22. Capri
C apri~
I was so furious that I couldn’t even remember the drive back to Martha Holdings.
I’d always heard stories about Ares Cormac being a heartless bastard, but I’d never been on the receiving end of his ruthlessness before, and my heart went out to anyone that’d ever had the misfortune of doing business with the man.
As soon as the elevator doors slid open, Gina was there to greet me, and she really was irreplaceable. “Someone will be here shortly to fix the door, and they assured me that it’ll be completed by the end of the day.”
I glanced at my watch. “It’s already past five.”
“They swore they’d be out of here by six,” she continued. “Stephen said that he can stay.”
Stephen Campbell was head of our maintenance department, and the man was so knowledgeable and capable that we rarely had to outsource anything. Still, as talented as Stephen was, even he wasn’t able to forge glass on a whim.
“Is Jonathan still here?”
“Pickney?” she asked, her brows furrowing a bit.
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“As far as I know,” she answered hesitantly. “But I can call his office and find out for sure.”
“Tell him that I need to speak with him immediately,” I told her. “I’ll be sending TCC my resignation as soon as I powerup my computer, and someone is going to need to step in to handle the transition.”
Gina’s eyes widened enough to be comical. “What?”
Since Gina had always been a vital part of Martha Holdings’ success, she deserved the truth, no matter how embarrassing. “TCC purchased Martha Holdings a week ago or so, and as a wedding present, Ares gave it back to me.”
“Well, that was...was sweet,” she murmured, clearly confused.
“You’d think so,” I remarked. “However, other facts have come to light, which make it impossible for me to continue in the role that I’ve been in. Martha Holdings belongs to TCC once again, and that eliminates my need to be here.”
“You...” She started shaking her head in shock. “You can’t be serious. I mean...this company is your whole life, Capri. You’ve always...I’ve never known you to do anything but...but work.”
“It’s fine,” I lied. “I can always get a job elsewhere, and so can you if Ares decides to dismantle the business.”
“I...I don’t understand,” she said, chewing her bottom lip. “This is...”
“Gina, it’ll be fine,” I told her, though not completely convinced. “Whatever happens, I’m sure Ares won’t throw you all out onto the street with no warning.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about,” she replied sadly. “I...I hate that you’re leaving, Capri. You’ve been the best boss that I’ve ever had, and...well, truth be told, I think of us as more than just co-workers.”
“I appreciate that, Gina,” I sighed tiredly. “I really do. I consider you a friend, and you’ll still have my phone number when whatever happens happens.”
She didn’t look convinced, but she also didn’t argue with me any further. “I’ll...I’ll get Jonathan for you right away.”
“Thank you,” I said before heading to my office.
“Capri?”
I turned back as I approached my office door. “Yes?”
“I won’t say anything,” she promised. “I’ll let you or Jonathan make that announcement.”
I gave her a warm smile. “I appreciate that, Gina.”
Making my way into my office, as soon as I shut the door, I leaned back against it, letting out a troubled sigh.
Saying the words aloud had made my decision real, and on the heels of discovering my father’s treachery, my emotions were taking a real beating.
My father was a disappointment, my stepmother was irrelevant, my grandfather was up in age, and my husband was a tyrannical bastard.
Yay me.
When my office phone began ringing, I walked over, already knowing that it had to be Jonathan.
Jonathan Pickney used to report directly to my father, and once he’d been forced to retire, Jonathan had begun reporting directly to me, his knowledge of Martha Holdings invaluable.
If anyone could match me in the workaholic division, it was Jonathan.
“Jonathan,” I greeted as soon as I answered the phone. “I know it’s the end of the day, but do you have a few minutes?”
“Of course,” he answered dutifully. “I’m on my way.”
As I waited for Jonathan, I took a seat behind my desk, then powered up my computer. Even though it was the end of the day, Ares’s workday didn’t end at five o’clock. The man was constantly on his phone, working or checking emails, so he’d no doubt see my resignation letter soon enough.
Halfway through my very short letter, there was a knock on my door, and I looked up just in time to see the door opening before Jonathan poked his head inside. “Hey, Boss.”
“Hey, Jonathan,” I replied, waving him in. “Thanks for meeting with me.”
“Anytime,” he said easily as he shut the door behind him, then walked over to take a seat in front of my desk. “What’s up?”
My heart started beating rapidly in my chest, my anxiety building.
The more people that were told, the more real that this all became, and I felt it in my soul.
My world felt like it was crashing down all around me, and the worst part?
The worst part was that I couldn’t undo what I already felt for my husband.
After two tumultuous weeks of marriage, I was already emotionally invested in Ares Cormac, and no matter how angry I was at him and about this entire situation, I couldn’t ignore how I felt when I wasn’t hating him.
I let out a deep breath, then told him the same thing that I’d told Gina. His dark eyes widened with each word out of my mouth, but Jonathan was solid in the way that he was always able to see the bigger picture, despite his feelings about the situation.
When I was finished with the explanation of my plans, he asked, “Does Cormac know that you’re doing this?”
I leaned back in my chair. “Why do you ask that?”
“Not for nothing, the man came barging in here, interrupted a meeting, then left a shattered door in his wake on his way out,” he chuckled a bit. “I’d like to know if I should expect a visit from him once you send out your resignation.”
“That’s fair,” I replied, grinning. “No, Ares doesn’t know yet.”
Jonathan gave me a terse nod. “It kills me to see you go, but I’ve also never let you down before, so I’m not going to start now.”
“Thank you, Jonathan.”
“Just...just keep me on speed dial to warn me if there’s something that I need to be warned about,” he teased. “I don’t want to go up against Ares Cormac any more than anyone else does.”
“You have my word,” I promised him.
Once Jonathan left my office, I set up my automatic departure email, then went to work on my resignation. Considering that Ares was probably already expecting it, I decided to keep it nice and short.
Mr. Cormac,
In light of recent events, I will no longer be able to resume my duties as the CEO of Martha Holdings. In addition to my request that you go to hell, please accept this as my official letter of resignation, effective immediately.
Sincerely,
Capri Cohen, Ex-CEO of Martha Holdings
Not a gold-digger
I re-read the email five times before finally hitting send, and then I spent the next twenty minutes, diverting my current accounts and projects to the appropriate people, Jonathan getting the lion’s share of the work, which he’d been expecting.
When my cellphone began to ring, I picked it up to see Ares calling me, and after immediately declining the call, I dialed my best friend, needing reinforcements like I’d never needed them before.
“What’s up, chickadee?”
“I filed for divorce and just turned in my resignation,” I announced.
“I can meet you at my place in ten minutes,” she automatically replied. “He won’t find you there.”
Spoken like someone that didn’t know Ares Cormac at all.