Page 5 of The Enemies With Benefits Deal

His tone is sharp, cutting me down where I sit, making me feel like he’s lording his power over me the way he used to when I was younger.

Even at thirty-one, I’m still desperate for his approval.

Some would call it a flaw, but I prefer to think of it as ambition.

I lean back in my cognac leather chair. “Don’t know who would have done that.”

“I’m sure it was Walker. He’s always been a sniveling brown-noser.” Dad shakes his head, tucking his hands into his pockets. “You would think they would trust me to run my own company.”

“Maybe they see that there are changes to be made to get us ready for the future of media.” I choose my words carefully. The last thing I need to do is set him off.

Dad scoffs and shakes his head. “The company is fine as it is. I built it when I was fresh out of college and look at what it’s grown to in the last forty years. I put my blood and sweat into LRH Global, and now the board is breathing down my neck like I have no clue how to run the damn thing.”

The rant would have more of an effect if he was still dressed in the same dark blue suit he wore daily instead of his black slacks and salmon polo.

He looks more like a man who stepped off the golf course than one who’s in touch with the state of the company.

The truth is that we’re in a nosedive, whether he wants to see that or not.

No amount of fuming and reminding everyone that he built the company is going to change the situation. He can shout the words from the top of the tallest skyscraper in New York, and it’s still not going to rebuild what’s broken.

Dad doesn’t want to hear that, though.

I nod along with him. “You’re right, but the directors aren’t going to want to hear it. They’re going to want to know how we’re going to fix this before their shares in the company go down the drain.”

“I already know what I’m going to do to fix this.”

Dad turns and strides out of my office, slamming the door behind him. I take a deep breath and get up from the desk, opening the door and turning to my assistant.

“Lara, you’ll be attending the meeting.”

She grabs her tablet and follows me through the top floor of the office.

I weave around the senior editor’s desk, heading for the conference room.

The glass walls have their curtains pulled across, hiding the men inside from the people in the office. Nobody wants the staff to start trying to read lips. They could find out that the company is going under and that would only incite panic among everybody.

Dad sits at the head of the table, the wingback leather desk chair to his right open. I pull it out, wheels catching on the worn fabric.

As I slip into the seat and Lara takes her position in the corner, more men filter into the room. Most of them are wearing variouscombinations of polos and slacks, though there is a woman who strides into the room wearing a suit. I don’t recognize her, but Dad mentioned something about one of the board members being voted out and another coming in.

She might be the most intimidating person in the room as she takes a seat at the other end of the table. “Leo, it’s time that we get this company under control.”

“I couldn’t agree with you more, Victoria.” Dad sits taller in his chair as his assistant closes the door, locking it before taking his seat.

“The company is taking a massive loss.” Victoria shuffles some of the papers in front of her. “You know there is only so much longer that the company can survive. The board of directors and I have come up with a plan.”

Dad’s jaw tightens, his lips pressing into a thin line. “I wasn’t aware that it is the board of directors who gets to make the final decision when it comes to my business. Your predecessor allowed my word to be the last.”

Victoria’s frown only deepens. “This is a new way of life, Leo. You’ve proven that you can’t keep the company moving forward. I’ve taken over, and the votes will lead us, not your need to dictate.”

I bite the inside of my cheek, holding back a smile.

Though I may not love what Victoria is saying, it’s the first time in a long time that someone has put my father in his place.

Dad clears his throat, standing up and making eye contact with the other men in the room. “We’ve all been working together for a long time, and you all know that I bring a vision to thiscompany. People said that records were dying out, just like they think newspapers are dying out. We’ll revive the newspaper. Create campaigns with influencers to show off the sense of stability and respect the newspaper brings while still being relevant today.”

My hands ball into fists as I hold my tongue. It’s the same spiel he’s been working for the last month, but it’s not going to happen.

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