“This isn’t a negotiation. It’s that or nothing.” Joaquin pointed at the envelope.
His father spit on Joaquin’s shoes.
Joaquin spit right back and held his father’s glare of outrage. He would not back down. Not anymore.
Siobhan stood transfixed as she watched Oladele set a hand on Joaquin’s sleeve in a gentle signal to hold his temper in check.
“This isn’t over,” Lorenzo declared before storming out.
The elevator pinged next to her. Siobhan scrambled to grasp at the door, waiting while Joaquin strode toward her with his entourage of suits.
She had taken far too long deciding what to wear today, eventually choosing a short jacket in earthy brown over a tweed skirt with a fedora to protect her hair from the rain. She offered a hesitant smile as Joaquin approached, but his gaze skimmed past her, making her stomach clench in embarrassment at trying to engage him.
She looked to the floor, still confused by his kiss after making it so clear to her that they couldn’t be anything but boss and employee.
Everyone stepped into the elevator. No one spoke as it rose, but the air was thick with undercurrents. She picked out Joaquin’s aftershave among the other fragrances in the small space and drew it deep, filling her nostrils with the tangy, tangible feel of his cheek brushing her jaw. His hungry lips devouring hers.
Her face felt stiff with the effort of maintaining a neutral expression. It took all her effort not to glance at him as she departed with Oladele onto their floor.
She tried very hard not to betray her awareness of Joaquin, but within hours, they were called to the boardroom next to his office.
Others were already there, including Joaquin’s assistant, a young man she’d met briefly yesterday. Siobhan sent him a friendly, “Good morning.”
The other man returned her smile with a warm one of his own that quickly turned to a daunted look aimed beyond her shoulder.
She followed his line of sight to Joaquin.
He hit her with a cool stare of disapproval, one that peeled a layer from her composure, leaving her raw.
With an indignant lift of her chin, she took her seat behind Oladele while Joaquin shifted his attention to his laptop.
“Lorenzo has rejected the settlement offer and has begun a counterassault. He is claiming to still be CEO until the shareholders vote otherwise. He’s also smearing my reputation and bringing ProFab into it.” That was Joaquin’s company in Barcelona. “Pursue defamation charges. He must have signed nondisclosure agreements that prevent him from discussing the inner workings of LVG. See if he’s still bound by that.”
Oladele nodded and glanced at Siobhan to make a note.
“I’ll look into the D&O liability insurance, too,” Siobhan said. “Directors and officers,” she explained as everyone looked at her. “Its purpose is to cover unintentional negligence, but if he was the CEO, and deliberately causes the devaluation of his company, he could be exposing himself to legal consequences. There may be a means to pursue charges. Perhaps letting him know that would encourage him to back down.”
Oladele made an approving noise and several heads nodded, but Joaquin only pinned her with an inscrutable look before turning his attention to the head of accounting, requesting an audit to prove that his father had been fabricating numbers during his tenure.
The meeting broke up and Joaquin walked out, leaving a wake of relieved exhales behind him.
As everyone rose, Oladele said, “Siobhan, will you ask Joaquin if he’s had a chance to review the documents I sent this morning? I have to return this call.”
“Of course.” Overcoming a wave of trepidation, Siobhan went to his door, which was open. He was standing at his desk, tapping on the keyboard of his laptop. She knocked.
“Come in. Close the door,” he said as he saw her.
“Oh. I’m only here to ask…” She slipped in and pressed the door closed behind her. “Oladele is wondering if you’ve had time to review the documents she sent?”
“I was about to do it. What’s going on with you and my assistant? HR frowns on office romance.”
She stood taller, insulted when his assistant was a virtual stranger andSan Francisco didn’t happen.
“Has the policy changed?” she asked archly. “Because I read all of them when I onboarded. HR asks to be informed of romantic relationships to mitigate liability. If necessary, they will transfer employees without penalty.” She responded to his elevated brow with a sugary smile. “I do my homework.”
“Is that the long way of sayingnothing?”
“Yes.” The heat of humiliation began climbing from her throat. “I know you think I’m fast, but I’m not frequent about it.” She turned to yank on the door latch so she didn’t have to stand here boiling in his ugly judgment of her.
