The Passion

Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

FELISHA

W hat is he doing here?

Some bullshit to make himself look better. I so badly wanted to believe it wasn’t true, but him being here now confirms all my fears.

The disaster of this morning had me wanting to run to him, it’s what I’ve become accustomed to. But the moment his name came out of my father’s mouth, that freedom to feel his comfort and strength in my time of need was ripped out from underneath me.

“Every shareholder in this room who isn’t a Kentwall, except one, are no longer shareholders of Kentwall Estates.” He is not looking at anyone else in the room except me. His stare is so powerful that I can’t manage to look away, no matter how mad at him I am.

“Ewan is right, I now own all their shares as of five minutes ago when the money transfers went through.”

“No!” Father bangs his fist on the table. “That’s not possible,” he roars at Flynn.

Flynn just talks over top of him. “I could ask them to leave, but I won’t because they need to hear this. Because it’s the only way we will undo the bullshit you have been spreading about your daughter just to hide your own fucked-up behavior.”

“Call security, get him out of here!” But before I can say anything, our head of security, Sandon Bock, steps into the boardroom, followed by all Flynn’s friends.

“Good, now get rid of him and charge him with trespassing,” my father orders Sandon, and I want to say something, but it’s like I’m stuck and can’t speak.

I see Rem lock the door, and Sandon stands firm at the door, arms crossed and that blank look on his face but addressing my father.

“I think you misunderstand why I’m here. Once this is over, it’s you I will be escorting from the premises.” The whole time my father is gasping and muttering at Sandon’s words. “I answer to Lady Kentwall now. I can’t work for a man like you.”

What the hell is happening?

Flynn doesn’t give my father or anyone else the chance to speak before he starts again.

“First, let’s clear something up right now. Several months ago, a very private moment between myself and the woman I love was spread all over the internet without our permission. It caused us both great heartache, but not nearly so much as when we found the evidence that Ewan Kentwall was the person who filmed us illegally then released it worldwide, but only after setting up a fake blackmail situation with us.”

“Lies, it’s all lies. You have no proof it was me…” Father is scrambling, but Flynn’s very stern and loud voice domineers over top of his words.

“Shut the hell up!” He points at my father for a split second, before his eyes are back on me and not letting me move my stare from him.

“I’m not perfect by any means, but I decided that moment I found out it was him, and that his reason was to stop Felisha from taking her rightful place as your CEO on her fortieth birthday, that I would protect her.” He starts to slowly walk around the table toward me, and my heart is beating out of my chest. I can’t be near him, I just can’t when I’m so confused.

“Steady there, Felisha, I just want to place this in your hands. These are the copies of the legal documents of me purchasing all the shares off the people in this room in trust for you until the money changed hands to them. From that moment a few minutes ago, this document has transferred all those shares directly into your name. Ensuring you had enough voting power to remove your father from his position. So, no matter what he tried to do or planned on blocking you, we still had the power to take out the trash.” He stops to take a quick breath and continues. “I almost fell short because of this cockhead here who decided his loyalty to your father was more important, and I assume he is the man who told your father.” He points to Colin Fellman who is sitting at the back of the room, head down and not making eye contact with anyone.

“But it turns out this idiot,” he points back at my father, “who is supposed to run and protect this company, couldn’t handle being beaten in a poker game by a woman, so again, he gambled away more shares in this company, to save face in front of his gambling buddies. Little did you know, Ewan, you sealed your own fate that night, handing your daughter, the person you are supposed to love and protect, the last piece of the puzzle to stop you from ruining her life.”

He holds his arm out to me and passes me the envelope that looks like it’s been screwed up many times into my hand.

“So, from this moment on, my love, you have the voting power to take over your company in that meeting you called and become the CEO and owner, as you deserve to.” Flynn steps back with such sadness in his eyes.

“These people all know the truth now, that Ewan Kentwall is a disgusting man. One who would rather tarnish his daughter’s image so he could continue to plunder her inheritance and gamble away everything you have worked hard to build for the future.” The room is deathly silent.

“But unlike Fulton Anderson or your father who were selfishly trying to take all this from you…” I can see him gulping as he tries to keep his steady voice. “I did all this for you. It was never about me, only ever you and my love for you.”

I still can’t manage to speak but just give him the slightest drop of my chin to acknowledge what he is saying.

“I know I was stupid and should have told you, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat if it meant that you could stand up and take what’s rightfully yours. I’m not sorry.”

He then turns and makes his way to the door, and as Rem opens it, Flynn stops and takes one last look at me and then he’s gone.

My heart wants me to run after him, but my head tells me not to be stupid.

He lied to me! Kept something so important from me.

Yet my heart is still screaming at me that he did it because he loves me.

Harper is beside me, whispering in my ear, as my father is talking rapidly trying to convince anyone who will listen that it is all lies. Yet every one of them gained their shares through his gambling habit, so surely, they can see through his bullshit.

“You need to take control. It’s time to finish this.” Harper squeezes my shoulder, and I know she’s right.

I need to show the board members in this room that I am the person that they can lay their trust in.

I can do this. Years of hard work have gotten me here.

This is who I am and who I was destined to be.

Taking a deep breath, I stand from my seat and start to speak.

“Can I please have everyone’s attention? And Father, stop talking.” The murmurs around the room stop, but my father continues.

“How dare you speak to me like that!” Standing next to me, he starts to lunge at me to push me away from the table. “You need to leave before you—” He hasn’t finished when Sandon steps between the two of us.

“I suggest you think twice about that, sir,” he says, pushing my father back into his seat.

“Oh, shut up, Ewan. I think we’ve all heard enough from you lately.” Luchia Bianchi winks at me. “Continue, my dear girl.”

I’ve always liked her and looked up to the incredibly strong businesswoman she is, but right now, I’m just grateful she is on my side.

Nodding my head to her, I pull my shoulders back, and in that split moment I know I’m going to be okay.

“The meeting I had already called for later this week was to raise a vote of no confidence in Ewan Kentwell as the CEO of Kentwall Estates. For the reasons that you have just heard, and I’m sad to confirm they are true. The evidence will be handed over to police if needed.” I’m not even giving him the courtesy of calling him my father in this room anymore. He is just a business associate to me now.

“However, we can’t vote on that until Friday when the mandatory seven days has passed. And to be honest, it seems a foregone conclusion now, as I hold all the voting power, but this morning I will give Ewan the same opportunity I gave him on Friday night. That is to stand down himself effectively immediately, and he will be escorted from the room and this office. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to call the police and let them attend, pressing charges for blackmail and recording without permission, then proceeding to profit from this illegal activity.”

Finally, the room is so quiet you could hear a pin drop, and not surprisingly, my father looks like death. Pale and eyes cast down.

“I never wanted this. It was you who caused it to happen this way.” I look at him and hope to see even one tiny morsel of remorse, but sadly, there is nothing. If anything, he looks scared at the scandal that will follow, and I’m sure he is only worried about his reputation. Not one bit about my feelings or the immense pain that is radiating in my chest right now.

The room has been silent for a few minutes and all eyes are on him, waiting for him to speak. Finally, looking down, he says those words I longed for, but they are devastating to me at the same time.

“I resign effective immediately.” Standing from his chair, he looks at me one last time with such hatred, more than I have never seen from him before, and considering the way he looks at my mother sometimes, that’s saying something.

He doesn’t need to be asked to leave.

Collecting his things off the table, he holds his head up and pulls that blank expression he carries so well onto his face and walks straight out of the boardroom, passing every person who has ever supported him. I’m sure he feels even worse having his biggest competitor in the room seeing his demise in such a big way.

Giving a nod to Sandon, he follows my father, and I’m sure he will make sure he does as I requested. It is dawning on me that not only did my father just walk out of this room, but in fact, he has just walked out of my life for good. There is no going back. That tiny little girl on the inside of me who always hoped and prayed that one day her father would be the man she longed for and love her like she loved him, has finally given up and closed that door for herself.

Hearing Harper subtly clear her throat makes me forget about what is happening outside these walls. I see the guys quietly slip out the back of the room too. In another world I should be worried about my competitors walking around my office without anyone supervising them, but I trust them. Even after what has transpired this morning, I still know deep in my gut that they wouldn’t do anything to hurt me.

“I apologize that you all witnessed what should have been a private family matter here this morning. I make this promise to you today, standing before you all. I will always operate with the best interests of the company in my decisions. The whole company, from myself, the new CEO, down to every worker who may be a cleaner, waiter, maintenance person, or any other job that is just as important as mine. These people will always be at the forefront of my mind.” I know there is a lot of damage to repair here, but the one thing they are looking for right now is a strong leader.

Pushing all my personal emotions aside, I can be that person.

“Thank you to all our shareholders for your years of support and investment in our company. And can I also say a personal thank-you in your belief of me and selling your shares to Flynn. And Mr. Fellman, you may not have sold to Flynn, but you will sell to me, as I’m sure your allegiance to Ewan is no longer an issue. I will have the paperwork drawn up this morning for you to sign over your shares today.” Staring him down, I won’t give him the chance to say no in front of all these people.

Opening his mouth, he is about to say no, but once he scans the room, I think he realizes there is no point. He and I will have a problem working together, but he doesn’t have any say as he will be the only other shareholder besides me. Taking his money now and leaving is certainly the smarter option. The moment this registers with him, he looks at me and nods in agreement. Smart choice, Mr. Fellman.

“I feel the best thing for us to do right now is adjourn this meeting and for the board to convene again after lunch at two pm to allow me time to sort through a few very pressing matters right now, and to allow our previous shareholders to get on with their day. Harper, before they all leave, could you make sure that every person in the room has signed a non-disclosure agreement in relation to everything that has transpired in this room this morning and anything that relates to the company information in general.” I know the board is already covered by a very complex agreement, but God knows what my father did with these shareholders who won their shares over a poker game.

“They are being printed as we speak. One moment, everyone, and I will be back with you to sign them.” She is up out of her seat and moving with haste.

And this is why I love her. This woman knows what’s in my head, sometimes before I even have had the thought.

It doesn’t take long, and she is scurrying back into the room and on her way around the table, getting the signatures she needs. I know no matter how watertight these contracts are, it will leak somehow, and it’s always hard to pinpoint where the source came from, but all I can do is try.

One by one people start to leave the room, some coming up to me with both words of sympathy and encouragement. I’m sure some of them feel guilty for believing the horrendous things my father had been saying about me, but I don’t hold a grudge for that. I know he can be very persuasive, and the video helped to confirm what he was saying.

The one person who has not moved out of their seat and is the last person in the room with me and Harper is Luchia Bianchi.

“Leave us.” She motions to Harper with her hand, and I give Harper a slight nod to do as she asks.

I look at Luchia and know that she is the kind of woman I want to be in this business world. She commands respect in any room she enters, but never with an iron fist. She still manages to have a certain softness and kindness to her, although I’m sure if you cross her, that would disappear very quickly.

“Sit.” She motions for me to take the chair next to her.

“Thank you for your support in here today.” I don’t think she will ever know how much I needed the courage that she instilled in me, knowing someone was on my side.

“You’re welcome but know that you didn’t need it. You, my dear, had him right where you wanted him. I’ve been waiting for a long time to see you step up and become who you are meant to be. You have worked hard but never forgotten those below you. That is very important in this world. You have strong ethics, and I respect that, but even more so when I know the terrible man you came from. That man doesn’t have one ethical bone in his body.” She rolls her eyes at me while she reaches for my hand, wrapping hers around mine and squeezing it.

“I don’t understand him. I tried so hard, but I just never lived up to who he wanted me to be.” I feel sad about it, but it doesn’t pierce my heart like it used to.

Laughing out loud, she says, “That’s because you don’t have balls between your legs, and let’s face it, you wouldn’t want to be the type of person he tried to make you be anyway.”

I can’t help but join in laughing with her. All this seems so ridiculous, that he couldn’t see the value in me as his child all because I was a girl.

As our laughter settles down, she looks at me with a smile.

“But let’s talk about your man who was in this room today, who in my eyes is a thousand times more a man than your father will ever be.”

Is he still my man?

I don’t know how I feel about him at the moment. Both my head and my heart are so confused.

“You’re angry at him, aren’t you?” Her hand is now patting mine.

“Furious, so much so I don’t know how to process it.” I don’t know why I’m telling her this, but it’s like my feelings are bubbling so much they are ready to burst out of me, and she knows just the right things to say to make talk.

“With good reason. I did warn him that keeping it a secret was not smart, but men, they never listen.”

I wish he had taken her advice, and then I wouldn’t be here feeling like someone kicked me in the stomach.

“I trusted him.” Tears are building, and I don’t want to be a CEO crying in front of a business colleague, but I’m not sure I’m going to be able to stop it the more she prods me with her words.

“And I think you still can. He made a mistake, but he did a good thing. I need to tell you the story of how he got me to sell to him.” As she continues talking, I’m glued to her words.

She explains how he told her from the moment they met that he was doing this for me. That he never intended to keep the shares and was doing it as a plan B in case what I was trying to achieve didn’t work. He didn’t want to step on my toes or try to control me but instead just quietly worked in the background to be my safety net.

“He never wavered when I pressed him on his intentions, but he didn’t need to convince me. I could tell the way his eyes sparkled when he spoke your name. You can tell a lot about a man through his eyes.”

I briefly think of my father and how soulless his eyes have always been, and it has me agreeing with her.

“Unlike the other man who came to see me before Flynn, looking to buy my shares as well. He was smooth and said all the right words to woo me, but deep in his soul, I could see the darkness lurking. He didn’t love you, I could just tell.”

“Wait, who else came after me?” My mind catches up to what she just said.

“Fulton Anderson.” She doesn’t hesitate for one moment to tell me. “He is a fool if he didn’t think I knew that he played in those poker games with your father and associated with the men that my stupid late husband did too. I never knew about it until he passed, but something told me when I inherited these shares that I should keep them because sometime in the future there would a reason.” She places her hands on my cheeks. “You, my dear, are that reason.”

And now there is no holding back the tears. I’m sobbing on this beautiful woman’s hands, and she just wipes them away while fetching me a hanky out of her purse. There is something special about this woman that I haven’t seen before. But I know after today, although we will no longer be tied in the business, she will remain a dear friend.

“Men have not been kind to you in your life, but don’t let that stop you from keeping your heart open.”

As I start to pull myself together, she asks me one more question.

“Do you love him?” Her voice is so soft and gentle.

“With every beat of my stupid heart. I shouldn’t right now, but I still do.”

Nodding, she sits back a little to give me some space to breathe.

“And that, my dear, is the secret to a good marriage. You will fight for what is worth fighting over, but you will love harder because of it. Don’t push him away for this one mistake. Actually…” Her giggle is infectious. “He will make more mistakes in the future, he is a man, after all, but that is not to say we are perfect either.”

“I’m far from perfect. But I think you are right, we might be imperfectly matched. And maybe that is our secret to being happy together.”

With a little sigh, she pushes her chair back and stands, looking so elegant.

“My time here is done, but I will always be a shoulder for you, and I’m happy to share advice, not that it’s probably worth much to you. I’ve watched you grow up, young lady, and you will be just fine on your own.” Leaning down, she kisses me on the forehead.

As she reaches the door, she turns with a look of mischief in her eyes.

“Make him suffer but not for too long. I’m not sure that heart of his can take it. He is softer than he looks, but I think you already know that.” Winking at me, she gives me a little wave as she walks out of the room.

Sitting here alone finally, I take the moment to think.

My mind is racing, but for the first time since my world blew up months ago, I know I’m going to be okay.

Harper pokes her head around the door, looking worried. “You okay?” She steps into the room.

“Yes, I think I am.”

Standing up and straightening my clothes, I grab my phone and look at my face, dabbing my makeup with Luchia’s hanky, and it doesn’t look as bad as I expected. Thank God for waterproof mascara.

“Right, let’s get to work. First job, make sure that low-life scum is out of my offices.” Collecting my things off the table, I march toward Harper who has the biggest smile on her face. She knows me, and when I’m ready to take on the world, she is right there beside me.

“Yes, boss.” We embrace in the tightest hug and then get ready to conquer the world together.

“But what about Flynn?” she whispers.

“He can wait. He deserves a little pain for what he did, and if he’s lucky, I won’t make him suffer too long.” Luchia’s words echo in my ears as we both giggle and then head off to my office to start getting together our plan of attack.

Today has been long—productive, but long.

I spent all day making sure my father’s access to anything that relates to the company has been blocked. All paperwork has been lodged with the regulatory bodies to show my CEO status. I have hired a forensic accounting team to review all company accounts to make sure everything is clean, and if it isn’t, then at least I know what I need to fix.

The board meeting was tense at first, but then we finally settled into a good working rhythm and made lots of plans for the next few months to help with the transitions of things.

I personally wrote the media release to advise the public of the change of leadership and ownership and took the higher ground not to shame my father, even though I should have.

I spoke to my mother briefly, who cried when she finally knew everything that had happened. She blamed herself for not stopping him from hurting me. I told her it had nothing to do with her. She did the best thing she could have done for me by walking away from him a long time ago. Making sure I had some ownership that gave me the leverage I needed when he got dirty.

But most importantly, I promoted Harper to Chief Operating Officer of Kentwall Estates which makes her second-in-charge of the whole company. There is no one I trust more than her to look after things if I’m unable to. Of course, it came with a dramatic wage increase, and also so many benefits. To be honest, no amount of monetary compensation would ever be enough to repay her for what she has done for me over the years and will continue to do for many years going forward.

It's late, and I should be going home, but to be honest, I’m not sure where that is.

Looking at my phone, it’s eleven pm, and I didn’t realize it had gotten so late. It’s been hours since I sent Harper home.

There hasn’t been one phone call, message, or even email from Flynn since he left this morning.

He has done what he knew I needed. He gave me space to sort through my feelings, as well as tackle the challenges that he knew a day like today would bring. He knew his place was not trying to step in to help or get down on his knees and beg for forgiveness. That’s not us. We are both people who live in a fast-paced business world where you don’t show your weaknesses, but more than that, we both have the habit of putting up very strong suits of armor around ourselves.

It's not healthy, but we do it anyway. That’s how we have both managed to get through our lives, trying to live up to other people’s expectations.

Even if I still don’t know where I will lay my head to sleep tonight, I need to be brave and go speak to him. To give him the chance to explain and me the opportunity to say my piece.

I owe him that much.

“Where too, miss?” Imala, my driver, asks as I slide into the back seat, looking at me in the rearview mirror.

I want to reply home, but I still haven’t made up my mind where that is.

“To Flynn’s apartment, please.” Leaning my head back on the head rest, I hope like hell I am doing the right thing.

As I walk into the apartment, I can hear music softly playing and the lights are all dim. Slipping my shoes off so not to make a sound, I walk gently to the living room and am shocked by what I see.

Flynn is asleep on the couch lying on his side, still in the shirt and trousers I helped him dress into this morning, bare feet, and to my surprise, Sassy curled into his chest and his arms wrapped around her.

Her little purr and the sound of his subtle snore are almost in harmony.

I don’t know what has gone on, but if the two of them can make peace, there is definitely hope for us yet.

Noticing the half-empty bottle of scotch on the table in front of him and his favorite glass, I think he has been trying to numb the pain of my rejection today through my silence.

Watching him sleep so soundly, all of a sudden, the exhaustion of the day is overwhelming, and I make a decision to leave him there and go to bed… alone.

Taking a pen and some paper from my bag, I write a simple note that says:

We will talk in the morning.

It will be better if we both have had sleep.

Felisha

I know it’s a cold note, but I don’t have the energy for it to be anything else.

Normally, I would shower and take all my makeup off, no matter what, but tonight, I just can’t be bothered.

Dropping onto the bed and pulling the throw blanket on the end of the bed up over me, my eyes are already starting to fall.

But I can’t sleep anymore without the smell of Flynn around me.

Pulling his pillow to my chest and taking a deep breath of his scent has me finally drifting off to sleep.

I wonder what tomorrow will have in store for me.

Let’s face it, it can’t be any worse than today.