AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"I don't know that you have overlooked a damn thing,” Kylian reassures me. “Gerry is... Gerry. It's how he even got the interim CEO gig in the first place. Because it's the only thing grandfather thought he could do. Smooth things over, until the board thought you were ‘experienced’ enough to take over the position permanently. What Grandfather may have overlooked was justhow power hungry his second child was, and how much he was going to want to keep the position for himself."
Matthias slaps his hand on the air of his chair. "All he's done is take the credit for our work for years. Maybe that's the first mistake we made."
"What should we have done, instead? Fucked up on purpose? Let him take the blame for our mistakes? No thanks. That doesn't make us any better than him. In the end all that matters is that Baxter Enterprises is the best company we can make it. For us, our employees and our customers,” Damien blasts, in one of his longer speeches.
Silence descends as we sit seething about how much trouble our uncle has caused us, individually and as a company.
"Well, all we can do is go in and see what Gerry has to say and go from there. I just wish there was a clue about what we were doing up again."
I like to go into meetings knowing what's up for offer and what I'm ready to give away.
In this case, all I know is what I'm not willing to sacrifice.
Two things.
Baxter Enterprises. And Luna Pham.
Forty-Seven
Kingsley
Even though we arrivehalf an hour before the time the meeting is scheduled, everyone else is already in the conference room when we get there. Even all of the international members who usually join by video conference for the less important meetings are in attendance.
My brothers, my father and I take our seats along one side of the conference table without a word.
Usually, this room is my domain.
Iam the director of Baxter Enterprises’s UK and Europe division. Even when Gerry had an office here, he only showed up about once a month to put in an appearance and throw his expense card around, buying food and drinks for the employees and talking about sports like he was a benevolent leader, man of the people.
Even now, he's still sitting down at the opposite end of the table to the Chairman's seat, unofficially reserved for our CEO. I had considered being petty and not giving him access to the building, but the pay-off would've been low and I would've looked low doing it.
We were going to win by rising above that pond scum.
Everyone settles into their seats, the air crackling with tension.
Usually there is some chit chat, small talk, everyone asking about each other's families.
Today - total silence except for the sound of water pouring into glasses and cough drops being unwrapped.
And then Leonard Applebaum, our Chairman of the board, stands, calling the start of the meeting.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this emergency board meeting has been called by Gerald Baxter. Mr. Baxter, you have the floor."
Our uncle stands up, making a show of buttoning his jacket and calling his assistant in to hand out some folders and fan out a stack of documents in front of him.
I don't touch mine.
None of us do.
"Mr. Chairman of the board and fellow board members, I'm here today to bring your attention to a serious matter that relates to Kingsley Baxter, the director of our Baxter Enterprises UK and Europe division. This relates to his conduct, his campaign for the position of Chief Executive Office at our Annual General Meeting in two months, and specifically, his relationship with Miss Luna Pham. "
I jump up from my seat.
I see Matthias lunge forward to pull me back into my seat but both my father and Damien stop him with a shake of their heads. Good. Anywhere else, they are my brothers. In this boardroom, we are colleagues of the same rank. And I won't have my authority undermined.
Facing the Chairman, I say, "I move that any content relating to my personal relationship be disallowed from this meeting and Gerald's so-called testimony. It has no relevance to anything of consequence to my role or the work that I have done."
Leonard waves me down. "Please sit down, Kingsley. Gerald, continue, but please keep in mind the relevance of what you're presenting. If the board finds that it is superfluous, you will not be allowed to continue,"
