Chapter 15 Ella #2
My gut clenches at the thought. These people aren’t Asher, but they still hold a lot of damn power. And they’re actively trying to strip Asher of as much of his as they can.
“I am confident that when this is over, Asher will hold all his current shares—that is the point of this whole endeavor, after all. And while we have had some rough waters recently, I can assure you that I will turn those around and give you exactly what you want.”
“And what is it you think we want?”
To destroy Asher.
But they don’t know that I know that. So, I give them the answer they think I know.
“You want good publicity for Asher. His sordid history and indiscretions made many investors and CEOs of your subsidiaries nervous. You need to appease them, and so far, we have. As I said, Asher and I have received a lot of positive publicity, minus a couple of snags along the way, which is to be expected with someone of Asher’s level of wealth and fame. ”
“Then this is your last warning. Deliver, or you will not only lose your job, but you will also lose everything you value. As I said, we can make sure that you never work in this city again.”
It takes all my strength to keep from rolling my eyes.
These walking corpses have no idea how the world works anymore.
I know the world of the rich and powerful moves more slowly than for the rest of us, and I know these people still have a lot of power and influence, but they forget that social media is the new media, and they can’t control it.
At least not completely. They only have an idea of how powerful social media is and how much I can use it to my advantage.
An idea springs to my mind. Something big. Something that is exactly what the team is looking for, and something that the board won’t be able to turn their noses up to.
“Okay,” I say agreeably. “I have kept things somewhat toned down since I didn’t want to come out aggressively swinging with Asher’s and my relationship, but if you want a spectacle, I can give you one. That’s literally what I’m best at.”
Conrad raises a brow. “A spectacle?”
I give him a saccharine smile. “A spectacle. I’ll make sure everyone falls in love with Asher and me and our love story.”
“You say that like it’s easy, like you can just manipulate public opinion.”
“That’s literally my job.”
“That you’ve been failing at.”
“As I said, I have gone for a soft-launch type of approach, but if aggressive is what you want, I’ll give it to you.”
“Fine. Do it. And if you fail, we’ll ruin you.”
“I won’t fail.”
I stand and turn on my heel, then waltz out of the room with my shoulders back and my head held high.
I wasn’t bullshitting them. The team and I have held back with my exposure to a degree.
Yes, we have had quite a few public appearances already, but we’ve tried to make them look like Asher’s normal appearances, only with a girlfriend in tow.
There is an ace up Asher’s sleeve we haven’t played yet, and if the board is making threats, I’m going to play it.
Instead of heading toward the conference room, I make my way to Declan’s office.
I knock lightly and he barks the same annoyed answer Asher does when he doesn’t know who’s on the other side of the door. I peek my head in and his whole demeanor changes from surly to happily surprised.
“What’s up, Ella?” he asks as I enter the room.
“I need a little favor.”
“What is it? You look nervous.”
“Oh, I just had a lovely little meeting with most of the board.”
“The fuck? Why wasn’t I informed of this meeting?”
“Because I’m sure they didn’t want you there. They know all too well that your loyalty is to Asher.”
“And what was this little meeting about?”
“They’re breathing down my neck about this Asher and Katrina debacle.”
“That dirty bitch. I always hated her.”
“Yeah well, I’ve got to bury this story. And I have a plan, but I want to run it by you first since Asher isn’t here.”
Just as I’m about to tell him my plan, his phone rings.
“Hang on, it’s Asher.” He picks up his phone. “Hey, big brother. You’ll never guess who’s in my office with me.”
Declan’s teasing smile fades, and a second later he shoots out of his seat. His eyes bulge, and his face drains of color.
“Fuck. Are you okay?” he rasps out.
My stomach damn near bottoms out.
“What’s going on?” I whisper-shout.
“Of course. Yes. I’ll handle it personally. I’ve got you, brother. And I’ve got her. Be safe.”
Declan ends the call, and his wide, fear-filled eyes meet mine.
“Asher was attacked.”
My head swims.
“What?” I rasp out. “Is he . . . oh my god.”
“He’s okay,” Declan reassures me. “He’s getting on the jet now and heading home, but he wants you back under lockdown.”
Shit.
“What happened?”
“He didn’t give me all the details since he was in a hurry. But Jenkins and I are to escort you back to the penthouse immediately.”
My thoughts jumble together in a heap of fear and frustration.
“I . . .”
No!
“I just got out of the damn penthouse.”
Today is my first day back in the office. Not that it’s going all that well, but at least I get to interact with humans.
“I’m sorry, Ells. We can’t risk you.”
I groan.
“Asher is not going to back down on this. Whatever happened was serious.”
Fuck.
I shake my head lightly to clear my thoughts.
I may hate heading back to the penthouse, but that pales in comparison to the gut-wrenching fear inside me knowing Asher was attacked.
What happened? Who attacked him? He’s alive and okay, apparently, but still.
I can’t bear the thought of something happening to him.
Which is why I know I need to calm my racing thoughts and not fight this. Asher will be out of his mind with worry. And if he was attacked, I could be attacked as well, so it’s a justified concern.
“This PR shit about Katrina is not important, Ella. Your safety is,” Declan says as he gently takes me by the elbow to help me stand.
“O-okay,” I say, still in a bit of a daze. I turn to look at Declan. “You’re sure Asher is okay?”
“He’s got some cuts and scrapes, but otherwise he’s fine. Right now, he’s focused on getting home and getting you to safety.”
“We have to end this,” I say, my voice quavering. “Whatever it takes, Declan. I can’t stand the thought of something happening to Asher.”
“We will, Ella. You have my word.”