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“Can I ask why I can hear this conversation all the way down the hall?” I spit out.
“It’s no concern of yours,” Paul hisses through gritted teeth.
“Excuse me, Mr. Bridge, but as part-owner of the company, it is.”
“There is a situation with some code. I expect my team to take their time and test before they come to me with a finished task, but Henry and Olivia haven’t used their time appropriately, and they, therefore, have wasted mine.”
I glare at him. “Paul, have you taken any management classes?”
“No.”
“Then do you know the old saying, you can get more flies with honey than vinegar?”
“What’s your point, Luc?” he bites out.
“My name is Lucian, but you can call me Mr. Wilton. The point is that if you handle your staff with a firm but respectful hand, you’ll have better results.”
“I was put in charge of this project by Zane. If you have a problem, take it up with him.”
I was growing angrier by the minute. Paul reminded me of an irritating little mosquito, and if he didn’t watch it, I would swat him.
“Zane is not in. So again, as an owner, I’m telling you that this behavior won’t be tolerated. You’re harassing your staff. There are better ways to deal with conflict, and this isn’t one of them.”
I can only watch as he casually sits down at his desk and bites into a king-sized Snickers bar that was in front of him. His stare flicked up to me while he peeled the wrapper further down and took another bite. His dismissal made me realize that he didn’t care what my opinion was of him. He thought all of his behavior was excusable.
I turned to Olivia and Henry. “You two should get back to work while I have a personal chat with Paul.”
Paul jumped up, protesting, “I’m not done with them!”
“I say you are. You can continue this after we’re done. Please give us some privacy.”
Olivia glances at me as she and Henry exit the room. I count to ten and then sit in the chair previously occupied by Henry.
“Paul, there is no easy way to say this, but you’re a fucked up little asshole. You get off on bossing around others.”
His eyes widened, and pursed lips replaced the smirk he had.
“Projecting yourself, eh, Lucian? You’re the asshole. You stroll in here, and all of a sudden, you’re a boss? I have an ironclad contract—ask Zane. I walk or get fired, and the proprietary software for the VR system comes with me. I bet you didn’t know that, did you?”
I hadn’t, and it was something that Zane should have revealed to me before I invested money and took a share of the company.
“It doesn’t give you the right to treat people poorly. It just shows how small of a man you are. If this were any other time or place, I would kick the shit out of you just to show you I could—like what you’re doing to the staff. You’re a bully.”
“Well, lucky for me, it isn’t another time or place,” he snarks. “You can’t put your hands on me, and you sure as shit can’t fire me. You should let me handle the programmers while you hide in your office, going over figures. Don’t want you to dirty up your hands too much now, do we?”
I stood because I knew that this was an argument that I was not going to win without first speaking to Zane.
“Just heed this. Don’t ever think there isn’t a way to get rid of you. There always is.”
“There might be, but either way, I become a very rich man. You can fire me, and I’ll walk right over to Futile Gaming. I’m sure they would love to see what I created. They made me a few offers before I got here. I still have lunch with a few guys over there, so my relationship with them would guarantee me a spot five minutes after I walk out the door here. So don’t think for a second that you scare me.” He sat back down to finish what was left of his candy bar.
Fists clenched, I walk out the door. I have a plan, but I need to see Paul’s contract and talk to Zane before it. Why would he make such a deal where Eltech catapulting to the top of the gaming market hinged on one asshole who could walk out the door any day unless he was kept happy?
On the way back to my office, my cell rang. I checked it and saw Zane was calling. As I skirted through my door, I answered. He didn’t even wait for me to say hello.
“What the fuck are you doing with Paul?”
“I should ask you the same thing, Zane. Why wasn’t I made aware of the lopsided contract you had with him before I plunked down seven figures?”
