Page 11

I exhale through my nose and reach for my mouse. There’s work to do. There’s always work to do.

I open my inbox. The words on the screen blur for a second.

All I can see is the look on her face when she asked if she’d done something wrong.

You’re a distraction I can’t afford, I want to say.

I never said it out loud. Which makes this the right decision. It has to be.

A sharp knock breaks through my thoughts, but I don't have to guess who it is as the door swings open. My assistant, Jeremy, comes straight in. He looks up from his tablet just long enough to make sure I'm not on the phone.

"Are you ready for your morning brief, Sir?" he asks, his finger already scrolling through my calendar on his screen.

Slicked back hair, perfectly tailored suit. He knows what it takes to be an assistant at this level—extreme focus, and he looks the part. Jeremy has worked with me long enough to read a room without asking questions. That’s one of the reasons he isn’t redundant.

He interned for my father before he passed. He knows Kauffman Enterprises inside out, is only a year younger than me, and his institutional knowledge is unmatched. I exhale first.

"Go ahead," I confirm.

He nods. "Sponsorship call with the Harvey Group and Sienna at nine. Planning session with PR at ten. Board prep meeting with Christian at eleven. And the charity auction for the Hawkeyes next week needs some signatures from the party planner that Penelope hired." He pauses. "Everly asked me to remind you that you’re supposed to ‘look approachable for once,’ and to ‘pick a bride already so you two can be photographed at the event together for media coverage.’"

He doesn’t even blink as he quotes my sister verbatim.

I pinch the bridge of my nose. "Of course she did."

"Also, HR asked me to confirm that you delivered Miss Taylor’s termination notice personally."

I nod. "It’s done."

"Severance package filed as discussed. Two weeks beyond standard."

He says it free of any emotion either way. It’s not his job to approve or disapprove of my decisions. It’s his job to make sure they happen.

"Thank you for taking care of that. Anything else?" I ask.

"That’s all for now," he says. "Do you want me to have Facilities disable Miss Taylor’s access badge immediately?"

I mull the question a beat too long, which confirms letting her go was the right move.

"Yes. That's a good idea," I say at last. "Clean lines are the safest."

He nods and leaves.

Firing one assistant is a small decision in the larger picture, not that I revel in the idea of letting people go, but in her case, it was necessary for me to keep distractions low. So why does the office feel unbalanced all of a sudden?

My phone buzzes. Levi.

I consider ignoring it since he's been giving me shit ever since I told him that my assistant was off limites. Then I remember that if I don’t answer, he’ll just show up.

I swipe to accept. "What do you want Levi? I'm busy."

"Well, good morning to you, too," Levi says. "Did you fire the pretty assistant yet?"

My jaw tightens. "Levi."

"Oh, so you did. That was fast."

"She was a duplication. I told you this already."