Page 12 of Due Diligence

“You’re obviously getting at something,” she continued, gesturing at me with graceful, polished motions—like a symphony conductor. “We can both tell. So, if there’s something you want to say to me, please go ahead. Otherwise, I think we need to work.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“Could have fooled me,” she murmured.

That comment dug into a nerve. “What did you say?”

Cassie hesitated before she forced yet another smile, which was really starting to get under my skin. “Nothing. I just want to focus on the data room.”

“Jesus Christ, is that all you think about? Your precious data room? If this is so damn important to you, why do you have the audacity to keep showing up late?”

“Oh here we go…”

“No,” I cut in, no longer working to temper my emotions. “I was clear yesterday. I wanted you here on time. We’re not going to sidestep that and pretend it never happened just because you feel like it.”

To my chagrin, she leaned back in her seat as well. “So you would rather squabble about me walking in a minute late instead of working?”

“This is important.”

She let out a scoff. “I’m sorry, but how is this more important than due diligence? This is the last hurdle to you getting nine digits in payout for your little company, so you shouldwantme to push you to work on this.”

As soon as she said that, I could hear my heartbeat in my ears. “Libra isnota little company, Cassandra.”

“It’s just a turn of phrase. I’m well aware your company has a half billion-dollar valuation. No need to jump down my throat over it.”

Finally, I snapped my own laptop shut—a signal that we most certainly wouldnotbe working together today. In fact, it was a signal that shit was about to go down. She had stumbled upon another one of my triggers: Libra. What I wanted to say to her was that Libra was like my kid, and if anyone said a thing about her, I would end the fucker.

Of course, I couldn’t say that. Instead, I said, “I’m not going to let you belittle this. I built this company from the ground up, and if you’re not willing to respect it, I can’t have you working here.”

Naturally, she frowned. “I wasn’t disrespecting anything. I’m just meeting your energy, which has been toxic since the moment I walked in.”

“Oh cool, so this is all on me, right? Somehow, I’m the reason we’re fighting.”

“Are you insane? You provokedme. You sat there and recited my résumé like some kind of psychopathic version of LinkedIn. What the hell is wrong with you?” She pushed her hand through her blond hair, for once upsetting her perfect coif. “What do you want me to say?”

“I want an apology.”

“I already apologized,” she insisted, eyes wide. “It was the first thing I did when I walked in here. Honestly—do you want me to take an ad out in the Times or something?”

“It’s not enough,” I snapped—and I wondered how long it was going to take her to realize we weren’t just talking about her late arrival anymore.

“You’re unhinged, you know that?” she declared as she rose to her feet. Her pretty face contorted. “And I’m off to a hell of a morning, so if you’re seriously going to sit there and accuse me—”

Fuck it.

“Get out,” I said, trouncing her sentence.

For once, Cassie was at a loss for words. She lifted an eyebrow as the gravity of what I said dawned on her. “Excuse me?”

“Get out of my office,” I ordered as I stood as well. “We’re not doing this, half a billion be damned. Take your shit and go.”

“You don’t get to decide what I do. My job is to complete this process, and that’s exactly—”

“Go before I call security,” I interrupted again. “I mean it. Try me, Cassandra.”

Cassie’s face flushed, but before she responded she glanced to the side and she froze. I did the same. It was only then that I realized she and I may as well have been putting on a production for the entire office. A sea of eyes met me, staring at the conference room where our due diligence analyst was standingwith her hands braced on the table, and I was gripping the edge of it.

“Fine,” she decided after a moment when she looked back at me. Her expression tightened even deeper, like she was casting a curse on me. “I’m going to my office and I’ll audit you from there.”

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