Chapter 24 Lucian
LUCIAN
When you have a chance, I need to talk to you about something personal. Nothing urgent, but important.
Tessa's message had been replaying in my mind all morning. I should have been there for dinner with her mother. She had asked me to, but I couldn't. Elena had called with what she deemed a "crisis" and I had to go.
My daughter's tearful phone call had come Friday evening while I was reviewing quarterly projections.
Her boyfriend—some pretentious art student who'd never held a real job—had ended things via text message.
In the past, I would have offered hollow platitudes about young men being fools and let Elena retreat to her apartment to nurse her wounds alone.
Our relationship had been strained for so many years that emotional comfort felt foreign between us.
But something had shifted in me lately. Maybe it was watching Tessa navigate her own complicated family dynamics, or maybe it was the growing realization that I'd already lost too much time with my children.
When Elena sobbed into the phone about feeling worthless and unwanted, I'd heard echoes of the little girl who used to crawl into my lap after nightmares.
So I'd canceled my plans and taken her to see some romantic comedy she'd been wanting to watch, then out for ice cream afterward while she dissected every moment of her failed relationship.
We'd talked more in those four hours than we had in the previous six months combined.
But my choice had cost me the chance to meet Margaret Wynn, to see where Tessa came from, to understand the woman who'd shaped her into the remarkable person she'd become.
The guilt sat heavily in my chest, especially when I couldn't shake the feeling that Tessa's message held more weight than her casual tone suggested.
My office intercom buzzed and Tessa's sweet voice interrupted my brooding.
"Your ex-wife is here to see you." Her voice carried an odd tension that immediately put me on alert.
My blood turned to ice. Viktoria never came to the office unless she wanted to deliver maximum damage in front of an audience. "Send her in."
The door opened with more force than necessary, and Viktoria swept into my office wearing a black power suit and a smile that could cut glass.
She'd always known how to make an entrance, how to command attention and project authority. It was one of the traits that had attracted me to her twenty-three years ago, before I'd learned how destructive that charisma could be.
"Lucian." She settled into the chair across from my desk without invitation, crossing her legs dramatically. "You're looking tired. All those late nights must be catching up with you."
"What do you want, Viktoria?"
Her smile widened. "Straight to business. I always admired that about you." She opened her purse and pulled out a manila envelope, placing it on my desk with theatrics. "Though I have to say, your recent extracurricular activities have been quite entertaining to watch unfold."
I didn't touch the envelope, keeping my expression neutral despite the alarm bells screaming in my head. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Really? Because I have it on excellent authority—and photographic evidence—that you've been sleeping with your assistant." She purred like a predator who'd caught their prey. "Such a predictable cliché, don't you think? The powerful CEO and his young, curvy secretary."
Heat flooded my veins, but I kept my voice level. "That's quite an accusation."
"Blake saw you leaving her apartment building three weeks ago.
And these lovely pictures from a private investigator show you entering said building multiple times over the past month.
" She tapped the envelope with one perfectly manicured nail.
"The tabloids are going to have a field day with this. "
My son. Of course.
Blake had always been Viktoria's weapon of choice when she wanted to wound me, eager to please the parent who'd never criticized his lack of ambition or direction.
The betrayal shouldn't have surprised me, but it cut deep anyway. And to think I almost did what Tessa recommended by hiring him here part time before he graduated.
"You've been having me followed."
"I've been protecting our children's inheritance from your increasingly erratic judgment.
" She leaned forward, her voice dropping to a venomous whisper.
"Did you really think you could parade around with some gold-digging assistant without consequences?
The board is already questioning your leadership.
This will be the final nail in your coffin. "
"Tessa isn't a gold-digger."
The words slipped out before I could stop them, and Viktoria's eyes lit up with triumph. I'd just confirmed everything she'd suspected.
"Tessa. Such a sweet name for someone who's about to destroy your career.
" She stood, smoothing her skirt with satisfaction.
"The board chairman and Daniel are already aligned on this.
Your behavior is setting a terrible example for our children, and frankly, it's embarrassing for everyone involved. "
"This is about money," I said, standing to face her across the desk. "You want me out so you can sell your shares to the highest bidder. How much is Daniel offering you? Or is it Robert Vaughn?"
The perfect act she'd prepared faltered as anger washed over her face. "This is about propriety. About maintaining the dignity of a company our children will inherit."
"Children you've spent twenty years poisoning against me."
"I didn't have to poison them against anything.
Your actions spoke for themselves." She moved toward the door, then paused, turning back with a final thrust. "You have until Friday's board meeting to submit your resignation.
Otherwise, I'll release these photos and let the media circus tear apart your precious little assistant along with your reputation. "
"You'll leave Tessa out of this."
"That's not your decision to make anymore."
Our voices had been rising throughout the confrontation, and I knew the entire office could hear every word.
The glass walls that had once symbolized transparency now felt exposing and fragile. Through them, I could see curious faces and worried expressions among the staff.
Viktoria stormed out before I could come up with something else to say. The door slammed behind her, and I sank into my chair, running my hands through my hair as I realized what was happening.
In order to keep Cross Capital on a trajectory to belong to my children one day, she was going to force me out and secure a deal with one or many of the board members.
Her shares in exchange for something signed stating Blake and Elena would control the company in my absence.
And then she would force me out.
It was the only way for her to gain full control over what she could otherwise never touch.
A knock interrupted my spiraling thoughts. Daniel entered without waiting for permission, his face grim and disapproving. My oldest friend looked at me with the expression of a man who'd already made up his mind about my guilt.
"We need to discuss what just happened," he said, settling into the chair Viktoria had vacated.
"There's nothing to discuss."
"The hell there isn't." His voice carried the authority of the CFO, not the warmth of twenty years of friendship. "Sleeping with subordinates is grounds for immediate termination. The liability exposure alone—"
"I'm not sleeping with anyone."
But Daniel's skeptical look told me he didn't believe the denial any more than Viktoria had. "Lucian, I've watched you mentor analysts and junior executives for years. The way you've been working with Miss Wynn goes far beyond professional development."
Heat crept up my neck. "She's brilliant. She has insights that half our analysts miss."
"She's an assistant, not an analyst. There's a reason we have organizational hierarchies." Daniel leaned forward, his expression hardening. "Any projects you've assigned her need to be redistributed to actual qualified personnel immediately."
The dismissive tone when he referred to Tessa made my jaw clench. I knew she could hear us.
Her desk was only a few yards from my office door which was still standing open. "She's more qualified than most of the overpaid MBAs we hire."
"That's not the point, and you know it." Daniel stood, straightening his tie with sharp movements.
"Miss Wynn will return to her actual job duties—managing your calendar, answering phones, making coffee.
And you will maintain appropriate professional boundaries before this situation destroys both of your careers. "
Walking away from my desk, he said, "Viktoria's threats aren't empty, Lucian. The board is losing patience with the distractions. Fix this, or we'll fix it for you."
He moved toward the door, then paused, his hand on the handle. "Miss Wynn needs to come in here. Now."
My stomach dropped. "Daniel—"
"Now, Lucian."
I pressed the intercom with reluctance. "Tessa, could you step into my office, please?"
She appeared within seconds, her professional mask firmly in place, but I could see the worry in her eyes.
She'd heard the shouting, knew something catastrophic had just occurred.
"Miss Wynn," Daniel said, "effective immediately, you'll be transferring any analytical projects or research assignments Mr. Cross has given you to our qualified analysts. Your job description is executive assistant—managing calendars, answering phones, making coffee. I trust that's clear?"
The color drained from Tessa's face, but her voice remained steady. "Of course, Mr. Mercer."
"Any files, reports, or presentations you've been working on need to be handed over to Daniel's team by end of business today," I said, hating myself for the words even as they left my mouth.
"Understood." Her professional composure never wavered, but I saw the hurt flash across her features before she could hide it.
Daniel nodded with satisfaction. "Good. The company's liability insurance doesn't cover inappropriate workplace relationships, and we can't afford any more distractions."
After Tessa left, closing the door quietly behind her, Daniel turned back to me and shook his head. "You left me in an impossible situation, Lucian. What did you expect me to do?" When he turned and walked out, I couldn’t take it anymore.
I picked up the stapler from the corner of my desk and launched it at the closed door and it broke into several pieces that scattered across the floor.
This could not be happening. I refused to allow them to drive me out and ruin Tessa's reputation.
Viktoria had to be stopped.