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“You mean privately?”
“Yes. It was poor judgment on my part. Had I spoken to her sooner, I would have done it differently. I hadn’t considered the impact it would have on you, and I should have. That’s why I keep your mother around. She knows how to keep me in line.”
“Except I’m always cleaning up after you, after the fact,” she heard her mother yell in the background.
“Yes, that’s true. I need to practice talking to her before I make any big decisions. We’ll call it my one flaw.”
“Just one?” Sabrina smirked, her mood lifting at the light teasing.
“Yes, one,” he insisted. “No one can be perfect, after all.”
She chuckled. “Well, I guess I can forgive you, Daddy. As long as you promise to start talking to Mom before making any big decisions.”
It could save them all a lot of headache.
“I’ll swear on a stack of Holy Bibles if I have to. You know I never meant to do you any harm, pumpkin. I really thought I was going about it in the best way possible.”
“No, you were thinking like a businessman. You wanted to kill two birds with one stone, and having us all together for the big reveal made the most sense in that capacity.”
“Well, you may be right about that. I just didn’t account for the collateral damage.”
“I’m sure next time you will.”
“Well, that’s the kicker,” he said with a tone that put her on alert. “There won’t be a next time.”
Ah, there it was. His decision had been made. Sabrina thought she’d been prepared for it, but who could be ready for their dad, the person they spent their life looking up to and trying to emulate, firing them from the job that they’d worked their whole life to get and excel at? She’d thought she’d grown a thick skin over the years, but already it was clear she hadn’t thickened it nearly enough. Not for this.
“I understand, Daddy,” she said on a shaky breath.
“You do? Good, because I hate to explain myself unnecessarily.”
“It’s your company. You built it from the ground up and made it what it is today. I’m just glad that I got a chance to learn from you.”
“And learn you did. That’s why I know I’m making the right decision in turning over ownership to you.”
“Wait…what?” Sabrina couldn’t believe her ears. Had she heard him right? He was making her the owner of the corporation?
“Oh sorry, we must have a weak connection.” He raised his voice to near shouting to compensate. “I said I’m turning over the business. Congratulations, you’re the new face of Colloway Corporations!”
For the second time in a week, Sabrina felt like she was going to pass out.
“Daddy, are you serious? Are yousure?”
“Sure? Why in the world wouldn’t I be sure?”
“I just—it’s just that—I thought I let you down?”
“You let me down? Never. Whatever made you think that?”
“Well, I know how much you hate controversy and how you always told me to steer clear of it, that people are always watching, and then with the fact that I was dating the Hargreaves brothers—”
She continued on, not realizing immediately when her father cut in.
“Run that by me again. Dating the brothers? As in plural?”
She stuttered to a stop, realizing she’d stuck her foot in her mouth. Quietly she said, “I thought you knew.” She thought the cat had been let out of the bag back in that boardroom.
“Of course, I didn’t know! Geez Louise, Sabrina, what in the world would make you do something like that? I thought you were more sensible.”
