I glared at him whilst he took a sip of his coffee. “Have you finished bossing my PA around now?”
He let out a silent laugh. “Funny story. As I’m waiting for them to hire one for me, she’ll be mine as well for now.”
My jaw ticked, and I had to dig my fingers into my thighs to try to calm this fire that was burning around in my stomach.
“What? I don’t think so,” I snapped.
“It’s non-negotiable. The powers that be have ordered it. Now, let’s get back to business. What sectors are you preparing for the proposal?”
I closed my eyes for a second, taking in a deep breath to gain composure. I had to keep it together with him. He seemed the type of guy who would use it against me to get me out of the company.
“I’m looking at tech companies. They’re—”
He cut me off. “Healthcare is a better option right now. The company is still recovering.”
“Luxe Corp is stable. It has been for four months now. I built it back up from healthcare because I knew it was reliable and a quick, a fast profit turnaround, but now we don’t need it. It’s capped and restricted by its regulations. There’s only so much you can make from that industry, and I’ve done it.”
“Look.” He leaned forward in the chair. “I’ve seen the figures and what you did in six months. It’s impressive, but you don’t want to go too big too soon. It’s too risky.”
“The company needs to move forward, not stay stuck behind everyone else.”
It was time to shift everything I’d worked hard to control. I had a team of capable people who knew what they were doing, and I’d cleared out the employees who were loyal to Dad.
It was just a shame I couldn’t rearrange the board.
“Sebastian, I understand where you’re coming from, but the next year is critical for keeping us from falling again. I care about this place. I don’t want to see that happen.”
I scoffed. “You think I don’t? If that were the case, I’d have left it to my dad.”
“I don’t doubt you care, but I’m here to keep the place running in the best possible way.”
“Then I’d suggest cutting ties to my father and working with me, rather than against me.”
“It’s not that simple.”
I tilted my head and furrowed my brow at him. What the fuck was that supposed to mean?
My lips parted, but before I could say anything, Aria came back with the paperwork.
7
Aria
Iwas glad today was over.
Our first day back to work, and it was full of tension and testosterone flying around Sebastian’s office. If you were looking from the outside, you’d think he and Caspian were rival families going at each other.
I left them to it unless I was called upon. There was no way I was getting involved in that disaster, so I just got on with my work and prayed punches weren’t thrown.
Luckily, they weren’t.
Sebastian knew where I was, and if he needed anything, he wasn’t shy to ask for it. Neither was Caspian, it seemed—a trait they seemed to share.
To think I was in Italy yesterday, enjoying the time with Serfina and Hayden, and now I was dealing with the office. It was something of a 180, that was for sure.
The doorbell rang, and I rushed to open it for the delivery driver. I thanked him and headed to the kitchen to plate upthe food. I was starving and couldn’t wait to dig in. Sebastian had made good on his promise to have the Moroccan restaurant deliver to us.
The aroma of spices hit me, and my mouth started watering as I served it up for us. An array of meat and vegetable tagines, couscous, slow-cooked lamb, and cold starters filled our plates. He always managed to order what I wanted without asking.
