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A moment later, the doors to the conference room burst open, and a security team came in. One of them took Melissa’s arm as she struggled. “I didn’t act alone.”
I nodded. “I know. Several shareholders and board members helped you. Elizabeth, Harvey, Louis, and Kevin, you’re all being put on unpaid leave pending the results of the investigation. In the meantime, I have also bought out your shares, so you no longer have any stake in the company.”
A cry of outrage rose through the room as the board members in question rose to their feet. Suddenly, everyone was out of their seats and talking over each other. Jason got up, motioned to the security team, and they moved as one, making a beeline for the board members. Much to the shock and awe of the rest, they were all escorted out of the room. In a few short moments, they were going to be taken out of the building, all of their access revoked.
“We are going to be in crisis mode over the next few weeks,” I said, my voice rising towards the end. “I’m sorry that it’s had to come to this, but as all you know, I don’t have any tolerance for traitors.”
Or people who looked me in the eyes and stuck a knife in my back.
As far as I was concerned, the company was better off without them.
“I know this is a lot to take in. We’ll meet again in the morning to discuss our strategy moving forward,” I finished, casting one final glance around the room. The remaining board members looked uneasy and pale, but they offered no protest. Instead, one by one, they rose to their feet and exited the room. Once they were gone, Jason pushed his chair back, stood up, and released a deep breath.
“That can’t have been easy.”
“It’s not, but we’ve still got a lot of work to do.” I offered him a grim smile on my way past. In the elevator, I scrolled through my emails and tapped my foot impatiently. When the elevator doors to my floor opened, everyone fell silent. Hundreds of eyes were on me as I walked across to my office. When the door shut behind me, conversation rose again. I rolled my shoulders, sat down behind my desk, and waited for the computer to start.
Hours later, my eyes were burning when I looked up from the screen and saw the time. With a smile, I got up and shut down my computer. Downstairs, the car was waiting for me by the curb. The driver held the door open for me, his face giving nothing away. On our way back, I had him stop at the Italian place nearby to pick up an order. By the time he pulled up outside the house, I was exhausted, and Martha was seated at the kitchen table. She held a glass of wine in her hand and had a fierce look of concentration on her face.
I bent down to kiss the top of her head. “I’m sorry I’m late.”
Martha looked up at me, and her eyebrows knitted together. “It’s okay. I heard you had a crazy day today. Want to talk about it?”
I set the containers down on the counter and tugged on my tie. “Maybe later. Where’s Jimmy?”
“I’m here.” Jimmy emerged from behind the couch, a colorful piece of paper in his hand. “You look tired.”
“Long day, Jim-Bo.” I ruffled his hair. “Did you do your homework?”
Jimmy nodded. “Mommy helped.”
“Good, let’s eat. How was your first day, by the way?”
Martha pushed her chair back and began to rummage through the containers. “It was good. I’m definitely going to like working in the publicity department.”
I smiled. “I’m glad.”
After dinner, while Martha was organizing her schedule, I led Jimmy into the living room. We sat across from each other with puzzle pieces scattered all over the coffee table. He sat up on his legs, a furrow between his brows, while I stretched my legs out in front of me. When I glanced over my shoulders at Martha, who was hard at work and on her second glass of wine, I smiled.
“I wanted to ask you about something.”
Jimmy placed two pieces together and smiled. “Sure.”
“I want to ask your mom to marry me,” I whispered, swinging my gaze back to my son. “But I want it to be a surprise. What do you think?”
“So, you could be like my real dad?”
I nodded and moved a piece. “Exactly. We could all be a real family.”
Jimmy looked over at me, and his expression turned thoughtful. “How are you going to ask her? Maybe you should take her out for pizza.”
“That’s not a bad idea, Jim-Bo.”
Jimmy’s expression turned thoughtful. “Or maybe you could ask grandma and grandpa.”
I paused and glanced over at Jimmy. “I thought you never met your grandma and grandpa?”
Jimmy nodded. “I haven’t. Mommy says they live too far away, but I know she misses them.”
