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I paused, eyeing him. “I compliment my staff.”
“No. You say ‘good,’ and walk off. You don’t even say ‘thank you’ half the time.” He pointed to my coffee. “That coffee—did you thank whoever got it for you this morning?”
I thought back to my conversation with Melody. Did I thank her for bringing it in? Further back than that, did I ever thank Chloe for making sure I had one on my desk every morning when I arrived?
Harvey grimaced. “Start by saying thank you once in a while, you blockhead.”
I buried my face in my hands and sighed. He was right. I didn’t thank anyone as much as I should, and that was the most basic manner in the world. One of the first children were taught as toddlers, for God’s sake.
I really was a terrible boss.
Four knocks sounded at my door, and I looked up. “Come.”
“Melody said you wanted to s—” Chloe paused in the doorway, looking between me and Harvey. “I’m sorry, sir. Am I interrupting a meeting?”
I waved a hand. “I wouldn’t have told you to come in if you were.”
She fidgeted with the bow at her neck before nodding. “Melody said you wanted to see me.”
“Yes. She told me you met with my father.”
“Ah, yes, he called me last night and asked me to see him when I arrived today. He gave me a copy of the contract for our trip.”
I nodded slowly. “Have you signed it?”
“No. I’m meeting with a lawyer tomorrow at four p.m. to go over it and make sure everything is in order.” She smiled, and her honey-coloured eyes were as flat as they always were when she smiled at me. “One unaffiliated with the corporation, of course.”
“You’re scarily efficient,” Harvey said from his slouched position.
“And you’re scarily lazy to say it’s a Monday morning and there’s a major announcement to be sent out this week,” she said coolly, eyeing him. “Or am I to believe there’s a draft of the official press release in my email inbox for me to check before I forward it to Mr Black for approval?”
“You do realise I hold a higher position in this company than you, don’t you?”
“Oh, do you?” Chloe raised her eyebrows. “Every time I see you in the office you seem to be slacking off, so that must have briefly escaped my mind.”
Harvey looked at me. “Sir, your secretary is getting too big for her britches.”
“I have no intention of getting involved in your family spat, Mr Park,” I replied, clearing my throat. “Miss St. James, do you need to leave early for your meeting tomorrow?”
“Huh?” Chloe startled but quickly regained her composure and trained her expression back to her regular poker face. “Oh. The lawyer. Yes, sir. I was going to submit an official request.”
“No need. I’m assuming there’s nothing on my schedule that I’ll need you for then, so if anyone asks, we’ll just say I sent you on an errand.”
Her eye twitched. “That’s very kind of you, sir.”
“Is that all?”
“Cassidy is sending me over the plans for our departure, so I will bring them in to discuss when you’re between meetings.”
I glanced at Harvey. “Why don’t we discuss it over lunch instead? My treat, of course.”
He shot me a discreet thumbs up.
Chloe froze. “I’m sorry? Lunch?”
“My meeting will be done around lunchtime, and since we take it at the same time, it makes sense, no?”
“Right. Sure. Of course, sir.” She blinked at me for a moment. “Is that all?”
