Second Chance Addison

Many of the large details for the event had already been decided on. The convention center was booked, the food was settled, outside vendors had already been vetted and approved, the schedule and the guest speakers were finalized, and tickets had already gone up for pre-sale.

Chance read through each part and took down some notes. He was looking for ways to make the convention run as smoothly as possible. From adjusting the map of the convention floor to switching around rooms for workshops and panels, he found a number of small inefficiencies.

It had to be said that this was all just polish work. All of the most difficult parts, such as negotiating with vendors and the authors, had already been done. There was just one thing that he had to settle on his own; the VIP guest list.

The VIPs were the people specially invited by the company to promote the event. Each of these people were influential figures in their respective facets of society. Potentially, there were people on this list that had been a part of destroying Chance and Addison Enterprises.

At first, this list was what he wanted to see the most. But Chance easily got carried away with making adjustments to the convention set up. It was well past noon when he finally turned his attention to the VIPs.

As he started reading through the list, Fait called him on the intercom.

"Addison, what would you like for lunch?" Her tone was cold as usual. He couldn't tell if she was still mad or not.

"Anything would be fine." He answered. Thinking a moment he asked, "Do you mind having lunch with me?"

"May I know why?" She had the slightest bit of suspicion in her voice.

"There are a few things that I would like to discuss with you. About schedules, the upcoming meetings... those sorts of things."

"Why not talk after lunch?"

"And I could ask why not talk during lunch. It's all the same really. If you already have other arrangements, I understand." He stared at the intercom speaker, wondering what kind of expression was on her face.

Fait, on the other hand, also staring at her intercom, was trying to figure out what this man was thinking. Each time she thought she could keep him reigned in, he threw her for a loop.

At first, she listened to the rumors and thought he was an incompetent wastrel. Then she learned the truth and thought of him as a naive but capable businessman.

When she went to rescue him that night, she thought he was just a drunk man child throwing a temper tantrum. Once sober, he seemed a little timid but obedient and reasonable. With Genevieve, he proved he is good with children and she still didn't know what to make of that. The man accepted a unicorn pin from a little girl and cherished it like a rare treasure.

Telling him about the danger he was in, he seemed to fear for his life, which of course made her job easier. But then, he actually went out last night, into the city, alone and unguarded. There was no way to know where he went, how he got there, who he met, or how he got the title for that damned car.

And then there was this morning when he had the audacity to tease her. 'Who is this guy?' she wondered.

Her thoughts were broken up by his voice coming through the intercom.

"So... is that a yes... a no...?"

"Fine, but you're buying."

...

Fait had escorted Chance, rather stealthily, to a high class restaurant on a lower floor of the building. Since he wasn't out of immediate danger just yet, she didn't want to take any extra risks.

After the waitress had taken their order, Chance started with his questions. Unlike this morning, he was much more serious.

"How much longer until we announce internally that I am the new CEO of at least the publishing firm? I mean I can't hide in that office forever. There is a board meeting in four days and an investors meeting in six, shouldn't they know what to expect?"

"Not really, if we tell them now, the board will try to oust you and they'll have time to prepare. The investors will then go into a panic and start backing out."

"Why didn't they panic when Mack died?"

"The investors still think the board is going to nominate someone. Since you are technically missing, there is no reason to correct them."

"If I'm missing, then how did someone know to try to poison me here."

"It was a blind guess on the assassin's part. She didn't notify anyone in case someone tried to collect the bounty on you first."

"She? And what bounty!?" He'd never had a price on his head before.

"Assassins and mercenaries come from all walks of life. In order to hire them, there needs to be some incentive." She explained calmly, like it was to be expected.

"How much?"

"Hmmm?"

"How much am I worth to those bastards?"

"Just seven million."