CHAPTER 7
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In the days that passed Emma was quite busy arranging the details of the office.
Mr. Sanders was right, her extensive experience as a secretary made it easier for her to learn about the line of business in which she was now engaged. She began to make a habit of checking the stock exchange before arriving at the office so that she could cross-check it with calls and messages.
To Emma's relief, she hardly ever ran into Liam, freeing her from his analytical gaze and arrogant speeches. He would come very early and leave very late.
Liam held long meetings with William Sanders and often ordered food.
Another thing he was thankful for was that such a Miss Foreman also didn't show up to the relief of Emma, who was still embarrassed about everything.
At that moment, the buzzer announced the arrival of some emails. Emma had set the alarms on them, to answer them as soon as possible because the day before Liam had made her call and made it clear that he didn't like delays.
"All calls and emails answered within day"
“And if there were...” the woman wanted to say.
“Well, you figure, weren't you Cheyenne's best secretary?”
So Emma didn't leave her desk.
Checking the last insistent messages that arrived in the mail, Emma was about to answer them, but a few details caught her attention.
While, it appeared to be a usual office message sent by the company's communications department, they had an apparent digital signature and even a QR code.
Emma picked up the phone and asked them. They rather reluctantly told her they were the usual newsletters and cut her off by calling her a hick who didn't know about emails.
Emma was not offended, in these days in this office she learned that it was hard to shake off the stigma of being an official of a different target than the rest of the staff.
Small-town maybe, but not stupid.
She decided to block those e-mail addresses from which those insistent messages came, even if it would later earn her a sanction from Human Resources.
“They're not newsletters...they're trying to send phishing emails to hack into my system...and Liam's, I mean Mr. Van Dyke”
Emma realized there, that they were eager to get into the office computers and cloud. Maybe to steal information or spy on Liam's business plan.
He was running for CEO, and whoever was doing this wanted to spy on him and sabotage him. Emma had seen a lot of this kind of move at the firm, on a smaller scale, of course, when they were doing partner votes and someone wanted to steal case strategies to take someone else's clients.
Emma laughed at that point.
If only the computer attackers knew that Liam Van Dyke still didn't trust her and had never passed her his business plan for the board if he had one.
Furthermore, she had recently read the strict clauses that governed the partners' meeting to elect the CEO and highlighted a very particular partner morality rule that came from Liam's father's time.
It was apparent that old Mr. Van Dyke didn't trust his son and never wanted him running his company. He was not happy that someone nicknamed the Prince of Manhattan was worthy of anyone's trust.
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Liam never left the office, except when strictly necessary. He would come very early and leave very late, precisely to avoid any objection to the stupid partner morality rule his father had instituted.
With the board a step away, he could not afford to be the object of any sabotage.
He was no fool, as his system was intertwined with Emma's, he realized that she had blocked some addresses and flagged suspicious activity as likely phishing.
“She's not stupid,” he thought.
The truth was, she never had been.
It was true that he was cold, unfriendly and suspicious of her, but it was the only mechanism he could think of to keep her from noticing his embarrassment.
Emma Darby knew him and Liam could read in her eyes that she didn't trust him. She saw him as a scoundrel because she associated him with her memories of when they were high school classmates, and he acted like a real jerk.
She believed that he never matured, that he was still the same as always and was playing at the business of big people.
That hurt him, but he couldn't make her understand her mistake either, because he didn't want her to realize that he had a certain weakness for her in the past, that he had to hide it with antipathy and arrogance.
At the moment, almost the same thing was happening, and he didn't quite understand why. The stupid fixation he had on her in the past was impossible. He hadn't seen her for a decade... but it was still strange.
Besides, it was certain she thought he got who he deserved, what with the scene his “fiancée” Anna Foreman had made for him, whom he had no choice but to welcome that time.
He detested that spoiled brat and had to sleep with her, to win over his father.
Once he had what he wanted, he would get rid of her without a second thought.
He looked again at the screen of his MAC, he was finishing the draft of his business plan, the same that he would present as a letter of introduction for the day of the meeting, to show those jerks that he had the aptitude to run the company.
His idea was excellent, but he was running into some difficulties that he had to iron out before the meeting. Only he and William knew the details of it.
He did not know why he had not yet made it known to her.
“She doesn't trust me... but do I trust her?”
He closed the MAC, because he couldn't concentrate enough.
He had hit a few snags in the plan and needed to resolve them. With the possibility of Anna showing up at any moment or some other candidate partner bothering him, he'd rather go outside to clear his head. He grabbed his jacket and headed out.
Emma was too busy attending to some messengers that she didn't catch a glimpse of him.
Just as well, because he was finding it hard to meet her judging gaze at every turn.
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Emma noticed Liam leave the office, just as she finished dispatching the last messenger. She saw only his broad back framed behind the fabric of that elegant dark suit.
The woman snorted.
If he left the office unannounced how was she supposed to keep the office?
She didn't even have his cell phone number.
As she went through the newly arrived packages, the annoying sound of heels walking toward her broke her concentration. Strident and shrill, she knew that when she looked up she would run into Emily.
Didn't that woman have a job in her office?
“What can I do for you? “asked
The beautiful Emily with her arms up in the air, smiling and showing off her perfect teeth, the result of an expensive dental veneer. Emma didn't even want to know how she was able to afford it.
“You think you're so smart, don't you?”
“I don't have time for games, you'd better tell me what you want, because I have a lot of work to do”
“I'm not here because I like it, but Mr. Foreman sent for you”
Emma looked up and dropped the pencil she was holding.
“Mr....Foreman?”
“I assume you know that Mr. Michael Foreman is the other major wholesale partner of this company. You can't refuse any orders from him”
Emma was alarmed.
Liam Van Dyke wasn't even in the building and just when she thought it was a good idea to call William Sanders, Emily pressed the phone to hang up.
“And you need to go right now. You're not calling anyone”
With no one to lean on, Emma couldn't disobey. Emily had her cornered and there was no rule that could save her when another of the company's owners made her call.
Emma turned off the computer on her desk and passworded the rest of the electronic devices on the table.
And she followed Emily, who looked triumphant as she headed for the elevator.
Emma was apprehensive.
Why was Mr. Foreman calling her?
Perhaps to lecture her about the little stunt with his daughter Anna?
Although she couldn't imagine such an important executive being moved by things like that.
She felt Emily's gaze on her and the worst thing was that now she was entering her territory, because that woman was Michael Foreman's secretary, that's why she had so much affinity with his daughter.
Upon reaching the 59th floor, both women went downstairs.
Next to the reception desk, which Emily hurried to occupy was the door. She nodded dismissively at him to enter the office.
“Mr. Foreman is waiting for you”
It was best to get this over with as soon as possible, so the woman pushed open the door.
The office was impressive, and once upon a time it would have blown her mind had she not seen Liam's office.
The man sitting in the center was even more impressive.
At the sight of him, Emma was surprised.
He was tall and stocky, with a look that betrayed at most about ten years older than Liam.
That man couldn't be the father of a stiff like Anna, he didn't look that old and had shiny brown hair slicked back.
He had piercing dark eyes and Emma had never seen a man who gave her so many shivers.
“Miss Darby,” he greeted her.
Emma returned the greeting, her legs trembling, but she held her ground.
"You've only been with the company a short time, they told me."
“My contract is recent,” Emma said, though she really had no idea what to say.
The man examined her. He seemed to study her.
“I'm a busy man, Miss Darby, so I'll get straight to the point”
Emma didn't know what was coming to her.
Michael stood up with his hands in the pockets of his designer suit pants.
“I think my interests may become yours”
“I don't understand you, Mr. Foreman”
“I think you do, Miss Darby,” fixing her with his dark gaze. Hand over access to the computers on your desk, as well as those on the other devices. You will also be reporting on Van Dyke's every move, and you can make more money than working for this company for a year.
Emma was not expecting the straightforward bribe. She had to make an effort not to fall to the floor when she heard it.
“Liam Van Dyke doesn't trust you yet for access to the business plan you'll present to the board, but eventually he will, and that's when you should pass us a copy as well”
The young woman blinked nervously.
“You want to buy...information?”
“Come on, Miss Darby, you're not going to tell me you didn't think it was crazy for an irresponsible guy like Liam Van Dyke to run a company like this Wall Street firm either. His own father didn't trust him. Why should the rest of us partners? I helped build this company, to make it even bigger, not for an heir to take the credit”
Emma was disgusted.
Liam's own father-in-law project was sabotaging him.
Since phishing didn't work, she was now resorting to an enticing bribe.
A short silence settled in and Michael understood that she was thinking about it.
Even though Liam didn't trust her and Emma didn't trust him, the truth was that she would never betray him. Despite the money, despite the grudge... despite the fact that he had slept with her and never knew. None of it mattered to his integrity.
Besides, it pained him to hear that Harlock Van Dyke himself never believed in his own son. Liam would have grown up with that stigma forever.
Despite the fear Michael inspired in her, Emma pulled out a thread of voice to speak her mind.
"You're looking at the wrong person. I will never betray my boss for all the money in the world".
Michael looked up in surprise.
No one would turn down that kind of money to protect a newly employed boss who didn't seem to be on good terms with her.
But Emma remained firm and composed, even though inside she was trembling with fear.
She was turning down a request from a senior partner.
“Are you turning me down?”
Emma nodded. What else could she do?
She couldn't even complain - would her word be worth more than this man's?
He ended up relaxing his face, giving Emma another look of dread.
“Then you're fired”
She didn't expect that.
“What the...?”
“You heard perfectly well what I said. Get out of my office, get your things and get out. Emily will send you your work days, but I don't want to see you in my building anymore”
Emma couldn't even answer that he wasn't her boss. She was still in disbelief, but Mr. Foreman wasn't playing games and he was proving it.
He was a senior partner and didn't need to ask anyone's permission to kick her out.
With her hands shaking, she pushed open the door with great difficulty and stepped outside.
She had less than an hour to go to her desk, pick up his things and leave.