Harrison Cross
CEO, Sweet Seasons Coffee
Founder & Owner, Cross Industries
FORTY-ONE
ANDREA
Dave
Mr. Cross told me to take him to The Grand Alaskan this morning. FYI.
Was he mad I wasn’t there?
He’s fucking livid.
Good.
Iflipped through my CFO contract for the umpteenth time, searching for any loophole that would let him withhold what I was owed.
I couldn’t find anything, but I refused to leave it to chance.
With a heart that was still beating in pieces, I ventured to New Jersey to speak to a lawyer.
For the first time since Harrison took over the company, I didn’t use a personal town car.
I walked to the subway station and savored every mile of the trip without his influence on my life.
FORTY-TWO
HARRISON
“Thank you all for joining me at ourall-newEmployee Appreciation Gala,” I spoke into the mic the following Saturday evening. “This was a great idea by the executives, and it’s been an honor to see the changes you’ve made at this company over the past few months.”
I paused, looking up from my speech and into the crowd seated at white-clothed tables.
They were all smiling and sipping champagne merrily—all oblivious to the meetings I was hosting behind the scenes.
“When I took over Sweet Seasons, I promised you that I would—” I clenched my jaw as I read an unwanted correction from Andrea.
I promised you that I wouldn’t be an asshole or ever lay off a single soul, but hey. I’m a greedy motherfucker, so… Sorry, not sorry.
“I promised that I would do my best to run this place like abusinessand take us to the next level.” I folded the sheet in half.“I’m looking forward to celebrating all our wins tonight, and I appreciate you for being part of Sweet Seasons. Thank you.”
Applause filled the room, and the orchestra slowly strung the notes to their first song of the evening.
Feigning a smile, I shook hand after hand, inching closer to the exit.
When I was finished taking photos with the lead sales executives, I asked to be excused before stepping into the kitchen.
Then I immediately pulled out my phone and called Andrea.
“Hey there, you’ve reached Andrea Stone!” Her voicemail sounded. “Please leave a detailed message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!”
Beep!
I hung up and walked over to the lead chef.
