Page 27 of Hearts of Wealth

Catherine

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I PULLED UP TO THE job site, feeling a sense of dread. The project was a nightmare. Henry was an asshole. I was used to assholes, but Henry was next level. He was obnoxious. I couldn’t shake the feeling of unease that had been gnawing at me all morning. Henry’s presence loomed over the site like a dark cloud, his bad mood casting a pall over everything. The contractors were starting to complain. His demands were ridiculous. He was constantly questioning them and my direction. If Henry didn’t back off, they were going to quit. I could feel it coming. I spent my days putting out the fires Henry started. I didn’t get the chance to do my work because I was too busy trying to keep contractors from walking off the job. Luke was the only one that was keeping me sane. He was able to keep an eye on things when I wasn’t there.

When I walked into the house, no one was talking. No one was whistling and there wasn’t the usual music playing. That couldn’t be a good sign. I heard raised voices coming from down the hall. “Shit,” I muttered, recognizing Henry’s voice.

I watched as he berated one of my subcontractors, his harsh words cutting through the air like a knife. My frustration grew with each passing moment, and I knew that I couldn’t stand idly by and let him continue to treat my team this way. It was a fine line. If the little lady swept in and rescued a big, burly dude, I risked emasculating him.

I approached Henry. “Henry, we need to talk,” I said firmly, my voice tinged with irritation.

He turned to face me; his expression twisted into a scowl. “What do you want, Catherine?” he spat, his tone dripping with contempt.

“We should either step outside or perhaps we can go into another room,” I said.

“You’re not going to order me around in my own house,” he growled.

“We have some things to discuss, and I would prefer we did that in private.”

“Fine,” he grumbled, throwing his hands up as he turned and stomped toward the living room. I followed, my heart pounding in my chest. I loathed confrontation but knew it was necessary.

Once we were alone, I faced him. “Henry, you’re causing problems on the job site.”

“And?” He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at me defiantly.

“And it needs to stop. You’re disrupting the work, and your constant belittling of the workers is bad for morale. They’re professionals who are trying to do their jobs.”

“I’m paying them to do their jobs, so they should do it without complaining.”

I took a deep breath, trying to keep my composure in the face of his hostility. “I won’t stand for you treating my subcontractors like this,” I replied, my voice steady despite the rising tide of anger within me.

Henry’s eyes narrowed at my words, his lips curling into a sneer. “And what are you going to do about it?” he taunted, his voice laced with malice.

I felt a surge of frustration welling up inside me, but before I could respond, he launched into a tirade of insults, each one more cutting than the last.

“I should have known hiring some chick to do this job was a mistake,” he hissed. “You only got the job with Timothy because you were screwing him. I should report this to that stupid Historical Society. I bet they would be interested in knowing you were fucking the homeowner.”

My jaw clenched at his vile accusations. “I’ll thank you to not make baseless assumptions about my personal life, Henry,” I said through gritted teeth. “My relationship with Tim had nothing to do with my work here.”

“And yet, here you are, defending your worthless crew and threatening me in my own house,” he countered, his eyes gleaming with a cruel satisfaction.

“I’m not threatening you, Henry. I’m telling you how it’s going to be. You hired me for a job, and I intend to do it to the best of my ability. But I can’t do that if you’re constantly undermining my authority and disrespecting my team. This is a professional job site, not a playground for your tantrums.”

Henry’s face reddened at my words and for a moment, I thought he was going to explode. But then he began to laugh, a low mocking chortle that set my teeth on edge. “You really believe you’re in charge here, don’t you?” he jeered.

“I am in charge of this project, yes,” I said flatly. “I am the general contractor. That is why you hired me. If you had wanted to micro-manage everything yourself, you didn’t need to bring me into the picture. But you did hire me, which means this is my job site as much as it is your house.”

Henry’s laughter died down, but the smug smirk remained. “I don’t think you quite understand, Catherine,” he sneered. “This will always be my house. You’re here on borrowed time and only because I allow it.”

A hot flush of indignation erupted within me, but I held my ground. “That may be so, Henry,” I retorted, trying to keep my voice steady, “but while I’m here, this environment will be respectful.”

His sneer deepened as he took a step toward me. For the first time in my career, I felt completely powerless. Henry’s words cut me to the core, leaving me feeling small and insignificant. A wave of self-doubt washed over me, and suddenly, I found myself questioning whether I was cut out for this kind of work at all.

“Catherine, let’s go,” Luke said from behind me.

I turned to look at him, his expression filled with concern. “But I can’t just leave,” I protested, my voice tinged with uncertainty. I hated it, but he had left me shaken. I had never been spoken to with such utter disrespect.

Luke shook his head. His expression was kind until he looked at Henry. “Yes, you can,” he insisted. “You don’t deserve to be treated this way, Catherine. Come on, let’s go.”