Page 102 of Miss Manage

EPILOGUE

Charlotte

The first warm breeze of the season tickled my skin as I pushed through the glass doors of Chambers Technology. Tulips framed the walkway in bold pinks and yellows, bright enough to make the building appear as though it had dressed up for spring.

I rode the elevator to my floor, and the doors opened to the familiar rhythm of people settling in for the day. Gone were the days I needed to be the first one in, and the last one to leave. In the kitchen, George was stocking snacks, humming under his breath.

“Good morning, George. How are you today?”

He turned with a big grin. He was noticeably trimmer than seven months ago, cheeks a touch rosier, with an extra pep in his step around the office. He’d moved to part-time recently, easing into retirement on his own terms.

“Good morning, Charlotte. I’m great, thank you. My wife put me on a heart-healthy diet, and I started weight training last week, if you can believe it.”

My smile was instant. After everything he’d been through, seeing him here healthy, strong, and teasing about dumbbells gave me joy and reminded me just how precious these everyday moments were. “I can believe it. You’re looking good.”

We chatted a few more minutes before I headed down the hall to my office, the satisfying sounds of morning emails and calendar notifications chiming around me. It struck me, not for the first time, how different life felt at Chambers Technology.

Here, the company still carried the DNA of the family business it had once been. Gerard didn’t hide in his ivory tower as the owner and CEO. He walked the floors. He knew names. He was invested. Staff didn’t brace when they saw him coming. Instead, they invited him into conversations with enthusiasm.

For the first time in my career, I worked somewhere that aligned with my own principles. I didn’t have to be the person fighting to make sure employees felt heard or respected. Instead it was already baked into the culture.

Being part of this team didn’t feel like having to prove myself. It felt like belonging.

For the next couple of hours, I tried to focus. Truly. But every few minutes my eyes drifted to the corner of my screen where the time glowed back at me.

Not because I had a flight to London to catch this evening. But because Gabriel was on his way there, too.

He’d been in New York for a full week, and I felt his absence in that quiet, anchoring way you miss someone who has threaded themselves into the fabric of your life. Our morning coffee stand-ups, our weekends spent drifting between his place and mine, the natural rhythm of being partners both at work and beyond. I’d never expected to fall in love again, certainly not with the kind of depth I felt for Gabriel.

He saw me, supported me, challenged me, and steadied me in ways I’d never known were possible. Not to mention he was a kick ass CFO to work alongside.

“Knock, knock,” Olivia chirped, breezing into my office for our morning meeting.

She looked like spring incarnate in a yellow shift dress dotted with tiny white daisies, her hair pinned back with an equally cheerful gold clip. Her grin was as bright as the dress.

Over the last six months, thirty-two people had crossed over from Arrow to Chambers Technology, including Olivia, Rhys, most of my management team, and of course, George.

“Come in,” I called out, returning her smile.

She dropped into the chair across from me, barely able to contain herself. “So…is it official?”

“Yes.” I let the word hang there for one perfect beat. “As of this morning, Chambers Tech has officially acquired Arrow Communications.”

Olivia let out a delighted squeal, hands flying to her face as she practically bounced in her seat. “It’s so exciting. Like the ultimate lesson in karma.”

It certainly was.

After The New York Times article exposed Julian for the predator he was, more than a dozen women had come forward with similar stories. And true to his character, he hadn’t gone down quietly. In a full, scorched-earth move, he’d dragged the McMillion brothers into the flames, too, outing their tidy little tax-fraud scheme, along with their alleged habit of bribing government officials to grease FCC approvals.

The fallout had been immediate and spectacular.

Arrow Communications, once untouchable, had collapsed almost overnight as clients and employees fled in every direction. The downfall left the company wide open for acquisition, and Gerard Chambers hadn’t hesitated to step in and take control.

I’d been invited to fly out for the official signing in New York, but honestly? I’d closed that chapter, and preferred to focus on what was next. This chapter was mine to lead, and working through this acquisition and the client transition was where I wanted to spend my time.

“Your car is all set to pick you up here at three o’clock, the flight is on time, and your room is set for an early check-in.”

Another knock came at my door.