Caleb sat up, placed his phone on the desk, and responded to my anger with infuriating calm. “I don’t need Gary’s permission. Or yours, for that matter. Last I checked, it was the Evans name listed on the company masthead, not Rodriguez.”
I don’t have the patience for this.“First of all,” I snapped, “that’s Randall Evans’ name on the masthead, not yours.”
He stiffened.
“Sharing his DNA does not mean you share his authority. Second, you cannot make changes of this magnitude at the last minute. The vendors and suppliers have already approved their pre-requests, and any changes have to be run by them first.”
He started to interrupt me, but I spoke over him.
“And even if they can pivot with a week’s notice, costs have to be calculated, and then approvals or rejections sent.” All the blood rushed to my head. “‘Yeah, sure’ is not an adequate response—especially via email.”
“You think I don’t know all that?” He pushed back his chair and rose to his feet. “Did you even check your email when you blew me off for lunch? Did you know those guys were on the VIP list?” He came around the desk, fixing me with a defiant stare. “If you knew anything about VIPs, you’d know there’s one rule—make it happen. I did Gary a favour, do you know that? Those changes were happening no matter what. Now he has all week to work out how to do it.”
Arrrgh… jackass.“Caleb, they’re on the VIP list for the weekend, not for life! They’re newlyweds, for goodness’ sake. Do you think they’ll be jetting in every second weekend and booking a suite? The next time they come back will be in twenty-five years to renew their vows—if we’re lucky!”
Caleb threw up his arms. “If they’re not rich, then why the hell are they on the list?”
“You entitled… brat!” I stormed out toward my assistant. “Amy, restrict all access to emails and company files for Caleb. No access whatsoever.”
Eyes wide, Amy did exactly as asked and sent me a confirmation.
Gary met me in my office, and together we drafted a reply to the couple, apologizing for the mix-up and the lack of professionalism in Caleb’s email.
While Gary and I were finishing up, Caleb pushed open the door and regarded us with an accusing look. “Why was I not asked to join this meeting? And how come I don’t have access anymore?”
“Gary, could you please excuse us?”
As soon as we were alone, I said, “You don’t have any access because I restricted it.”
His face hardened.
“And you were not asked to join us because your input is not valued at this time. If there’s nothing else, I have to repair the damage you caused. So please excuse me.”
I was about to walk out of the office, but Caleb stepped in my way.
“You do not have any right to talk to me like this. You are my employee.” He thumped his fist on the doorjamb, his face turning bright red. “I make my own decisions, and I need full access to our systems to do so.”
I pushed past him, then turned back and hissed, “I will decide when you get access. Good day!”
I returned to my office after I’d cooled off, and shortly afterward heard the door to Caleb’s office slam shut, followed by footsteps pounding down the corridor.
I guess Mr. Know-It-All is done for the day.
I called his father to let him know what had happened.
“Nyah,” Randall said, “I’m sorry about his behaviour, but this is good for him. I need you to instill in him a sense of responsibility. I need him to get serious and realize there is more to business than socializing and spending profits on frivolous things. I’m so proud of you—and I want to be proud of him too. But I need your help. Please stay strong. For me.”
I feared Caleb was beyond help… even if a fairy godmother came down from the heavens and waved a magic wand.
One thing was certain: I was definitely not going to let him walk all over me.
Tomorrow would be a new day.Time to change tactics.
5
CALEB
Istalked into my penthouse in the Crystal Palace building on Mount Pleasant Road and shrugged out of my suit jacket, letting it hit the floor. Martina must have heard the door slam because she appeared behind me almost immediately, gathering my silk tie and jacket as I paced the living room.
