Page 109 of Rich and Bossy

“Can they do this?” Jenny is crying openly, wiping her nose on her sleeve while holding a box of her stuff. “Is this legal? They can’t fire us for this, can they? Campbell said it’s illegal.”

I wish I could tell her what she wants to hear. “They’re not supposed to be able to.” I fall in behind her. “I’ll talk to Campbell and get back to all of you, as soon as possible, with a plan. We will fight this.”

“What am I supposed to do? What are any of us supposed to do?” It’s a rhetorical question, of course.

Still, I feel like I need to come up with an answer. I’m the one who got us into this, and now the looks of admiration have turned to what looks like open resentment. It’s exactly what corporate wants. Disappointment. Fear.

Of course, now everybody left behind in the warehouse will be too afraid to so much as breathe the wordunion. Now, they’ll have an image of armed security leading all of us out, when they go to vote.

“I promise, we will fight this. Don’t freak out, just go home and take a day off.” I wish I had more confidence when I say it.

It’s terrifying. Terrifying as all hell. It’d be one thing if they just did it to me. These people need their jobs.

Can’t believe I believed Paxton. Maybe it’s out of his control, but this is insane. I didn’t read about him resigning, and that’d be the only way I’ll accept he fought against this.

CHAPTER 31

Paxton

“I’ll have another.”I hold up my empty glass, jiggling it back and forth while nearly leaning against the bar for support. It’s not like me to drink during the day, and even more unlike me to drink this much at once. I haven’t really done it since college, but here we are.

“Wow.” John walks up beside me. He’s still nursing his first beer, while I believe this would be number three for me. Or four. Who’s counting?

I’m definitely a lightweight these days, because I can feel it. Absolutely can feel it.

“Wow what, bitch?” I’m already slurring. I start to sling the beer across the bar, then I stop. Because someone would have to clean it up, and I’ve caused enough work for too many people today.

“There was nothing we could fucking do, man. The second you toss the three consultant cunt wipes out of the building, the board replaces us. It’s that simple.”

“I was there. I don’t need the reminder.” I stare down into the beer mug, watching it swirl when I move the glass in circles.

“What else were we supposed to do?”

“Just stop, okay? I’m aware we couldn’t do anything. I’m pissed there’s nothing I could do. Talking about it is not fucking helping.” I take another drink, grateful for the way the cold beer tastes, knowing I should stop. At least it numbs shit for a minute. “I need to stop. Take this fucking thing.” I hand him the glass. “Before I go break it over Hank’s head.”

“We knew what we were getting into when we wanted to expand and go public. We knew this was a possibility, losing control. We knew that, bro.”

“You really aren’t helping.”

He sighs heavily, then props his face on his palm. “I know it doesn’t help. But it’s literally all I have to hold onto. You’re not the only one who feels like a piece of shit over this, okay?

“No, but I’m the one who promised things wouldn’t go this way. I said I’d do everything I could to stop it.”

“Well, you kept your fucking promise, whether she believes it or not. And no offense, but maybe that was a stupid fucking promise to make. I could’ve told you that was going to fucking happen. It’s why I went so fucking hard on people from day one, so you wouldn’t have to, and it’d look like we were doing shit.”

“Thanks.”

“I’m just saying. We both know it’s true. It wasn’t fair for you to tell her we wouldn’t get in the way. It wasn’t up to us. It never was.”

I wish I could make him understand. There has to be something more we could do. It doesn’t feel right. It just fucking doesn’t. That they marched all those people out and we’re still sitting here, with our job titles and our bonuses and stock rewards and shit. It’s not right.

“What’s the fucking point if we don’t run the company?” I turn to John, knowing he can’t give me an answer but wishing he would, anyway. “If we don’t have any say at the end of the day, what’s the motherfucking point?”

“You know the point.”

“What is it?”

“What do you want to do? Turn back time? Decide not to go ahead with the IPO?” He snickers, shaking his head. “We both know you’re too intelligent to believe a bunch of fairytale bullshit. This is life. Sometimes you have to pick a road.”

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