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Chapter One
GRAYSON
Pushing my fingers against my temples, I willed myself not to lose my temper. The entire company was riding on me and yet I wasn’t able to get a single productive thing done because I was surrounded by incompetence.
“Where are the documents, Miss Sharp?”
She let out a whine, sticking her bottom lip out. She’d probably been using that move since infancy and had never had it fall short before. It just proved that she was terrible at her job if she thought I was the one to be swayed by that. A gun to my head would be more effective.
“Mr Andrews, I swear I never received them.”
“Bullshit. I sent them two weeks ago,” the man across from me growled. He was an important client, and I needed to make nice with this man if I wanted to keep his investment, but still…
“Mr Melvin, I understand you’re angry, but please don’t speak that way to my secretary. I’m sure there’s a perfectly understandable explanation as to why Miss Sharp doesn’t have what we need.”
That was a lie. I’d hired Robyn on the recommendation of another CEO. His daughter was looking for work and I was looking to make a deal with him. I had no idea what I was getting myself into when he mentioned her job search in a hint to get me to hire her. She was a spoiled brat and didn’t do anything more than she absolutely had to. Losing documents was par for the course for her.
Melvin wasn’t a bad man, just very vocal in his displeasure. He scowled at my attempts to calm the situation before settling back in his seat, his arms crossed over his chest. With a heavy sigh, I picked up my phone to call down to the front desk.
“Good Morning, LifeTech Corporations, this is Priya speaking. How may I help you?”
“Priya, this is Grayson Andrews. My secretary seems to have misplaced an important file. Can you check to see when it arrived?”
Priya worked the front desk and was one of the few people I knew wouldn’t screw up on the job. I was almost tempted to move her up here as my secretary, but she was the best I had to handle the front desk. It would be just as much of a headache if not more to find her replacement.
“Oh, Mr Andrews! Absolutely, I can do that for you. When was the file supposed to arrive?”
I rattled off the information, using all the self discipline I had not to glare at Robyn. I’d asked her three times before this meeting if she had received the documents. She assured me every time that she had them and they were ready to go. I should’ve made her physically show me.
“Yes, the file arrived last Tuesday, but it was never picked up. If you’ll give me just a moment, I’ll see if it’s still here.”
She put me on hold and I ground my teeth, counting slowly in my head to keep myself from losing control. Important documents had a chain of custody to them since a lot of them had private information with them. They were supposed to be picked up by Robyn directly and brought upstairs. If not retrieved in time, they were sent back or destroyed. Which meant that the files could’ve been destroyed because Robyn was too lazy to go downstairs and retrieve them.
The line clicked over, and Priya’s voice spoke again. “Good news, Mr Andrews. It was sitting in the pile set to be returned this evening. I managed to snag it before they left. Would you like me to bring it to you?”
“I would appreciate it, Priya. Thank you.”
“Right away, sir.”
She hung up and I let out a slow breath. “The files are on their way up. Miss Sharp, you’re excused for now. I’ll speak to you after my meeting.”
She still had her lip sticking out when she left my office. It would take work to explain to her father why I wouldn’t be keeping her on, but I didn’t have the time or the energy to deal with her along with everything else. While we waited for Priya to bring the files for the meeting, I sent a quick text to Bennett telling him to meet me up here after the meeting. I didn’t trust Robyn not to throw a fit once I let her go.
* * *
Thanks to Priya’s quick actions, the meeting passed without a hitch. Melvin was pleased with the outcome and seemed interested in investing more in the future, should this project go well. It was the best I could hope for, and I was practically smiling when I stood and shook his hand.
“Ya know, I was a little worried about getting involved with such a new company, no matter how profitable you’ve been in the last few quarters. But I think this will work out well. I look forward to the results,” he said, clapping one hand on my shoulder.
“Someone will be in touch with you soon, Mr Melvin. We’re going to get this product off the ground and into homes just as soon as we can.”
He chuckled. “I believe we will. My Miriam would be so proud. Just make sure next time to have someone you can trust handling your documents. I know from experience what that kind of tomfoolery can do to a company. I’d hate for someone like that to be your downfall.”
I fought off a scowl. “Don’t worry, Mr Melvin. I’ll handle it myself.”
He nodded gravely. “See that you do. I’ll see myself out. Good working with you, Andrews.”
I walked him to the door to my office and watched him leave before turning my attention to the empty desk right outside my office. I told Robyn to wait for me, but she was nowhere to be found now. I looked around with a frown. It wasn’t even the end of the work day. Not that my day ended when everyone else went home, but still. Most people were still at their desks, working diligently.
