AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ll see what I can do.” He chuckled. “But no, I’m not promoting him. My father has built an incredibly successful company, but his practices and policies are outdated and unsustainable. Massive changes need to be made so it can stay relevant in the changing market, but that costs money and takes time. Malcolm is convinced I’m going to fail and destroy everything my father built. He’s trying to get the board of directors on his side so they’ll refuse to work with the new CEO I’ve already hired, and fight any of my proposed changes.”
“Maybe the new boss will be able to put him in his place?”
“I’m sure she will, but—”
“She’s a she, and your boomer dad and sucky mclemon face are too misogynistic to wrap their brains around a woman being able to do the job? And I’m guessing the board of directors is made up of a bunch of dinosaurs who also suffer from fragile masculinity?”
The corners of his mouth tilted up in a smile. “Exactly.”
“That’s annoying.”
“It is. I’ve managed to keep the board on my side, but every time Malcolm hears something he doesn’t agree with, he goes running to my father to tell him. Then I have to deal with my father’s micromanaging and waste my time explaining everything to him, while also juggling the egos on the board and trying to keep everyone appeased.”
“He’s tattling on you? Is he five?”
“Apparently.”
“And I’m guessing you can’t say anything to him or talk to Emily about this?”
He shook his head. “Malcolm is good at what he does, but he’s not the future I want for the company. He’s in a unique position because of his engagement to my sister and his close relationship with my father. He has no respect for my authority and there’s nothing I can do about it until the paperwork has been signed and the company is officially mine. But she’s stressed about the wedding, and she hates business, so putting any of this on her isn’t an option.”
“What about your mom?”
“She’s on Dad’s side. No matter what, she’ll always pick his side.”
“That sounded a bit bitter.”
He crossed his arms. “My mother is a product of her environment. She was raised to put her husband first and her children second. Her entire focus has always been on him and his career. She’s not a bad person, but there were plenty of times when Emily and I have needed our mom to protect us, and she didn’t.”
“I’m sorry. That sucks. My parents were the opposite. They always told us that their first job is being parents, and their second job is being a partner. I was lucky I grew up knowing they’d always have my back. It sounds like you didn’t have that.”
He shook his head. “It’s always been me and Emily against them. And they’ve already proven their support is conditional.”
“What do you mean?”
“One of the reasons my parents are thrilled Emily is marrying lemon face is because he’s an appropriate choice.” He grinned, his bad mood breaking.
I grinned back, trying like hell to ignore the warmth that snaked through my chest at the soft look in his eyes. “You mean he’s rich and boring and will do whatever your dad says?”
“Precisely. He also comes from a respectable family with good connections, so that makes him an even more attractive choice.
“Emily was always the wild child of the family. Our parents forbade her from pursuing modeling; she did it anyway. They threatened to cut her off if she didn’t quit working in fashion and focus on finding a suitable husband, so she went no-contact and supported herself until they gave in. Now that she’s made a proper match and is taking on a more traditional role, our parents are frothing at the mouth for them to get married.”
“Which makes it extra hard to deal with lemon face’s attitude because no one wants to upset him before the big day,” I guessed out loud.
Evan nodded at the same moment his phone rang. He pulled it out of his sweatpants and looked at the screen warily.
“Dude, it’s almost eleven at night. Don’t answer it.”
He made a face. “I have to.”
“Do you?” I gave him a pointed look. “Or do you just think you do because you’ve been trained to always be available to people?”
He shrugged and swiped to answer it. “Yes?”
“Doesn’t even say hello like a normal person,” I muttered.
“I understand your concerns,” he said in a robotic voice. “But there’s nothing we can do right now. Put everything in an email and I’ll handle it in the morning.” He pulled the phone away from his ear and ended the call.
