Chapter Forty-Seven Ella
Chapter Forty-Seven
Ella
We raced out of the IT suite and headed towards the main offices.
People stared as we rushed past, but I barely noticed them.
All I could think was: Don’t let them make a final decision, not until we show the facts.
Then I spotted the boardroom and I felt a slight simmer of relief that we were so close, staring at the boxed-off room.
Through the glass walls, I saw Jimmy at the table in his black suit, black shirt and tie.
He looked defeated, exhausted, as if he’d already decided to give up.
I hoped that it wasn’t too late. Sitting at his side were Fee, then Travis, about five men I had never seen before, followed by Britney and Ethan.
‘Come on.’ Zola bolted even quicker, dashing over the last few metres and swinging open the door. I was next, then Katy came panting behind.
‘What the fuck are they doing here?’ Fee shouted, turning to Jimmy, then squinting her eyes towards her husband, who didn’t know where to look.
‘Sorry . . . please excuse me—’ Katy grabbed the jug of water from the centre of the table and poured herself a glass, completely breathless.
‘We have some evidence we’d like to share. Some that we think will make you reconsider whatever decision you are going to make today,’ Zola began.
Britney stood up. ‘I’m sorry, but you have to leave. This is a board meeting, and after your stunt at the Met, I think—’
‘I think you should shut your mouth,’ Ethan cut in.
Jimmy was glancing around in complete confusion, his eyes sad. ‘Ella, what is going on?’ he asked. ‘This isn’t the time or the place for more drama!’
‘We know who has been sabotaging the company,’ I said. ‘It’s been the same person signing off on a bad investment every time. They are trying to ruin your business, Jimmy!’
The board members sat up, suddenly very interested in our presence.
‘These girls have done nothing but lie since they arrived,’ Travis scoffed. ‘Why would we believe anything they said?’
‘The only lie we were forced to tell was because you decided to shag us!’ Katy spat.
I turned to Zola and back to the room, packed with board members. ‘Not all of us,’ I felt the need to explain, ‘just her.’
One of the older gentlemen sighed, clearly having no time for any of this. ‘What is the evidence? Of the sabotage, I mean.’
‘No, I refuse even to countenance it! I want them out, Jimmy! Now!’ Fee held her hand up, palm facing Katy’s face as if she couldn’t stomach us even a second longer.
‘We are going back to Scotland after this, I promise,’ Zola said. ‘Just let us tell you. We’ve figured it all out – and you do need to know.’
Jimmy turned to the boardroom and shrugged.
‘Be quick,’ another of the older men replied.
I turned to Jimmy and quietly mouthed, ‘I’m sorry.’ Then, I looked at the board members and delivered my answer: ‘It’s Fee Link.’
I said it without any preamble in case they changed their minds and called for security. My hands were shaking, but I felt brave, determined to stand up for Jimmy.
‘What the fuck?’ Fee twisted her face up, looking as if I’d just made the most ridiculous statement she’d ever heard.
Jimmy glanced at Fee, watching her reaction, then back at us. He slowly shook his head in disbelief.
‘I don’t know why, but Fee is behind all of this,’ I added, feeling every inch of his pain. It was his sister who I was accusing, and I knew how much he loved her.
There were gasps, then mumbles of confusion.
‘You don’t believe this shit, do you?’ Fee laughed, shaking her head. ‘It’s not true! Why are y’all trying to ruin my life? First, Travis and now this?’ She covered her face and pretended to sob. ‘I can’t take any more of this!’
Ethan pulled back his chair. ‘It is true. I ran every poor investment and it always came back to the same employee. The evidence is there in black and white.’
Gasps and groans came over the board as they dissected this development among themselves.
Britney was staying extremely quiet in her chair, and so I turned to her. ‘And the lovely Britney was in on it too.’
‘What?’ Jimmy pushed back his chair; his hands squeezed into fists. I wasn’t sure if he was angry at them or us.
‘I . . . I . . .’ Britney’s face had turned purple with nerves and indignation. ‘I only did it because she promised me VP!’ She whimpered guiltily. ‘Fee said I’d get a bigger office and a rise, I just had to sway the votes to get her brother out! It wasn’t my idea, Jimmy, it was—’
‘Enough!’ Jimmy shouted, and I could see from his face that he was finding it hard to accept all of this. ‘Why would you do this, Fee?’ he asked, turning to his sister. She was stone-faced.
‘Jimmy, what are you talking about?’ she said. ‘I had nothing to do with those investments.’
‘They have the fucking evidence, Fee!’ There was a pause. ‘Look, I can call the investors in here and go through the business plans and the accounts if you . . .’
The entire room was weighed down by the heaviest silence imaginable.
‘No,’ she muttered.
Jimmy’s shoulders dropped at the realisation of what she’d done. His breathing was far too rapid, like he couldn’t find the words or the oxygen in his lungs to quiz her. ‘Did you do this deliberately?’ he finally gasped. ‘Did you try to turn my company against me?’
Her face was stern, impassive; she showed no emotion whatsoever.
‘But why, Fee? I’d have given you any money you needed. Any job.’ His face contorted in utter devastation.
‘Job?’ She seemed enraged. ‘I didn’t want any other job, I wanted yours.
Hell, I’ve earned it.’ She slammed her hands on the desk, making me step back.
‘I work harder than anybody else at this company, and who gets the legacy? Who do the press remember? YOU!’ she almost snarled, looking down on her brother.
‘Even after all the shit you put Ma through as a kid, in and out of juvie, while I looked after her. But still, she obsesses over you, the golden boy!’ She put on a high-pitched voice, imitating her mother: ‘When is Jimmy coming over? Why can’t you make my dinner the way Jimmy does?
Why can’t you be more like your brother?
’ She rolled her eyes. ‘I am done living in your shadow, Jimmy Link. I deserve this fucking company!’
My jaw was hanging open, and not just at the spite in her voice. I couldn’t believe she was spilling the tea so easily.
‘Then perfect little Ella snapped you up and I must admit, it was great for me – you were so off your game, brother. But then my PI mentions that my deadbeat husband,’ she rolled her eyes, glaring in Travis’s direction, ‘was cheating on me again – only this time it was with Katy, our newest employee.’
Katy pulled back her shoulders, furious. ‘So, you stalked me!’
Fee laughed. ‘I sent a few messages, that’s all.
Get over yourself, girl. I didn’t want the app to launch, I wanted more heat on you, Jimmy, for the board, but someone tipped the media off and ruined the app better than I ever could!
’ She laughed, and I flinched at how evil the sound was.
To think I was sucked in by this woman’s blueberry muffins!
Zola rolled up her sleeves in disbelief. ‘You’re one sick, twisted bitch!’
Fee shrugged. ‘I shot my shot, girl. You shot yours with the app, and we both lost. No investor will touch you now.’
I couldn’t believe how crazy this psycho woman was. I had no idea it was her all this time. Fuck, I’d even felt sorry for her.
‘And no company will touch you with a ten-foot barge pole, hen!’ I replied sharply.
Fee sniggered. ‘That’s where you’re wrong, though, hen. The board won’t fire me, will you? Because you’d have to announce publicly what I’d done and, God knows, that would be bad press! Come on, you know I’m right. Give me a slap on the wrists and be done with it already.’
Jimmy had had enough. He walked past me and opened the conference room door. ‘Get security up here now!’ Then he looked at his sister. ‘That’s where you’re wrong, Fee. Actions have consequences, and I’m not afraid of publicly shaming my sister when she’s behaved this appallingly.’
Four security guards marched into the room.
‘Remove my sister, Travis and Britney from the building, please, seize their laptops and revoke access to all areas of Flirtify. From immediate effect.’
‘No, Jimmy. Wait. You can’t do this!’ Fee screamed. ‘I’m your sister!’
He shook his head, turning the other way, while the three of them were physically escorted from the room.
Silence fell once more, and my friends and I glanced towards one another – our job was completed.
We had done everything we’d set out to do, and so we, too, headed for the door.
As I walked out, I turned back and locked eyes with Jimmy.
He gave me a slight nod of appreciation, but I wondered if finding out the truth would actually end up hurting him more in the long run.
We wandered back through the building at a much slower pace than we’d entered, in complete, crushing silence.