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“Cyrus, we didn’t make any decisions. We were simply pointing out a concern we had about you and this publicist. Come on.” Ken’s voice is growing frantic; he’s almost begging, and it would be flattering if it weren’t so pathetic.
“Now, another reason why I know that all you soulless assholes in here forgot who the fuck I am,” I say, leaning over to grab the stack of files from the table and placing it in front of me. “Is because I’ve had a file on each and every one of you since before this deal happened. The second we even mentioned the idea of Gates Enterprises acquiring Meridian, I did my due diligence and then some.” I see the panicked look spreading from face to face in the room, everyone wondering just how deep my digging went.
God, I love this part.
“I know more about each of you than your wives, girlfriends, mistresses, secret love children, hookers, drug dealers, bookies, mob friends, cops you have in your pockets… Should I keep going?” Nobody says a word. “That’s what I thought. So here you all are, riding on your moral high horse, trying to strong-arm me into conceding things along the way of this deal by holding a morality clause over my head. Meanwhile, I could have destroyed you all professionally, personally, and financially years ago, yet I chose not to. I chose to play fairly in this deal, even though you didn’t.” I wag my finger at them. They’re like a bunch of scared little kids, staring at me, praying for mercy. “I have no interest in dealing with people like you.”
I begin to walk around the room, placing everyone’s file down in front of them. “If you think for one second that I was going to sell out the woman I love to gain this deal, to make all of you happy, you’re out of your damn minds. But there’s one of you that went above and beyond.” I save the last file, Nelson’s file, still holding on to it as I slowly walk toward where he’s sitting. “One of you is the epitome of a spineless, bloodsucking leech that I was actually fooled by, silly me.” I place the file down in front of a shocked Nelson, his mouth falling open.
“Cyrus, please. I didn’t know. I mean, I was just trying to?—”
I hold my hand up to silence him. “I can’t tell you how uninterested I am in hearing your excuses. Oh, and by the way, I spoke with your new boss, Peter. Turns out he’s pulling the offer he extended to you. Seems like you not only threw away your retirement after fifteen years here at Gates, but you don’t have another job and you violated at least four different laws concerning your contract here, your noncompete, and the NDA you signed.”
“Cyrus, please!” he begs, literally pressing his hands together, almost falling out of his chair.
I can’t hide the disgust on my face as I look down at him. “I hope it was worth it.” I turn to look back to the rest of the men in the room as I button my suit coat. “Now get the fuck out of my building.” I march out of the conference room, pulling out my phone to call Presley, but it goes straight to voicemail.
I don’t bother trying again. Instead, I head downstairs to drive over to Lisa’s office. When I arrive, I look up Presley’s name on the registry and find where her cubicle is located. I nod at a few people in passing, taking the elevator and heading to her floor, but when I approach her desk, it’s empty. I check the time; it’s nowhere near lunch. I don’t really have a choice. I decide to head up to Lisa’s office to find out where she is.
“Hi, Mr. Gates.” Her assistant smiles at me warmly as I exit the elevator and approach her office. “I didn’t see you on the schedule today; did I mess that up?”
“No, Wendy, I am here unofficially. She wouldn’t happen to be in, would she?”
“She is. Let me just buzz her.” I nod. “Lisa, Mr. Gates is here. Any chance you have a few minutes?”
She doesn’t respond. Instead, her door swings open and she stands in the doorway. “Cyrus? Everything okay?”
“Yeah, I think so. Thank you, Wendy.” I walk around her desk and head into Lisa’s office, closing the door. “Is Presley in today? I tried calling her and it went to voicemail. I didn’t see her at her desk either.”
“She’s not actually. Is there something I can help you with?”
I slide my hands in my pockets, trying to think about how to explain that I just need to talk to her. She clearly reads the expression on my face. She pulls her glasses off and sinks down into her chair.
“You’re the reason, aren’t you?”
“Pardon?”
“The reason she’s on a flight to New York City today to interview at Pemberly & Associates PR.”
“She’s what?” I don’t even attempt to hide the shock in my voice. “Why?”
“You tell me, Cyrus. What did you do to that girl?”
I drag my hands over my face. “Fuck,” I mutter.
“I warned you, didn’t I? What did I tell you?” Lisa has the ability to remain so stoically calm while she’s threatening someone.
“I know and you have every right, but it’s not like that, Lisa,” I say, sitting down on the chair across from her. I look up at her, leaning forward as I rest my elbows on my knees. “I’m in love with her.”
Chapter 28
Presley
I look out the window as the captain makes our final descent into New York. I want to be excited; I’m trying to be, but all I can think about is Cyrus and this deal with Meridian.
I don’t know when his final meeting with them is, but I know it’s soon. As hurt as I was by his decision to walk away from me, I want the best for him. I want him to be happy. He looked defeated that last day of class. I know he’s hurting too. As much as I want to hate him, I can’t.
When I land, I turn airplane mode off on my phone and a text pops up from Serenity.
