Thinking back to the meeting a few hours ago he tried to figure out what could have gotten his mother so upset.

"Oke Jayden when we get inside be polite and leave the talking to me oke!" Anthony said looking a bit tense. A lot was riding on this meeting so he wanted everything to go as smooth as possible.

"Yes, uncle!" Jayden responded. He was actually happy he wouldn't be the one talking because it had never been his strong point.

After checking if his suit was still spotless Anthony nodded to himself before entering the revolving doors with Jayden right behind him. They entered the lobby and uncle Anthony confidently went to the front desk to announce their arrival. The receptionist gave them a friendly but professional smile. She told them to take a seat and that they would be picked up shortly.

It did not take long for two middle-aged men to walk over to them. "Good morning, You must be Jayden and this is your uncle Anthony correct? My name is David and this is my colleague Francis. We're happy you could meet us today. If you could follow us please then we can go to the meeting room" David said this while shaking both their hands. He had a warm smile but also had an air of authority around him. Francis on the other had a look devoid of emotions not even speaking to them and only shaking Anthony's hand. Following David, they got into the elevator and ended up in a meeting room on the third floor. After they had taken their seat David was the on that started talking first.

"Now Jayden I'm glad you could arrive on such short notice. Let me start by saying that it is not our policy to sponsor drivers of your age with little to no experience. It is too much of a gamble to see if they are able to make it to a higher level or if they get stuck at the start and aren't able to dig out their potential. Now here is where you come in. Honestly, when Jan called me and told me he met an interesting young driver I wasn't interested but he kept on calling me to plead your case and to at least meet you so that's why we're here. When I called your uncle yesterday he told me a bit about you and sent me a video of you on track. Being an amateur racer myself I could see why Jan wanted me to meet you. You are indeed very fast, you drive intelligently and you're not easily satisfied! Those are good traits to have as a racing driver. Now here is my question for you! Why should we sponsor you and what good will it do for our company?!"

Looking at David's smiling face Jayden was struggling to come up with an answer when uncle Anthony started talking."Well as you could see on the video Jayden is a very fast learner and would be a great a.s.set...."

"I would like it if you let Jayden answer the question, please! He is the one that needs us to sponsor him after all" David said cutting uncle Anthony off mid-sentence. "Now Jayden you can take your time and then please answer my question"

Jayden looked from his uncle to David. He put his thoughts in order took a deep breath and then answered. " I think if you sponsor me, sir, it would be good for your company because I live in the same city you opened your first supermarket. Also, I don't just want to race for fun, I want to win! Wouldnt it be good for the company if you were to first to recognize a talented racer before anyone else?!"

David and Anthony had looks of shock on their faces. Even Francis was now looking at him with mild interest.

"That was very well said Jayden you bring up some good points!"David said. He had not really expected Jayden to say something substantial he just wanted to know what he would come up with. It sufficed to say that he was pleasantly surprised. What they did not know is that Jayden had been doing research the whole night and after that Damian had been helping him prepare some things he could say. They had also come up with this scenario and now Jayden just repeated what they had rehea.r.s.ed before. He wouldn't tell them that though.

They continued talking about what Jayden wanted to accomplish in life, how he was doing in school and what his family was like. David did most of the talking and Jayden tried to keep his answers short and simple. His uncle tried to join the conversation a few times but did not get an opportunity. They eventually concluded their back and forward and David excused himself and Francis. They would need a minute to come up with an answer.

"Do you think it went well, uncle Anthony?" Jayden asked. He felt that it went smoother than expected but he did not know what to think in this situation. Uncle Anthony looked at him with a look of mild frustration."You did good Jayden. Better than expected actually! It's just that I did not get an opportunity to say anything so I won't able to help in any way. Let's just wait and see what they say when they come back!" He said. Jayden nodded and they did just that.

They had not waited longer than 15 minutes when David and Francis came back in. David had a big smile on his face while Francis still had the expression of a dead fish. "I won't keep you in suspense any longer!" David said. Congratulations Jayden you will be able to start racing this karting season. We will pay all your expenses and even have a team where you can start!"

"YES!" Jayden said out loud jumping with joy. He had forgotten all about how he should behave neatly and hugged David. Looking a bit fl.u.s.tered at first David let Jayden hug him and even gave him a quick hug bag. Anthony seeing David's plight coughed loudly to get Jayden's attention. This got Jayden back down to earth and he immediately let David go apologizing for his behavior. "No harm was done!" David said. "I like your enthusiasm. Just make sure you show us good results. Don't let me regret this oke?!"

"No sir, I will do my best!" Jayden said. He was now beaming with Joy and could barely contain himself.

"Good! Now regarding the details in the contract, Francis will discuss this with you as I have other things to attend to. I wish you both a good day and hope you will bring us a pleasant surprise in the future Jayden!" He shook both their hands on more time and then left the room.

Anthony seeing there was a chance for him to speak now did not wait another second. " As I'm here not only as Jayden's uncle but also his manager I would like to discuss some things regarding his contract with you," he said to Francis. "If you are allowed to speak for the boy than let's see what he can come up with," Francis said. Before they started discussing the contract they first sent Jayden down to the lobby where he had to wait for his uncle for about 45 minutes. When his uncle finally came down he had a big smile on his face and the signed contract in his briefcase. "We did it Jayden! Coming Sat.u.r.day you will meet your new team and they will help you prepare for the upcoming season. You will get your license through them also so you don't have to worry about that. What's even better is that there is an option for next season as well if your results are good enough. Let's go home and tell everyone the good news!"

That's how they arrived at the situation they were in now. Jayden could not understand what could have gotten his mother so upset but eventually uncle Anthony managed to calm her down. After he had left she gave Jayden a hug and told him how happy she was for him. This let Jayden believe that everything was fine now and he ran upstairs. He was going to start up the computer and chat with Simon to tell him the good news.

"Why are you so angry mom?" Damian asked. "This is great news right! Jayden can race for at least a full season now. And I'm sure with his talent having the contract extended for a second season shouldn't be a problem." Damian was confused by his mother's response. She should be happy but he could see something was still bothering her.

"This is why!"She said while pointing at the contract. "You're uncle had a clause put in that if Jayden got a third place or higher in the champions.h.i.+p the company will reward him with a financial bonus. The problem is that HE will get 50% of that bonus while Jayden will need to do some promotional work for the company. If the contract gets extended for a second season and Jayden manages to improve on his champions.h.i.+p position the bonus will be higher but he will still receive 50%! THAT'S why I'm angry. He lets Jayden do all the work and he himself takes half the money!" She said all this while clenching her fist so hard they were turning pale. It's not that she was disapproving of Anthony getting a share but 50% was insane! She had never fully trusted him but lately, he had put in a lot of effort for his nephew and niece that she thought he had changed for the better. Seeing this today had left her bitterly dissapointed.