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My fists clench until the knuckles are white.
“This is bullshit and you know it. I own the company! I built this place with my own two hands. They can’t just fire me!”
Liam’s voice is regretful.
“I’m not privy to the whole situation but you and me both know that as a publicly-traded company, they can fire you as CEO. Of course, you still own the company but their job is to protect shareholders. You know that better than anyone else.”
“Fuck,” I bit out.
Liam made a comforting noise in his throat.
“Do what you have to but maybe it’s time to take a break and step back, at least for a little while. Relax a bit. Go to Hawaii. Live the life. If there really is a pretty young intern, then take her with you to the islands and have lots of sex. Why not?”
“You must be kidding,” I bark out. But then I let out a harsh laugh. “Well, I might not have a choice actually. Talk later.”
I hung up with trembling hands and just stared at the floor, a bitter taste in my mouth. I know I deserve what’s happening but still, it sucked. Even worse, I knew that my ouster was the right thing for Crane. After all, like Abigail said, times have changed. I did fuck a pretty young intern who was working for me, and the optics are bad, even if we’re in love. Still, there was no sense in waiting around for the hammer to drop.
“I’m heading out Abigail. You should leave too because it’s going to be a blood bath. But call me later, and we’ll go over some plans. Liam Borden is going to be the interim CEO. I trust Liam, so you can trust him too, okay?”
Then I turned and left the company I’d created from scratch. My heart was heavy as the elevator carried me down, and my limbs felt like they were tied with concrete bags. Yet, once I stepped onto the sidewalk, I took a deep breath of air, letting the city itself reinvigorate me. This is New York after all. Nothing is impossible.
Besides, meeting Natalie and having her in my life is worth it. The sweet blonde has taught me so many things about life, loving, and living, and maybe this wasn’t so bad. In fact, maybe being with the pretty girl, and learning to see life in a new way is exactly what I need. The world has changed, and more than anything, I need to change with it.
11
Rowan
The next day, I pulled up to Natalie’s ramshackle apartment building and waited in my SUV as she ran down.
“I’ve got good news and bad news,” I said as soon as she got in. The gorgeous girl looked amazing in simple jeans and a sweater. I swear I could smell honeysuckle in her hair, and taste promises on her lips as I leaned in for a kiss.
“Good news, please. I want good news first.”
“Well, I’ve got more free time to spend with you,” I said before pulling away from the curb. “You know that the board met yesterday, right? They convened a meeting to talk about us.”
She wrings her hands in her lap, looking worried.
“Tell me what happened, Rowan. I’ve been really freaked out! This is all my fault, isn’t it?”
I take a deep breath and decide just to drop the bomb.
“I got fired,” I say, not being the sort of person to sugar coat anything.
She gasps, her eyes wide as her hands come up to cover her mouth.
“Fired? Wait! What? No, they can’t fire you. You literally own the company,” she said with tears in her eyes. I shake my head while driving.
“Actually, Crane Tech is a publicly-traded company, so while I own a lot of the stock and still retain some decision making functions, the board does have the discretion to fire me.”
“No, no, no, oh God I’m so sorry,” my girlfriend cries. “This is my fault. OMG.” Natalie was inconsolable on our drive. I couldn’t even talk over her sobs and simply stroked her hair and tried to calm her down so I could tell her what I really wanted to say.
“Sweetheart, it’s okay, relax,” I said finally as she hiccuped. “I’ve worked to build this company for two decades and gave up a lot of my personal life because Crane Tech is like a child to me. But you know what? Children grow up, so it’s time for something new. It’s not all bad. In fact, it can be good.”
“But it’s your company!” she exclaimed. “Your name is literally on everything, from the front door to notepads to the pens. They can’t take your company away just because of us.”
I tap my fingers on the steering wheel.
“It’s true, my name is on everything and I’m still the face of Crane. But the board’s job is to protect its shareholders, and they believe this is the best step. It’s not that huge of a deal, honey. It’s going to be fine.”
