Chapter 32
Alexei
I do believe the gift was meant to be a joke.
The family wants me to become Papa. Everything that burdened my father in his final days, the mistakes that killed him, they’re sitting on my shoulders.
I adjust the dual faces of Elizabeth. One and then the other, making the diamonds shine. On my right is Scarlett, wearing a suit as neatly-tailored as my own and smoking a cigar. Also a gift from Uncle Burt. It arrived this morning, delivered personally by him on my driveway.
“Good luck today, kid,” he said, looking first at me, and then Scarlett, and finally, Ash, Bohnes, and Widow. “Kids, I guess. Are all you brats polyamorous these days? My God. Back in the day, we kept our weird shit to ourselves.”
And then he left, and it felt enough like a positive reaction that I’ve decided not to have him executed, God forbid I ever take over the family.
The room is filled with smoke as the five of us take in the curved U-shape of the mahogany desk and the dozen or so faces sitting behind it.
One of those men is Chet Archer Senior, CEO of Archer Realty Investments.
The others don’t matter. I’ll parse out their intentions, one by one, until I know who gets to stay and who absolutely must go.
Excuse me. We. Until we decide.
“Seven of the twelve are neutral,” Bohnes whispers, leaning in close to me.
He’s wearing a fine navy suit, hair slicked back, looking like the ghost of Wall Street with his overly pale skin and icy eyes.
Several people in the room shuddered when he walked in.
“Two are friendly, and three are hostile.”
I give a slight nod, indicating my agreement.
“I’ll not take up much of your time,” I begin, having stood up at the front of the room in perfect silence for several minutes, with the intention of disturbing all twelve of the individuals in front of me.
One of them is coughing from the smoke and giving Scarlett dirty looks. All my wife does is smile.
Ash is walking in a slow circle around the room, dressed like a gentleman in a black suit, but wearing the sword on his back like a thug.
I smile at the sight. He pauses every so often behind someone’s chair, until they start to squirm or make the mistake of glancing over their shoulder to see his all-black eyes.
Widow leans in the corner, smoking a cigarette of his own, looking bored and playing with his blood-red tie while he watches for movement. In the ceiling. The hallway. From outside the windows (despite our location on the top floor of the building).
This morning, before the meeting, I had the displeasure of finding Papa’s office, cleaned out and sterilized like he never existed. Seeing that, I felt myself weirdly compelled to take off my gloves. I did not, choosing instead to wear black latex to this prestigious event.
The message is clear: Empress Petrovna may not have executed anyone during her reign, but I will.
I put my hand to my chest, preparing to introduce myself.
“My name is Alexei Borisov,” I begin, my expression as cold as Papa’s severed finger. My eyes are on Chet. Ash is standing behind him. Widow’s gold eyes are locked on. Bohnes laughs and Scarlett blows smoke rings. “I’ll be taking over as CEO in place of my father, Pavel Borisov.”
Chet rises up from his chair, made of more than just cowardice, as I had assumed. He has some balls, it seems. Just a dash.
“What right do you have to take his place? Are you trying to claim that Pavel’s dead?”
The room gasps, as if everyone in here doesn’t already know that. The gossip network amongst the wealthy is just as extensive as it is in Prescott.
“Dead?” I raise an eyebrow and Ash takes a step closer, putting his hands on the back of Chet’s chair.
“Why would you think that, Mr. Archer? I’ve been appointed by the board.
” I sweep my hand out to indicate the rest of the room, gray cigar smoke curling with the gesture.
“There was an emergency board meeting this morning. You should know: you were here. The board has a right to remove the CEO if they deem him unfit. My father, whatever his circumstances, has not been seen in some time.”
“Is Pavel officially listed as a missing person?” Chet wonders aloud, glancing repeatedly over his shoulder to find Ash’s dark eyes on him, a hunter marking his prey with a single gaze.
“No? Seems odd that you’re taking his place, haven’t reported him missing, and are more concerned with stealing what’s his than finding out what happened to him.
” Chet looks back at me, shifts his attention to Bohnes with regret, swallows nervously and tries to keep us from seeing.
Both he and Jonas must’ve had their hopes up for Kellin’s death.
My smile is real this time, a full-face transformation that startles the entire board and their various security teams scattered about the room.
They think I’m this good at faking it. Really, I’m smiling with my whole heart and they simply don’t recognize it.
These corrupt people think we are the crazy ones.
“My father is very near and dear to my heart. Due to complex family issues, legal obstacles, and the advice I was given by our lawyer…it’s best for me not to comment on it. For now, I am here and I am the boss. Do you have any further objection to that, Mr. Archer?”
My voice is calm, my mannerism direct. For some reason, this sets Chet off in a way Ash’s murderous eyes or Bohnes’ icy stare hasn’t managed.
“You’re a child!” he screams at me, slamming his palms on the surface of the desk.
“And Borisov Group isn’t some family heirloom you can pass down, this is a business.
” Chet is panting so hard that his face has turned red, painting a stark line between his bleached hair and his skin. He looks grotesque.
Lucy Hall was his child. If he thought he needed an organ, and then she wasn’t a match… It’s possible that’s why he seeked her out in the first place. We might never know that.
“Yes, a business. With a board of directors. I petitioned for the position of CEO, and I was overwhelmingly voted in this morning. Nine-to-three, I believe it was. That’s far more than the necessary majority stated in the by-laws.
” I tilt my head at him, like he’s being absurd.
“Also, I do believe that eighteen is the legal age for adulthood in the United States of America. Was I mistaken? Am I a child?”
“You may not be, but he certainly is.” Chet points at Widow, targeting him for being a few days shy of his eighteenth birthday. A weakness. A weapon.
“Chet, you’re fired.” Scarlett speaks up, tapping her cigar over a stack of paper and littering it with ashes.
“We’re not here to play games or argue with you.
” Her eyes lift from her makeshift ashtray to the man’s face.
She is not smiling. “Alexei was voted in as CEO. What he says, goes. As his legal wife, I’m entitled to attend board meetings, as stated in the by-laws, and now hold an equal stake in Borisov Group.
Archer Realty is our subsidiary and, again, as stated in the by-laws, he has a right to appoint his inferiors. ”
“Jonas is a silent board member!” Chet points at a random woman who turns away, like she’s trying to hide her face. “Mrs. Redmond is supposed to be voting on his behalf, not for her own interests.”
Scarlett sighs, like she’s already bored of this. So am I. Running this company is something that I can excel at, but absolutely something I do not wish to do.
“My father has abandoned you,” Ash whispers, nearly putting the words against the side of the man’s neck.
Chet jumps and stumbles away, slamming into another member’s chair before he finds his feet.
He faces off against Ash like he expects a violent confrontation to take place in this room.
“It’s not surprising that he’s left you high and dry.
It’s only surprising that it’s taken you this long to figure it out. ”
“They killed my son!” Chet starts screaming as Widow sighs, pushing up to his feet and taking his suit jacket off. He drapes it over a chair as he makes his way around the table in Chet’s direction.
“As I was saying,” I continue, clearing my throat and reaching up to straighten my tie, latex fingers against silk.
“My name is Alexei Borisov and, as of today, I am taking Pavel Borisov’s place.
” My breath hitches and I clutch at my tie, turning my face to the side but not bothering to hide my grief.
I will hide nothing; I am not afraid of the gaze of monsters.
“Hey, baby.” Scarlett is right there, touching the side of my face and putting her forehead up against mine.
Ash and Widow have grabbed onto either of Chet’s arms, dragging the screaming swine out of the room and shoving him into the hallway.
Chet falls on the floor, unharmed, and tries frantically to get to his feet as they tug the door shut and lock it.
The building security arrives a few seconds later to escort him off the premises.
“This is my poor Papa’s worst nightmare.
He died wishing for us both to be free, and instead, I’m wearing his manacles.
” I exhale, leaving my forehead up against Scarlett’s as the room falls to complete and utter silence.
Ash and Widow take up on either side of the room.
Bohnes is still standing right beside us, peering back at the suited monsters with his honest gaze.
If you poke me, like Scarlett with the spider and the pencil, I will envenomate you.
The people in that room understand few languages better than this: a good, solid threat.
“We’ll be taking a vote today,” I say sadly, putting my palm against the side of Scarlett’s face and leaving it there while I talk.
“Please raise your hand in favor or opposition to this motion. I would like to force a sale of shares from Chet Archer; I don’t feel his values represent those of my father’s company. ”