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He’d sat down to read, and his expression was so serious now.
He’s discovering exactly how fucked his project is.
“So he’s working with Taisir Jatt,” Ye Joon says.
I’ve heard the name before. He’s a big name in artificial intelligence. He’s a Standford grad with serious skills. “That’s what he claims in the article. Now I need to know who his investor is because Jatt won’t come for cheap, and he’s not putting in sweat equity. He’ll want money upfront along with a stake in the business.”
The thing was the article had alluded to Nick’s project looking for big funding after Nick had put his own money in. It was practically an advertisement to attract investors.
“Ivy, did you do those things he says you did?” Lydia asks. She’s wearing a vibrant red housedress and a matching hair wrap, long earrings dangling. She could be a fortune teller at an upscale carnival.
I could guess what she would say about my future. “I did, though not for the reasons he’s attributing to me.”
“He’s trying to make himself look good,” Ria says with a shake of her head. “He was the CFO. The company had to be sold because of mismanagement of funds.”
“Then it sounds like it was his fault,” Lydia replies.
“It was.” Heath doesn’t look up, merely keeps reading.
“And it wasn’t.” I had a part in my own downfall. “He’s right that I wasn’t paying attention the last couple of months before we sold. I was working on adjusting the software, and I took my eyes off the ball.”
“You mean you didn’t do the CFO’s job as well as your own,” Ria points out.
“I also didn’t check into rumors that I heard. I should have done my due diligence,” I reply.
The article was part showcase of a young man on the rise and part misogynist fantasy. When the “reporter,” who also happens to be Nick’s buddy, asked if he learned anything from working with me, Nick had gone on a tirade about how emotional I was, how I didn’t appreciate his advice, how if he’d been at the helm, Jensen Medical would still be around. Oh, and the only reason he put up with my megalomaniacal bossiness was the somewhat abusive relationship we were in. He hadn’t used those exact words, but it was there.
That man hates me.
Heath’s eyes are suddenly on me. “Don’t.”
I’m not sure what he’s talking about. “Don’t?”
“Do not pull the martyr card on me now, Jensen.” He stands, his shoulders squaring. “This is bullshit and you know it. You standing there trying to take the blame is bullshit, too. They didn’t even call to get your rebuttal, did they?”
“I don’t think they want it. Look, that was a hit piece on me, but the reasoning behind it is to effectively stop the backing of this project so the money can flow to his. He knows he can’t beat us any other way. If he halts our capital flow, he halts the project.” I’d decided on a path on the subway ride. There would be no three weeks for the two of us. “I’m stepping out of this project. We can find someone else to run it and once the distraction is out of the way, I think you might be able to still meet with Huffman, and if you can get in the room with him, you can sell Emma.”
His head falls back, and he groans.
Actually, they all kind of do that.
Except Lydia. Her small body stiffens and seems almost supercharged with anger. All of it directed my way.
This is going to hurt like hell.
She points a finger my way. “Ivy Jensen, you will do no such thing. You will not walk away from your friends and family and let that terrible man win. I did not fight for women’s rights so you can wilt at the very first hint of some man insulting you.”
I’m pretty sure my jaw is on the floor. Does she have any idea the kind of crap I have to put up with on a daily basis in this industry? “I’m not wilting.”
“Yes, you are, and I won’t have it,” Lydia announces. “You will give me this CeCe woman’s phone number. I will speak with her myself, and you, young lady, will get back to work. Think about how you’re going to take this man down because we are going to do it. I don’t know where your relatives are from but mine are Sicilian. I assure you, we do not let a slight against our family pass easily.”
Lydia turns and her housedress flows behind her as she stalks down the hall.
“Damn, I’m scared of Nonna now,” Ye Joon says.
Ria simply smiles and nods like she knew she had it in her the whole time. “Nonna’s a badass.”
I’m intimidated, but I have to say something. “I’m only trying to spare you and Heath. If I leave…”
