Chapter 5: The Annual Meeting Disaster
One week later...
It was the biggest day of the year at LKR Corporation.
The Annual Global Meeting.
More than 100,000 employees from branches around the world joined through a live broadcast.
Thousands more filled the massive auditorium at the London headquarters.
Business leaders.
Government officials.
International partners.
Media companies.
Everyone was watching.
Today's meeting was also special.
A delegation from Mariano Group, one of Asia's largest corporations, had arrived to discuss a future collaboration with LKR.
Leading the delegation...
Was Jay Mariano.
Backstage...
Kiefer adjusted his suit.
"Lily, is the presentation ready?"
Lily nodded.
"Finished an hour ago."
Rose smiled innocently.
"Everything is ready."
Kiefer looked at her suspiciously.
"...Why are you smiling like that?"
"I always smile."
"No."
"That's your 'I'm about to cause problems' smile."
Lily quietly closed her laptop.
"I agree with him."
Ten minutes later...
The lights dimmed.
The auditorium erupted into applause.
The three founders walked onto the stage together.
"Kiefer!"
"Lily!"
"Rose!"
The cheers echoed throughout the building.
Kiefer smiled warmly.
"Good morning, everyone."
"Welcome to LKR Corporation's Annual Global Meeting."
More applause filled the hall.
As Kiefer began speaking about the company's achievements...
Rose slowly reached into her pocket.
She pulled out...
A small remote.
Lily noticed.
"...Rose."
Rose whispered,
"Trust me."
"I absolutely do not."
Kiefer turned toward the giant LED screen.
"And now, let's begin today's presentation."
He pressed the clicker.
Nothing happened.
Rose secretly pressed her own remote.
The screen flickered.
Then...
A photo appeared.
It was eight-year-old Kiefer.
Wearing dinosaur pajamas.
Fast asleep.
Hugging a giant teddy bear almost twice his size.
Across the top of the picture were the words:
Future CEO
Silence.
Then...
The entire auditorium exploded with laughter.
Employees doubled over.
Even the board members couldn't stop laughing.
Kiefer slowly turned toward Rose.
"...Rose."
She pretended to be shocked.
"Oh my."
"Who put that there?"
Before Kiefer could respond...
The screen changed again.
Now it showed...
Twelve-year-old Lily.
Standing on a chair.
Covered in flour.
Holding a burnt birthday cake.
With a tiny chef's hat on her head.
The caption read:
Master Chef... Apparently
This time...
Kiefer laughed so hard he had to hold the podium.
Lily stared at Rose.
"...I'm deleting your Wi-Fi access."
Rose grinned.
"Worth it."
The audience couldn't stop laughing.
Employees were recording the moment.
The live chat from international branches flooded with laughing emojis.
Sitting in the VIP section...
Jay Mariano watched everything in amazement.
She had expected a formal corporate meeting.
Instead...
The CEOs were publicly embarrassing each other.
And everyone loved it.
Jay smiled to herself.
"They're..."
She laughed softly.
"...Nothing like the rumors."
Beside her, one of her executives whispered,
"Shouldn't they be more professional?"
Jay shook her head.
"No."
"Look around."
Every employee was smiling.
No one looked afraid.
No one looked uncomfortable.
They looked...
Happy.
Jay glanced back at the stage.
Kiefer was chasing Rose with the presentation remote.
Rose hid behind Lily.
"Kiefer!"
"Violence isn't leadership!"
"You started this!"
"I started comedy!"
Lily sighed dramatically.
"I work with children."
The audience burst into laughter once again.
Finally...
Kiefer returned to the podium.
He fixed his tie.
Took a deep breath.
Then smiled.
"As you can see..."
"Our presentations occasionally experience..."
He looked at Rose.
"...Unexpected upgrades."
The auditorium laughed again.
Jay applauded.
Not because of the jokes.
But because she had just witnessed something rare.
A company where the CEOs weren't feared.
They were loved.
She looked at Kiefer one more time.
For a brief moment...
Their eyes met across the auditorium.
Neither of them knew it yet.
But that single glance...
Would be the beginning of a story neither of them expected.