Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75592 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75592 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
“I understand,” I say, moving my hand over to lay on top of his. “I got this, Ethan.”
CHAPTER 8
Gabe
Pacing back and forth in my home office, I rub at my neck, which has tightened into knots. “Clara… I do not have time to rehash all of this with you. My father is no longer chairman. The vote was properly called for and executed. You need to deal with it or you can resign your position. Which is it going to be?”
“I am going to hold you accountable,” she snaps with the iron bite of a woman who’s been helping to helm the empire for decades. “You may think you know what you’re doing, but you’re just a young pup and you are out of your league.”
Someone with a lesser ego might be intimidated by her rebuke, but I recognize what this is. Clara is fearful she’ll be ousted right alongside my father. She represents part of the old guard. She sees that I want to bring new and young blood onto the board because I have a greater vision than my father did.
Simply put, she’s concerned for her livelihood.
“Clara, you are a vital and integral part of this organization. I need people like you and Uncle Terrance on the board who can help advise me and who are willing to let me guide this ship under such advice. But I can’t battle you and do my job at the same time. You need to decide which way it’s going to be.”
I listen to her ramble for another five minutes, but I note that she’s no longer playing the blame game for what I did to my father. Deep down she knows we cannot have an accused attempted murderer on our board. It would kill our reputation and our product.
Ultimately, we end the call with the promise to meet tomorrow for lunch so we can discuss her concerns. I’m confident I can get her reined in but to be on the safe side, I shoot a quick text to Uncle Terrance and invite him to join us. He’s an ally no one expected me to have since he’s incredibly close to my father and has essentially been his right-hand man. I know it was a dagger to Lionel’s heart when Uncle Terrance voted against him, but my uncle saw the writing on the wall and he knew it was time to jump ship.
After pocketing my phone, I move to my desk and stuff several folders in my briefcase. I glance around my new home office, loving the casual comfort. I love even more not having to wear a suit when I choose to work from here rather than the office and while my jeans and shirt are designer, they’re still representative of some of the changes happening with me.
As awesome as it was to kick my dad off the board of directors, the real victory was in getting Ethan’s agreement to let me see Sylvie. I dropped the revised trust agreement off yesterday with Kat and before I went to bed last night, she told me via text that Ethan agreed. He wasn’t about to let me get my hands on her alone and I understand that. It appears that Kat is to be our chaperone, so I’m headed to Blackburn Farms now to spend the afternoon with my niece.
I sling the briefcase over my shoulder and move to the couch to grab the two shopping bags filled with presents for Sylvie. I feel no need to buy her affection as I’m confident in the bond I’ve developed with her since the day she was born, but it makes me feel good to give her something to bring a smile to her face. God knows she needs it.
Sylvie and I have always been tight. I went to France a handful of times each year to visit and we stayed in frequent contact by phone or FaceTime. That was a reflection of the rock-solid bond I had with my sister Alaine, born of being raised in the same cold sterile home environment. We really only had each other.
When Alaine got sick with brain cancer and we realized she was dying, my bond with Sylvie strengthened even more. Alaine and Sylvie came to live with us in Kentucky and when Sylvie wasn’t spending time with her mother, she was at my side.
I had even fancied in my mind that I would be the one to raise Sylvie after my sister died. It made the most sense and I even started making plans to get out from under my parents’ roof and buy a home Sylvie and I could live in.
That all went to hell after the truth came out that Ethan Blackburn was Sylvie’s father. The cruel twist of betrayal from my sister was that she wanted Sylvie to live with him and not me.