King of Pride

Kai exhibits pride and a competitive nature throughout the novel. However, there are times when his pride turns to hubris and is detrimental to his professional and personal life. Due to the upcoming CEO vote for Young Enterprises, Kai knows that “all eyes w[ill] be on [him], waiting for [him]” to mess up, but he believes that “[he] never w[will]” because he has “too much control of that” (13). Kai exhibits this absolute certainty in his abilities throughout the novel. While confidence is good in moderation, Kai does not see failure as a possibility for him. Though there are five other candidates for the CEO position, he believes it’s his because he “[i]s the best” (13). When his relationship with Isabella progresses, Kai allows himself to become distracted. While this is positive for his character development, he is so self-assured of his superiority that he believes that even without trying, he will get the CEO position. In his mind, there is no room for doubt; he admits that “[he] may [be] distracted, but [he] c[an] still outsell, outsmart, and outperform every other member of the Young Corporation with [his] eyes closed” (160). Even when his mother and other board members remind him that he could still lose the vote, he balks at the possibility because while history remembers the winners, “losers fade[] into obscurity, their names lost over time like statues rubbed smooth by too many hands.