Shocker.
King was absolutely right about the deep teal suit he picked out for me to wear.
“Powerhouse,” was the word he’d uttered beneath his breath, making me stand taller. The cut hugs my curves without being too tight, and the fabric is heaven.
Glancing around the long, gleaming conferencetable, for the first time ever, I don’t feel like an outcast. I don’t feel like the president’s daughter playing dress up.
As with Ronald, I’m on a first-name basis with every man here. Ninety percent of them are old enough to be my grandfather.
Just like my grandfather, they’re looking for weaknesses. And as my mother taught me, I show them none.
My spine might as well be a ruler, it’s so straight, and I keep my chin up and meet their gaze with a carefully calm regard. I have zero intention of helping them out of this snafu. They don’t know that yet, though, because they spent the first dozen minutes of the meeting quizzing Hayden Cort, but he’s standing firm in his family’s decision to sell. Good for him.
“What do you expect us to do? Change our name to Chanler & Rothburn?” Cornelius York demands from down the table. His suit is ill-fitting, and his gray brows are thick and wild.
Soon, this will no longer be Hayden’s circus. Although I do wonder if he’ll rethink selling without my mother at the helm. He could make a move to consolidate. But I don’t see any signs that he’s interested in that.
Charlotte sent me a report on the handful ofthings I missed while I was in Greece, so I’m up to speed.
“We just don’t see this as a good bet anymore,” Hayden says.
“I agree,” I say.
Ronald’s jaw drops, and he quickly snaps it closed. All eyes turn toward me.
“Not a good bet?” Cornelius’s voice goes high-pitched, almost mouse-like.
My skin heats, and a lone butterfly takes flight in my stomach. It’s one thing to be an observer or even part of a conversation, but it’s quite another to be the bug under the microscope. I squash the uneasiness immediately because I’m done letting the topsy-turvy feeling control me.
I take a deep breath and count to four. I hold it for another four count and then exhale as I search their faces.
“Numbers are down, retention is at an all-time low, and we’ve had some costly mistakes. Surely this isn’t news to any of you,” I press.
I’ve spent my life learning how to read a room. These men think their world is crumbling, and I find that laughable. As far as I know, none of them has ever been kidnapped, let alone by the one person they should be able to trust above all others.
There’s a flurry of discussion now. Rapid-fire questions to each other. I’d say I successfully poked the hornet’s nest.
Some of them see this as their opportunity to expand their power and claim more control over the company. I even have two pegged as ready to vote themselves into the role of president. A larger handful are in a tailspin, utterly shocked by the scandal. And I’m pretty sure all of them think Gabe’s after a hostile takeover.
I wouldn’t know because he still hasn’t said anything to me.
But I’ll be damned if I’m going to make this easy on any of them. They are the same men who lost their marbles over the bad press I was bringing to the bank. They’re the ones who demanded I take a few weeks off, as if that was going to fix things.
And now they’re looking for someone, namely me, to save the day.
Ronald clears his throat and then addresses everyone. “We were hoping we could get a press release out this afternoon announcing that you’re taking your place at the head of the company. We’ll lean heavily on the strong family legacy.”
I guess my photo in the papers is both a distant memory and innocuous compared to my mother’s transgressions.
“I’ll give you my decision on Tuesday.” I holdstrong to my desire for space and time to consider not just my future, but the future of everyone who works for and deals with Chanler & Cort.
One by one, the men’s jaws drop, and suddenly it looks like I’m surrounded by a bunch of fish.
They’re shocked.
I love it.
They thought I’d clamor for the position. There’s so much more to life than duty and status. I keep my chin up and let them wait.
