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I listened half-heartedly to Mr. Keating as he showed me around the office spaces where the staff worked. Brian already showed me video footage of Amhurst Co.’s headquarters a long time ago, so I already knew where we were going.
After the tour, Mr. Keating took me to the posh building complex that housed the offices for senior managers and directors. I became hyperaware as I knew Noah, Corey, and Caleb’s worked here.
Thankfully, Tom and Greg trailed behind me, making me feel safe as I made my way to Brian’s office.
Just before entering the reception area, I turned around to face my bodyguards. “I’m going to be here for a few hours,” I said, gesturing toward the closed door of Brian’s office. “You guys can take a break.”
“We don’t mind waiting, Azalea,” said Greg, the older guy with closely cropped blond hair.
Tom flicked a lock of dark hair away from his eyes and grinned. “The assistants and secretaries keep bringing us coffee and snacks. We won’t need lunch after all the muffins we’ve devoured since this morning.”
A chuckle escaped me. “I’m glad you guys are enjoying yourselves.”
“We’ll wait here,” said Greg in a deep reassuring voice. “Get done with your meeting.”
I gave a nod and walked forward. The receptionist glanced at me and gestured toward the door to Brian’s office. I smiled at her and pushed open the door.
“There you are,” Brian greeted me at once. Getting to his feet, he moved around his massive desk and came forward to meet me.
I smiled, feeling relaxed for the first time that morning.
He was the only person before whom I could let down my mask. My shoulders sagged as he hugged me.
“I didn’t think I could get through it,” I admitted, letting him see the toll the day took on me.
“You were strong, kiddo,” he said, slapping my shoulder. “You didn’t let anyone throw you off. Not even Noah.”
“Noah was the easiest to deal with,” I said, following him toward the sofa set in the corner of his vast office space.
I let out a long huff and fell onto a couch. Brian took a seat on the other side of the coffee table and poured me a cup of tea. From the aroma wafting toward me, I guessed it to be his favorite Earl Grey.
I took my shoes off and started massaging my aching feet. Walking around in high heels for most of the morning made my ankles hurt.
“Noah was the most invasive,” he said, sliding a teacup toward me.
I shook my head. “He asked the questions I was expecting from others. I’m surprised everyone else has been so welcoming.”
“They’ve all run intensive investigations about the way you run your company,” he said. Taking a sip of his tea, he hummed. “They want you here, sweetheart. Noah’s great and all, but he has a prickly personality. He doesn’t trust people. The management nearly wept when I announced another person for the post of CEO.”
A dry chuckle escaped me. “He hasn’t changed one bit.”
“Did you talk to him outside the boardroom?”
“I didn’t,” I said, taking a gulp of the warm, fragrant tea. “Corey and Caleb caught up with me though. They wanted to give me a tour but I’m sure they were looking for a chance to intimidate and bully me.”
“You haven’t wanted me talking about them these past five years, honey, and I understand why,” Brian began in a serious tone. “But you can’t keep avoiding them for the rest of your life.”
“Why not?” I said, pouting. “We can communicate through emails and personal assistants.”
Brian shook his head. “You know that won’t always be possible.” Putting down his teacup, he fixed me with a serious look. “Even when you take your place as the CEO, you can’t get rid of them. They are major shareholders and will always have a position in Amhurst Co.”
“I know that.”
“You must promise me never to do anything to jeopardize that.”
Brian never spoke so seriously about safeguarding his sons’ place in the company. Were my power and influence starting to threaten his sons’ futures?
“They hate me,” I said in a strained voice. “They’re the ones who hurt me. You should be exacting promises from them, not me. They’re the ones who’ll come after me. Noah won’t sit quietly while he sees me as a threat.”
