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Chapter 12
When something looks too good to be true, then it probably is. That was my relationship with Austin. There was no talking to him. Each time I tried; his hostility got the best of him. I ended it. I came to collect my clothing and personal effects from his home a week later.
He stalked after me, peppering me with insults. The last thing I did was remove the ring he gave me less than two weeks ago. My heart was shredded, and I knew he was hurting, but too proud to admit it. I had no idea what went wrong and why he shut down.
The night I left Austin’s place after our fight, I considered calling it quits at Spotlight and hunting for a new job. I knew that I wouldn’t have to look long because plenty of companies would’ve snapped me up in a minute. Instead, I agreed to the terms Hassan and the board set forth to whip management into shape at Tailwind Studios. My salary and bonuses would increase, but money wasn’t everything. At this point, it was the only thing I had.
To say my parents were thrilled that I split from Austin was an understatement. They thought I could do better. I didn’t want better, I wanted him, but we were wrong for each other.
Hassan called me the day after my thirty-third birthday in mid-September. The acquisition was moving faster than expected, and by the first week in October, the sale would be complete. He wanted me to start working at Tailwind as soon as the paperwork was filed. Spotlight would be putting me up at The Pierre in Manhattan, a five-star hotel.
It was fine with me; I needed the distraction from my misery. I felt my heart harden again; the ice queen was back. I would need the edge when I started work at Tailwind. My first order of business when I arrived on the fifth of October was to interview all the employees.
Upper management was a train wreck, and the policies Tailwind had in place made no sense. I would need to mirror those of our parent company, Spotlight International, immediately. This sent a ripple through the company, and I became enemy number one with the other executives. It didn’t matter to me because I planned on removing all of them except two. The environment was toxic, and I needed to get rid of the poison.
I was sitting in my office on the Friday I handed out pink slips when the President, Thomas Pelter, barged through my door waving his termination letter.
His thick face was bright red, and I hoped he wouldn’t have a heart attack in my office. “What the fuck is this, you bitch?”
I crossed my arms and a cold calm settled as my true ice queen demeanor kicked in. “It looks like a termination letter. You’re relieved of your position.”
“You can’t do this. We were told all senior management would be retained.”
“Mr. Pelter, you’re a cancer to this organization. I’m well aware of your two-hour liquid lunches and flirting with the younger female staffers. You’re lazy and insubordinate. There’s no place at Tailwind for you.”
“You’re a cunt. They said you had a reputation, but with your looks, I didn’t believe it was true.”
I tightened my arms. “My looks have nothing to do with my capabilities as a CEO. I don’t need to justify my decision to you. You’re fired. Security is on their way up to escort you out of the building.”
He moved toward me as a security team came through my door to escort him out. Thomas and six other senior staffers were let go that afternoon. I had already poached talent from other companies in Manhattan, and four of the seven positions would be refilled by Monday.
I didn’t give a shit about emotions of other people. I was here to do a job. I waited until the office grew quiet and got my coat on. My assistant, Luna, an older woman with bottle blonde hair of about fifty years old, was sitting at her desk outside my office. She looked up at me as I came out the door.
“Miss Stone?”
“I’m leaving for the evening.”
“Will you be in tomorrow?”
“Absolutely. I expect you here at eight sharp.”
She almost grimaced. I told her when I arrived that she would be required to be here when I was.
“Can I ask how long I’ll be staying?”
“It’s a regular workday, so 5:00 PM.”
I finished securing my coat and walked past her to the elevators. I could imagine Luna was cursing me out, but that wasn’t my problem. I didn’t care if people had lives outside of work. I didn’t, and I expected them to be here when I was.
Outside, the weather was shitty and made me long for the warmth of Los Angeles. This week I hadn’t been able to head back to the West Coast. I pulled the collar of my new graphite woolen coat around my neck as a burst of wind hit me. Cabs were plentiful, and I hailed one to take me back to my hotel.
Manhattan was a new environment for me. I had never been here before, and of course, the changing seasons were something that I never experienced. I knew no one here except for Edith Doyle, Austin’s grandmother. I wondered if he told her we were broken up and I wondered what she would say. It didn’t matter, not many things mattered to me other than righting Tailwind and getting back to Los Angeles.
The next morning, I walked into Tailwind at 7:30 AM. A few designers were at their desks working on projects for which I had familiarized myself the past few days. They nodded their heads when they saw me. For the first half hour, I handled emails from Spotlight, directing my team on certain negotiations that were upcoming. I planned to fly back on Wednesday and stay until Friday afternoon. At 7:58, my intercom buzzed, letting me know my assistant was in.
I hit the button. “Luna, please come into my office.”
When the door opened, I saw that Luna was dressed casually in blue jeans and a black sweater, her hair was in a messy bun on the top of her head. I was taken aback that she wouldn’t dress properly for work.
