Chapter 12: Bingo!
Chapter 12: Bingo!
Twenty minutes earlier.
A cleaning lady was vacuuming the carpet of the eighteenth floor. She noticed someone poking at her back. The lady halted her cleaning when she saw two young and adorable children.
"Hello, can you point us to the main conference room?" Kenzie asked with her usual bright smile.
"Um." The lady was puzzled as to why there were kids in the area, but soon the children gave their reason.
"Our Daddy is in the main conference room," added Kenzie before she gave another beaming smile.
"Okay. It's that way." The lady pointed and said, "Just take the right turn, and the centermost conference room is what you are looking for."
"Thank you, ma'am. Have a good day," said Kyle before pulling Kenzie by the hand.
As the two made their way through various divided offices, they came across employees who were shocked to see children inside the building. Still, that did not stop the twins from making their way to the conference room.
They had already gone down from the twentieth floor, taking the lift to the eighteenth floor.
It was now or never!
They needed to find their daddy!
***
"Mr. Wright, we wanted to know what made you interested in making a family-oriented theme park resort?" Asked Mr. Song.
After Mr. and Mrs. Song had a taste of the exquisite coffee and canapes, they resumed asking Ethan specifically about his interest in making the partnership with them.
They had earlier grilled him about the stability of the company, and Ethan was beyond ready. Now, Ethan could tell, they were shifting to a different aim. The Songs were determining if Ethan was in it with them... for the right reasons.
The Asian couple wanted to maintain the brand of their theme park and after getting a persistent request from the Wright Diamond Corporation to bring over the same brand to Braeton, they personally came to see what kind of character Ethan Wright had.
'The money,' Ethan thought in his head, but he had seen the same couple speak before the crowd in front of national television and he knew he had to answer along with their mission and vision.
With a confident yet slightly perilous glance, Ethan raised his head to say, "I've always believed that entertainment should be... experiential. Nowadays, people are stressed about their daily lives. Especially here in Braeton City!"
Pointing to the windows next to him, Ethan revealed, "I'm sure you have seen the skyscrapers in this town. It clearly reflects the kind of economic progress Braeton has achieved, but along with it, the residents of this city had slowly forgotten how is it like to live."
He turned to his other assistant, Joel, and said, "We have already conducted a study."
It was Joel's cue to hand over the study their company had made before approaching Mr. and Mrs. Song with a proposal to expand in Braeton City.
"We have found out that many of our natural settlers here in the city have relocated elsewhere, and the common reason was their inability to unwind," added Ethan.
"This is also part of the reason why I have begun investing in the hospitality industry. The First Diamond Hotel will be the first condominium hotel to offer packages for families, including facilities that can accommodate short-term holidays for new families with children," Ethan added.
"I envisioned a better Braeton City - a city that can keep growing while keeping its inhabitants happy and entertained." Crossing his legs, he raised a hand and added, "Braeton should not just be all about work, work, work!"
After Ethan's explanation, Mr. Song glanced at his wife. It was obvious to Ethan that Mr. Song was trying to get approval from Mrs. Song. He realized the wife held the key and not the husband.
"Mr. Wright, what kind of rides do you like in a theme park?" Mrs. Song asked with a rigid expression.
From his insides, he was cursing. Ethan's parents were so strict while he was growing up, he never really enjoyed going to theme parks. With a sigh, Ethan said, "Hmmm... Which ride?"
"You don't look like a person who even goes to a theme park, Mr. Wright," suggested Mrs. Song.
"I have - I have as a child, but my parents only brought me to one once - in Gale City. They closed the entire park for me to play," revealed Ethan. "I'll be honest with you. I did not enjoy that theme park visit, at least in my memory. I should at least have a playmate, right?"
"But I wanted to change that. I want the children of our younger generation to have a better experience," added Ethan. This is property © of NôvelDrama.Org.
Somehow, he seemed to have captured the attention of Mr. and Mrs. Song, but Ethan could tell they weren't entirely convinced. He wondered what would.
While he was thinking of other ways to persuade Mr. and Mrs. Song, the door to the main conference room opened, and came in a little girl with blonde and straight hair. She had a beautiful smile and a glow on her face directed straight at Ethan.
It was Kenzie, and she screamed, "Daddy! I found you!"
While she sped towards Ethan, Kenzie did not fail to take a bow, princess style, and said to the Song couple, "Good afternoon, I'm Kenzie."
Only after her greeting did she run to Ethan and practically jump at him.
Ethan was still in a state of shock, but he could let the beautiful little girl fall and so he carried her in his arms. He was about to ask who the girl belong to when Mrs. Song reacted.
"Ohhhh! What a beautiful little girl!" Mrs. Song's eyes essentially twinkled in delight at the sight of Kenzie.
Mrs. Song stood up to approach Kenzie and lightly pinch on her plump cheek. "Is she your daughter? How adorable!"
Kenzie chuckled and said, "Yes, this is my daddy!"
Pointing to the door, Kenzie added, "And that's my brother! Kyle!"
When Kyle came into the picture, Mr. and Mrs. Song shifted their gaze from Kyle to Ethan. Their jaws drop before Mr. Song remarked, "Undoubtedly! Haha! Mr. Wright! We did not know you were married!"
"Look at his young man! He is absolutely good-looking, just like his father!" Remarked Mr. Song.
Joel, the replacement assistant, also had the same shocking reaction. He heard John say about a kid that looked like the boss, but he never thought it was true!
While Joel was gawking at Kyle, Ethan was equally taken aback. However, being the CEO of the company, he needed to act fast and assess the situation. Ethan Wright quickly saw the shift in Mr. and Mrs. Song's reactions right after seeing the children. He concluded silently, 'Mr. and Mrs. Song likes children.'
Ethan tried his best to make out a smile, one that he rarely tried to do, and said to Kenzie, "Baby... I am in a meeting."
"Oh, you know what, Mr. Wright! That's fine! Keep them here!" Mrs. Song said, utterly adoring Kenzie before she explained, "We love kids! We have a big family of our own - five children, to be exact, and two of them are pregnant now! We will be grandparents soon!"
It was the first time that Mrs. Song opened up during their entire discussion that Ethan recognized that the kid's arrival helped.
"Excuse me. Excuse me," said Kyle, while bowing his head. He was making his way to Ethan, and when he did, he held Ethan's hand and said, "Daddy, mommy Sam is waiting for you upstairs."
'Bingo!' Ethan said to his head. 'These are Samantha Davis' kids.'
"Oh, then! We should not keep Mr. Wright here, sweetheart," said Mr. Song to his wife. "We did come unscheduled."
A laugh left Mrs. Song's lips, saying, "Yes, we did. We are sorry about that."
"Let's have another meeting. Over dinner, perhaps?" Suggested Mrs. Song. "She pinched Kyle's cheek and said, "Don't forget to bring your entire family!"
Mrs. Song added, "We just love kids!"
Ethan gulped before he faked a fake smile again. He assured the Song couple, "Of course, I'll bring... my entire family."