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“Yep. Are you trying to wear out the rug with your pacing? I gotta say, buddy, I don’t know if the distressed look is going to look great on that pattern.”
I just shook my head and rolled my eyes. He sat up and patted the seat next to him.
“Sit. Chill, bud.” I answered him with a glare and he laughed in my face. “Hate to let you in on the secret, Danny, but you don’t intimidate me.”
Ihatedbeing called Danny by most people. Evan was one of the few who could get away with it. Hell, maybe I even liked him using my childhood nickname. It reminded me that I wasn’t really this cold person.
“Just sit,” he said more firmly.
Giving in, I dropped onto the cushion next to him.
“Okay. I’m sitting. Now what?”
“It’s just a rumor,” he said after a beat of silence.
“Just a rumor,” I said with a scoff. “It’s ruiningeverything, Evan. Every plan I had is out the window as of now.”
The stock prices plummeted, and the board was up my ass as if this were all my fault. Everyone wanted me to miraculously fix it and I couldn't even find the root of this rumor.
Evan frowned in his characteristic way when he has a point and is surprised someone hasn't figured it out.
“A rumor without evidence–like this one–is just talk. Bring up something more exciting and everyone will forget about it.”
It took me an embarrassingly long moment to realize what he was suggesting, but then a small smile tugged at my lips.
“So we should start another rumor?”
Evan was thoughtful for a moment.
“If a rumor is the best we can do, sure. But if you had something new and solid to bring up–a new venture, project, or whatever–now would be the time. It’ll draw attention and create conversation, but would also be real. It would really point a finger at the vagueness of the rumor.”
“Evan, you’re a genius.” I clapped him on the shoulder. As the realization of what this all meant, though, my face fell.
“But this means I’ll be stuck here to see it all through, right? For however long it takes, right? One more pause on my plans.”
“You can’t exactly leave right now with the company in this mess, either, though. It would definitely impact your credibility in the future.” I hated when Evan made a solid point.
I fell back onto the sofa, slumped and feeling defeated. I had been the CEO of Reed Biotech for five years, since I finished graduate school. It was a deal I had made with my father: I work for him for five years and then I can move onto my own plans without any interference from him and with enough financial support.
Now, at the end of my fifth year, while I was preparing to step down, this was happening. How could I convince investors and clients to invest in my own business if I leave my father's company in shambles? My track record didn't matter, nobody would trust me. I couldn't be fazed for too long though. Like every other problem I had encountered while running the company, I would weather this one.
I pulled out my phone and clicked on the notes app to start brainstorming.
“What are you doing?” Evan asked next to me, scrolling through his own phone.
“You know that you’re not my chaperone, right?”
“Arguable point. But what are you doing? I still see the gears spinning,” he pointed to his temple, “and maybe I can help.”
“I’m brainstorming. If I’m going to start something to change the conversation, I’d better get going now.”
He sighed loudly and stuffed his phone in his pocket.
“You are hopeless. How do you plan to come up with anything productive stuck in this office? You need to get out, you need a break.”
“And how do you suggest I take a break?” I asked, regretting the question immediately when he smiled. Our ideas of relaxation tended to be very different.
“Evan, what did you plan?”
