I dart from my office to Margaret’s desk. ‘Margaret, I need you to get me the Articles of Association and information on the directors and shareholders of Constant Sources Limited and I need them now, please. Can you clear anything that’s in my diary for this afternoon too?’
‘Of course.’
After quickly throwing things into my bag, I pull on my coat and set my out-of-office reply before closing down my computer.
‘Margaret, do you have tho?—’
‘Here you go.’
Kenneth is waiting when I burst out of the revolving glass door. I bundle myself into the back of the Mercedes and start scouring the constitutional documents of Constant Sources. To my relief, Gregory isn’t outnumbered in directorships. Nick, Jean-Paul and Tim will have to take on Gregory, Williams and Lawrence. Then I run through the list of shareholders but before I see the percentage holdings – in other words, the power they each hold to make decisions on behalf of the company – Kenneth opens the door for me. I make quick time into the office block, not sure whether I just think to say thank you or actually say it. The lift doors open to GJR Enterprises and I head straight for Gregory’s office, passing the dropped jaw of Francesca. She immediately picks up the phone at the front desk, I suspect to tellMr Ryansthat there’s nothing she could do to stop the mad woman on a mission.
His office is silent but for the sniffles of a woman who’s sitting in a leather chair on one side of Gregory’s large glass andchrome desk. He faces her, resting on the edge of his desk, his hands either side of his hips, his fingers hooked over the rim. All eyes in the room turn to me. Williams and Lawrence offer a swift, ‘Hello,’ which I return without moving my focus from the scene in front of me.
‘Are you going to fire me?’ the woman croaks through a sob.
‘How to deal with you isnotthe top of my priorities, Sydney,’ Gregory says through a tight jaw.
Sydney, his PR manager. I don’t know what’s going on but I feel for her. It’s an almost impossible feat to keep this whole mess quiet; too many people are interested in the thirty-year-old CEO who’s already made it toThe TimesRich List.
‘Go and clean yourself up but don’t go anywhere. This conversation isn’t over.’
Sydney nods, another sob escaping her, and scuttles past me, no doubt desperate to be free from the room. I can’t believe Gregory has made a woman cry but my anger disappears as soon as I see my CEO sag in defeat. It’s unprofessional but my legs carry me to him and my hand reaches out for his.
‘Hey, it’s going to be fine.’
His eyes lift to mine, wide, surprised, I think, then he casts a look to Williams and Lawrence, who are subtly feigning conversation. I drop his hand and force some objectivity back into my voice.
‘Tell me what happened.’ I cast my coat on the leather sofa and open my laptop on the coffee table.
Gregory runs his eyes the length of my body greedily before he finally pushes himself from his desk and joins me on the sofa, Williams and Lawrence taking up position on the sofa opposite. ‘Nick found out about Saturday.’
‘You’ve told me that much. How did he find out?’
‘Does it matter?’ Gregory snaps.
I’m taken aback by his reaction but I don’t let it show. I’ll let that one go on grounds of stress. ‘I guess not but I’d like to know if the situation is about to become common knowledge.’
‘Sydney told him,’ Lawrence offers.
‘She what? Why?’
Gregory glares at Lawrence. ‘It won’t happen again.’
‘That’s all well and good, Gregory, but now someone who clearly has it in for you knows something that, for very good reasons, you were trying to keep secret.’
Gregory thumps a hand on the arm of the sofa. ‘Damn it, Scarlett! Just tell me how to deal with the directorship.’ He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his usual confidence and poise broken. I’ve done this to him. ‘I’m sorry,’ he mutters.
‘Gregory, I know you don’t want to hear it but there’s an easy way out of this.’
He eyes me nervously.
‘Tell them the truth.’
His hands are back in his hair. ‘Scarlett, we’ve been through this. We can’t.’
‘That’s not what I mean.’
He casts cautious eyes to the confused faces of Williams and Lawrence then turns to me. ‘Then what do you mean?’
