecting various deals, this was the first time they have heard their boss stating the reasons for her action as if making it clear that despite her given chance the project they lost was only because of their own inadequacies and no other reason.

As if Jackson could not bear it any longer, narrowing his eyes, he impatiently inquired, "How much more time do you intend to waste on these useless people?"

Looking at him with a slight smile, Allea nodded and agreed, "Yes, no more."

Under the eyes of people here to score the deal, she stood up, followed by her assistant and Jackson, who was quick in his actions to reach the door. But his steps halted when his gaze flickered behind him and saw Allea approaching the other end of the table, with her professionally trained smile.

Standing in front of Robert Smith, who hurriedly stood up seeing Allea walking toward him. When she was right in front of him, she extended her hand and spoke pleasantly, "It was nice meeting you, Mr. Robert Smith."

Her hand was soon engulfed in a formal shake, and despite not scoring the deal the man didn't dare to appear disrespectful. No matter what he wasn't in a position to be disrespectful toward the young girl in front of him.

Drawing her hand back, instead of walking away, Allea smiled and continued, "When we met, I didn't introduce myself properly, did I? Let me redo that."

Her unforeseen words rose skepticism for everyone standing there, who didn't know the name of the girl in front of them, but the most bewildered was the man to whom her words were directed. It was no wonder that while preparing for this project how many times Allea's name might have appeared in his thoughts, mind, or words. Thinking of the moment he met her for the first time at the party, where she didn't say her name and indeed not formally introduced herself, or probably because she doesn't intend to give them another chance and is politely ending their last meeting, he nodded, but still a little baffled at her sudden enunciation.

With a smile, shockingly a genuine one graced her lips, she uttered, "I'm Allea," paused, and quite slowly uttered the next two words and completed her name, "Zinnia Ciarve."

She smiled at the man in front of her, her lips curved slightly and eyes shinning beautifully while staring at the man, whose face drowned in confusion, his lips unbeknownst to him moved and soundlessly repeated Allea's middle name. For a while, in the befuddled quietness of their surrounding, he continued to stare at Allea and slowly the familiarity of the name settled on his tongue as well in his mind.

Rober Smith's unblinking gaze stared unwaveringly at Allea, and his whole body stiffened when the affinities started to become evident in his eyes. As if he was seeing a woman he once knew but a lot younger version of her was standing in front of him, a woman which he has long ago forgotten. But the forgotten memories started pouring in blurs in his mind, and soon the last image of a woman attempting to catch a smaller version of herself running toward him came into his mind.

He glimpsed of his younger self walking out of the house as he waved goodbye toward them, an adieu after which he wasn't going to return, at the threshold stood that woman while holding the child and was smiling toward him just like the girl in front of him.

"...Zinnia."

With a look of realization, he muttered under his breath while staring at Allea, whose smile widened a little, with that Allea turned and left the meeting room without looking back.

The moment she stepped inside the walls of her office room, a sigh escaped her lips, but before she could dwell further into the feeling spreading inside her, a familiar voice behind her interrupted her thoughts.

"He didn't know you were his...?"

As Jackson voiced his query, there was a look of disbelief on his face, molding his stern expression in that of confusion and incredulity.

Allea turned to face the man who followed her inside the office, there was a subtle smile as she shook her head and confirmed his doubt. After a moment of pause, she inquired neutrally, "Would you have stopped me if I gave his company a chance?"

Allea didn't know why Jackson was here and nor she dares to assume. She has long ago stopped explaining things to Jackson and that's how things have always between them, there was no need for useless words. Therefore, her tone was neutral, because she had the belief that the trust she has built in her relations can never crumble at such insignificant things.

And Jackson's unhesitant decline proved her right, "No," although it was a single word, it widened the smile on Allea's face.

Jackson, himself, was a little baffled, he never expected that the man they just met would be the father of the girl standing in front of him. And if not for the fear of smugness this girl will show at his words, he would have undoubtedly say that he was here for her, even though he hated that man for his actions but without him, Allea wouldn't have been saying here. Sometimes the loss of some people is good because you don't know what gifts might be there to fill their absence. Jackson was here to stand behind her as her family, even if she wanted to walk forward toward those who left her.

But with his own sternness and arrogancy, in a quiet solemnity, Jackson was only able to utter, "I never doubted you."

In response got a delightful chuckle along with a response in a teasing tone, "I know, old-man."

Jackson ignored her remark and tone, but still a little confounded over what happened a moment ago, he dubiously stated, staring straight at Allea, "You just wanted to tell him your...name."

Nodding her head lightly, Allea confirmed, "Whose daughter I'm."

After a moment of thoughtful silence, Jackson's expression eased and his face softened as if understanding everything. In the next second, he returned back to his narrowed eyes as he reprimanded, but despite his words, they felt more like praise, "...Such an obnoxious brat."

Allea didn't repose, and seeing Jackson retreating back, leaving her alone in the silence surrounding her. She walked toward her chair, and leaning against it, she closed her eyes for a moment.

Allea doesn't care what the man thinks as he's also the part of the world she long ago left behind in her things to bother over. But the mere thought that her mother would have cried seeing this man's reflections in her past-self made her assume that she might have smiled and looked a bit proud if Allea could just show a glimpse of her mother's strength inside her, and stand in front of him like her mother's reflection, not his.

Sometimes life isn't full of big moments, big sacrifices, or big things, sometimes small things, small efforts, small fights also require the deepest strength of our soul to carry on. We always have two paths in front of us, we can face them or hide away from them, but choosing either requires its own fight and obligations. Especially when one knows the reasons behind the hurdles that have filled his path are his own mistakes, facing such hurdles require your greatest courage, the courage of accepting your mistakes and come to terms with them.

Allea didn't know what she would get from such a thing, something of just telling her name and reminding him of a forgotten woman in his life, but she knew it wasn't for getting recognization, it was about giving her mother the respect her years of struggle and fight deserved. For the man whom she left everything, in the end left her, but instead of this wholly breaking her, it made her into someone new. This man ought to know after him their life turned for the best and that's all because that woman never admitted the defeat and stood tall on her own feet, stood strong for her daughter.

His absence wasn't filled with sorrows but with a woman building her life from the crumbles he left her in.

And she's the daughter of that woman, Zinnia Ciarve.

Now Allea got her answer, she was right, the utterance of her declaration slowly opened a knot in her soul and heart -and touched them with the fragrance of serenity.

...

//Ruji;/ Eid Mubarak to the ones who celebrate!

(p.s. This chapter was so long that it took all the time of editing, so, )