Today is the last day I will have to see Rowan’s beautiful, manipulative face ever again. That’s the only thing that keeps me motivated as I walk into the boardroom located within his office suite on Story Street. Everything was coordinated by some Kane employee sworn to an NDA, including the time and place.
I’m the first one to arrive out of the panel, which only adds to my nerves. I pull out my notebook from my backpack and start doodling nonsense to keep my mind occupied.
The door creeks open and Martha strolls in.
“Martha!” I jump up and give her a hug. “Is Mr. Kane asking you to help him set up?”
She shakes her head. “Nope. The late Mr. Kane asked me to be here.”
“Really?”
She shows off her sweet laugh lines. “Don’t sound so surprised. I worked for that man for decades. I know this park better than him, and he knew it.”
My laugh is interrupted by the door opening again. Whatever warmth lingered from Martha’s hug is quickly sucked out of me as Seth Kane walks into the room.
Oh shit. Brady chose Rowan’s father as part of the board? It takes a lot of self-restraint to not explode on Mr. Kane after everything I’ve learned about him. If looks could kill, he would have been eviscerated by my stare alone.
He ignores Martha and me like we don’t exist, probably because to him, we don’t. The only people worthy of his attention are those who either share his blood or share his business interest. His sharp suit and emotionless face hide the awful man lingering beneath. I’m tempted to rip apart the vile man who would call their own child pathetic and make them feel lesser than for being different.
My fists ball up beside my jeans.
Martha pats my hand. “Now, now. This isn’t the time for anger.”
I sigh and take a few deep breaths. “I’m not upset.”
She leans in and whispers. “It shows you still care about him. Good.”
Good? What is going on here?
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, darling.” She pats my cheek. “I put two and two together when Mr. Kane asked me to get him Juliana De La Rosa on the line. And given our conversation about her books, I connected the dots.”
Martha is so damn smart. We sit next to one another while Mr. Kane takes the seat across the table. Two more unknown people enter the room, but I’m pretty sure one of them is the Director of the Shanghai park.
“Did Rowan know you were on the board?”
“Rowan? God, no. I can’t wait to see his reaction later.”
I stare at her.
She presses a hand against her chest. “Wait. Did you think Rowan knew you were on the board?”
I nod, unable to speak because my heart’s lodged in my throat. This whole day is going to be an information overload.
She laughs and wraps me in another hug. “No. That’s half the fun in today’s meeting.”
“Fun?”
“Of course. Brady had a flare for the dramatics. This whole shindig is his way of making his grandkids work for it.”
“Work for what?”
Martha is cut off by Rowan entering the room. He looks extra devastating today, in a sharp black suit and a matching black tie. His eyes collide with mine. It’s like all the air is sucked out of my lungs and my head grows woozy.
Snap out of it.
Rowan looks around the rest of the room. Everyone stands and shakes his hand. He says hello to each person by name, and I let out a breath of relief at him at least being aware of his target audience.
Why do you care? He lied to you for this stupid vote.
When he gets to me, he holds out his hand. I grab onto it, and a similar buzz rushes through my body, starting from my fingers before spreading all the way to my toes.
“Ms. Gulian. Thank you for being here today.” The timbre of his voice does bad things to the lower half of my body. His eyes linger on my flushed cheeks, and his thumb caresses my hand before he lets go.
I clear my throat. “Mr. Kane.” I nod and take my seat.
He steps toward the front of the room and turns on the projector. His presentation is already set up, and I nudge Martha.
“Have you seen it yet?”
She zips her lips and throws the invisible key away.
Rowan steps away from the podium as he holds on to the clicker. He gets through some of the basic openings, including expressing his gratitude for our time and whatnot. His eyes always find mine at the end of his sentence, like he actually wants my approval.
He clicks to the first slide, showing a black and white picture of his grandfather in front of a half-complete castle. “My grandfather asked me to determine Dreamland’s weaknesses and create something worthy of his legacy. Upon first inspection of the park, I had wondered what I could possibly do that hasn’t been thought of before. Dreamland in many ways is perfect.”
I turn my attention from Rowan toward his father. It’s obvious where Rowan learned his flat affect from because I don’t think I see any reaction from Seth Kane beside his eyes blinking.
At least he’s not frowning yet.
“I spent the past six months working with the park developers to come up with a renovation plan that would stand out above the rest. Creators spent countless hours developing new ride ideas, land concepts, float additions, and more. I had every intention of showing those designs today—in fact, I created a whole presentation centered around expanding Dreamland.”
Mr. Kane’s finger taps once against the table before stilling. Is that his tell? If so, what does it mean?
“Over the last month, I spent time breaking down my grandfather’s words. I came to the realization that finding weaknesses means more than increasing revenue or allocating funds better.”
He moves onto the next slide, a picture of Brady with the entire Dreamland staff in front of the castle. If I squint, I can find myself still rocking braces since my parents snuck me in the photo when I was only a teen.
“During my grandfather’s time in a coma, the weaknesses slowly became overlooked because of our strengths. The more Dreamland grew, the easier it was to ignore the smaller issues because more money meant more success. My grandfather wrote how there was a special person who helped him realize his mistakes, and I was fortunate enough to have met the same individual.” He offers me the smallest Rowan smile to ever exist.
Is he talking about me? Brady Kane referenced me in his letter? My entire chest warms and my heart threatens to burst.
“This person showed me how money becomes meaningless when we ignore the very people who help us make a profit. They were vocal about the issues with Dreamland, and I was intrigued by these so-called weaknesses. I began interviewing employees at random from all departments, and what I found was shocking.”
The next slide is an image of Ralph. “This is Ralph. He’s been a dedicated ride mechanic at Dreamland for the past fifty years, making him our oldest employee besides my grandfather. When I asked him how he felt about all the Dreamland wage changes and insurance benefit cuts, he told me it didn’t matter. Of course, I thought that was a bizarre statement. Out of the two hundred employees I interviewed, Ralph was the only person who said it didn’t matter. So, naturally, I asked him why that was. And he told me that he recently found out he has stage four pancreatic cancer and his health insurance couldn’t cover the kind of treatment he needs.”
Ralph has cancer? My eyes become misty from tears I try to hold back. I fail and end up sniffling loudly. The way Rowan looks at me has me wondering if he’s silently offering his apology.
The next slide is a picture of Brady smiling with an arm wrapped around Ralph’s shoulder. It looks like Ralph is fixing a cart from Dreamland’s first ride. “Ralph is one of our oldest employees at The Kane Company, and our—my—selfish business practices are limiting him from receiving proper cancer treatment.” He clicks and the next slide appears, this time with hundreds of photos. “There are hundreds of similar stories, from people struggling to work two jobs to employees being unable to afford appropriate health care procedures because of limited finances. No person should have to choose between supporting their family or putting their medical needs first.”
He lets out a deep breath. “As the Director of Dreamland, I want to protect people like Ralph. Because in the end, our employees are our biggest strength. Without them, there would be no Dreamland worthy of the success we have accrued. Therefore, I am suggesting the minimum wage is raised to meet standards consistent with what we expect from our employees.”
“And what hourly wage do you suggest?” Seth Kane speaks up.
Is this part of the procedure? Can we all yell out random questions whenever we feel like it?
“A fifty percent raise at the very least.”
“That is an extreme increase, given the fact that you voted against the previous wage change.”
The two board members I don’t know both look at each other. My hands start to tremble, wondering what the heck is going to happen next.
Martha pats my knee and gives me a reassuring smile.
Wait. Does she know about Rowan’s presentation? Because if Rowan didn’t know Martha was part of the board, maybe he did a mock presentation in front of her.
Rowan doesn’t seem the least bit flustered by his father’s questions. He changes to the next slide. “Based on research conducted, higher wages are associated with increased profitability. Top corporations have already made this pledge based on data-driven facts. If we increase wages, we boost efficiency, thus enhancing the overall Dreamland experience for our guests.”
His father leans forward. “Why would we need to work on employee satisfaction if we are performing beyond expected each quarter?”
Rowan’s next slide includes a breakdown of some kind of exit survey from guests. “When I surveyed over one million guests during my time here, over seventy-two percent of them said Dreamland employees played a key role in their overall experience. On a different question where they were asked what differentiated the Dreamland experience from competing theme parks, sixty-eight percent of guests chose the cast member experience. That means regardless of what rides we have, the employees are the ones who make the difference.” The slide changes to an employee satisfaction survey.
I remember filling it out myself but I didn’t realize it was for Rowan’s presentation. I’m paralyzed in my chair as I stare at the bar graphs and numbers, trying to make sense of everything I’m seeing.
“On the flip side, over fifty percent of our employees said they would seek a job elsewhere in the next five years if Dreamland wages remained the same. Employee’s reasons for quitting included an interest in saving up for retirement, a need for affording childcare, a desire to save for their children’s college funds, and an interest in receiving better benefits, including healthcare.”
Rowan’s father tap tap taps again. Either he’s a pro at morse code or he’s silently showing his approval. I mean, how can he not? I’m trying my best not to stare at Rowan because I didn’t even know he was working on all this. It proves that he listened to me, both as Scott and Rowan. That he took everything I had to say about the employees and applied it to his presentation.
My entire body vibrates from excitement.
“By not increasing our wages nor improving our company benefits, we are single-handedly giving up our best asset. Our employees are the hidden reason why we stand apart from our competitors, and it’s time we treated them as such. Therefore, I stand by my choice to increase wages and reinstate benefits to preserve the future of Dreamland.”
His father blinks.
Martha sits up with a smile. “In the past, you’ve mentioned only being interested in temporarily serving as the Director. What happens if we approve these plans and you change your mind again in a year, given the fact that you were the one to introduce cut wages and benefits?”
Damn, Martha. Sheath those claws. My eyes bounce from her to Rowan. I expect annoyance, but I’m nearly put into cardiac arrest by Rowan’s small smile.
“Another good question. The employees of Dreamland will be my utmost priority, given the fact that I plan on remaining here, serving as the Director for as long as they’ll have me.”
I almost fall out of my chair. What the fuck is going on here? Rowan’s gaze burns into my skin, drawing my eyes back to his.
The man next to Rowan’s father speaks up. “Are you no longer interested in becoming the CFO?”
“No.”
The same gentleman turns back to his companion and begins whispering.
Rowan’s father crosses his hands together. “Why should I vote yes and approve your plans when I can vote no and take your twenty-five billion dollars?”
“Twenty-five billion dollars?” I croak.
I think I’m going to be sick.
Martha looks over at me with a shy smile. “Here. Have some water.”
Seth Kane’s eyes snap from his son to me. He stares me down in the same kind of way that makes me feel like I’m being picked apart.
I gulp down half the glass in one go. Water sloshes out of the rim, splashing all over the table.
“The main reason I am interested in receiving my shares is because I want to retain enough power to make the best choices for my employees. Dreamland makes up twenty percent of our entire company’s revenue. I can be the kind of Director who works to push us to new limits while protecting our employees. I want to be the one. As I said earlier, I have created countless plans with the Creators that include expanding Dreamland beyond our one park.” He looks around the room at each person. “I have the slides ready to present if you need further evidence to support your decision to approve of my change. While I am interested in renovating the park beyond anything Dreamland has seen before, my first priority is the employees.”
WHAT?! Is this how board meetings usually go? I almost regret making fun of them when I first met Rowan because this is intense.
Rowan’s father raises his hand. “That won’t sway my decision.” His voice is flat.
My elation dies, replaced by acid crawling up my throat. Rowan’s face remains neutral but the tiny vein above his right eye becomes more prominent.
Would his own father really vote no? After all of that? I know he’s heartless and all but even he has to be somewhat impressed by his son.
If it wasn’t uncool, I would stand up and give a standing ovation.
The two men shake their heads.
Martha lifts her wrinkled hand. “I would like some clarification on something.”
The corner of Rowan’s lip lifts. “Yes?”
“I am interested in hearing about your plans for employees with disabilities.”
For the first time during the entire presentation, Rowan’s cool exterior cracks. He blinks at Martha, who sports a mischievous smile.
“I thought you were on his side?” I lean in and whisper in her ear.
“I am.” She winks. “There’s one thing left he hasn’t covered.”
Rowan clears his throat and clicks through so many slides, I become dizzy from the motion.
He stops on a slide that has my breath catch. Because unlike Ralph’s slide, this one has a picture of Ani. My beautiful, larger-than-life sister who has her arm wrapped around JP’s shoulder.
“This is Ani. She’s one of our youngest employees who happens to come from a family of Dreamland workers. I happened to be partnered with her for a pilot mentorship program. She quickly schooled me in all things Dreamland, including our lack of diversity in the hiring process.”
I don’t know why my eyes fill with tears, but they do. A single tear slips out, and Martha like the cunning mastermind she is, slips me a tissue. I’m pretty sure she asked this question on purpose if only to see me cry.
“I was confused because I know our procedures and how we strive for an ethnically diverse cast. But then Ani told me how there aren’t people like her—people with disabilities, both visible and invisible. So, during my time I was supposed to be mentoring Ani, it turns out she mentored me. She taught me what it meant to live a life like hers, and I started doing my own research. So, to answer your question, Martha, I plan on expanding our hiring process to include more people with disabilities. I would also like to move forward with a full mentorship program to meet their demands. I want Dreamland to be the first of its kind.”
More tears run down my face. I’m a complete mess, staring at the photo of my sister with JP. I never thought my pilot program would lead to a change like this. Never in a million years.
“This project will be addressed in three major phases, starting with the new mentorship program. Once that is complete, I will move forward with a Creator project that will emphasize Dreamland’s promise for inclusivity. We will be expanding our costumes and souvenirs to include wheelchair, crutch, and prosthetics accessories to account for the population of children at Dreamland who are often ignored. Additionally, we will emphasize a new promise to families by creating the first-ever sensory celebration. This opportunity will give children on the spectrum the ability to enjoy Dreamland.”
I swipe at my face, trying to erase the tears. I’m shocked Rowan took my last creation and applied it in his presentation. With so much on the line, it means the world to me that he is willing to risk his twenty-five billion dollars.
If that’s not him showing how he cares, I don’t know what is.
“Any other questions?” Rowan looks over at me.
I shake my head, hoping my eyes scream how happy and proud I am.
“Thank you for your time today.” He shuts off the projector and exits the room.
Wait, that’s it? He doesn’t stay for the deliberation or something?
A random man walks in with a briefcase. He passes us each a sheet of paper with our names on it and a pen.
There’s a lot of legal jargon I have to read three times before understanding and a simple checkbox asking if I approve of the revisions for Dreamland.
No matter how much Rowan has personally hurt me, there’s no question in my mind anymore that he’s the right man for the job. I would be stupid and petty to vote against him.
And because you love him.
No. That has nothing to do with this. He proved he deserves the chance to change Dreamland for the better, and I’m not going to be the one to get in his way.
I wait outside the main conference door. Everyone exits one by one except for the person I’ve spent ten minutes waiting for.
What on Earth could he be waiting for?
The door opens and Seth Kane strolls out of the place like he owns a personal catwalk at home. For a second, I consider if I should really go through with my plan.
Yeah, fuck it.
“Mr. Kane?” I tap on his shoulder.
“Yes?” He looks down at me with a raised brow. Ugh. The way he stares at me has this strange ability to make me feel two inches tall.
“I wanted to say that although you might be considered a good businessman, you’ve done it at the expense of being a terrible, verbally abusive father. And one day you’re going to look back on your life and regret the way you treated your children, and I hope it hurts you as much as you hurt them. So fuck you and fuck off.”
I swivel on my heel and catch Martha staring at me with a big grin and a thumbs-up. I’m sure to blow her a kiss on my way out the door while using my other hand to give Seth Kane the middle finger.
There’s no other way I would want to spend my last official workday at Dreamland.
