McCarthy spots him.
“Nathan.”
He’s in the big glass-enclosed conference room, pompous and important as he stands in front of the company’s investors, making the big presentation that I’d been helping him with for weeks.
Nathan stammers when the door opens and McCarthy steps in.
The CEO doesn’t wait at the back of the room. He keeps walking, shoving past the chairs of investors and firm leaders as he makes his way to the front of the room.
Nathan’s affair partner is sitting near the back, and she makes a shocked huff when she sees me.
“Where is that dog?” McCarthy’s deep voice cuts through the conference room.
Nathan scrambles back as McCarthy keeps coming at him. My ex trips over his laptop cord, and both the computer and Nathan crash to the floor.
“What, uh… I don’t—that’s not—what dog?”
“Truman!” I scream at him. “You took my dog. You and her.” I point at Johanna.
“What is the meaning of this?” the ZyloPay CEO, who I recognize from the boozy holiday parties, says, his voice like thunder. “Security!”
“I’m going to ask you one more time, then I’m going to smash your nose in on this fancy conference table.” McCarthy’s deep voice drops to a growl.
My ex gulps. “He’s in my office. I swear I didn’t mean anything! I was just keeping him, Jenna, right? We agreed! Please don’t hurt me.” Nathan is babbling.
McCarthy turns his back on Nathan to stare down the Chairman of the Board. “I want Nathan fired.”
“You can’t—”
“And I want that woman fired too.”
“I didn’t have anything to do with this!” Johanna yells in protest.
“Fire them, or…” A thin, cold smile forms on his face as he addresses the investors who huddle around the oval conference room table. “Or I’ll make sure that not only will you never invest in any of the lucrative start-up projects in this city, but I will also personally dig through your company’s books and find any mistakes you made, any cover-ups, any illicit activity by any member of your company, and I’ll plaster it all over this goddamn city, and no one will do business with you again.”
The Chairman of the Board is pasty and sweating. McCarthy has a reputation in this town for a reason.
The Chairman’s chin wobbles as he looks among Nathan, Johanna, and McCarthy.
“What will he choose?” McCarthy narrates. “Is he a true leader, one who will put his life and livelihood on the line for his employees?”
He is not.
“Nathan, Johanna, you’re both fired for violating the morality clause of your employment contracts.”
“You can’t do that!” Nathan yells.
“I’m pregnant!” Johanna shrieks.
“I’m calling a lawyer. You’re going to pay for this,” Nathan says, raging.
“Sleeping with your subordinate is against the company handbook!” the ZyloPay CEO shouts.
“Then fire him, not me!” Johanna begs.
“What?” Nathan yells.
“Loyalty is so difficult to buy these days,” McCarthy says mildly.
