Chapter Twenty-Four Connor
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CONNOR
You’re a fool.”
My eye twitched when my father waltzed into my office and slammed the door. His nostrils flared in disgust as he stared at me, then the wall, and then back at me.
“Nice to see you too, Father.”
“Hanging up the phone on a board member? Not coming into the building in weeks? I don’t know what Laney, or your marriage, has to do with this job, but you’re about to lose it.”
“Don’t talk about my wife.” I stood up from the old black chair I had inherited.
It squeaked as it rolled back, the only sound in the room despite my breathing.
Adrenaline coursed through me, heightening every sound or movement.
Sweat beaded on my dad’s forehead. His hands were in his pockets, but his shoulders were stiff.
His chest heaved, like he’d ran up the stairs instead of taking the elevator.
A tense, horrific hate clawed at my throat at seeing him in my office, glaring at me like I was a disappointment.
I worked hard. I paid taxes. I tried to be kind and do good, and I might’ve lost my way when it came to Laney, but I was back.
The lens through which I saw my dad shifted.
Maybe it was hearing Laney cry or knowing what the pain of her leaving felt like, but my father’s opinion of me didn’t matter anymore.
“Also I didn’t say you could walk in here.”
“Do I need permission to speak to my son now?” He barked out a horrid laugh.
“Yeah, I’m thinking you do.” I kept my hands on my desk, refusing to clench them into fists. Images of Laney, of the fireplace, of our home replayed in the back of my mind.
“You’re not invited to the board meeting, so why are you here?”
“You haven’t answered a single one of my calls.
When Dennis and Ryan said you’ve been acting irrationally, I vouched for you.
I put my trust in you, and you’re embarrassing me by gallivanting in some suburb instead of doing your job?
You had a data breach from inside the house. What CEO leaves when that happens?”
I eyed my watch. Petra and I were meeting in ten minutes to set up in the conference room, and the last thing I wanted to do was talk to my father.
Shaking my head, I sighed. I’d practiced what I wanted to say the entire drive over yesterday, yet the words did come out heated like I expected.
I was calm and ready to cut this chapter from my life.
“I don’t have to answer to you. I’m not your punching bag anymore. I don’t want you in my life if this is how you’re going to act. You also shouldn’t know about the data breach being inside the house. That’s further proof Dennis shouldn’t be on the board.”
“Don’t answer to me? How do you think you got this job?” His words were harsh, and spit flew from his lips. “You’re so ungrateful—”
“I’m not. I worked hard. I’m going to ask you to leave before I call security because, despite your and Dennis’s opinion, I’m in charge of this company.” I ran a finger over my wedding ring, making sure I didn’t forget the end goal.
I wanted to have more balance at work. That meant not letting my dad or Dennis pressure me. Meeting his gaze one more time, I swallowed and steeled myself.
“You raised me as a single father, and that’s hard, and I’m glad you did.
But I don’t know what you want now. I don’t get it.
Why are you so indebted to Dennis? Why are you picking him over your son?
I’m done with your games, Dad. If they fire me tonight, then so what?
I love this job and am good at it, but tonight changes things. ”
Without waiting for his response, I grabbed my laptop and phone and marched past him. Petra glanced up from her desk, immediately stood, and fell in step with me.
“How was it?” she whispered, not giving anything away.
“No fucking idea, but it’s done.” I kept my face impassive despite the thunderstorm underneath my skin.
I bit the inside of my cheek to distract from my inner turmoil.
How fucked was it that I was scared to stand up to my dad at thirty-five?
That it took Laney almost leaving to knock some reality into me?
The company had therapy services that I’d look into if tonight went as planned. It wasn’t fair to myself, or my wife, if I didn’t work through these workaholic, obsessive tendencies.
“Board is scheduled to arrive in thirty minutes. Everything is prepared like we planned. Folders printed and set up.” Petra pushed the large conference room doors open and propped one of them open with the door stand. A blast of warm air rushed at us, and she coughed.
“Okay, how hot is it?”
“We can adjust.” I gripped my tie, sweltering in the heat.
“You figure out the heat. I’m going to go over our notes.”
The next thirty minutes to an hour flew by. The board walked in, three of them glancing at me with sympathy in their eyes. That didn’t feel great, but I stood tall and shook all their hands.
Margaret has two kids, has been married for ten years, and started her own tech company decades ago. George was conservative with money but progressive in innovation. Bruce was big on security. Ryan was hit or miss with big initiatives, and Dennis was corrupt.
Once they were seated, Petra pulled up the agenda and began. “Thank you all for coming to an emergency board session called by Dennis. You can see on the schedule that we have agenda items to discuss.”
“Is the first one really necessary? Pretty sure it’ll be voided after we make a vote on the ability of Connor to remain as CEO.” Dennis smiled and raised his hand in the air, waving it toward me. “Why discuss the position if it won’t exist depending on the vote?”
“Dennis,” Bruce chided, his brows furrowed, “we follow the order.”
“But if we vote on the new position, then remove Connor as CEO, it doesn’t matter.”
“That’s actually not true.” Petra stood, looking like a total badass. She didn’t flinch or acknowledge Dennis’s petty behavior. She clicked on the PowerPoint.
“In the company bylaws, section eight, about the creation of new positions, it states that the board has the power to vote on executive positions. I want to reiterate that the CEO might present the idea, but the board has final voting power on the role. Our bylaws also say that meeting agendas are set twenty-four hours before and are not to change. Connor, would you like to start?”
Dennis’s face turned red as he glared at her and then me.
Ryan noticed the exchange but just frowned.
This was go time. I went into detail, explaining the job duties, description, and how making Petra COO would increase our company’s productivity, revenue, and culture.
I spoke on the role it would play between departments and external relationships.
I spoke for thirty minutes before they pounded me with questions. Financial ones, long-term ones. My phone buzzed, but I ignored it.
“You think your assistant has the qualifications to do this job?” Dennis scoffed. “There’s no way. She’s a glorified secretary.”
“We’re going to have to disagree on that, and I demand you show her respect.
” I lowered my tone. “Over the last seven years, she has dealt with every facet of this company, and that’s what a COO does.
Deals with everyone and every detail. She is the only person for this role, and I welcome any questions that are not an insult to her. ”
“She can’t handle the responsibility.” Dennis stood and gripped the back of his chair. “Team, Connor is losing it. I know we’re not voting yet, but he left his post the last few weeks because of his wife—”
“Is Laney okay?” George asked before glaring at Dennis. “We knew he was remote, and it’s not like work didn’t get done, Dennis.”
“A CEO should be here. At the office. I mean, fuck, there was a cyberattack! That could’ve killed the company, and instead of being here, he was worried about his wife.”
“First off, Laney is fine. Thank you, George. My priorities were shifted for a moment, but I trust Jen, our CTO. She handled the tech aspects, where our legal team handled the rest. That is their roles and they handled them perfectly. We could get into how we had one, but I’d like to focus on the subject at hand, back to Petra being named as chief operating—”
“She’s not going to have that position!”
“Oh, because you want it to go to your nephew, right?”
The air in the room dropped five degrees. I hadn’t wanted to bring up Dennis’s nephew because it felt too dirty. I didn’t like stooping to his level, but it was time.
“Do you want me to update the board on our conversation, or would you?”
“What is he talking about, Dennis?”
“He’s full of shit! Look at him. He’s panicking because he knows he’s being irrational with this ask.”
I, in fact, was not panicking. I was in control. My phone vibrated again, but I hit the side button. This was the moment that had been years in the making.
“When I spoke with you all about the idea of having Petra as a chief operating officer, Dennis opposed it aggressively and told me the only way I’d get his vote—and all of yours—was if I hired his nephew, who not only isn’t qualified but also hiring him would go against the bylaws prohibiting family members of the board from working here. ”
“That isn’t true!” Dennis shook the chair, his eyes bugging out of his head. “You’re lying. You’re making this shit up.”
“He’s not.” Petra stood and clicked to the next slide. “We have evidence.”
“You recorded me?” he roared.
“Yes.” I stood on the other side of the podium and met Petra’s eyes for a beat. “I can play the video, which would be embarrassing for you, Dennis, but enough is enough. Petra is qualified. The job should be hers. Let’s vote on it.”
Margaret motioned first. “I move to approve the new position with the role being filled by Petra Swarski.”
“I second.” Bruce nodded at us before frowning at Dennis. “All in favor?”
“Aye,” Ryan said.
Margaret nodded, saying, “Aye.”