Page 25 of In Charge

Chapter 12

Robbie

Even though I wasn’tcompletely in the clear for sabotaging Dad, I had a bounce in my step. Dad wanted to meet with Maya and me after lunch today in Maya’s office, I assumed to discuss the future of the company. That meant I had about five hours to make sure Dad did the right thing and appointed Maya the new CEO.

I was honest with Maya about my role in the information leak, but despite my honesty, we still had a lot to figure out. Yes, she said we were fine, but I needed her to understand why I did what I did. We couldn’t move forward with a relationship—and yes, I wanted a relationship with her—until she truly understood who I was.

After last night’s encounter with her, losing her was not an option. I hadn’t expected to find her in her office last night, and her response surprised me. Especially after I ignored several calls from her and admitted my blame in the security breech. What we shared last night was so much more than sex. It stirred something inside me I’d never felt with any other woman I’d been with. Maya was exactly what I needed.

I just hoped she still wanted me today. No matter what she said to me yesterday, a lot could change overnight.

But first, time to deal with Dad. He didn’t say where he was going, but I figured it wasn’t far. Dad rarely traveled, not even for work. He didn’t like it. Most likely, Dad was in his townhouse a few blocks from the office. Everyone at the office had been too busy dealing with the crisis, no one had time to actually search for dad or else they didn’t care where he was. It didn’t matter.

I knocked on the door to the townhouse at exactly 8:05 a.m. Dad’s butler, Manning—a tall, slender man that looked about ten years Dad’s senior—opened the door.

“Hi Manning, I’m here to see my father.”

The old man regarded me and then waved me in. “He’s up the stairs, to the right.” Manning disappeared behind a door at the end of the hall before I could ask him how Dad was doing. Not that I cared, but it would be nice to know what kind of mood he was in before I tried to speak with him.

I stopped in front of a set of opened double doors. Dad sat in a chair facing a large window reading the paper. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

“Are you going to sit, or just stand there staring at me?” Dad said without taking his eyes off the paper.

“I think I’ll stand, if that’s okay with you.” I answered.

“Suit yourself.”

I waited to see if he would speak first, but after several minutes of silence, it was obvious he wouldn’t. It was rare to see Dad so quiet. He always had something to say and made it hard to get a word in.

“I would like to speak to you about the information leak, Dad.” I stepped into the room and leaned against the wall closest to him.

“Have you come to own up to it?”

“Is there really a need for that?”

“Not really, but it’d be nice to know what kind of man you are, Robbie.” Dad tossed the paper on the table beside his chair and looked at me. “What kind of man did I give my name to?”

“One who tells the truth.” I stepped around the chair so I could face him directly. I wouldn’t hold anything back. “And one that hates you.”

Dad chuckled before he stood. He walked to the bar and made two drinks. “Well, I couldn’t care less how you feel about me. All I care about is if you have integrity.” He walked back to his chair and handed me a drink.

“It’s a bit early for scotch, don’t you think?” I sat the glass on the table next to the paper. Who drinks at eight in the morning? This was much worse than three in the afternoon.

Then again, I did just destroy his reputation.

He smirked. “It’s never too early for a drink.”

“Well, I didn’t come here to have a drink with you.” I crossed my arms over my chest. I couldn’t stand that smug look on Dad’s face. I’d seen it way too many times over the years, and all it made me want was to punch Dad between the eyes. “I came to tell you that I did indeed leak the information to the tabloids. You already know that, but I needed to say it to you.”

“Thank you for the honesty.” Dad’s eyes dropped and a sadness replaced his smugness.

“The information I released was only intended to hurt you, and not the company. But you should know, I have more dirt. A lot of it. It’s enough to sink PenTalent and drain you of most your wealth. But it’ll never see the light of day if you agree to my demands.”

He downed his drink and picked up the one he made for me. “And what might those be?”

“Maya’s already salvaged the three clients I damaged. They’ve agreed to stay on with the firm under the condition that you walk away.” I paused to watch Dad’s reaction, but I didn’t get one. He didn’t even flinch, only stared at the space in front of him.

“Thanks to the way I released the information, they see this breach in security as a weakness on your part. Maya has earned their trust. You will retire from PenTalent today, and you will make Maya CEO, effective immediately.”

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