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“Tell us what happened?” Rob, my uncle, as well as our Vice President of Architecture, asks.
“Bad planning, not enough research, and poor investment choice,” I answer as briefly and honestly as possible. “It won’t happen again.”
“Dammit, Joshua! I trusted you on this. I was sure you were ready.” He slams his fist so hard on the table water ripples in the glasses. I swallow down the irritation at not only the use of my first name, but also the insinuation he’s made.
He knows I prefer to be called Lawson and that I’ve worked my ass off forever for this company. There’s no way in hell I’m going to be reprimanded like an amateur.
“I take great offense to your implication that I’m not ready to step into my rightful place in this organization,” I argue, sitting up and glaring at him. “I’ve been working at Morris Construction and Development since I was fifteen years old. No one in this room or outside of these walls is more knowledgeable or insightful about how to run this division. My blood, sweat, and tears have gone into this company as much as anyone.”
“That may be true, but there’s more to running a division than having knowledge of hammers, nails, and roofs. This is a different world.”
“That’s a major fucking insult to my intelligence. Last year, I closed one of our largest deals since this company’s existence. I’ve graduated ten-fold from hammers, nails, and goddamn roofs.” My blood boils as my dad shifts uncomfortably in his seat.
It occurs to me that I may have offended him, but this is no time for weakness. My fucking career is on the line. It was his choice to stay in the field, never wanting to move up into the business. He enjoys the early mornings, the back-breaking work, and the smell of sweat and filth when he comes home at night from working a construction site.
I, on the other hand, started as a construction bitch and worked my way up. My degree in architecture was the slam-dunk into solidifying my place in the executive wing. I had to bide my time. And now is my time. Uncle Rob plans to retire, and I want his job.
Scratch that… I don’t want it. It’s mine. I deserve the position and the title. For seventeen years, I’ve been vying for this opportunity, and I’m not losing out without a fight. By the looks on the faces in front of me, there’s a good chance my error in judgment has crushed my credibility. My anger burns, my temper hanging by a thread, but I know what I need to do. Swallowing my pride is the only option to get what I want. Show them humbleness and humility.
“As I mentioned, I take full blame. But I’m ready to put this behind us. We’ve got the projects to cover our asses for the year. I’ve reviewed our financials and upcoming bids. It won’t happen again.”
My grandpa clears his throat, and I brace as he leans into the table, clasping his hands before he speaks. “You’ve made a mistake, Lawson, and we all know about mistakes. But this close to my retirement from the board, and Rob’s retirement from the company, we can’t handle any more. We have responsibilities to a lot of people, including our employees who are scared shitless. This is a family company, and I want to keep it that way. Nepotism is a thing of the past. I can’t watch Morris Construction and Development go down because of carelessness. Bad decisions are one thing, and like I said, we’ve all made them. However, your mistake costs us millions of dollars.”
His stare bores into me, and I battle the urge to squirm in my seat. His pause sends a chill down my spine. It’s one thing to be arrogant and rebellious, but I need to show him the respect he expects.
“We’ve got an opportunity to make it right. There’s a new project hitting the bidding pool, and we are going to put our name in the mix. You have a chance to set this straight and, in turn, bring in the largest endeavor this company has ever seen.”
The chill in my body turns into excitement. I can remedy my disastrous choice and prove my excellence.
“Consider it done.” There’s no hesitation in my answer.
“You are going to live, breathe, and sleep this project for the near future. Everything will be under a microscope. No more self-made decisions. You will pass each thing through Rob and the complete finance team.”
Impatience spikes in my bloodstream. The anger is back and welling to the point of explosion. How fucking dare them treat me like an inexperienced grunt? I’m the reason we are doing as well as we are with multi-millions in profits—even with the fallout from my recent mistake. Because of my design style and in-depth expertise with new age and environmental resources, we are kicking our competitors’ asses.
“I’m not going to be micromanaged.” I bite my tongue not to remind the room that Rob’s retiring at the age of fifty-nine a very wealthy man because of me.
Grandpa’s eyes flare with disapproval.
I have a reputation for being hot-headed and arrogant, a reputation I rightly earned. Rarely do I give a fuck about what people think, but today, I was prepared to show remorse.
Wrong fucking decision.
It seems my strategy today to admit my mistake was a waste. They had their minds made and planned to knock me down a notch. This was a chance for them to once again show who’s the boss.
I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths, knowing they are intentionally testing my control. Then I think about the gratification of proving them wrong when I win this bid and they have no choice but to apologize for doubting me. My reward will be the title and promotion. The big picture becomes clear in my head, and I raise my eyes back to my grandpa.
“I’ll amend that statement. All initial plans will be presented directly to Rob until he’s satisfied I’m on the right track. Then I do the spatial layout, the internal design, and scale model on my own. As always, I’ll work closely with construction, materials, finance, and every other department to ensure complete unity.”
Grandpa looks to Rob, who gives a curt nod of approval, and they both return their eyes back to me.
“One more thing, Lawson. We are implementing a new policy, starting this minute. Fraternization is no longer allowed.”
My stomach plummets, and I can no longer keep eye contact. My dad’s audible grumble sends shame pulsing through me.
Fuck! I was sure no one would find out. It was a mistake to sleep with Kyra, and I thought me sneaking away without a goodbye would clue her in. Apparently not.
“Fraternization will not be a problem,” I reply somberly.
