Chapter 3
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ANASTASIA
Slamming the door shut, I try to tame the hot white rage that begins to flood my veins. “What the fuck is this?” The three vultures crane their necks to look at me.
Lawerence — the one who no doubt called this sham of a meeting — is perched at the end of the table. He smirks, like he can sense all the inappropriate obscenities I want to scream at him.
“Miss Romano, glad you could join us.” He gestures to the empty chair at the head of the table as though he actually respects my authority.
I tap my freshly manicured nails against the solid oak wood, watching him flinch at the sound. “I’d prefer to stand and besides, I almost missed the meeting considering how no-one informed me that it was called.”
“A mistake on our part I’m sure.”
The tension in the room is so thick you could slice straight through it. Harrison and Rutherford are seated at either side of Lawrence, mimicking his smug malice.
It doesn’t help that they’re all second in command to me. All with chief positions that they inherited from their own fathers who taught them that a woman in charge is unnatural.
I sigh, a sense of unease creeping along my spine the longer Lawrence stares at me. Men like this are just children that become aggravated when someone else takes the toy that they want.
Especially when that someone is a twenty-five-year-old woman with an IQ double his.
“There was a lawsuit filed yesterday—”
“Yes, I already know about it and the best lawyer we have is currently dealing with that situation.”
His eyes narrow, pinning me with his subtle rage. “The teenager barely out of law school? ”
“She’s a highly qualified corporate lawyer with a background in PR to help deal with the fallout. The issue is being dealt with so if that’s why you called the meeting then—”
“It’s not.” Harrison interrupts. He stands in an obviously pathetic attempt to intimidate me. “Although our CEO being taken to court for overreacting gives us cause to worry.”
In his hands, he’s clutching a letter. As he walks slowly around the table, I try to observe the wax seal that’s been broken on the envelope. The design on the seal is splintered, causing the image to become distorted in my mind as I try to place it.
He throws the letter on the table and I manage to catch it before it can slip off the edge. “We’ve had an offer and it’s a generous one. I’m sure you’ve heard of Mr Enzo Mancini, head of Mancini incorporated, the second most profitable business in Southern Italy.”
“Of course I have.” Who hasn’t? They have their hand dipped in almost everything, including automotives, finance, insurance and most recently have started deals within the US to expand. It’s my job to know who my potential competitors are and how to crush them.
“Mr Mancini wrote to the company detailing the terms of his offer.”
“What offer?” I hate feeling like the odd one out, the last to know something. It puts me at a disadvantage like I don’t already have one in a room full of men with egos that reek. I carefully pull out the letter, scoffing when I see the name. “It’s addressed to me.”
Harrison swallows harshly as I stare up at him, “We’ve been monitoring you for a while, just to ensure that you aren’t making rash decisions.”
Because I’m a woman. Great, cue the eye roll now.
“So you admit to stealing from me?” I watch the sweat begin to bead along his greasy forehead, his cockiness dissipating into fear as I plot all the ways I could destroy him.
“Enough.” Lawrence slams his fist onto the table. It’s enough to earn my attention, despite the ape like mentality. He points a shaky hand towards me, “It’s only been two years since you took over as CEO and already profits have seen a sizeable drop, our competition has grown fiercely, paychecks have been cut and—"
“Your pay has been cut, yes. Because I don’t agree with the way the company was favoring men over women, so I raised theirs to equal everyone else’s but that money had to come from somewhere, so it came from ours. Employees are the driving force of this business, ensuring their fair treatment is one of the most important things in leading this company towards success. ”
There were so many problems hidden within the dark crevices of the company. Ones that my parents weren’t even aware of until I brought it to their attention, but it was my job to fix them.
“Well, we don’t agree. The board does not appreciate the way you’ve been leading this company. If we have a hope of gaining back our position in Forbes next year and ensuring that profit margins are steady, then we need this deal to work. Mancini is big competition for us, and he’s already begun setting up his corporations in New York, talking to investors and clients, some of them ours.”
“Wait,” I hold a finger up to them, as I read over the letter. God, even his handwriting seems smug.
I mean who the fuck even writes letters anymore? Has this guy never heard of email?
My eyes widen as I gloss over it. There are barely four sentences on the page. His fucking signature takes up half the space in cursive ink like he used a quill to write with.
I wouldn’t be surprised from my limited knowledge of Mancini, since there’s not a damn picture, Instagram or twitter account on the man. Knowing my luck, he’s probably a middle-aged fossil like the rest of these bastards.
“He’s requesting a meeting with me to discuss a potential merger? That’s insane. ”
“Is it?” Rutherford interjects. Of all the graying men on the board, he was always my favorite — the voice of reason but right now, he’s pissing me off.
His eyes wrinkle at the edges as I look at him and watch as he swallows in regret. “Can we speak alone?” Harrison almost looks relieved, practically running out of the door whilst Lawrence scowls, but begins to gather his briefcase. I don’t miss the scathing look he throws my way and I make sure to give it back to him.
Rutherford was my mother’s favorite too. He worked alongside my grandfather for many years so the other members respect him for his seniority, but I’ve noticed a shift in him lately, his favoring of the board over me. “Anastasia, I’m sorry. I know how it must look to you—”
“Just say it.” I snap, my patience already gone.
He sighs heavily, “The board is losing faith, Anastasia. They never wanted a woman in a position of power. Even when your mother was in power, it was always your father they looked to. I know the delay of transferring power to you was difficult, and we didn’t make it easy, but I think most of them wanted to push you out, make your life hell so you would give up and leave. When you didn’t, you proved your strength to them but all they see in a strong woman is a threat. ”
“This is my legacy, Rutherford. I’m not going anywhere.” I’ve wanted this position since I was old enough to understand it.
“I know that and I don’t want you to. You’re smart and brave and we need that…but we both know how this company really operates. The drop in profits has mainly come from the other side.”
Ever since chain companies began buying up half the neighborhoods in the boroughs, protection racketing has been down — by a lot. Add in the bratva issuing a dozen or so small gangs to start selling coke and meth in our territory and we’ve got a fuck load of problems that are draining money from us.
“The others can’t know how this company truly works. If they did, then it would be chaos. The power would enrapture them, drive them to do stupid and terrible things that would only endanger your family.”
“Why you then? Why are you trusted?”
He settles back in his chair, seemingly lost in his own head. “I made a deal with your grandfather that I would protect his family, support and back them, until I decide to retire. I’m a man of my word and trust me, Anastasia. You need to attend the meeting, consider the deal but if you want to stay in charge, I fear you’ll need a man besides you to do so, at least until those idiots out there start listening to you. ”
A man. Of course it comes down to that.
My parents were able to keep equal balance because they loved each other. They believed in each other, and they fought for each other. Mancini will just be another greedy bastard who wants his hands on my power.
Well fuck that.
I storm out of there, ignoring Lawerence’s smug face as I seemingly boil away with anger. My office door refuses to slam no matter how hard I shove it back. It was my mom who insisted on a stupid fucking door like that — it moves like a goddamn snail.
I’m shaking.
Drawing the curtains closed, I shroud myself in a veil of darkness, finding a strange sense of calmness hidden away from the light.
I’ve always preferred the dark. Night to day.
There was never much light in me to begin with. Never much patience or kindness like Calista, or energy and spontaneity like Isla, or fun and charm like Demetri.
I always wondered if something happened to me when I was born. Some seed of darkness that was planted within my soul, like I was doomed to become this unfeeling cruel being .
This was all I’ve ever wanted and now I’m failing at it. The worst part is that this career is made for someone like me. Someone with so much anger, so much pain they want to inflict.
Why isn’t it easy then?
I thought I would swarm into the office and everyone would fall to their knees before me. I would rule both worlds with more respect and fear than my parents were shown. Instead, I’m berated, patronized and pushed into decisions I don’t want to accept.
A merger? He must be out of his damned mind if he thinks I’ll go through with it.
Sharing power? Not a fucking chance.
I’m half tempted to call up Declan to break Lawerence’s knees, or kidnap Harrison’s kid. Punish them for their disobedience. Rutherford is protected by my grandfather, always will be.
I wonder what kind of deal he made with him though. A man like that would need ample return for supporting the family and my grandfather didn’t have many close associates, especially not ones he entrusted with his legacy.
I guess Rutherford has voted for each of the decisions I’ve made for the company. Most of them don’t have minds of their own, sheep that flock to whichever shepherd they fear most. It’s either Lawerence or Rutherford, but Rutherford always has the upper hand being the oldest.
Maybe it’s time to change the fucking hierarchy? Put people with actual brains at the top.
The problem is support, or lack thereof.
Ironically, the merger could mean I get the support to change the board…or Mr Mancini screws me over and kicks me out. It’s a game of chance, and I’m not usually one to take risks but a gamble suddenly seems to be my only choice.