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I hurried back to the elevator, hitting the button for the lower level. My car was already waiting outside, so at least I wouldn’t have to wait for that. The doors were just shutting when Shane stuck his hand inside, stopping the doors from closing.
“What are you doing, man? Have you seen your wife tonight?”
I punched the first floor button again, but just as the doors were closing, another hand shot out to block them. I groaned in frustration. I had to get back to the office. At this point, it was probably already too late, but I had to try to stop whatever Jerry had going on.
Rose stepped on with Clarissa. Neither of them looked too happy, but Clarissa was red-faced with steam nearly coming out of her ears. “Thanks for waiting,” she snapped.
“I’m sorry, I have to get back to the office.”
“You said you were taking me out tonight,” she argued.
“Well, I have business to take care of.”
“Yep,” Shane muttered, “that’s a good way to get your wife back.”
“Shut up,” I retorted. “Rose, I’m very sorry, but Jerry Wright called an emergency board meeting. This is obviously his attempt to go behind my back and get them to work against me.”
“Why didn’t you just say that?”
“Because I’m in a hurry,” I argued.
She laughed humorlessly. “And you didn’t think it would be a good idea for me to be there?”
“For what? This is business, notbring your wife to work day.”
The elevator slid to a stop and I stepped off with Shane right on my heels. “Again, I don’t want to tell you how to ruin your own marriage, but if that’s what you’re going for, I think you’re on the right track.”
I couldn’t think about that now. Yes, it was a cheap shot at her, but unintended. I was stressed, and I tended to yell at people when I was stressed. Just another reason I never wanted to be involved with this company. I knew what kind of person I turned into. Things were so much better on the island. I was just me, not this half-living jackass that tore others down.
I got in the back of the car and was ready to slam the door when everyone started piling in behind me. “What’s going on?”
“We’re going with,” Shane answered.
“I need to get to work,” I said through clenched teeth.
Shane turned to me with a baffled expression. “Oh, I’m sorry. Does this car not carry four people as quickly as if there was only one?”
Ignoring him, I stared ahead. “Darren, let’s go.”
We pulled away from the curb and everyone started chatting, but I was distracted thinking about what could be going on in that boardroom. If they voted against me for whatever obnoxious reason Jerry had in store for them, the company would fall into uncertain territory. The two families would still own the majority of the stock, but with no clear control over what happened.
“What reason could he possibly give to hold a board meeting?” Rose asked.
“He’s trying to get the board to vote against me as CEO.”
“But the paperwork is signed.”
“I’ve just taken over the company after being gone for years. If he can spin it the right way, he can make it look like I’m not capable of running the company. He’s trying to convince the board they made a mistake and that they need to fix it before I take the company down.”
I heard Rose snort. “Doing a pretty good job with our marriage.”
“Strike three,” Shane muttered under his breath. “You’re not doing so well tonight.”
I got a text from Alisha.It looks like they’re putting something to a vote.
We pulled up to the curb and got out. “I don’t care. As long as I can save my position at this company, I’ll deal with my marriage later.”
I walked inside, still in my suit from work. I nodded to the security guard as everyone followed me. It was really ridiculous. I felt like I had an entourage. We took the elevator up to the 44thfloor and stepped out. Alisha was already there waiting for me.
