Bad News

****Back at the conference hall***

"Miss Leah you were cool out there. Even the way you handled the situation was top notch," Mr Matthew said giving her a thumbs up.

"Of course, can't let them have their way with me," Leah said with a proud gaze.

They both entered the car heading back to the company.

*Ring Ring Ring*

The buzzing sound caught Leah's attention inside the car. She picked up the call without checking the caller.

"Hello?" Leah asked but she was cut short.

"Are you crazy? What the hell did you just do?" Kelvin's voice said over the phone.

"Simple, defending myself and property from false accusations," Leah said with a calm tone. For some reason she felt satisfied hearing the angry voice of Kelvin.

"Did you think this is a joke? You even put your personal relationship on the line," Kelvin said with his voice getting louder and harsher.

"Oh, try me next time and see what I won't put on the line," Leah retorted angrily.

"You are crazy..... You really are crazy," Kelvin said.

"Oh, did you think k would seat back and watch you tarnish my reputation. If so then you are the one who needs to wake up. Push me too far and you would see me fight back," Leah said.

"And also, expect a call from my lawyer," Leah said as she hung up the phone.

"Miss Leah I also wanted to say this," Mr Matthew said after Leah hung up the call. He had already guessed who the caller was.

"What that?" Leah said as she massage her forehead.

"Don't you think you went too far. Putting your personal relationship all over the news can have effect especially when you are a lady," Mr Matthew said.

"I thought of it, but I need to do something to change the situation. I don't want dad's hard work to go in vain. The news alone could kill him," Leah said with a sad gaze.

"You are pushing yourself too hard Miss Leah. Sometimes trying too hard to satisfy other could make you forget to satisfy yourself," Mr Matthew said.

"But do I have a choice?" Leah asked.

"I have to be strong for everyone, dad especially" Leah said as she took a deep sigh.

"There is always a choice. But it depends on the ones you make," Mr Matthew said knowing her situation.

"Thanks i would keep that in mind," Leah said with a forced smile.

Looking at her Mr Matthew felt helpless, Leah had been through a lot. Loosing her mother at an early age, her father I'll condition and she been the only one to manage the business.

"That a huge burden for a 20 year old woman," Mr Matthew thought.

"She is just has a lot on her," Mr Matthew said as he shook his head feeling pity for her. Among everyone he could be considered closest to Leah.

They arrived at the Wilson company.

As they entered the proud smile on everyone's face couldn't be left unnoticed. It was clearly evident.

Leah head to the board meeting where all the board members were seated already waiting for her.

Leah took her seat followed by Mr Matthew who sat beside her.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. We can start the meeting now. Miss Flora give us our status," Leah said.

Miss Flora, a beautiful woman in her mid thirties stood up. Walking elegantly to the huge screen in front of the large table where everyone was seated.

"First I would like to congratulate Miss Leah for managing to turn the tides. Her speech at the conference hall manage to get the companies positive feedbacks," Miss Flora started.

"The fans engagement tripped after the speech turning even haters to Miss Leah's fan. And with this large number of engagement the movie we are preparing is bound to be a huge hit," Miss Flora said as she pressed a button on the remote which she held.

The screen changed from showing a blank screen to the statistics of the company.

"This is our statistic, yesterday we were below 20 percent due to the large number of hate we got. But as of today, the statistics rose to 80 percent and it is still rising," Miss Flora said with a proud expression.

After her speech everyone clapped at Leah's achievements.

"That good, but we have to follow up this high percent. It would take some months for the movie to be ready, and during this time we have to keep the viewers engaged or else we would loose them," Leah said thoughtfully not minding the praise.

"You are right miss Leah, but what can we do? We can't rush the production," Mr Matthew said.

"Keep releasing teasers, schedule some fans meeting with the movie character. This should buy us some time," Leah said.

"Now that the entertainment industry is settled, now back to the fashion industry. Any update?" Leah asked.

Miss Flora continued, "We've secured contracts from several renowned designers who are eager to collaborate and showcase their brands through our platform. This will significantly boost our visibility and credibility in the fashion industry."

Leah nodded approvingly.

"They are mainly trying to work with us since we are in the spotlight to promote themselves," Leah said.

"Anyway it a good thing for us, we can take advantage of this. Miss Flora. Make sure to finalize those contracts promptly and send mine to sign," Leah said.

"Actually I brought them, you can take a look later," Miss Flora said as she passed the huge pile of file to Leah.

After the meeting ended everyone left for their various district leaving Leah burried in a pile of paper work to sign. Leah remained in the boardroom reviewing documents while Mr. Matthew stayed behind to offer assistance. He approached Leah cautiously, knowing she was deep in thought.

"Miss Leah, you handled the meeting exceptionally well," Mr. Matthew praised, breaking the silence.

Leah looked up from her papers, her expression softened. "Thank you, Mr. Matthew. It's been a challenging period, but I'm grateful for the team's dedication and support."

"I understand," Mr. Matthew nodded sympathetically. "If there's anything else you need, don't hesitate to let me know."

Leah nodded gratefully. "Actually, I do have one more thing in mind. I need to arrange a meeting with our legal team. We need to discuss the steps forward regarding recent developments."

"Of course, don't worry about that. I will handle that right away. It the least I can do," Mr. Matthew assured her.

Leah's phone buzzed again. She glanced at the screen, seeing it was a call from her father nurse. Concern etched across her face, she excused herself briefly to take the call.

Mr. Matthew watched her leave.

Leah stepped out of the boardroom to take the call from her father's nurse.

"Hello Miss Jane," Leah greeted.

"Miss Leah, bad news," Miss Jane said with a hint of paranoid tone.