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Bullshit. But Erez kept his mouth shut.
“But you have to step down,” Dafna said, and Menni jolted. Erez stepped a little closer to him, and Eitan took a step into the room. Kisharti's CEO had his back to the wall.
“I won’t. You’ll never get money from investors without me. You can’t have a company without a CEO. You need me.”
“We’ll take the risk. You need to step down,” Dafna reiterated in a patient voice.
“Who’ll replace me?” Menni asked.
“I will.” Daniel finally joined them. About time. Menni paled.
“We’ll call for a shareholders' meeting right after the holidays,” Daniel continued. “We’ll show the real numbers, explain that we’re still on a very good trajectory, but that we just lack the funds. Gil will back me on this.”
“They’ll never put more money in. We need Motti’s group, and he’ll only invest if I’m the CEO,” Menni said. “I still hold 15% of the company, and I’ll vote against all of you.”
“I don’t need Motti as an investor. I’ll find us other investors with Daniel as CEO and Gil as CTO,” Dafna said. “If you don’t leave quietly I’ll make sure everyone knows what you did. You’re leaving. I’m buying you out.”
She was such a badass, with the money to back it up.
Menni’s shoulders sagged. Dafna grinned.
Chapter 45
Kisharti’s New CFO
“Are you sure the fund will approve us?” Gil asked, a frown on his face.
This was the second time he’d asked that.
“They loved Daniel’s vision, and yours,” Dafna answered patiently, understanding the founder’s concerns and his chagrin at the management decision to leave him out of the roadshow. “Zoey gave a great presentation.”
Zoey, newly elevated to team leader, beamed at everyone around the table. “I did,” they confirmed.
Since Dafna was the one who brought the investors, she could state her terms for the roadshow. Funds were often only familiar with the CEO, which led to too much power in his hands. Hence she didn’t want Daniel to meet them on his own. Gil inspired neither trust nor enthusiasm, so she sent Zoey instead. Kisharti did a re-branding and changed the logo and colors. Zoey colored their hair in Kisharti’s new colors and they spoke about it, showing their sparkly personality right after answering a complicated question from the fund’s tech-savvy consultant. It was Zoey who’d won over the investors.
“The fund had already sent me the final papers. They’re signing,” Daniel said, also for the second time. “The money should be here next month.”
“Not a minute too soon,” Nurit said. She would get a hefty pay raise and a larger office once the new money came through, but Dafna had already prepared new business cards for her with the title of CFO. Nurit burst into passionate crying and hugged her for five minutes straight when she presented her with them. Nurit as CFO could have been part of the roadshow but was also excluded. Unlike Gil, Nurit was happy about it.
“I need to go soon,” Dafna said. “It’s going to take me an hour and a half to reach the moshav. And I can’t be late.”
She was moving her father to a nursing home in Tel Aviv. Erez would be here soon to drive her and assist.
“Your father is going to love it–it’s the best home in Tel Aviv,” Nurit promised her.
For the past month, she’d been viewing homes for her father and apartments for herself. Shlomo asked to leave his home in the moshav, where he said every tile and leaf reminded him of Hannah. She’d signed her father to the nursing home and bought her place in the space of a week. Erez wanted her in Tel Aviv, as did her sons. She bought a beautifully renovated roomy penthouse within walking distance from Shuk Hacarmel and the beach. There would be a room for each of her sons and a room for Gal. They had one dinner with all the kids, her sons and his daughter, and it went okay. She didn’t expect them to be fast friends immediately.
“Dafna…when we get the money–we’ll need all hands on deck. Long hours,” Daniel said. Gil frowned and nodded.
“I promised, and I’ll keep my word,” Dafna said. “The investors want an extension of our branch in New York–I’m on it. I’ll fly to the US, I’ll conduct the interviews, and do whatever it takes to hire good people.”
She could do all that. Her children were older, her father was taken care of, and her partner was very supportive.
And here he was in all his glory. In wintertime, which, despite the high temperatures, started officially on November 1st, team leaders in G&L had to wear ties. Erez had on a light green long-sleeved button down, a matching dark green tie with small orange and yellow flowers that she helped him put on this morning. Black dress pants. He looked like the CEO of a bank. At least when he left G&L, which would be soon, he wouldn’t have to wear ties. Although he looked great in one.
“Hello, you big, important executive,” Zoey sang and grinned at Erez. He grinned back. Dafna told herself not to be jealous. But between Zoey being a flirt, and Erez liking them, it was a struggle.
“Hi, everyone, nearly done?” he asked. She stood up and went around the meeting room table, his eyes following. He was hungry–for her. Not for someone fifteen years her junior. His powerful arm caught her, plastering her to his side possessively. For a brief but tantalizing moment, his soft lips were on hers. Hot and short, like their very first kiss. She should have minded this unprofessional behavior at the workplace–but this time she didn’t.
