ELEVEN
HARRISON
Day #30 of Company Takeover
Rain streaked across the jet’s window as I stared out at the empty tarmac.
One month into this takeover, and progress against the competition was slower than I’d anticipated.
Unacceptably so.
And at this rate, my takeover would be complete in a decade and not a month.
“Where is Miss Stone, and why is she late?” I looked over at Ciara. “I could’ve sworn I told her to be here at four thirty a.m.”
“You told me to keep her ‘busy as hell’ and out of your sight as much as possible this week.” She shot me a look. “Remember?”
“I don’t recall saying that to you at all.”
“Oh… Maybe that was Aaron then.” She shrugged. “Sorry.”
“What other secret conversations have you two been having about me behind my back?”
“That’s the only one—minus the one where we’ve been working on some missing financials, but we weren’t planning to bring it to you until we figure it out.”
Of course.
I pulled out my phone to call Aaron, but stopped when a town car pulled in front of the jet’s stairway. He stepped out of the passenger side while the driver rushed to the back door with an umbrella.
He held it out for Andrea as she stepped out in another curve-hugging gray suit. This one wasn’t the one she wore when we first met—it was slightly darker, but flattering all the same.
I watched her walk up the steps until she slipped into the plane.
Her eyes were pure fury.
“It’s nice to see you, too, Miss Stone.” I smiled. “Good to see you here with my A-Team.”
“Today is my sister’s birthday,” she said. “I requested off for this day long before you were here.”
“And?”
“Mr. Lewis—flawed as he was—always honored special days whenever we requested them.”
“Do IlooklikeMr. Lewis to you?”
Her cheeks flushed red and she crossed her arms.
“No,” she said. “You don’t look like him at all.”
“I look like a man who is trying to accomplish something, correct?”
“Only if by ‘man,’ you mean soulless ghoul.”
“Excuse me?”
“She said, ‘I can’t wait to get to Seattle and do some more Starbucks research.’” Aaron stepped into our conversation, ushering her to move toward the back. “Allow me to get you settled back here, Miss Stone.”
I watched her buckle her seatbelt and glare at me until Aaron returned and took the seat across from me.
