Chapter 5
Gabriella
I could feel Chandler’s eyes on me, aka Mr. Asshole.
I could tell he was trying to be on the sly, but when you were the one being stared at, it was easy to tell.
Everyone else in the room seemed oblivious.
Though they were an audience to our little showdown moments ago, their attention was now on my father. My attention was elsewhere, though.
Like the feel of Chandler’s smoldering stare on me.
All of me. I swallowed hard, squirming in my seat slightly as questions flooded my brain.
I didn’t understand why he was here. My father never mentioned bringing on a partner, or whatever he was.
I still wasn’t completely sure what his position was here or how he ended up here in the first place.
I had mostly drowned out his sparkling résumé my father so proudly listed off because my ears were pulsing with annoyance.
I wondered how long this business deal had been in the works.
I felt like an outsider looking in, and it made my stomach do a slow, uneasy flip.
If anyone should be an outsider, it was Chandler.
He was the interloper. He might be some big shot where he was from, but he didn’t know this company.
Didn’t know my father’s legacy. Didn’t know me, though he acted like he had me all figured out with that smug expression on his face.
The morning was not at all turning out like I had hoped it would.
I smelled like coffee, the sticky liquid from the fabric pulled at my skin when I moved a certain way.
And the man who caused it and left me hanging was now my father’s new shiny toy.
Today was supposed to be perfect. It was my day. The day I would become CEO.
I reminded myself of that as I tried to bring myself back to the present moment.
I was not going to let Chandler White ruin my big moment.
I rolled my shoulders back and tilted my chin up slightly, looking over at my father, who was commanding the room.
If anything, when my father made the announcement, at least I would get to see the expression on that asshole’s face.
I would be his boss. I smiled to myself.
My father, true to his form, kept me on the edge of my seat the entire meeting.
He always liked to drag out his surprises.
He did it on birthdays, always waiting until I got through all the smaller gifts before pulling out the big one.
He did it on Christmas mornings, wrapping a gift in pieces of wrapping paper, excitedly watching me peel back each layer in anticipation.
He did it in business too, always waiting until the last second to pull the trigger on a deal.
Just when I thought he had lost out, he pulled the client back in before they took their first step out.
Just be patient, I thought to myself as I conspicuously watched the clock on the wall tick by. I wondered if anyone else knew what he had up his sleeve. If they did, they didn’t show it. I, on the other hand, was impatiently bouncing my knee under the table.
“Our numbers are up from last month,” said my father, listing off stats.
I always admired his memory. He never needed a report or a paper in front of him.
His mind was sharp like that. It always seemed to impress people when he could recite numbers down to the cent.
“Now that we are at the midyear point, I expect them to only go up from here. It could be a record-breaking year.”
The board members, whose investments were paying off nicely, all nodded their approval as they listened on.
I glanced over at Chandler who was listening intently, allowing me to sneak another look at him.
It was annoying how good-looking he was.
As if he knew he had caught my attention, he ran a hand through his hair and leaned back in his seat, puffing out his chest slightly.
I rolled my eyes and snapped my attention back to my father.
The first thing I would do as CEO was remove Chandler White from whatever position my father had hired him on for. I didn’t need someone like him working for me. I also didn’t need the distraction of his jawline or dark green eyes.
“Now, you’re probably wondering why I called this meeting so early this morning…” said my father, placing his palms on the table. I could practically feel his excitement radiating off him. “I appreciate you adjusting your schedules to make this meeting happen. It’s for good reason.”
Very good reason.
“I have spent the past forty years building Harold Enterprises into something that I could be proud of. It started off as a distant dream when I was in my first year of college, and since then it has flourished, growing to be bigger than I could ever imagine. I couldn’t have done it without the support of the board, my employees, and my family, of course. ”
He looked over at me and placed his hand on my shoulder, giving it a squeeze. I smiled warmly at him, feeling tears prick the back of my eyes.
Don’t cry. Don’t cry.
It was exactly what this roomful of men would expect of the only woman sitting in here.
I blinked a few times, pushing my feelings down. I could cry later. I could celebrate later. I could freaking dance on this table if I wanted to.
“With that said, I’m old,” said my father with a dramatic sigh.
The men around the table chuckled softly at his little joke.
“And I’m tired. I’ve put my work in, and now I want to golf. Travel with the wife. Nap,” said my father with an easy smile. “Which is why I’ve decided to retire.”
A hushed murmur sounded through the room. It seemed as if this wasn’t on anyone’s radar. It wasn’t surprising. My father was sprightly and sharp and still one hell of a businessman. But I knew how tired he was. I was the only one he let see that side of him. Me and my mother.
“Now, I know this may come as a surprise to most of you. You might be worrying about the company’s value.
Your money. Your position here. But I assure you, nothing is going to change.
” My father put his hands up as if to ease the growing tension in the room.
These people were losing their fearless leader.
If I wasn’t taking over, I would feel worried too.
“I have selected a successor and I know all of you will be thrilled.”
I scooched to the edge of my seat, waiting to hear my name. I tried to remember the little speech I had memorized last night, but the words were failing me now. The excitement swelling in me was too much.
I looked up at my father and watched as his lips moved, but his voice sounded like it was in slow motion.
“The new CEO of Harold Enterprises is Chandler White.”
Dread curdled in my stomach as the room felt like it was closing in around me.
I shook my head slightly, unsure if I had heard him correctly.
This was a joke. A cruel joke. It had to be.
I didn’t know if I was going to pass out or throw up.
I reached for the table and gripped it tightly, trying to steady myself as the room erupted in applause.
I watched as Chandler stood from his seat and took a little bow, going to shake the hands of the men enthusiastically congratulating him.
My world felt like it had been knocked of its axis, and my anchor, my father, was drifting away to shake the enemy’s hand.
I couldn’t stand up. I knew I should, but I didn’t know if my legs could hold me.
So I remained seated, my embarrassment creeping up to heat my cheeks.
Tears pricking my eyes again. But this time they weren’t out of sentiment, but out of hurt.
What felt like an hour of applause and firm handshakes and Chandler’s wide grin finally ended and my father sat back down at the table, the others following suit.
My father quickly glanced in my direction, a tinge of sympathy in his eyes.
He patted my hand, and it felt so condescending, before turning back to everyone else.
He knew what I was expecting. I felt like such a damn fool.
“Now, Chandler will obviously need time to adjust and learn the ropes of how we do things here,” said my father. “Which is why I’ve entrusted Gabriella to guide him. Be his ‘handler,’ if you will.” My father chuckled.
I looked sharply at him, hoping he wasn’t serious.
He hadn’t discussed this with me at all.
I felt anger rising in my throat. My father clearly didn’t think I could handle the role of CEO, yet he thought I could teach someone else to fill the role.
It didn’t make sense. Why hire someone new when I was right here? When I had put in the work.
Chandler looked over at me, raising his brows suggestively. It seemed like he liked the idea of us working together, when I couldn’t even stomach it. There was no way I was going to teach this asshole anything. He was rude, entitled, stubborn. It wasn’t going to work.
I started to wonder if staying at this company was the right move. I clearly wasn’t valued. But I had never seen myself working anywhere else. Once I started here, I quickly fell in love with it. I couldn’t leave that behind. I would have to stick it out.
What made it hurt even more was that it was my own father who didn’t see what I had to offer. Why had he encouraged me to work here? Why had he made that promise to me all those years ago? I had so many questions. I wanted to scream.
Instead, I held my composure, drowning out the rest of the meeting until the board members clear out, Chandler following close behind.
My father sat at the head of the table as if he was waiting for me to say something.
When I was sure we were alone and I heard the click of the glass door, I turned to him.
I swallowed hard before I spoke, trying to keep my voice from shaking.
“Why are you doing this?” I asked.
“Doing what?” he asked with an innocent shrug.
“You know what,” I said sharply.
He sighed. “I knew you were expecting a different outcome today,” he started.
“You could say that again.”
“But Chandler is an ideal candidate…”
“He doesn’t even work here! He’s an outsider!” My voice rose.
“Calm down, Gabriella,” he said reaching for my hand.
I pulled it away quickly.
“How can I calm down? You just gave your company to a man you hardly know, when you’ve been grooming me for CEO since I was practically five years old.”
“I made the best decision for the company. You’ll see that.”
“Doubtful,” I muttered, sinking back into my seat.
He went to say something else, but his assistant knocked and poked her head in the door to remind him of his next meeting.
I wanted him to cancel it. I wanted him to put me first, so we could hash this out.
I wanted to yell. I wanted to argue. I wanted to change his mind.
I wanted to have a better explanation for him choosing someone else over me.
But my father stood up and gave me a sad look before walking out the door, leaving me to stew in my disappointment by myself.