Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Atlanta—Present Day
The door to the conference room was open when Olivia stepped off the elevator. Cecile sat on Declan’s left, her expression curious before she masked it. From the way everyone told her Kyle had raged as he was escorted out, Olivia was pretty sure most of the company assumed she was sleeping with Declan.
Olivia set her leather portfolio on the table in front of her. In the hours since she’d met Declan in the park, she’d locked away her emotions with steely resolve. This was now strictly business.
“What is your goal for Armstrong Electronics?” Olivia asked as she took her seat.
Cecile looked startled by Olivia’s preemptive strike and sent a sidelong glance at Declan. Olivia ignored it. Only the man across the table interested her. The corner of his mouth lifted before it smoothed into professional blandness.
Silence descended over the table, but Olivia refused to blink first.
“We are—” Cecile’s mouth snapped shut when Declan turned his stare on her.
“The purpose of these interviews and our activities over the next few weeks will be to assess the company’s general health. After that, we will make the necessary decisions regarding the future of Armstrong.”
“You must have a goal in mind,” she said, archly. “Bloom Capital aggressively sought to gain control of us. Why would you do that if you didn’t already have an end goal?”
“ Aggressively ?” Declan’s brow quirked.
“You overpaid for the shares necessary to gain the majority. Almost twice what you initially offered, and you accomplished it in secret, over a span of a few days.” Olivia’s lips lifted, but there was no humor in her smile. “I’d say that qualifies as aggressive.”
“I’d call it determined rather than aggressive.” Declan paused. “You’ve never seen me aggressive.”
Olivia hid the shiver the silky promise in his voice sent through her.
Strictly business, Olivia.
“Determined implies a goal, doesn’t it?”
Cecile cleared her throat. Olivia suspected Cecile wasn’t used to someone challenging Declan so openly. Particularly when they were supposed to be defending their job.
Good.
Declan stared at her, tension crackling in the air between them. She wasn’t the only one who noticed. Declan didn’t move, but Cecile shifted uncomfortably in her chair.
“I have many goals. None of which you currently need to be aware of. Now, if you’ve finished, perhaps we should begin.”
“Of course,” Cecile murmured, opening the file in front of her. “Ms. Adler.”
“Please, call me Olivia.”
“Not Livvy?”
She saw instantly that Declan hadn’t meant to say it out loud. His eyes dropped from hers, and he tapped his pen on the table.
“I prefer Olivia.”
“Olivia,” Cecile continued. “You’ve been with Armstrong for twelve years. In that time, you’ve risen from project manager to CFO. Some of your colleagues credit you as responsible for the growth of the company over the last six. Specifically, the XEROS program.”
Stuart.
“I certainly can’t take all the credit. One of the wonderful things about Armstrong is we have so many long-term employees. They’re loyal .” She put an extra emphasis on the word. “I didn’t develop XEROS. That credit belongs with Stuart and his team. He brought me a prospectus, and I saw future value in it. All I did was find the funding to put an infrastructure in place so XEROS reached its full potential.”
“Your method of funding put the ownership of Armstrong in a precarious position, which ultimately led to where we are today. What was your basis for that decision?” Declan challenged.
“It’s been suggested the decision wasn’t one you favored, but one the board insisted on,” Cecile added.
Olivia wasn’t sure why the woman was trying to help her, but the dark glare Declan turned on Cecile made it clear he wasn’t happy about it. Cecile didn’t even flinch.
“It’s true that it wasn’t my first choice. However, at the time, we didn’t have a prototype, and without one, the more traditional lenders wouldn’t touch us. Without a significant influx of cash, Armstrong couldn’t afford to acquire the space or equipment, nor hire the technicians we needed, to make a prototype. That was the fundamental basis of my decision.”
“Why not approach a venture capitalist?” Declan asked.
Olivia saw in his eyes he already knew the answer. Was he looking to see if she would throw Richard under the bus? “A venture capitalist would have wanted a majority share for the amount of money we needed. The core Armstrong family would have lost control of their company. The board thought, by offering small amounts of shares to extended Armstrong family members, we could raise the money we required, without lessening the ownership position. There was a risk they would band together as a power play, but it was unlikely.” Until you.
“Do you stand behind the decision?”
“I’m the CFO,” Olivia’s voice was firm, and she matched his cool stare. “It was my risk analysis that led to the decision, and I stand behind the information we had at the time.”
It was an answer without being an answer. Pointing fingers now was a waste of time. Cecile gave a brief nod and wrote something on the paper in front of her.
Olivia curled her toes to keep from fidgeting and concentrated on keeping her hands relaxed in her lap. Seconds ticked by as Declan studied her. After almost a full minute of the standoff, Olivia’s irritation got the better of her, and she lifted her chin slightly.
Declan’s lips lifted in what looked like a genuine smile. “I’m looking forward to working with you, Olivia.”
That’s it?
“I’d like to talk about the other employees?—”
He gave a slight shake of his head. “That’s a subject for another day.”
Olivia bit her lip to stop herself from arguing.
“I’ll be taking over Kyle Armstrong’s office.” He glanced at Cecile. “Put Olivia down for Monday.” His eyes returned to her. “Bring your current financials.”
“You have them already.”
He lifted a brow. “Not the creative ones.”
Olivia could tell Declan thought he was going to catch her off guard with the request, but she had been working on the more detailed reports since the failed sale the day before. “Of course. Would you like them today, so you have time to review them before our meeting?”
She bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling at the startled look on his face.
Declan might think he’d won, but he was wrong.