Tess #2
I wanted to crawl under the table.
“I don’t know, Dad,” Scott said, obviously annoyed. “Maybe she thought it was a conflict of interest. Whatever the reason, Tess has done an excellent job presenting options to the team. Kendra obviously sent her best, and we’re lucky to have her.”
I was the kind of girl who could turn praise like that into a declaration of love. Normally, I’d have been swooning at his feet.
Today, all it did was make me feel worse. Because Kendra hadn’t sent her “best.” She hadn’t sent me at all.
And, oh God, Sarah was witnessing all of this. There went my backup job.
But then Henry nodded in acceptance. “Very well, then. Let’s proceed.”
My nerves didn’t settle after that, even when the agenda was back on track.
I was certain the whole meeting was a waste of time, that Henry Sebastian was bound to nix the whole thing.
It hadn’t occurred to me before then that Scott wasn’t necessarily the final word when it came to placing the DRF with Sebastian Industrial.
Now that I realized that the real power lay with a hard-hearted narcissist, I was positive there was no way the sponsorship would go through.
My fears seemed to be confirmed when, after everyone at the DRF had spoken, Henry said, “I’m concerned that this organization is too feminist. Business is run by men. If we want to earn the respect of other businesses, we should be engaging with a foundation that benefits men.”
All right. Now I was going to go off.
I had a myriad of things to say in response, starting with addressing that the idea that businesses were run by men was super outdated, followed by an in-depth tutorage on how anything that benefited women was a benefit to society as a whole, and ending with a long string of adjectives describing what a piece of shit he was.
Fortunately, the younger Sebastians were looking out for me.
A text flashed across my phone from Brett.
Don’t do it.
At the same time, Scott addressed his father’s asshole remarks.
“It’s hard to know where to begin to respond to that.
The fallacies of thought hinted at in your statement are appalling and, to be frank, embarrassing, but I’m well aware that pointing them out will mean nothing to you.
Instead, let me try to use language that you will hear—your current image has been tainted by a history of anti-feminist behavior.
The attacks you’ve had in this area have increased in recent years.
I know cleaning up that perception is not your priority, but doing so would definitely get the attention of the press.
You want to draw focus away from the other messy parts of SIC?
Then my advice is to endorse a female-centric foundation, and let the public praise you for your reform. No one has to know it’s only for show.”
The room was quiet. Tension stretched from one side of the table to the next, a blanket so thick it was hard to breathe.
Both Scott and Henry seemed completely unconcerned, as though scathing conversations were conducted between the two of them in front of others on a daily basis. Maybe they were. I’d never been in a meeting with them both before. What did I know?
To Scott’s credit, though his words had been biting, his tone had been matter-of-fact.
While I’d been well aware of his ability to lead, this was the first time I’d really seen him acting in his role as VP of image.
These were probably the things he advised his father and the board on all the time.
Perhaps the questions he’d asked during our meetings hadn’t been just to stall but also so he’d be equipped to handle Henry Sebastian.
I imagined it would be hard to constantly have to confront his father like this. It was possibly me projecting—I would never dream of having hard words with my dad. Of course, since my father hadn’t spoken to me in fifteen years, any words with him at all were hard to imagine.
Still, I felt for Scott. Even though he appeared stoic and untouched, I pressed my leg harder against his, wanting to give him the same show of support he’d shown me. And to thank him, for sticking up for the DRF when he could have presented him with something else.
He glanced at me in response, his expression serious. His eyes, though, said something I couldn’t quite read, something I was sure was just for me.
Well, at least I had that. When I was out of a job and a laughingstock in the community, I’d remember that look. Maybe all I was about to lose would even be worth it because of that one glance.
After what felt like a lifetime, Henry finally responded. “That gives me much to think about. I’ll consider it in my decision.” He stood, doing up his jacket button as he did. “We’ll get back to you soon.”
He left the room as abruptly as he entered.
The floor felt like it was dropping out from under me. Coordination meetings were supposed to be a matter of formality, and here we were going to have to leave with the partnership unconfirmed.
Sarah turned to me, disappointment in her eyes.
I’ll fix this, my eyes said in return. But it was a promise I had no business making.
Meanwhile, everyone at the table seemed confused. A few people shuffled, not knowing if the meeting was over or not.
Brett attempted to settle the question. “Should we—”
Scott cut him off. “We’ll go ahead and have the contracts prepared,” he said, eyeing the lawyers present.
“SIC has very specific image issues that need to be addressed with the foundation we sponsor. There is no better choice than the DRF for this, and though my father isn’t yet convinced, I guarantee you he will be. ”
It was hard not to look at him then as a hero, hard not to feel something tight and warm in my chest at his gallant declaration of support.
But I couldn’t help wondering if Scott was also making promises he had no business making.