He listened, nodded, offered me a few suggestions, and within minutes, they left.
“I built the company with nothing. Remember that,” were his parting words.
He might as well have said,You got it on a silver platter.
Cora’s parting words were more of a subtle dig. “Do try not to work yourself to death. You’ve got your mother’s constitution, not your father’s stamina.”
When they left, all the pent-up rage in me burst out and I hurled the glass of whiskey at the wall to my left. The fine crystal shattered, leaving a sticky, wet stain on the expensive wallpaper.
Helen Gallagher, my mother, had been part of the staff at our old mansion. She was terminated once news of my father’s affair came to light. Mom gave me up when I was four, and Dad took care of me after that. I’d never needed closure from her.
If Cora thought her words about my Mom would hurt me, she was wrong. What I truly despised was having a woman like her meddling with my future.
She was bitter because for years, she’d had to endure the living proof of her husband’s betrayal. The illegitimate son. Me. Sitting at her dining table every day. I could have sympathized with her, maybe even pitied her, if she hadn’t taken her anger out on me. Instead of blaming my father, she chose to cater to him while directing all her resentment at me.
The only thing I needed to focus on now was the upcoming board meeting, the one that would determine whether I stayed on as CEO. It was in four months. If I didn’t deliver, I’d be out.
The money? That wasn’t a concern. My future career? I’d figure it out.
But my father’s face, the disappointment I knew would be there if the company failed, that haunted me.
And the way things were going now, failure wasn’t just a possibility; it was inevitable.
10
JONAH
Igot into work an hour early the next day.
I couldn’t shake off the nagging question in my mind.Will she show up, or worse, not show up at all?
A few minutes before seven, my assistant sent Lexi in. “The board is convening in the conference room in ten minutes,” Kacie informed me as she shut the door behind her.
That left me with a view of Lexi standing a few feet away from my desk, her hair down to her shoulders. She was wearing a plain cream blouse, tucked into high-waisted slacks that looked like they had seen better days, with a worn belt and sturdy flats. She hadn’t bothered with makeup beyond a touch of gloss.
My eyes locked onto hers. “I don’t have much time, so let’s make this quick. Your letter was unprofessional,” I said, keeping my tone measured rather than threatening. “But I’m willing to hear your apology. Help me understand why you thought that approach was appropriate on your first day.”
Her breath steadied, and I noticed the way her shoulders straightened in preparation. She’d expected me to fire her on the spot. The fact that I hadn’t seemed to catch her off guard.
“When I got here, I was determined to do a fantastic job and convert my internship to a full-time position at Altika,” she said finally. “Your email sent that dream crashing, and I took it out on you.”
“So, if the internship program wasn’t going to be eliminated, you’d be here to stay?”
I held her gaze, letting the challenge hang between us. She nodded.
Something about her directness made me pause. Most employees would have stayed silent or resigned quietly. She’d chosen confrontation instead.
I absorbed that, felt the sting of it. She wasn’t wrong. “Yes. Other people were affected, but only you had the spine to challenge the CEO directly.” I let that sit between us for a moment. “That takes either courage or recklessness. I haven’t decided which yet.”
She said nothing, just flicked her gaze over me with that same defiant look from the bar. My suit probably made me look older, more corporate than I had that night, but I could tell she was trying not to be affected.
I respected that more than I wanted to admit.
“I hadn’t pegged you as someone who could hold her ground,” I continued.
Irritation flashed in her eyes. That I’d made assumptions about her clearly bothered her more than my threats.
“I had pegged you as being the last person to care about my words,” she shot back.
