Chapter 489 - Orion Enterprise annual meeting (2)

The Orion Enterprise annual meeting was held at a large baseball park which seats more than 40 thousand people. With employees and selected partners and VIPs attending, about quarter of the seats was filled. It was very impressive.

To everyone's approval, a lot of freebies were handed out. Everyone at the entrance got a stylish backpack with a program, and several items such as water bottle, pens and notepads, everything was embellished with Orion Enterprise logo. Besides that, in the hallway, people were handing out items such as t-shirts (you can pick your size), coffee mugs, fridge magnets, and there were even baseball mitts. On the seats they were greeted with scarfs, baseball hats, large foam hands and pom-poms, colors represented: white, blue, and gray. Those are colors shown on Orion Enterprise logo. Seeing the amount and variety of freebies, all people lit up and the good atmosphere rose by few degrees.

Meeting was hosted by two MCs who are popular in entertainment industry. It was obvious that they knew what they are doing by the way they engaged the audience. There was number of bands which performed at the beginning, and they were slated to perform during brief intermissions as well.

JoAnna and Sarah were with Jeff and Aiden in VIP seats, occupying private booth with a good view while snacking on popcorn and peanuts. In the VIP areas large television screens were showing what is happening down on the stage, so even if you don't look down there, you couldn't miss it. They also got a lot of freebies, and Sarah and JoAnna inspected them while praising Sophia's attention to detail. There was something for everyone. Sarah was impressed with a portable battery charger which is small enough to fit in the palm, yet so powerful that can jump start a car. They discussed if this is something that Felix designed or not.

Sophia was the first speaker, thanking everyone for coming and wishing them to enjoy the event.

During Sophia's welcoming speech Sarah and JoAnna overheard talk from people below their VIP booth. Three men commented how their CEO is good looking. As men below went into details about Sophia's appearance, Sarah and JoAnna agreed how it's sad that after several years of leading the company into record profits, people still saw Sophia as pair of long legs and plump chest.

"Not all men are like that.", Jeff had to interject.

"But most of them are.", JoAnna sadly said.

Jeff and Aiden could only silently agree with this. They have witnessed their beloved girls more than once in similar situations, no matter how much they tried to protect them.

All three Hill sisters experienced some level of mistreatment by men who think that women are objects to be used and not worthy to be on the top. JoAnna could not forget Dr. Light, and Sarah remembered her recent encounter in Las Vegas with Akmal who looked down on women in general.

Jeff and Aiden expressed their desire to help.

Sarah was touched by their sincerity. "You are already helping, by showing others how to treat women."

All four of them wished they can fix the situation, but is there anything else other than educating people and leading by example? It is not something that can be easily solved.

After Sophia's speech the event officially started. MCs took the stage and introduced first presenter.

Isabella was next to Sophia and she was very impressed with the overall atmosphere. It all looked nice and polished on the stage, but behind was chaotic with presenters mixed in with technical staff and entertainers scrambling to get ready and make sure everything is working as expected. Leah was skillfully navigating between those people behind the stage and giving out instructions which kept everyone in order.

Isabella was very happy when during one presentation she managed to get autographs from both MCs. One is a popular actor, and she is a fan.

"Why are we here? Sophia needs us only for the event after this, right? She is down there, even if we leave, no one will notice, right?", Jeff asked nervously. He was uneasy since he found out that Isabella was in attendance. He didn't see her, but he knows she is there… that was enough for him to stick close to JoAnna. Actually, since incident in Reno with Timothy Cox, both Jeff and JoAnna were clinging onto each other much more than usually, but today was worse. Even JoAnna felt that he is all over her, holding her so close that their hips connect… all the time. He almost made a scene when she went to the restroom and he followed her while repeating reminders to watch her surroundings and to be wary of lecherous women lurking in the restroom.

Security was alerted to keep an eye out for lecherous women.

Only when Sarah stood up and said she will go with JoAnna did Jeff relax a little and agreed to stay in the VIP booth with his brother. But he was still nervously glancing at the door, waiting for JoAnna to come back. Safe. Untouched.

Back to present…

Jeff asked why they need to attend this event.

"We are here to support our sister and brother-in-law. It's not about the event.", Sarah responded partly amused and partly annoyed with Jeff's irrational behavior. She didn't understand why Jeff is so wary of Isabella. Sure, she knows that Isabella made a pass on JoAnna, but that was cleared up and in the past. Right?

Aiden decided to stay out of it. He is doing his part by showing up and not complaining. Snacks are not bad, and he is with Sarah. He knows that they will stay until the end of this event, and then there are other activities lined up… what's the point in causing a commotion? Aiden does not care much about supporting Sophia or Felix, but he knows that it means a lot to Sarah, so he will do it.

Sarah and JoAnna went to check out vendors in the hallways. JoAnna had to convince Jeff that it's OK, because Sarah will be with her. "And besides, Isi is down there at the stage with Sophia…" Only then did Jeff relax a little.

Sarah and JoAnna returned not long after carrying large trays filled with junk food. They had French fries, hot dogs, onion rings, candied pretzels, corn on the cob and even cotton candy. Considering how much Sarah and JoAnna love junk food, that was like feast from heaven. Jeff and Aiden didn't approve, but when they saw their girls so happy, they couldn't say anything. And they ended up eating as well.

About half of the event was done when Sophia came back to the stage, personally introducing director of the department with largest contribution toward company's record profits… she introduced Felix. It was his first presentation for the day.

Sarah and JoAnna had to admit that their brother-in-law looked dashing in a light summer suit. His smile was enchanting to the point that Sarah and JoAnna heard gasps and sighs from numerous ladies (and few men) sitting below their VIP booth. His sight was a bit off; he didn't look at the people present or any of the cameras, but no one minded that; they assumed that he must be looking at the notes someone is holding on the side. But Sarah and JoAnna knew that he is looking at Sophia.

Someone nearby mentioned how he is not married and that spread like summer bush fire between ladies (and few men) whose eyes sparkled while watching Felix on the stage. On big screens above the stage he looked even more handsome, if that was possible. His French accent only added to his appeal, and many females admitted later that they were not able to hear what he is saying because they were in some form of a trance. For those who did pay attention to content, they could see and hear that Felix's presentation went great.

When he finished, number of ladies from the audience stood up expressing their disapproval and asking for him to return to the stage. Only when someone notified them that Director Martin has more appearances, did the ladies calm down. That moment marks the beginning of the unofficial fan club for Director Martin within Orion Enterprise.