Chapter 17
Damian
Iasked Devi into my office as soon as I got to work.
She sat across from me. "All okay, Damian?"
"What is your problem with my wife?"
Her eyes snapped up in shock. "What? I…I have no problem."
"Then why is it when she's come to see me, you've told her I'm not available."
Her face became stern and blank. "Maybe because you weren't."
". I told you that I'm always available to Emilia. And the fact is that you never let me know she even came by, Devi. That's not like you. Em's done nothing to you. So, I can't understand why you've been treating her so badly."
I wanted to scream at Devi. I really did. Emilia didn't deserve what she'd been put through. Because of me her whole life had turned upside down.
Devi took a deep breath. "How the hell do you want me to feel? Bianca is devasted about…she's so…she's broken."
I wanted to call bullshit on that. If she was so broken what the fuck was she doing in Matt Stanton's apartment this past weekend? Talking world fucking politics?
"And how is that Emilia's fault?"
"She stole you away from Bianca, Damian."
I inclined my head. "You've known me for a while, do I look like someone who can be stolen?”
"Bianca mentioned that Emilia has always been like this. She stole a boyfriend from her when they were younger. She caught them in bed."
I wanted to wring Bianca's neck for cooking up stories. No fucking way Emilia would steal anything from anyone. And like hell she caught my virgin wife in bed with some other man.
"Let's get one thing clear. You disrespect my wife even with a glance ever again, I'll fire you."
Devi gasped.
"I find out you're the reason her team harassed her while she was working here, I'll fire you."
Devi put a hand to her heart, and I saw guilt was written all over face.
"What the fuck, Devi?"
She just shook her head. "I…your mother…Bianca. I…I did what I thought they wanted."
"You work for me. Not my mother or Bianca. Where the fuck are your loyalties?"
"With you," she cried out. "Always with you, Damian. I was trying to help you get rid of your wife."
I couldn’t believe what she'd just said. Get rid of my wife? Who the fuck did she think she was to do that?
"I would like your resignation on my desk by the end of the day. I'll talk to Pablo and make sure you get three months' severance."
"You're going to let me go because of a woman you're already planning to divorce?" Devi challenged.
"What the fuck?"
Devi's eyes flashed with triumph. "Yeah, I know you're divorcing her. I know because Mrs. Archer had printed out the divorce document and the NDA in the copy room. I found them and thankfully no one else did. I told Mrs. Archer. Didn't she tell you?"
I slammed a fist on my table and saw Devi flinch. After all the effort I'd put into keeping familial matters private, my mother had basically opened Pandora's box. I knew Mom. She did what she did so people would know that I was divorcing Emilia. So, Bianca would know.
"She's my wife. She's an Archer. She was being bullied by her colleagues, Devi, by you, for no reason." I wanted to pound something hard. I tasted guilt in my mouth, and it was bitter. "Now, get out and get the whole art restoration team into the Degas conference room. I'd like you to stay for the meeting as the last thing you do at Archer Galleries."
Devi stomped out and I called Pablo; told him to get his ass into my office. I wanted him with me when I ripped the team that had treated Emilia badly a new one.
Jimmy was a nice guy. I knew from Pablo, he thought Emilia was good at her job. She worked hard and did work that took people ten hours in three. But that hadn't stopped him from giving her a hard time.
All ten people from Jimmy's team were seated in the conference room. Devi stood at the very back and Pablo was with me at the head of the table.
"Thank you all for coming here." I didn't sit. I was furious. I knew I should calm down, but I couldn’t. I'd done this to Emilia, made her a target. She had been living her life and I'd fucking rained hell on her.
I saw Duncan step into the conference room. He nodded at me. I had no idea what he thought was happening, but I knew my brother would always be on my side, even if I was in the wrong.
"My wife, Emilia Archer resigned from her job last Friday."
The room remained silent. Everyone knew she was gone. Hell, these people had made sure of it.
"Emilia is a fantastic art restorer. Am I right, Jimmy?"
"Ah…yes…yes," Jimmy stuttered.
"She's a damn good artist. I think my mother called one of her paintings magical."
Everyone gasped. Marcela Archer was not known to give out compliments.
"I have seen the emails you've sent her, and Pablo here has briefed me on the conversations he had with all of you about how Emilia was treated." I stuck my hands inside my slacks, so I didn't hit someone.
"We never treated her badly," KK, a blonde with big tits and big hair who was an average artist at best remarked.
"I saw the email you sent her," I shot out. "Something about cleaning up. That didn't sound professional."
"Her leaving a mess and expecting someone—"
"If Emilia wasn't my wife, would you have emailed her the way you did?"
KK's back went back. "Yes."
"No," this came from Eldon, one of the senior-most artists on the team. "Look, man, she was fine at her job, pretty good but that doesn't change the fact that she got her job because she married you. And you were dating Bianca first. Emilia stole you from her own sister. Say what you like, but this isn't someone we want on our team."
"She didn't steal me from anyone," I bit out. But I could see no one believed it. They thought I was pussy whipped. And they couldn't understand how Emilia, the way she looked could do it, so they were branding her as some conniving witch who cast a spell on me. Very Salem of the Witches of them!
"And even if she did, it's none of your business," Pablo interjected. "Let me be very clear, this is now how we treat anyone at Archer Galleries."
The leadership coaches say that leaders are supposed to be vulnerable and authentic; I've been the latter but never the former. Being an asshole always came naturally to me.
"Emilia quit her job and was so upset that she collapsed due to exhaustion. She was on an IV to heal. Whatever you may think of her, remember that she's a person with feelings; that you had no business hurting." Cause I was already doing a bang up job, I didn't need the extra help, guys.
"Is she okay?" Jimmy looked troubled. Like I said, he wasn't a bad guy.
"Yes. She's working at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, started there today. She's contracting with them on restoring a Cassatt painting."
People immediately started to talk around the table.
"Not The Boating Party?" Serena, another artist's eyes were as large as saucers.
"Could be." Damn it! I hadn't asked her. I just hadn't bothered.
"That's the only Cassatt they’ve acquired in the past year," someone else said.
"Wow! That's impressive. Joachim De Jong is a lecherous pig, but he only hires the best. He gave her the Cassatt?"
This was a big deal, obviously. I just hadn't been paying attention. I had some recollection of the museum acquiring a Cassatt but didn't connect the dots.
The Boating Party was considered a significant painting by the artist, focusing on her distinct style and perspective. Mainstream wouldn't care but the world of art history would genuflect.
"Consider all of you put on notice, especially you, Jimmy." I looked at the man in my crosshairs and he nodded, regret in his eyes.
"The other thing I want to discuss is that Devi Rao is leaving Archer Galleries to pursue opportunities outside the company."
Duncan didn't show much emotion, but I saw him stiffen. He knew something must've gone very wrong for me to let Devi go.
The whole team turned to look at Devi who had tears in her eyes. They all knew why she was being let go—because she'd been the one to talk trash about Emilia with them. She'd fed them Bianca's lies.
"Does anyone have any questions?"
One team member raised his hand. "Is Emilia coming back?"
"No."
"We'd like to apologize to her." Serena stood up and looked around the room. Everyone nodded. "We're so sorry to have hurt her. You're right, Damian, we didn't behave well. That's on us."
Duncan spoke then, and all heads turned to look at him. "Let's get one thing clear. I don't care if someone's last name is Trump, if they work here, you treat them with respect. You're lucky this is not Archer Galleries Europe because I swear to God, you'd have all been frog-marched out of the building."
Duncan looked relaxed as he spoke. There was no inflection in his voice. No insinuation that he was even upset.
"Let me add something to what you can see as a warning coming from the company leadership. Emilia is not just my sister-in-law, she's my friend; and I take care of my friends."
On that ominous note, he left.
"He certainly knows how to make an exit," Pablo muttered.
Devi caught up with me by my office door. "I'm sorry, Damian. I really am."
I nodded. "Thanks for everything, Devi. I wish you the best."
She'd lost my trust and that meant I couldn't keep her on as an EA, no matter how good she was at her job.
She gave me a wan smile. "For what it's worth, Emilia…was always polite with me, which shames me even more. I will apologize to her personally if I have your permission."
"You don't need my permission to talk to my wife, Devi."